Étude énonciative des verbes en ikwere : le cas de ɔ̀gwʊ̰̂

International audience A fair amount of my work in Ikwere deals with verbs. A typical Ikwere verb consists of a verb element that can hardly make any sense and a noun complement. Together, they interact to make sense. The idea is to find out the lexical identity of each of them based on how they function in the language and what their invariant properties are. This article focuses on ɔg w ʊ̰̂. This verb can express the idea that one is hungry or thirsty. It can also express the need to eat a specific kind of food or drink a specific kind of drink. It can further express the urge to urinate or to defecate. Lastly, it can mean that one is tired or that one misses a friend, lover or relative. The aim of this article precisely is to map out the invariant property that underlies the various uses of this verb and the meanings it helps to construct. The article also sets out to underline the specific ways by which ɔg w ʊ̰̂ brings to play the fundamental operation of locating that is inherent in language activity.