The Structure, Classification and Functions of the Nzema Noun Phrase

The paper examines the structure, classification and functions of the
Nzema noun phrase (NP). The data that have been analysed in this
study include a collection of told stories, extracts from the Nzema
Bible, a grammar text, a novel and a drama text. The paper shows
that the NP in Nzema is made up of the head (H), which could be anoun, a pronominal and several elements such as nouns, adjectives,
a determiner and numeral which serve as modifiers. Modifiers can
come before or after the head noun. NPs in Nzema can be classified
as simple, compound and complex based on their structure. The
items that occur as head of the NP are: noun only, pronoun only or
adjective only. The items that optionally occur as pre-modifiers in
the NP are pronoun and noun. Items that can occur as post-modifiers
in the NP are numeral, quantifier pronoun, determiner, adjective and
relative clause. Nzema NP can function as subject, direct object,
indirect object or complement. The present study is carried out
within the framework of descriptive linguistics.