SELECTED SYNTACTIC PROCESSES IN THE ṢÚPÁRÈ DIALECT OF YORÙBÁ LANGUAGE

This study examines selected syntactic processes (negation, WH-constructions and relative constructions) in the Ṣúpárè dialect of Yorùbá, a variety spoken in southwestern Nigeria. The research seeks to identify the structural properties that distinguish Ṣúpárè from Standard Yorùbá and to highlight the dialect’s unique strategies for clause formation. Data were collected through elicitation and validation from competent native speakers of Ṣúpárè across different quarters of the speech community. Analysis reveals that each syntactic operation requires two obligatory markers: one in sentence-initial or post-subject position and another in sentence-final position. In relative clauses, the subject argument is obligatorily filled with a resumptive pronoun, unlike Standard Yorùbá where the position remains empty. WH-constructions are realised through split interrogative markers at two syntactic positions, with no involvement of the focus marker “ni”. Negation is achieved through tonal alternations and low-tone syllables, in contrast to the segmental negator “kò” in Standard Yorùbá. The findings are interpreted within the Principles and Parameters framework (Chomsky 1981, 1986), which explains the observed patterns as outcomes of universal grammatical principles shaped by dialect-specific parametric settings. In particular, the study shows that Ṣúpárè grammar recognises the Aspectual Phrase as an independent projection, providing evidence for parametric variation in Yorùbá syntax. By documenting these features, the research contributes to comparative Yorùbá dialectology, advances the understanding of parametric variation in Niger-Congo languages and offers fresh insights into the interaction between universal principles and dialect-specific syntax.