TOWARDS A CLASSIFICATION OF IGBO VERBS

Abstract

Verbs and nouns belong to the most open classes in human language, but verbs more than nouns control or govern practically all relationships in human language, from phonology to pragmatics. Cognitive and functional grammarians argue, more convincing to me than TG, that it is the verb that selects nouns and other elements in all primary and secondary categories in human language. Yet, verbs are not as numerous as nouns. Similar to nouns, verbs can be classified, but in different ways in terms of their phonology, morphology, lexicology, syntax, semantics and pragmatics. This paper is a contribution to providing an impulse for the much needed research into the classification of Igbo verbs. It provides a bird’s eye view of Igbo verb classes.