Tiv compounds and compounding
Tiv compounds and compounding

Author(s): Vanessa Chivir Adzer
Subject(s): Theoretical Linguistics, Applied Linguistics
Published by: Wydawnictwa Uniwersytetu Warszawskiego
Keywords: Compound; compounding; endocentric compounds; exocentric compounds; Tiv
Summary/Abstract: Compounding is a common word formation process which functions in many languages of the world. The combination of two or more free words is usually connected with morphological adaptation of single units to the newly created item. The study is aimed at identifying different compounds attested in the Tiv language and explicating the process of their formation. It is revealed that the units they represent are not limited to noun + noun compounds. The language allows compounds to be formed with elements from any word class; thus, producing structures like noun + noun and adjective + noun as well as various phrases involving verbs. Data was collected through interview, elicitation consultation and written documents. The result confirms that compounding is a productive process in Tiv language and the strategies of word compounding are based on both regular and specific rules of word combinations.

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