Abstract
Subject-verb agreement technically known as Concord is a common feature of languages and operates differently in these languages. This Chapter explores subject-verb agreement in Ekid as a morpho-syntactic feature which is prominently marked in the language. Words select their partners and make choices for compatibility, grammaticality and harmony. In order to maintain harmonious relations between the parts of the sentence, one must have this agreement. Ekid, a Benue-Congo language, spoken in Akwa Ibom State indicates subject-verb agreement in some astonishing ways. It shows up on the finite verb, before and after an overt tense or aspect in contrast with the claim in Chomsky’s Minimalist Programme that proposed only one agreement projection for the clause structure. Data for this study was collected through a questionnaire of short sentences administered to the native speakers of the Ekid language. The result of the data analysis indicates that Subject-verb agreement is heavily marked on the verbal structure hence, its ubiquity in the language.
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Willie, W.U. (2022). Syntax of Agreement in Ekid. In: Ekpenyong, M.E., Udoh, I.I. (eds) Current Issues in Descriptive Linguistics and Digital Humanities. Springer, Singapore. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-19-2932-8_4
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