Language and Culture as a Tool for Identifying People Tribe/ethnic Groups in Nigerian
Chapter One
PREAMBLE OF THE STUDY
A reconstruction of proto forms in Ibibios, Efik and Anaan which the research is forced on. This work is going to explore and illustrate areas of similarities and difference between the proto forms in Ibibio, Efik and Anaan but first of all undertaking a comparative reconstruction of the cognate forms of Ibibio, Efik and Anaan Languages and then undertake a lexicostatistical analysis of the language in order to arrive at a percentage of cognacy rate which will revealed whether they are the same forms, similar forms or different forms. This will enable the research to draw a conclusion about the historical and linguistic relatedness of these (3) three speech forms (Ibibio, Efik and Anaan).
CHAPTER TWO
REVIEW OF RELATED LITERATURE
Preamble
Before going into detailed analysis of any language. It will be worth while to look at the various ways in which different linguists have approached the issue of comparison and reconstruction
Review of Literature on Comparative Linguistic
According to Framkim and Rodman (1988:314) describes the branch of linguistics that deals with how language change what kind of change occur and why they occurred as Historical linguistic or Historical and Comparative Linguistics. The Nine teeth century historical and comparative linguistic based their theories on observations that certain language resemble and have systematic differences.
Languages are known to be genetically related in the sense that it is assumed of language when they showcase systematic differences. The 19th Nine teeth century scholars aimed to establish the margin language families of the world and also to develop and elucidate the genetic relationships that exist among the world’s language. The scholars aimed to establish the margin between the language families of the world and to define principle for the classification of language. The researcher will attempt to castigate the word structure of Ibibio, Efik and Anaan language in order to see whether there are systematic narration to help us draw conclusion about the comparative between Ibibio, Efkit and Anaan.
Fromkim and Rodman (1988:318) stated that for most languages, historical records and dated back for more than a thousand years ago and are studies to know how languages were once pronounced. The spelling in early manuscripts tells us a great deal about the sound systems of older forms of modern language. If certain words are always spelled one way and other words another way. It is logical to conclude that the two groups of words were pronounced differently even if the precise pronunciations are not known. Once a member of orthographic contrasts are identified, good guesses can be made as actual pronunciation.
These guessed are supplemented by common words that show up in all stages of the languages. Allowing their pronunciation to be traced from the present, step by step into reconstructing the same system of Elizabethan English. By Comparing the pronunciation of various words in several dialects, earlier forms of language can be reconstructed and the changes which occurred in the some inventory and phonological rules will be obvious.
According to Bynon (1977:1) historical linguistic seeks to investigate and describe the way in which language changes or maintains its structure during the course of time. Its domain therefore is language in its diachronic aspect. But that language in fact change during the course of time soon become evident when documents written in the same language but at different periods in time are subject to examination, and once allowance has been made for those orthographic and stylistic contentions, which are characteristics of languages in their written form. It may fairly be assumed that such text are representative samples of the spoken language as it was when they wore committed to writing, structured in accordance with the synchronic rules then operating.
In 1976, for William Jones presented a paper in which he observed that Sansknt bore to Greek and Latin a stronger affinity that could possible have produced by accident. He also made o suggestion that these three language had “sprung from a common source”
CHAPTER THREE
DATA PRESENTATION
Preamble
This chapter has to do with the data presentation of cognate forms of Ibibio, Efik and Anaan Languages.
This data were drawn out from the summer institute of linguistic world list and translated by native of the languages. Also this chapter will show and list the major sound correspondence used in this work. The data is presented below.
Major Types of Correspondences
This work will be using the three types of sound correspondences which are
Segmental Copying
This types of Sound Correspondence proves that the sound in a particular language meaning the same thing still stays the same in another language and still means the same thing without changing or omitting any segment from the word. For instance when look at the Efik Ibibio and Anaan Language
Ibibio – Ebe – Husband
Efik – Ebe – Husband
Anaan – Ebe – Husband
X in Anaan is the same X in Ibibio and Efik, hence the segment has automatically been copied.
CHAPTER FOUR
DATA ANALYSIS AND DISCUSSION OF FINDINGS
Preamble
This chapter of this study will be intensively showing the data analysis and discussion of finding of the reconstruction of proto forms in Ibibio, Efik and Anaan.
CHAPTER FIVE
Preamble
This chapter is going to state the main points of this research and also the decision of the researcher after much through has been made about all the information in connection to this research work.
Summary
In this study, we have attempted to reconstruct proto forms in Ibibio Efik and Anaan languages. It is based on the feedback from this reconstruction or analysis that we have discovered that proto-forms depict a common origin of these three languages. It has also enabled us to calculate the percentage of cognac rate and therefore predict that there must be some kind of high degree of mutual intelligibility among the Ibibio, Efik and Anaan linguistic system. This is therefore indicates that the three languages Ibibio, Efik and Anaan are linguistically historically, and genetically related.
Conclusion
Based on the feedback from this research we have decided to drew the following conclusion, that Ibibio, Efik and Anaan have a good high percentage of cognac rate, which therefore suggests that the three languages are closely related, that there must be a high degree of mutual intelligibility existing among the languages. That Ibibio, Efik and Anaan must have originated from a common ancestor language or proto language. That, since the languages are so closely related as determined by a high percentage of cognac rate, the speakers of the languages must, by implication have been very closely related in they past we have also concluded that the Anaan people speak and understand Ibibio and Efik without any formal learning.
Recommendations
It is our recommendations here therefore, that the feedback from researches such as this be given wider publicity to prove to the speakers of the languages that they are one and the same people because the similarities and correspondences in the cognate forms can be viewed as accidental occurrences.
More researches on the other areas of language documentation and analysis should be undertaken and encouraged so that more works, especially written, ones be made available to language teachers and the public. The government should also endeavor to encourage and stimulate interest in the study of indigenous languages.
It is hoped that this work will act as a pivot for future researchers, especially those who are interested in comparative linguistics. It also recommend here that future researcher especially those who are interested in comparative linguistics. It also recommend here that feature researcher should attempt to develop orthography for Anaan language so as to case the analysis of the phonology, morphology syntax and semantics of the three languages indigenes, opinion leaders, politicians and traditional rulers, especially of the Anaan clan should be encouraged by offering scholarships for Anaan and other indigenous language speakers to study language related courses and giving financial support to researcher who are venturing into the indigenous language studies.
Enlightenment programme should be carried out using the mass media such as the radio, television, newspaper and town criers, to inform the people especially the Anaan people about the presence of a course like linguistic in our higher institutions so that they can benefit from the knowledge and advantage of studying such a course.
REFERENCES
- Anderson James (1973) Structural Aspects of Language Change, Longman Group London
- Bergsland k, and H. Voght (19062). On the Validity of Glotto Chronology “Current Anthropology 3,115753
- Connel B. (1991). Phonetics Aspect of the Lower Cross Languages and their Implication of Sound Change, Ph.D Dissertation, University of Edinburg
- Conell, B. (1994). The Lower-Cross Language: Prolegonacra to the Classification of the Lower-Cross Language vol xxv, vol.
- Essien O. E. (1990). A Grammar of the Ibibio Language: Ibadan University Press Limited.
- Fattman, N. (1999). Ibibio Jews of Nigeria Uyo: Menorah
- Fromkin, V and Rodman (1988) An Introduction to Language London, Harcourt Brau College Publishers
- Jeffers R and Ilse Lehiste (1979) Principle and Methods for historical Linguistics, Cambridge the Mit Press
- Jeffers, R and Use Lehiste (1982) Principles and Methods for historical linguistics Cambridge the M.I.T Press
