CLIPPING IN URHOBO LANGUAGE

ABSTRACT

This study focuses on clipping in Urhobo Language. The study aim to examine clipping as a morphological process that creates new words in Urhobo Language. The objectives of this study are to identify different types of clippings, their formation and to analyze the morphological change of clipped forms in Urhobo Language. A qualitative approach was employed using a descriptive method to analyze and categorize the types of clipping in Urhobo. Data collection involved interactions with competent native speakers of Urhobo (including teachers from primary and secondary schools, and students from the University of Benin), aged between 22 to 50. The informats were selected to provide diverse range of the original and clipped forms in Urhobo. Notes were taken to document the changes, spellings, pronunciations, and usage of these words and their meanings as expressed by the informants. Online materials like Ejomas: Ekpoma journal of Theatre and Media Art were also reviewed to gain insights to the established types, formation and meanings of clippings in Urhobo. The data collected were presented in tabular format according to their types. The theoretical framework adopted for this work is the Basic Linguistics Theory by Dixon 2010. This theory posits as a fundamental theoretical concept that underlies all works on language description and change which postulates the general properties of human language. The theory is argued to be an eclectic framework that comprises of a set of descriptive notions that are employed in language descriptions. The fndings reveals that Urhobo personal names are frequently clipped during usage, and the meanings of the clipped forms are retained as the original words, though the spellings are abridged. Clipping also alters the syllabic structure of words. The research concludes that clipping has become a common phenomena reflecting the informal and dynamic nature for communication in Urhobo. Clipped forms are now commonly sourced, pronounced and used in both formal and informal, written and spoken contexts in the Urhobo Language.