Verb Stem Alternation in Tiv
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.60787/jolan.vol28no1.446Keywords:
verb stem alternation, Tiv language, Benue-Congo, phonology, morphology, grammatical structureAbstract
This article investigates verb stem alternation in Tiv, a Benue-Congo language spoken primarily in Nigeria and parts of Cameroon. A descriptive analysis of alternation provides insights into the morphophonological rules governing Tiv and explains how various verb forms are derived to express grammatical categories for example tense, aspect, mood, and number. The study is framed on Halle & Marantz’s (1993) distributed morphology theory, examining the interplay encompassing syntax, morphology, and phonology in the formation of verb stems. It identifies and categorizes the various types of verb stem alternations in Tiv, including their phonological and morphological triggers. Data were elicited from native speakers and analyzed to uncover the underlying patterns and rules. Findings reveal that Tiv utilizes both morphological and morphophonological processes in its verbal system alternation, contributing to the language’s grammatical complexity. Significantly, verb stem alternation often occurring without affixation plays a central role in encoding tense, aspect, and mood. The study concludes that verb stem alternation is of significant grammatical value, reflecting the intricate structure of the Tiv verb system, which shares features with other Tivoid languages. The article recommends that verb stems in Tiv be approached alongside its tonal system, given their interrelated roles in conveying meaning.
References
Aboh, E. O. (2004). The morphosyntax of complement-head sequences: Clause structure and word order patterns in Kwa. Oxford University Press.
Akinlabi, A., & Liberman, M. (2000). The tonal phonology of Yoruba clitics. In B. Gerlach & J. Grijzenhout (Eds.), Clitics in phonology, morphology and syntax (pp. 31–62). John Benjamins Publishing Company.
Arregi, K., & Nevins, A. (2012). Morphotactics: Basque auxiliaries and the structure of spellout. Springer.
Bedell, G., Mang, K. S., Nawl, R. S., & Suantak, K. (2023). The morphosyntax of verb stem alternation. Himalayan Linguistics, 22(1), 202–242.
Blench, R. (2016). New research on Tivoid and its place within Bantoid. Retrieved 13 September, 2024 from http://www.rogerblench.info
Blench, R. (2016). The Tivoid languages: Overview and comparative wordlist. Paper to accompany a presentation at Bantu VI Helsinki, 20–23 June, 2016. Retrieved 13 September, 2024 from http://www.rogerblench.info
Borer, H. (2005). Structuring sense: Volume I: In name only. Oxford University Press.
Cao, P. (2022). Identification and distinction of root, stem and base in English linguistics teaching. In A. Volodin & I. Roumbal (Eds.), ICECIDT 2022, ASSEHR 677 (pp. 698–706).
Cassetta, P., & Cassetta, L. (1994). A phonology of Ugare (Rev. ed.). Unpublished manuscript. Retrieved 13 August, 2024 from http://www.rogerblench.info
Cassetta, P., & Cassetta, L. (1994). The Ugare verb system (Rev. ed.). Unpublished manuscript. Retrieved 28 August, 2024 from http://www.rogerblench.info
Chingowe, B., & Ismail, J. H. (2022). The study of tone in Kinguu infinitive verbs. International Journal of English Literature and Social Sciences, 7(2), 15–22.
Chirkova, K., & Tshering, S. (2022). Verb stem alternations in Pingwu Baima. Preprint, HAL (2023).
Cox, B. (2014). Tone in the Iceve verb. SIL.
Creissels, D. (2005). Syntactic tone and the prosodic structure of sentences in African languages. Annual Conference on African Linguistics.
Crystal, D. (1997). The Cambridge encyclopedia of language. Cambridge University Press.
Davis, T. D. (2017). Verb stem alternation in Sizang Chin narrative discourse. Master’s thesis, Payap University.
Eberhard, D. M., Gary, F. S., & Charles, D. F. (Eds.). (2024). Ethnologue: Languages of the world. Dallas, Texas: SIL International. Online version.
Embick, D. (2010). Localism versus globalism in morphology and phonology. MIT Press.
Embick, D. (2010b). Stem alternations and stem distributions. Manuscript, University of Pennsylvania.
Gerber, P. (2022). Verb stem alternation in Gongduk: Synchronic and diachronic analysis. Language and Linguistics, 23(2), 240–273.
Halle, M., & Marantz, A. (1993). Distributed morphology and the pieces of inflection. In K. Hale & S. J. Keyser (Eds.), The view from building 20: Essays in linguistics in honor of Sylvain Bromberger (pp. 111–176). MIT Press.
Harley, H., & Noyer, R. (1999). Distributed Morphology. Glot International, 4(4), 3–9.
Herce, B. (2021). Stem alternations in Kiranti and their implications for the morphology–phonology interface. Journal of Linguistics, 57(2), 321–363.
Kramer, R. (2016). The ins and outs of contextual allomorphy. Language and Linguistics Compass, 10(11), 599–610.
Mang, K. S. (2006). A syntactic and pragmatic description of verb stem alternation in K’Chò, a Chin language. Master’s thesis, Payap University.
Nigeria Educational Research and Development Council (NERDC). (2022). National Language Policy. Abuja: NERDC Press.
Nurse, D., & Philippson, G. (Eds.). (2003). The Bantu languages. Routledge.
Nurse, D., Rose, S., & Hewson, J. (2007). Verbal categories in Niger-Congo languages. Collaborated with C. Beaudoin-Lietz.
Oke, O. (1968). A grammatical study of the Yoruba verb system. PhD dissertation, University of York.
Prichard, J. (2018). Verb stem alternation in Vaiphei. M.A. Dissertation, Portland State University.
Safir, K., & Bassene, M. (2017). Morphosyntax and movement: Verb stems in Jóola Eegimaa. Natural Language & Linguistic Theory, 35(3), 839–897.
Salffner, S. (2009). Tone in the phonology, lexicon and grammar of Ikaan. Unpublished PhD thesis, University of London.
The Joshua Project. (2025). Tiv in Cameroon. Retrieved 17 February, 2025.
Udu, T. T. (2009). Tiv Language: A reference book. Labari Publishers.
Udu, T. T. (2019). Names as repositories of worldview: Empirical evidence from the syntactic and morphological analysis of Tiv personal names. International Journal of Language and Linguistics, 6(4), 100–108.
Udu, T. T. (2025). Tonality of the Tiv verbal system. Unpublished Master of Arts dissertation, Benue State University, Makurdi, Nigeria.
Downloads
Published
How to Cite
Issue
Section
License
Copyright (c) 2025 Journal of The Linguistic Association of Nigeria
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.
