MEDICAL TERMINOLOGIES IN NAIJA LANGUAGE

ABSTRACT

This research work centers on some medical terminologies of the Naija language, a creolized English-based Pidgin. The aim of this study is to illustrate comprehensively the derivation of medical terminologies in Naija. In this work data was collected from medical dictionaries and speakers of the Naija language. The theoretical framework adopted for this was developed by American structural linguist Charles Hockett in 1954. This theory is called “item and process” or IP theory for short. It is a lexeme based morphology that provides necessary explanations for the processes undergone by the base form of a word before its present state. It pictures language as a set of element which follows particular construction patterns. The analysis of this work showed certain findings. It was discovered that from the data collected, three morphological processes were involved in the formation of medical terms in the Naija language, which are reduplication, compounding and borrowing. It was discovered that reduplication in Naija are formed to show emphasis on a word. Also, in Naija different word class elements such as noun-noun, noun-verb, adjective-noun and adjective-verb are compounded to derive medical terms. In the process of borrowing, words are created by using the lexical and morphological categories associated with the recipient language, thus, in the Naija language the process of borrowing is one of the common methods of word formation. This work serves to better improve communication relations between medical personnel and their patients; it will also be a source of consultation for those who will develop interest in the study of medical terminologies.