REDUPLICATION IN OLÙKÙMI AND Ọ̀WỌ̀ DIALECTS OF YORÙBÁ: A COMPARATIVE STUDY

Abstract

Reduplication is a morphological process where a part or a whole of the base is copied to derive a new word. The existing research literature reveals that the previous studies on reduplication concentrated on the standard Yorùbá, comparatively there is adearth of research on Yorùbá dialects in respect to reduplication, particularly the lesser-known dialect like Olùkùmi. Therefore, this study intends to fill the gap by exploring the morpho-semantic properties of reduplicated word in Olùkùmi and Ọ̀wọ̀ dialects of Yorùbá within the paradigm of Morphological Doubling Theory (MDT) proposed by Inkela and Zoll (2005).The primary aim of this study is to describe and compare reduplication in terms of form and meaning in the two dialects. Data were drawn through observation and interview of the four purposively selected native speakers, each in Olùkùmi spoken in Ugbodu spoken in Delta state and Ọ̀̀wọ̀ spoken in Ọ̀wọ̀ town , Ondo state. The findings reveal that reduplication is a productive morphological process in Olùkùmi and Ọ̀wọ̀ dialects as shown on its significant roles in language use and communication. Both dialects employ partial and total reduplication to convey varying semantic purposes which include but not limited to lineage, plurality, adjective, adverb, measurement, agent and emphasis. However, it is shown in the study that total reduplication does not perform agent function in Olùkùmi as fisherman is expressed as ẹnẹ kpẹza instead of kpẹzakpẹza. This study not only shed more light on the morpho-semantic properties of reduplication in Olùkùmi and Ọ̀wọ̀ but also serves as a vehicle of language documentation, preservation and revitalization especially the lesser-known dialect like Olùkùmi.