dc.description.abstract |
In agglutinative languages, affixes combine and create new environments that must be
overtly modified by processes of phonology like deletion, coalescence, insertion, and
reduction, among others. This study assumed that processes of phonology naturally yield
articulable and semantically well-formed words that conform to the patterns of the
language. However, this study proposes to show that in Endo, an endangered and
understudied sub-dialect of Marakwet, some of the processes of phonology trigger
prosodies that affect natural morphological assembly, thus creating lexico-semantic
interpretive complexities. In particular, it aimed to show that phonological processes do
not yield well-formed words in all circumstances. To achieve this aim, the study was
guided by four objectives: to describe the nature of inflectional and derivational affixation
properties in Endo, to examine processes of phonology triggered when inflectional and
derivational affixes attach, to analyze lexico-semantic interpretive complexities and
deviant morphological order arising from affixation and finally to assess the extent to
which Lexical Phonology (LP) theory explains well-formedness in Endo. The theory states
that words are derived and inflected first at the lexical level, where principles of strict
cyclicity, rule ordering, and structure preservation apply, and secondly at post post-lexical
level, where lexically well-formed words are scanned for phrasal conditions. The study
employed a qualitative descriptive design, and primary data were collected through
elicitation and informal sessions with native speakers in Sambalat, Liter, and Kaben in
Marakwet East Sub-County, where 90% of Endo speakers live. Informants were engaged
at various times in churches, marketplaces, or homes within the population found in the
three regions. The study used clustering to accommodate informants from each of the three
regions, and random sampling was later used to select four informants from each of the
three regions. Stratification was useful for sorting informants according to age, sex, and
geographical location. Four elderly participants were purposively selected for verification
of the consistency of data collected from interviews. Secondary data was acquired through
analyzing words in monographs, the Bible translated into Endo, and other literacy manuals
developed by the Bible Translation Literacy Centre in Tot. Data was then analyzed
qualitatively into specific lexical categories and their different grammatical classes in order
to observe morphological patterns. The finding of the study is that as affixes attach,
processes of phonology like deletion, insertion, or coalescence trigger prosodies like tone,
length, and tongue that eventually rearrange morphological order, culminating in extended
semantic and lexical interpretive levels. The study also observes that though strict cyclicity,
rule ordering, and structure preservation principles in Lexical Phonology Theory (LP) seek
to check against word formation anomalies at lexical and post-lexical levels, they may not
fully explain some words in Endo which appear well-formed but exhibit lexico-semantic
interpretive complexities. The study concludes that in Endo, while phonology helps in the
attachment of morphological properties, it may lead to triggering of prosodic features,
which in turn result in extended lexico-semantic complexities and novel morphological
patterns. In view of this, the study recommends that more data from other Kalenjin
languages be studied to further observe how phonological processes like deletion,
epenthesis, or coalescence generate vowel length, tonal, and tongue root changes, which
impact morphological patterns and lexico-semantic complexities. |
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