AUXILIARY VERBS IN IGBO

Abstract

This paper takes a second look at the auxiliary verbs in Igbo with the aim of achieving an update on the state of the auxiliaries in the language. It first examines the not less than seven different auxiliaries identified by Emenanjo (1985) and the features he used to identify them. The premise is that these features can contribute to establishing the auxiliary verbs in the different Igbo dialects. Their application to Umuchu dialect of Igbo could confirm the existence of four auxiliaries in the dialect: -je, -ga, -ma, and -dị. Hence, this seems to confirm that Emenanjo’s features can indeed serve to establish the auxiliaries in the different dialects of the language.