Tense And Aspect In Ogbunike Igbo

CHAPTER THREE 3.0

TENSE IN OGBUNIKE

This chapter generally shows tense and how it is marked in Ogbunike Igbo.

It is based on the categories of tense in Igbo language already established in the previous chapter that I will now look in- to my dialect Ogbunike Igbo, to examine the extent of their realizations in my dialect. The categories of tense to be examined are the Future Tense (Tensi Ndiniihu), the Past Tense (Tensi Ndinaazu) and the Unfulfilled Tense (Tensi Ngaraadi).

3.1 TENSI NDINIIHU: (M.C Ngoesi 1989:73) says that this category shows an event/action that will happen in the future. It defines an action that is yet to happen. It is expressed through the use of the auxiliary verb “ga” with the main verb to form a sentence; but in Ogbunike dialect, it is expressed through the use of the auxiliary verb “ya” with the main verb to form a sentence. The data is sub-divided into Affirmative and Negative forms respectively. The same applies to every other categories of tense.

(a) Affirmative
1. igba egwu - to dance
     Emeka         ya -      agba    egwu
    Emeka      auxiliary   main      dance
                      verb       verb
    Emeka will dance.

2. ichu mmili – to fetch water
   O           ya -     echu      mmili
He/She auxiliary main       water
               verb    verb
He/She will fetch water

3. ije afia – to go market
O          ya       – eje            afia
He/She auxiliary    main      market
               verb     verb
He/She will go to market

4. izu ewu – to buy goat
    Ngozi        ya-      azu       ewu
    Ngozi      auxiliary main     goat
                     verb     verb
    Ngozi will buy a goat.

(b) Negative
5. Emeka     a +         ya + ro   agba       egwu.
 Emeka      verbal + auxiliary + Neg main dance.
prefix verb suffix verb
Emeka will not dance.

6. O ya + ro echu mmili.
   He/She auxiliary Neg main water
verb Suffix verb
He/She will not fetch water

7. O ya + ro eje afia
He/She auxiliary neg main market
  Verb suffix verb
He/She will not go to market

8. Ngozi a + ya + ro azu ewu
Ngozi verbal auxiliary neg main
Prefix verb suffix verb goat
Ngozi will not buy a goat.

There is no inflection of the verb in this category except, in the negative form which shows a morphological change in their verbs although they all express what will happen in the future. The same also is obtained in Standard Igbo, no regular verbal morphology.

3.2 TENSI NDINAAZU:
(A.O Enemor and Osinomumu 2005:73) say that this category shows an event that took place in the past. It shows a past action. An event that has ended and concluded. This type is associated with the rv suffix. Tensi Ndinaazu is marked in Igbo Language with the rv suffix, “r” and a vowel that is in harmony with the verb root. In Ogbunike Igbo, it is  marked with the Lu suffix, unlike other dialects that have – Lv suffix.

(a) Affirmative:
9. iri nri –to eat
Ogoo li + lu ji
Ogoo Verb Past T. yam
Root Morpheme
Ogoo ate yam

10. ije ugbo – to go farming
Pita je + lu Ugbo
Pita Verb Past T. farm
Root Morpheme
Peter went to the farm

11. ite ofe – to make/cook soup
Ada te + lu ofe
Ada Verb Past T. soup
Root Morpheme
Ada cooked the soup

12. iza iro – to sweep
Ha za + lu iro
They Verb Past T.
Root morpheme compound
They swept the compound.

(b) Negative:
13. Ogoo e + li + ro ji
Ogoo Verbal verb Neg
Prefix root suffix yam
Ogoo did not eat yam

14. Pita e + je + ro Ugbo
Pita Verbal Verb Neg
Prefix Root Suffix farm
Peter did not go to the farm.

15. Ada e + te + ro ofe
Ada Verbal Verb Neg
Prefix Root Suffix soup
Ada did not cook the soup.

16. Ha a + za + ro iro
They Verbal Verb Neg
Prefix Root Suffix compounds
They did not sweep the compound.

From the above, one can see that there is an inflection of the verb root that is, it is marked with the “Lu” suffix, this shows that there is a regular morphological change in the structures of both the affirmative and the negative forms of the verb in this category just as it is with Standard Igbo that has the “rv” suffix. All the forms (Affirmative and Negative) still portray what has already taken place, a past action.

3.3 TENSI NGARAADI:
This connects Tensi Ndiniihu and Tensi Ndinaazu together. A.O Ume et al (1989:99) say that it shows what should be done but was not done. M.C Ngoesi (1989:73) asserts that Tensi Ngaraadi portrays what should have been done but was not done because the time for it to have been done has past, that it uses the auxiliary verb “ga” inflected with “ara” or “ka” to express itself. In Ogbunike Igbo, the construction is expressed through the use of a special auxiliary verb “Ka”. Below is the presentation of the data.

(a) Affirmative:
17. ibia - to come
O ka – ibia
He/She auxiliary main + come
verb verb
He /She should have come

18. igwa – to tell
Osita ka - igwa ya
Osita auxiliary main him/her
verb verb
Osita should have told him/her

19. ije – to go
Nnamdi ka - ije akwukwo
Nnamdi auxiliary main school
verb verb
Nnamdi should have gone to school

20. iza uno – to sweep
I ka – iza uno
You auxiliary main house
verb verb
You should have swept the house.

(b) Negative:
21. O ka + ro ibia
He/She auxiliary neg main + come
verb suffix verb
He/ she should have not come.

22. Osita a + Ka + ro igwa ya
Osita Verbal auxiliary neg main him/her
prefix verb suffix verb
Osita should have not told him/her.

23. Nnamdi a + ka + ro ije akwukwo
Nnamdi Verbal auxiliary neg main school
Prefix verb suffix verb
Nnamdi should have not gone to school.

24. I Ka + ro iza uno
auxiliary neg main house
verb suffix verb
You should have not swept the house

This category also has no verbal morphology in the affirmative except in the negative form, unlike the standard Igbo that is inflected in their affirmative and Negative forms respectively.

In conclusion, one can see that there are lots of differences as well as similarities on how this category of tense is realized in Ogbunike Igbo. The differences could be seen very well in Tensi Ngaradi which has no inflection in Ogbunike Igbo unlike the Standard Igbo, also in the phonology of Ogbunike dialect.