Noun phrases perform both thematic and grammatical functions. A principled analysis of their role within clause structure and discourse context is necessary for a proper understanding of language structure. This paper analyzed the distribution and interpretation of overt noun phrases in Gokana clause-structure within the framework of Government-Binding Theory. The paper found that Gokana overt Noun phrases are classifiable into anaphors, pronouns, and referential expressions. The paper showed that Gokana anaphors are of two types: reflexives and reciprocals. The reflexive noun phrase must have an antecedent in order to be interpretable which must agree with the reflexive in the nominal grammatical features of person and number. The paper found that the antecedent/reflexive pair is immune to gender agreement as the reflexive does not morphologize gender contrasts in the language. The paper claimed that a reflexive must be bound in its governing category, and cannot precede but must always follow its binder. Thus, an antecedent must constituent command (C-command) the reflexive NP and not the reverse. The paper argued that Gokana reciprocals are subject to the same distribution and interpretive constraints as reflexives except that the reciprocal noun phrase is inherently plural and requires only a plural antecedent for its interpretation. The paper claimed that Gokana pronouns do not show gender contrasts and are not locally bound in their distribution but they inherently specify certain properties of the referent and may not require an antecedent in its minimal clause but may need contextual information for a complete determination of the referent .We noted that there is no form of binding on NPs that are referential expressions and they do not have any form of pronominal or anaphoric grammatical relation in their distribution and interpretation within Gokana clause – structure.
This paper described the structure of the verb phrase in Gokana within the framework of Principles and Parameters Theory. The study examined the structure, types and linear order of constituents within the Gokana verb phrase. The study found that the Gokana VP has an abstract SPEC V-bar which serves as a landing site for moved adjuncts from post verbal position to pre verbal position of the Gokana clause. The paper identified the specifier, complement and adjunct as the basic constituents of the verb phrase in Gokana. The paper noted that while complements are obligatory and tightly woven into the structure of the verb with respect to sub-categorization facts of the verb, adjuncts and specifiers are non-obligatory in the canonical structure of the Gokana verb phrase. Thus, the Gokana VP can sometimes occur without specifiers, adjuncts and complements in surface syntax. The study noted that the verb is the head of the Gokana verb phrase. The study identified five subtypes of complements and six subtypes of adjuncts in the Gokana VP. The paper claimed that there is a severe semantic constraint on the linear sequence of adjuncts and recommended a detailed investigation of the order of adjuncts in the Gokana verb phrase.
