The Structure, Distribution and Function of Saho Noun Phrases: a Transformational Generative Grammar Approach

Language is a vital tool not only a means of communicating thoughts and ideas but also creating cultural tie, identity, power, and so forth. For this reason, the use of mother tongue as medium of primary education has been the concern of many organizations and countries. UNESCO has involved in the effort to safeguard endangered languages. Besides, the present Ethiopian Constitution grants all Ethiopian languages have equal state of recognition. Accordingly, Irob-Saho requires a meticulous linguistic description that can transform it from oral to written and preserves it from risk of falling out of use. Therefore, this work takes a significant share in diminishing the deficiency of linguistic works in the language. It describes the structure, distribution and functions of Saho NPs in the light of Transformational Generative Grammar (TGG) theory and its recent developments. Hopefully, the monograph can be a useful tool for documentation and development of literary materials in the language, and can serve as a reference for linguists and researchers who are interested in doing related works in other languages.