SGRC-WA Holds Seminar on English–Dagbani Syntactic Structures
Published: December 2025 
Source: SGRC-WA Relations Office
The Sino-Ghana Research Center for West Africa (SGRC-WA), under the School of Foreign Studies and Trade (SFST) at Hubei University of Automotive Technology (HUAT), successfully held an academic seminar on Monday, 22 December 2025, as part of its seminar series. The event took place at the Industry Building (SX301) at HUAT and attracted students and scholars with interests in linguistics and African studies.
The seminar, titled “A Minimalist Analysis of Focus and Interrogative Marker Construction in English and Dagbani,” was facilitated by Dr. Li Tian, a lecturer in linguistics at SFST. The presentation examined parametric variation between English and Dagbani, highlighting how English predominantly employs movement-based mechanisms. At the same time, Dagbani relies on particle-based strategies, particularly within the left periphery of clause structure.
Moderated by Dr. Lemuel Gbologah, Director of SGRC-WA, the session generated insightful discussions on the syntax–pragmatics interface and the role of functional features in Universal Grammar. The seminar reinforced SGRC-WA’s commitment to promoting rigorous interdisciplinary research and fostering dialogue on African and comparative linguistics.
