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Diachronic study of phonological changes in the Tiv language
No full textAbstract: All levels of language analysis are prone to changes in their phonology, morphology, graphology, lexis, semantics and syntax over the years. Tiv language is not an exception to this claim. This study investigates various aspects of phonological or sound changes in Tiv language. This paper therefore classifies sound changes in Tiv; states causes of sound changes in Tiv and explores implications of sound changes. The research design used in this paper is purposive sampling of relevant data. The instrument used in this paper is the observation method in which the author selected words that showed epenthesis, deletion and substitution. It has been noted that the use of archaic spellings in the Modern Tiv literatures shows their ancientness. Phonological change is not a deviation but a sign of language growth and changes in spellings result in changes in sounds. The author recommends that scholars should write papers or critical works on lexical/morphological, syntactic, semantic, graphological changes in Tiv language. Students should write projects, dissertations and theses on language change and diachronic linguistics. This study introduces Tiv historical linguistics and diachronic phonology which serve as catalysts for the study of Tiv language. The understanding of Tiv sound change provides students with a much better understanding of Tiv phonological system in general, of how Tiv phonology works and how the phonemes fit together
Ephemisms as communication vehicle in the Tiv language and literature
No full textThe beauty of Tiv language and literature is achieved when communication or discourse is laced with euphemistic expressions. Euphemisms aid in turning impolite utterances into polite ones. This study, therefore, investigates the communicative potentials of euphemisms in the Tiv language and literature. The study discusses formations of euphemisms, classifies euphemisms and explores the effects of euphemisms. Connotative theory of meaning has been deployed in this study because the interpretation of euphemisms is contextually and connotatively loaded. Methodologically, the author used primary and secondary materials. The author used a participant-observation tool for data collection. Being a native speaker of the Tiv language, the author collected, translated and classified euphemisms. Secondary materials were sourced from textbooks, journal articles, online sources and dictionaries. The following findings were made: euphemisms constitute phrasal or idiomatic synonyms; they beautify or spice our daily communication; they can becloud meanings. This study will benefit preachers, writers, lecturers/teachers, researchers, semanticists, public speakers, politicians and students
Phonemic substitutions in the English-Tiv loan phonology
Get PDFAll living languages borrows new words to enrich their own languages. Tiv language has borrowed a lot of loan words from the English language as a result of language contact. This paper analyses phonemic substitutions in the English-Tiv loan phonology. The main objectives of this study are to discuss vowel and consonant substitutions in the English-Tiv loan phonology and to state the implications of English-Tiv loan phonology in the study of the Tiv grammar. This study adopts LaCharite & Paradis’ (2005) phonological Repair Model and Calabrese Andrea’s (2009) Acoustic Approximation Model. The author used both primary and secondary sources in this study. Under primary sources, the researcher compiled the list of English-Tiv loan words through the participant-observer method, and the secondary sources were obtained from journal articles, textbooks, and dictionaries. From this study, the following observations were made: that English-Tiv loan phonology leads to coda declusterisation. Tiv phonology does not have /θ/, /ð/, /ʒ/, /ʌ/ and /ə/ phonemes; so the said phonemes are being replaced by /t/, /d/, /ʃ/, /ɔ:/ and /æ/. It has been discovered that some loan words maintain their original spellings but have different pronunciations. This paper is an advancement of scholarship on phonemic substitutions in the English-Tiv loan phonology, making it an important addition to secondary sources of data on the critical reception of English-Tiv loan words and promoting the Tiv language within and beyond the academic cycle
Internet-mediated Language and style in Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie’s Americanah
