Interfixation in Tiv morphology

Abstract

Tiv, 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.