Subject-Verb Agreement in English and Bantawa

Abstract

This research entitled 'Subject-verb Agreement in Bantawa and English' attempted to compare and contrast Bantawa and English S-V Agreement systems. Stratified sampling procedure was used to select the informants. In the process of data collection, the researcher found more information than he had expected before. So some more data from the informants had been noted down and mentioned in the appendix-A. In such a case, data mostly used by most of the informants are presented in this study. The verbs in the Bantawa language are free from the criteria of number except personal pronouns. Hence, almost all subjects of Bantawa sentences agree with the verb root in the present tense. Personal pronouns are used with their peculiar verbs if they function as subjects. The suffixes '- ā, -cā, -cācā, -ci, - inkā and -in' are added after the verb root to agree with their definite personal pronoun. It is the distinctive feature of the Bantawa language. To make verb honorific 'am-' prefix is added before verb root to agree with honorific subject. The languages Bantawa and English have both similarities and differences in the area of subject verb agreement. In both the languages, verb root gives plural meaning, verbs are not distinguished on the basis of gender. Equivalent interrogative terms are found in the languages. But Bantawa Sentences are produced in SOV structure. Singular, dual and plural number exist in relation to personal pronoun whereas English sentences are formed under SVO structure and have singular and plural number only. The study has been divided mainly into four chapters viz. introduction, methodology, analysis and interpretation and findings and recommendations. The first chapter deals with the importance of grammar, linguistic scenario, state of English in Nepal, literature review, objectives and significance of the study and others. The second chapter deals the methodology applied for conducting the research. Within this chapter, sources of data, population of the study, tools and process of data collection and limitations of the study are described. In the third chapter, data are interpreted and analyzed to develop S-V agreement rules in the Bantawa language and to make comparison between the Bantawa and English language in terms of S-V agreement. The fourth chapter is the concise one which comprises the crucial part of the study 'findings and recommendations'.