Plural Formation Strategies in Igálà’. Journal of Universal Language
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Date
2015
Authors
Ilọri, J.F.
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Sejong University Language Research Institute, Seoul, Korea
Abstract
Plural formation in Ígálà is interesting in that it is not exclusive to
nominals but restrictedly extends to the predicate of the language.
This, superficially considered, have resulted in claims in certain
quarters that plural formation in Ígálà is unique and structurally
different when compared to what obtains in other languages within
the Yoruboid group, namely Yoruba and Itse ̣kiri . Some studies (e.g.,
Akinkugbe 1976, 1978) have even claimed that Ígálà plural
marking features are relics of the Proto-Yoruba-Igala (PYIG)
preserved by the language but already lost by other members of the
genetic subgroup. Given this background, this paper examines the
various structural manipulations employed in Ígálà to signal and/or
mark plurality on lexical items at word and phrase/clause levels.
Using a combination of the lexicalist and syntactic approaches to
word formation, as in Selkirk‟s (1982) word syntax and Wunderlich
& Fabri‟s (1995) minimalist morphology, the paper shows that
Ígálà plural formation system is not so distant from what obtains in
other Yoruboid languages . It also punctures the claim that the
apophony/ablaut plural marking type in Itse ̣kiri is a PYIG feature
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Citation
Ilori, J. F. 2015. ‘Plural Formation Strategies in Igálà’. Journal of Universal Language, Vol. 16, No. 1, pages 49-86. Sejong University Language Research Institute, Seoul, Korea.