On the single entry proposal for inherent complement verbs (ICVs) in Igbo
Abstract
Anyanwu (2003) argues that the inherent complement verb (ICV)
with its inherent complement constitutes a semantic unit, not a
syntactic one. The syntactic difference is not accounted for to
determine the syntactic status of the complement. The elegance of
this description notwithstanding, we fail to distinguish it from
Nwachukwu (1985) whose position is that both the IC and theICVare a X category. That is, the ICV and the IC combine as a
single entry in the lexicon. This work questions this position
because there are cases in which the so-called IC accepts a
nominal modifier (cf. Emenanjo, 2005): an indication that it is a
minimal category with its levels of projection within the VP. In
other words, Uwajeh’s (2003) analysis that the complement of the
ICV is object is corroborated.
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PDFReferences
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