Get PDFThe astounding development in Information Communication Technology (ICT) has transformed all fields of human endeavours and provided various media that writers employ in their literary texts. As rich as internet-mediated language and style are in the study of Adichie’s Americanah, there are paucity of scholarly studies that discussd their linguistic features and relevance. Therefore, the objective of this study is to investigate the aspects of internet-mediated language and style used in Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie’s Americanah. This study adopted Computer-mediated Communication (CMC) and this theory is dichotomised into synchronous and asynchronous modes. Synchronous modes comprise telephone conversations and instant messaging whereas asynchronous modes include e-mails, blogs and text messages. Methodologically, this study selected Adichie’s Americanah as a primary source using judgemental sampling. The documentary sources were obtained via journal articles, textbooks, dictionaries, dissertations and theses that boosted this study’s review. As for data presentation and analysis, the author read Americanah; selected Internet-mediated (IM) features; classified them into blogs, e-mails, text messages and telephone conversations and analysed them. One of the findings is that IM style saves time and enhances quick narration than letters. Secondly, the domestication of IM jargons in Americanah also indicates that the language of ICT is relevant in literature. Lastly, IMC is a recent style that Adichie employs in Americanah. This study will have tremendous impacts on English, Linguistics, Mass Communication, ICT and Literature students, researchers, scholars and lecturers
Phonological Effects and Functions of English Loan-words on the Tiv Grammar
Get PDFThere is no human language that is devoid of borrowing loan-words from a parent language to its own (recipient) language. When loan-words are injected into a recipient language, there are certain phonological effects that such words have on the grammar of such a language. This paper critically discusses the phonological implications and functions of English loan-words on Tiv the grammar. The objectives of this paper are to: classify phonological implications of English loan-words on the grammar of Tiv language; discuss the implications of English loan-words on Tiv grammar; explore the phonological functions of English loan-words; and, state reasons that necessitate borrowing of loan-words. The author used primary and secondary sources. The researcher used participant-observer technique as his primary source and documentary sources were used. It has been found out that most English loan-words have no substitutes in Tiv; loan-words have expanded the vocabulary of the Tiv grammar; the original syllabic structure of most loan-words changed from close to open syllables; and epenthetic letters are added to break consonant clusters, for plurality and as a hiatus repairing strategy. It has been recommended that papers should be churned out in the areas of historical, comparative and contact linguistics. Lecturers should give assignments or project topics on phonologically related processes
Analysis of Tiv clitics
Get PDFTiv language has both major and minor word-formation processes, and cliticization belongs to the minor process. This study debunks an erroneous assertion by researchers of Tiv extraction that Tiv morphology is devoid of clitics. The non-inclusion of cliticization as a word-formation in Tiv is long overdue. Though clitics are infinitesimally small in the Tiv grammar, their minuteness should not be ignored. This paper argues that the Tiv language has enclitic m, which is added after its hosts, usually verbs, it performs pronominal functions. This paper classifies Tiv clitics, discusses the formation of clitics in Tiv, and states the functions of Tiv clitics. The researcher made use of observation as a primary source of data elicitation, and documentary sources were equally used in the review. It has been discovered that researchers on the Tiv language have not given any attention to clitics in the language. It has been found out that nam (give me) and wuhem (my co-wife) were considered as objects in the previous studies. Researchers mistook clitics for affixes. Finally, the Tiv language only has enclitics
Diachronic Study of Phonological Changes in Tiv Language
Get PDFAll levels of language analysis are prone to changes in their phonology, morphology, graphology, lexis, semantics and syntax over the years. Tiv language is not an exception to this claim. This study investigates various aspects of phonological or sound changes in Tiv language. This paper therefore classifies sound changes in Tiv; states causes of sound changes in Tiv and explores implications of sound changes. The research design used in this paper is purposive sampling of relevant data. The instrument used in this paper is the observation method in which the author selected words that showed epenthesis, deletion and substitution. It has been noted that the use of archaic spellings in the Modern Tiv literatures shows their ancientness. Phonological change is not a deviation but a sign of language growth and changes in spellings result in changes in sounds. The author recommends that scholars should write papers or critical works on lexical/morphological, syntactic, semantic, graphological changes in Tiv language. Students should write projects, dissertations and theses on language change and diachronic linguistics. This study introduces Tiv historical linguistics and diachronic phonology which serve as catalysts for the study of Tiv language. The understanding of Tiv sound change provides students with a much better understanding of Tiv phonological system in general, of how Tiv phonology works and how the phonemes fit togethe
