Year: 2026
Type: article
Abstract: To create new meaning, or new grammatical forms, many languages characteristically reduplicate base morphemes, while subjecting their segmental materials to series of changes that evoke the interface between morphology and phonology.The study investigates this interconnection, using Urhobo (Edoid: Nigeria) as a case study.A qualitative descriptive research design is adopted, with data obtained through elicitation from fluent native speakers of Urhobo, and supplemented with relevant published linguistic materials in Urhobo.The analysis, conducted within the non-linear framework, employ CV Phonology.The findings on the aspect of morphology show that: (1) Urhobo derives reduplication by repeating base forms to the left; (2) it forms quantifiers, and marks progressives duplicating base forms.The findings also reveal that boundary vowels of the reduplicatives were either deleted or assimilated, yielding surface forms that are determined by qualities of the boundary vowels themselves.Our study demonstrates that Urhobo reduplication is not merely a morphological copying operation but also a linguistic operation that systematically interacts with the phonological component of the grammar.The findings reveal the creative morphological environments that condition phonological processes, shedding further light on the creative nature of the language system.
Institution: Delta State University
Language: English
Subfield: Experimental and Cognitive Psychology
Field: Psychology
Domain: Social Sciences
Open Access status: diamond
OpenAlex ID: W7217811684