Tense And Aspect In Ogbunike Igbo

(3) The Perfective:
It has been variously called “subject verb form 11, main (initiating) or the perfect tenses or the completive or simply the La-form of the verb. It’s feature is that it has the perfective marker- (V) le/=(V) la in the underlying structure. The suffix is always high tone irrespective of the tone class of the verb. For example
ii. O riela nri.
He has eaten food.

(4). THE FUTURE:
This form has been called the future tense or the Gaform of the verb and it’s feature is the (general) future  marker, the auxiliary gá (on a low tone), is followed by the participle, for example. i. Obi gá - abiá echi Obi will come tomorrow.

(5) The unfulfilled:
He says that this type is uncommon to Igbo analysis but the ideal thing is that in Igbo it is not fulfilled and it has only the affirmative. It’s feature is that the unfulfilled marker-ga, which becomes inflected as gáára, is followed by either the participle or the infinitive with subtle meaning differences i. Obi gáárá égo ede Obi should have bought cocoyam.

(6) The Imperative:
This verb form can be simple or complex, affirmative and negative and it’s feature. i. It has no NP(S) ii. For verbs with only one element in their verb stem, this element is often low tone and followed by a high tone harmonizing vowel suffix =e/=a; =o/=o Examples. Kpoo yã – call him Záa yã – sweep it.

(7). The Hortative:
The distinctive feature is that it is always introduced by the conjunction Ká “let ….’ ‘ that…’ ‘ i. Ká anyi gbáa egwu let us dance.

(8). Complex sentences via linking:
This involves the linking of sentences which may or may not make use of conjuctions. The meaning of the co-ordinate or subordinate structures is coloured by the inherent meaning of the conjuctions used, which may refer to time, conditions, reason, etc.
i. O toro ogologo makwaa mmā. He is tall and beautiful.

(9). Complex sentences via downgrading:
In this type the status of a dependent structure is reduced, whenever there is down-grading a relative clause is involved. It simply means a complex sentence with an embedded relative clause for example. Akwa O zutara mara mma The egg he bought is beautiful.

(10). The serial verb construction:
This involves the linking of two or more independent constructions of the same type, in some special ways. The distinctive features are:

i. All the verbs belong in the same or almost the same type of construction, they may be progressive, indicative, future
etc.

ii. Auxiliaries and tense- and –aspect markers of all the verbs are found with the first verb of the construction. Extensional suffixes and the open vowel suffix may be found on the verbs in the series. O ga-eje ahia zuta akwa She goes to the market to buy eggs. All these verb forms also have their negative forms except in few categories.

(2) (Igwe and Green 1979: 23-25) say that the Igbo verbal system is usually found within suffixes but these suffixes do not distinguish grammatically one verb form from another, rather their work is to modify the meaning, not to change the form. They do not however form “past or present tenses of the verb. They agree on the verb forms but claim that it is established by presence or absence of the verbal vowel prefix, e-(a.) before the verb stem, by tonal behaviour and by syntax. They claim that the Igbo verbal system has 3 divisions.

i. Division I – Imperative

ii. Division II – the subject verb forms, under it they have tense I & Tense II.

(iii) Division III- Narrative.

(1) The Imperative –
Used with or without a subject

i. Kwuo ya = say it
ii. Unù kwuo ya = You people say it.

(2) The subject verb forms. (Tense I & II) always used with subject.

(a)i Tense I main
O chi akwà =S/He is carrying eggs

(a)ii Tense I, (with –ra (time suffix) (The affirmative verb form)
O siri ánù
S/he cooked meat.

(b) Tense II (with –la/-le suffix) (The affirmative Verb form)
i. Anyi èsiele ji
We have cooked yam

ii Ha ázáala ézi
They have swept the compound.

(3) Narrative;
It does not have an immediate subject. Anyi zùrù ewu, bõo ya, kéere ndi ogó anyi . We bought some meat and cut it up and shared it out to our relation-in-law.

N.B. All these have the negative verb forms, also

2:2:2 IGBO MONOLINGUAL GRAMMAR BOOKS

(1) (A.O. Enemor and E.C. Osinomumu 2005:73-74) say that tense shows the time of an action/event through the inflection of the verb root. This makes it possible for the verb to point at the actual time of an event or the future time, the event will take place.
There are 3 types of tense in Igbo:
a. Tensi Ndinaazu
b. Tensi Ngaaradi and
c. Tensi Ndiniihu

(A) Tensi Ndinaazu:
It talks about a past action. An event that has taken place in the past. It takes the suffix ‘rv’ added to the verb root for example.
i. Ada gara akwukwo.
ii. Ada went to school.

(B) Tensi Ngaraadi:
This shows an action that would have happened in the past but it did not happen again. It uses the auxiliary verb ‘ga’ inflected with “ara” after the verb root, for example.
i. Emeka gaara abia.
ii. Emeka should have come.

(C) Tensi Ndiniihu:
It makes use of the auxiliary “ga”, example
i. Obi ga-abia echi.
ii. Obi will come tomorrow.

(2) (A.O Ume and et-al 1980:98-99) say that tense signifys time through the inflection of the verb root. This inflection makes the verb to point to the actual time.
There are 3 Tenses in Igbo;
A. Tensi Ndinaazu
B. Tensi Ndiniihu
C. Tensi Ngaaradi

(A) Tensi Ndinaazu:
As the name depicts, it shows what happened in the past. It goes with the suffix –rv, that is ‘r’ and a vowel that is in harmony with the head verb. For example:
i. O jere ubi.
ii. He/she went to the farm.

(B) Tensi Ndiniihu
This shows an action /event that will take place in the future. It goes with the auxiliary verb “ga”.
i. Adanna ga-abia echi.
ii. Adanna will come tomorrow.

(C) Tensi Ngaaradi:
This joins tensi Ndinaazu and Ndiniihu together. It talks about an action that should have happened if other thing had happened. This means an action that has past but it did not happen. It goes with + r +, where + is a vowel that is in harmony with the head verb for example.
i. O gaara abia.
ii. He/she should have come.

(3) (Igwe Unpublished) says that tense indicates time and the reference. It points to the actual time of an event thorough the verbs. There are 3 categories of tense in Igbo language:
A. Tensi Ndiniihu (The Future Tense)
B. Tensi Ndinaazu (The Past Tense)
C. Tensi Ngaradi (The Unfulfilled Tense)

(A). Tensi Ndiniihu: Affirmative and Negative:
This talks about a future action /event. It makes use of the auxiliary verb, “ga” and the prefix a/e, attached to the verb root, example: