You have no items in your shopping cart.
Abstract
The aim of the study was to conduct a comparative analysis of phonological processes in the numerals of Urhobo and Ẹdo. The objectives of the study were to: examine the numeral system of the Urhobo and Ẹdo languages; identify the phonological processes evident in Urhobo numerals; phonological processes evident in Ẹdo numerals; identify the predominant phonological process evident in both languages’ numerals; determine the type of numeral system employed by both languages; and explain the similarities and differences in the numeral systems of both languages The data used for this study were sourced from native speakers of the Urhobo and Ẹdo languages using the SIL Comparative Word List, (that is from 1590-1626) and a self-generated wordlist were used as the tools for data collection. A total of fifty-three words were used for data collection. Informants were asked to provide the equivalent the numerals in their respective languages. The informants involved in the study consisted of three native Urhobo speakers, aged between twenty-five and sixty-eight years, residing in Abraka, as well as three Ẹdo speakers, aged between thirty-one and sixty years, residing in Benin City. Comparative Linguistics and Autosegmental Phonology served as the theoretical frameworks for analyzing the numeral systems, with specific focus on the phonological processes. The study found that phonological processes shape the formation and derivation of the numerals of Urhobo and Ẹdo; Vowel Elision, Glide Formation, Nasalization and Tonal Assimilation are shared phonological processes in both languages; Vowel Elision is the prẸdominant phonological process in the numerals of both languages and it occurs across word boundaries, with the exception of the low vowel /a/, which shows variations in its treatment between the two languages; glide formation preserves high vowels by disyllabifying them rather than eliding them; and , a distinctive feature observed exclusively in Urhobo is Vowel Backing. The study concludes, amongst others, that while there are certain similarities between the numeral systems of Urhobo and Ẹdo, there are also notable differences that underline the unique characteristics of each language's numeral system.
