NOMINAL GROUP MODIFICATION IN MO/DEG LANGUAGE

This paper explores the modification of nominal groups in Mo/Deg by a very simple methodology. Using purposeful sampling, the study sampled thirty (30) people who could speak and write fluently well in both English and Mo/Deg. Short simple English sentences containing nominal group NG modifiers were given to them to translate into Mo/Deg. The translated versions were then collected as data and analysed using the systemic grammar concept of the NG structure. The results showed that some determiner groups and the nominal groups are the only linguistic items which can occupy the modifier slot in the NG structure of Mo/Deg. The study comes to the conclusion that the positions of these modifying items – determiners and nominals in relation to the nominal group head are fixed.