Stylistic analysis of Tivisms in select Nigerian novels
Get PDFThe culture of a given people is reflected in their literature and language is a medium through which such a culture is expressed. Stylistic analysis of Tange’s The Legitimate Candidate, Shija’s Whispers of Distant Drums, Gar’s The Blood of the Ram, Kwaghchimin’s A Star of Hope, Tijah’s Slow Men at Work and Norya’s The Luminous Flame resonates with unique expressions which express Tivness. The study investigates the significance of semantic devices in the select novels using Style as a Manner of Expression Model. Methodologically, this study used primary and secondary sources of data. The data for analysis are Tivisms in the select novels. Tivisms refer to Tiv words, expressions, exclamations or interjections, phrases and sentences, unique narrative, dramatic and poetic techniques that are used in literary works talk about Tiv people, culture and language. The study shows that Tivisms serve the following purposes: identity construction, multimodality, beautification, speech flavour and local colour. The paper contributes the literature on language use in Nigerian or African literature
Linguistic roles of surrogate language in the select literary texts
Get PDFLanguage has verbal and nonverbal components and both of them complement each other in our daily communication. The former exists in spoken form and the latter uses body movement, musical instruments and sign language to convey meaning. Surrogate language is synonymous with nonverbal communication. This paper investigates the linguistic roles of surrogate language in the select literary texts. The study explores different media of surrogate language and states the roles of surrogate language in literary texts. This study adopts Katz, Blumler and Gurevitch’s Uses and Gratifications Theory. This theory states that audience use the mass media for their own purposes such as information, entertainment, messages, announcements and advertisements. The researcher selected seven literary texts using non-probability sampling method with particular reference to purposive sampling. The researcher made use of both primary and secondary sources such as textbooks, journal articles, theses and dictionaries. The author read, selected and jotted down surrogate language for easy presentation and analysis. It has been found out that in surrogate language, blind people can hear the sounds of the musical instruments and understand, deaf people can see the eye contacts of the speakers without bothering about the speech
Interfixation in Tiv morphology
Get PDFTiv, one of the Bantoid languages spoken in Benue, Nassarawa, Taraba, Plateau states of Nigeria and Southern Cameroon, has tripartite connotations which it refers to a tribe, a language and an ancestral father. This study investigates various functions that interfixation performs in Tiv. This study adopts Hockett’s (1954) Item-and-Process Theory which explains the morphological composition of interfixal process in Tiv and how it changes simple words to complex words. Methodologically, this study souced data through primary (observation) and secondary sources. The secondary sources were obtained from journal articles, academic textbooks, dictionaries and encyclopaedias which boosted literature review of this study. The study used non-probability sampling procedure with a particular reference to deliberate sampling design. Data collection was done through personal observation in which words that have interfixes were jotted down, transcribed, grouped according to their formations and functions then analysed accordingly. The study revealed that Tiv interfixes have interfixed vowel ‘a’, syllable ‘-mba-’ and interfixed words. It has also been discovered that interfixed vowel, syllable and words are mostly found in compound words and triplications. It has also been found out that Tiv interfixes and infixes have their distinctive features. The study has also shown that Tiv interfixes express futurity (shall); perform the prepositional functions of ‘of’ and ‘with’; the plural morpheme ‘-mba’ with adjectival roots and plural nominal roots and formation of triplications in Tiv. This study is, therefore, recommended to: linguists that have interest in morphology, scholars who wish to investigate interfixation as an affixation process, students who may wish to write their projects, dissertations and theses on affixal processes and lecturers who may intend to write articles or books on word-formation processes
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