Inflectional processes in Hausa verbs: Grade and reduplication

Abstract

This paper investigates inflectional morphology in Hausa with particular attention to the processes of grade and reduplication as they apply to verbs. It adopts Parsons (1960) for the description of grade and Yakasai (2014) for reduplication as inflectional mechanisms. Building on previous analyses of Hausa morphology, the study begins by outlining the distinction between inflection and derivation on phonological, morphological, syntactic, and semantic grounds. Using data from Hausa, the paper demonstrates how grade operates through predictable suffixal patterns defined by tone and final vowels, producing systematic verb classes with distinct morphosyntactic and semantic properties. Reduplication, by contrast, functions as both a full and partial process, encoding semantic values such as repetition, intensity, and distributive action. Examples are presented with standard interlinear glossing, illustrating how these processes preserve the word class of the base while enriching the verbal paradigm. The findings highlight the productivity and regularity of inflection in Hausa and its significance for understanding the interaction of tone, morphology, and syntax. More broadly, the study contributes to comparative morphological theory by providing insights into how an African language organizes verbal inflection through both highly structured and flexible processes.