Naija dey borrow most of im vocabulary from English (im superstrate language). Im grammar structures and sentence constructions, on di oda hand, dey strongly influenced by indigenous Nigerian languages and di sociocultural context of Nigerian society. For languages, word order dey very important, becos if yu alter di order, e fit change di meaning. Dis article go explain Naija word order, di grammatical patterns wey dey key, and haw all dese things dey help people make meaning for dia everyday communication.
Subject-verb-object
Like English, Naija dey use subject-verb-object order.
| Subject | Verb | Object |
|---|---|---|
| I | chop | rice |
| She | trowey | di food |
| Mama | cook | soup |
Adjective order
Adjectives before di noun
Like for English, na before di noun we dey put adjective for sentence. For example:
- She be fine girl.
- Dat small pikin don go school.
- Na sweet food dem cook today.
Ordering of multiple adjectives
We dey follow di English order of adjectives for Naija: opinion, size, physical quality, shape, age, color, origin, material, type, and purpose. For example:
- Na one fine small girl I see.
- Dem get three big red buses.
- I trowey dat my old black ugly shoe.
Predicate adjectives
Predicate adjectives na adjectives wey dey come after linking verb to take describe di subject for sentence. For Naija, di linking verb dey optional wen na di verb “to be”.
- Ha head dey strong. / Ha head strong.
- I dey happy today. / I happy today.
- Yu dey look hungry.
Adverb order
For Naija, wer adverb go show for sentence dey depend on di kain adverb wey we dey use.
| Adverb type | Placement | Example sentence |
|---|---|---|
| Manner | After di verb & e dey reduplicated most times | – I chop di food sharp-sharp. -She dey drive slow-slow. |
| Time | Beginning or end of a sentence | – I go show yor side tomorrow. – Yesterday we no see light. |
| Place | After di verb | – Wetin yu dey find for yer? – I go wait for yu outside. |
| Frequency | After di auxiliary verb | – Yu dey always burst my brain. – She dey come late sometimes. |
| Degree | Before di adjective or verb | – Yu too like amebo. |
Question order
Unlike for English, wen we want turn statement to question for Naija, we no dey change di subject and verb order.
| Statement | Question |
|---|---|
| She dey chop. | Wetin she dey chop? |
| Yor mama dey house. | Yor mama dey house? |