1 THE CONCEPT OF AFFIXATION AND ITS USAGE IN ISOKO LANGUAGE Omekeh Ajiroghene School Of Languages, College Of Education, Warri, Delta State. And John O. Itiveh School Of Languages, College Of Education, Warri, Delta State. Abstract This study examined the concept of affixation as an aspect of word formation in the Isoko language. Morphology which concerns forms of words in different uses and construction is explained. It went on to explicate the concept of affixation itself which is a morphological process where bound morphemes are added to free morphemes to form new words and as it relates to the Isoko language. Theoretically, the process is categorized into prefixation, infixation and suffixation; but in the course of this study, it was discovered that prefixes and suffixes abound in the language. These two processes and their usage were discussed extensively and it was discovered that word The Isoko language is one of the of languages of the Niger - Congo languages in Delta State; a South Western African language family, (Sado, 1995:3). Edoid language spoken in Isoko South, Other linguists who have worked on the North and part of Ndokwa east local Edoid languages since then have toed this government areas of Delta State of classification. However, Williamson Nigeria. It is also spoken in some parts of (1989:15) classified the South-Western Bayelsa State. Being an Edoid language, it Edoid languages to which the Isoko means there are close similarities and language belongs, within the New Benue- resemblances between it, Edo and other Congo sub – group of the Niger- Congo Edoid languages. In other words, there is family. Furthermore, Williamson close linguistic affinity between the described it as one of the Pan-Edo group languages referred to as Edoid. It is also of Languages. The Great Bantu Migration classified within Greenberg’s Kwa group idea of a common source of most Sub- Journal of Teacher Perspective, Volume 11 No. 2, December, 2016, ISSN: 2006 - 0173 2 The Concept Of Affixation And Its Usage In Isoko Language - Omekeh Ajiroghene And John O. Itiveh Saharan African languages gave birth to According to Oye as cited by Umukoro this large family (Ojaide 2007:3). The root (2016:70), “new economies like Japan, of the language is further narrowed down Malaysia, and South Korea were able to to a migration from the original Bini develop because they use their indigenous Kingdom as a result of the Ogiso dynasty; languages as the medium of the tyranny and the oppression of the communication” In consonance, Ogisos and their quest for land which led Oluyemisi (2011:13) noted that, “for to their movement from their present Nigeria to be relevant in a globalised homeland then to other places for succor; world, it must place emphasis on hence this present place called Isoko and rejuvenating and sustaining its indigenous their language. According to Idase (2005: languages….. for Nigeria to be relevant in 17), the Isoko people are “an ethnic a globalised world, its indigenous nationality made up of people that can languages must not die” However, historically trace their ancestral roots to according to Idudhe (2002), HMH Isaac the Benin (Aka) kingdom, …… attested to Ikime, the Odiologbo of Erohwa by the linguistic and cultural similarities Kingdom, recognized this threat about the that exist between the Isoko people and Isoko language and said “Isoko language the Benin (Aka) people”. Yet a few of the is ruined through neglect in teaching, Isoko communities or clans have their learning and use”. And Idudhe went origins attached to Ibo and Urhobo. further to say, “the Isoko language is in Language is a God - given identity ruin and facing the danger of extinction”. of man. In other words, one is identified Hence, the researchers carried out this by the language he speaks. If you lose it research to salvage this aspect of the you lose your identity. It plays an all language by determining the affixes in the important role in the life of a people. Who language and how they are used. is an Isoko man without the Isoko Linguists have identified four language? Language is the key to the heart different levels in which human language of the people. Hence, Kuju (1999:37) could be organized and studied such as emphasized that “it is imperative for each phonology, morphology, syntax, and linguistic community to nurture and semantics. The morphological aspect is develop its language and guard against its concerned with the forms of words in disappearance or potential disappearance” different uses and construction, An extincting language is the one that is (Matthews, 1973). Based on the linguistic seriously threatened and endangered; a approach by this definition, then language that is seriously crying for morphology is a scientific study of words, revival. The Isoko language is in a state of their structures and functions. It is the extinction. Williamson (1990:) cried that relationship that exists among words and you should “use your language or lose their internal structures, (Akmanjian, your language” There is no nation that 2003:12). Hence, for every word there is could develop without its language. an internal structure; that is to say, every Journal of Teacher Perspective, Volume 11 No. 2, December, 2016, ISSN: 2006 - 0173 3 The Concept Of Affixation And Its Usage In Isoko Language - Omekeh Ajiroghene And John O. Itiveh language is made of words that are The bound morpheme which is always structured. Each language has quite a attached to the base or root is an affix number of simple and complex words; the (Ndimele, 1999:12). Then, the morpheme simple words cannot be segmented into is the different building blocks that make smaller units while the complex words up a word, (Akmanjian et al :16). It is the can. Hans Wolf view about most Nigerian smallest unit forming the bridge between languages as cited by (Williamson, sound and meaning in a language. And 1984:47) is that “the most difficult according to Tomori (1977:16), “though problems remaining after the alphabet they are the minimal linguistic elements, itself is made is the problem of what can they carry grammatical and/or semantic be, or cannot be written as a word”. implications”. In Lyon (1981:103), “it is However, in this language, words could be the basic unit of grammatical structure, formed by the manipulation of some free though also seen as minimal forms”. The or bound morphemes. As such, the words criterion for identifying morpheme by in Isoko language could be classified into some scholars is that of meaning . That nouns, verbs, adjectives, adverbs etc, as a they have meaning that is identifiable in result of some morphological processes most cases. Conversely, the meaning of such as affixation, compounding, some may not be identified and he cited an borrowing, coinages etc. instance of ‘ceive’ a Latinate morpheme, which does not have an independent The Concept of Affixation meaning but is recognized as a unit, Williamson (1984:47) observed (Akmanjian et al (16). In addition, that if we find something that cannot stand katamba (1993:23) is of the opinion that alone but needs something else to support words must be meaningful when they it in what precedes or follows it, we may occur on their own, but morphemes need conclude that it is not separate word but a not be. He cited instances of morphemes prefix or suffix. Hans Wolf as cited by such as; Williamson (1994:47) described the word Ex (former) as in ex-wife as a unit having one or more sounds which Pre (before) as in pre-war can stand alone. Then, affixation is a to be meaningful, while morphological process where bound morpheme as ‘fer’ in words such as morphemes are added to free morpheme to ‘infer’, ‘confer’, ‘transfer’ do not convey form new words. Simply put, the addition any identifiable meaning. In all these of a prefix, suffix or infix to a word in explanations, it is therefore an established order to create a new word or inflection is fact that some morphemes are meaningful affixation. The free morpheme mentioned while others do not possess identifiable above is referred to as the root or base. meaning. Mathews (1974:124) referred to it as There are free and bound ‘operand’ and Tomori (1977:32) described morphemes; free morphemes could stand it as ‘the core and very heart of the word’. on their own and be meaningful but bound Journal of Teacher Perspective, Volume 11 No. 2, December, 2016, ISSN: 2006 - 0173 4 The Concept Of Affixation And Its Usage In Isoko Language - Omekeh Ajiroghene And John O. Itiveh morphemes need other items to realize e, ẹ, ụ, u, o, ọ, ro, ri, okpo, ụma, ubro etc. their meaning. The morpheme is therefore For example: the raw material with which words are formed. For instance, the English word a - zọhọ (contribute) = az ọhọ (contribution) ‘looked’ is made up of two morphemes – i - roro (think) = iroro (thought) ị - le (pray) = il ẹ (prayers) ‘look’ and ‘ed’; where ‘look’ is a free ẹ - ba (undress) = ẹba (nakedness) morpheme because it could be meaningful e - vbuhr ẹ (teach) = evbuhr ẹ (school) without co-occurring with any other item. u - du (pound) = udo (mortar) On the other hand, ‘-ed’ is a morpheme ụ - lẹ (pray) = ụlẹ (prayer) that could only be meaningful when it co- ọ - rị (eat) = ọrẹ (food) o - lele (follow) = olele (disciple, occurs with other items. Similarly, in an apprentice) Isoko word ‘ ụlẹ’ (prayer), ‘ ụ’ is bound Singular nouns are inflected by morpheme that realizes the noun ‘ ụlẹ’, replacing the initial vowels of the singular while ‘l ẹ’ (pray) is a free morpheme that noun forming morpheme such as i, ị, for could be meaningful alone.