%0 Journal Article
%T Negativization in Bassa Language
%A IP Manda
%J UJAH: Unizik Journal of Arts and Humanities
%D 2012
%I 
%X Bassa language is classified as belonging to Kainji family under the sub-phylum Western-Kainji known as Rubasa (Basa Benue) (Croizier, and Blench, 1992:32). This paper discusses three basic strategies used in negativizing sentence structures, two of which attach to the verb stem as negative operators whereas the third operator is a particle which is not necessarily an affix. The general negative marker ¨Csh¨¬¨° is commonly used to negate an affirmative clause, t¨¤- also attaches to verb stem to negate an imperative clause, and t¨¤ particle is used to negate perfective structures. All of these operators negate affirmative expressions and not only the verbs in questions but the whole clause. Where a perfective marker applies in a perfective tense, it precludes the attachment of the general negative marker; consequently the functions of both perfection and negation are fused in the particle t¨¤.
%U http://www.ajol.info/index.php/ujah/article/view/83232