Abstract
This study investigates Serial Motion Verb Constructions (SMVCs) in the Hausa novel JikiMagayi within the framework of Lexical Functional Grammar (LFG). The research aims to identify, classify, and analyze the syntactic patterns that underlie Hausa serial verb constructions, focusing on how multiple verbs combine to express complex motion events within a single clause. Data were extracted from JikiMagayi and analyzed qualitatively using descriptive and analytical methods. Findings reveal that Hausa employs serial motion verbs as a productive syntactic device for encoding event sequences, direction, and causation without the use of overt conjunctions. The analysis identifies six major clusters; Sequential Motion, Multi-Action Physical Sequence, Motion plus Manipulative, Directional/Goal-Oriented, Iterative/Aspectual, and Complex Serial Constructions. Each cluster demonstrates monoclausal structure, shared tense/aspect marking, and subject control, confirming the high degree of syntactic cohesion typical of serializing languages. Within the LFG model, the serial verbs share a single f-structure with unified argument mapping, establishing Hausa as a language that uses functional control to encode multiple event predicates within one clause.The study concludes that serial motion verbs in Hausa are not merely stylistic devices but reflect a core grammatical process that links syntactic structure with event semantics. They enhance narrative flow and cohesion in JikiMagayi, illustrating how traditional Hausa narrative style exploits grammatical serialization for temporal and causal progression.
Keywords: Hausa language, Serial Motion Verbs, Lexical Functional Grammar (LFG), Syntax,JikiMagayi.
DOI: www.doi.org/10.36349/sojolics.2025.v01i02.009
author/Adama Umar Isa
journal/Sokoto JOLICS 1(2) | November 2025 |
