REDUPLICATION IN URHOBO

Abstract

Reduplication is an important phenomenon in language studies. Its linguistic forms have long been studied in terms of descriptive methods. It is a fertile ground in the study of linguistics because it cuts across the core levels of linguistics. Reduplication process varies from one language to another. Reduplication can function as plurality marker, qualifier, a comparative term, past tense maker etc. This study examines the reduplication processes in Urhobo language. The Urhobo language belongs to the South Western Edoid group of languages. The work focuses on the morphological processes involved in the formation of reduplicated words and their implications. Data was collected through primary and secondary sources. The primary source was from six competent native speakers of the language who are between the ages of 40 and 50 years while the secondary source included literatures from the languages under study. The standard dialect of Urhobo which is Agbarho dialect was selected. Amongst other findings, the following were observed: the formation of adjectives and adverbs are mainly through the processes of reduplication in the language. Reduplication performs both grammatical and lexical functions in language. The application of the consonants/vowels templatic morphology theory to the Urhobo language makes the work a pioneer research. This work is significant because it benefits the owners of the language, students, users and teachers of languages.