Contrastive Analysis of Affixation of English and Tiv Languages

Abstract

This study is a qualitative research that employed a contrastive analysis to assess the affixation processes in English and Tiv languages. The study makes use of both the primary and secondary sources of data, as well as the researcher’s intuitive knowledge as one of the competent speakers of English and Tiv languages. The study applies thematic content analysis to categorize and interpret the data on English and Tiv affixation processes, using contrastive linguistic theory which was first developed in 1945 by Charles Fries as an integral component of the methodology of First Language teaching. It is observed that one of the various methods of word formation in English and Tiv languages is affixation, the attachment of a morpheme before or after the stem or a root word to inflect or derive/create new words or show their variant form. Equally, the grammatical and productive imports of the new words created are noticed in the areas of plurality, tense or new words formation. The study observes some similarities and differences in the prefixes and suffixes of the two languages. It also proves evidence of infixation in Tiv language, which is lacking in English. The study, therefore, concludes that English and Tiv languages make use of affixations, taking into cognizance the peculiarity of the two languages. It also concludes that while there is infixation in Tiv, it does not exist in English.