ABSTRACT
This work is on the syllable structure in Afikpo. A syllable refers to the amount of unit of a word that can be produced in one breath. Typically, a syllable (i.e. a syllable structure) has its complement, as onset, nucleus, and coda. So this study aims to investigate how these complements of syllables are patterned and arranged in Afikpo dialect.
The motivation for this work is based on the fact that to the best of my knowledge, no works have comprehensively analyzed the pattern and arrangement of the various components of the Afikpo syllable structure. The focus of this work therefore is to conduct an analysis of Afikpo syllable structure so as to know how the constituents that make up the syllable structure are arranged and patterned. This study will be useful for the teaching, learning and understanding of Afikpo syllable structure, as this work can serve as a material for instruction for the study of Afikpo dialect.
This study will be adopting the framework of structural theory of syllabification to identify the way the element or features that make up a syllable in Afikpo are patterned.
Upon completion, the study has made a number of findings and discoveries on how constituent are arranged in the Afikpo syllable structure.
To begin with, the syllable of afikpo experiences onset clusters. This occurs as a result of the presence of like phonemes occurring within the same syllable (maximal onset principle). Furthermore, the afikpo syllable also experiences branching nucleus as against the claims of Emenanjo (1978) that the nucleus of syllables do not branch. The branching nucleus of afikpo syllables occur in an environment whereby two like phonemes occur within the same syllable.
