INTERFIXATION PROCESSES IN IGUTA MORPHOLOGY

Abstract

Affixal morphology is a process that permits the combination of affixes and stems to develop a new word. Morphologists consistently argue for the realisation of various kinds of affixes that are common to languages. However, except for interfixation, studies on the morphology of African languages suggest the existence of three types of affixes, i.e., prefixes, suffixes, and infixes. Therefore, this paper reconnoitres the interfixation process in the morphology of Iguta, a minority language spoken in parts of Toro and Jos North of Bauchi and Plateau States in Northern Nigeria, via Ado’s (2017) 455-word list. Using Hand Analysis Strategy and the Thematic Analytical Process, the paper discovers that the affixes –di-, -en-, and –ten- can interfix between two base or root morphemes to form compound nouns. The paper establishes that interfixation processes exist in the Iguta language and that affixes (bound morphemes) are commonly inserted between free morphemes to derive or inflect nouns. The fact that “char” in Iguta stands for “many/much” and, when it suffixes a base/root it maintains its word class, serving as an inflectional marker, while the insertion of either –di-, -en-, and –ten- interfixes in-between base/root words in the formation of the compound words is derivational. The results revealed that this type of affix is common in the Iguta language. Having this kind of process in word formation serves as part of the uniqueness of Iguta. Therefore, the process could serve as credence to the language, being a member of the Benue-Congo language phylum.