A Comparative Study of English and Anaang Head Linguistics: From the Viewpoint of Phrase Structure Grammar

This work is a comparative study of English and Anaang Head Linguistics: from the viewpoint of Phrase Structure Grammar. It also projects the Contrastive Analysis Hypothesis as an effective tool for predicting and identifying syntaxbased structural similarities and differences, which may enhance or pose difficulties in second language learning situation. The study adopts the Phrase Structure grammar and a contrastive approach as its theoretical frameworks. It compares the phrase structural systems in English and Anaang Head Linguistics with a focus on the notion of Branching, Tree Structures, Noun Phrase Determiners, as well as Pre-modifiers and Post-modifiers. The study seeks to sort out the above notions and account for them in sentential structures constructed in the two languages. The findings reveal that English and Anaang languages have similar Head Linguistics, where the three major notions: head-initial phrases are right branching, whereas head-final phrases are left branching, but head-medial phrases combine both left-and right-branching in their sentences. Conclusions were drawn that an Anaang learner/user of English would not encounter much problem in his use of the Head Linguistic systems of English and vice versa in a second language situation.

Keywords: Comparative Study English and Anaang Head Linguistics Phrase Structure Grammar Contrastive Approach

Author

• Edenowo T. Enang
  Department of Englsih, Akwa Ibom State University,
  Obio Akpa Campus, Nigeria