Compound Words and Phrases Distinction in Eggon: A Morphosyntactic Study

Abstract

Extensive researches on compounding in different languages of the world show that it has both universal and language specific features. This necessitates more researches on compounding in order to establish its language specific features. This study investigates the morphological structure of compound words in Eggon, a Benue-Congo language, spoken in Nasarawa State, North Central Nigeria. It also uses morphosyntatic criterion to distinguish compound words from phrases involving similar constituents. Data are sourced from Eggon dictionary, and native speakers’ elicitation. The methods of data analysis are descriptive and it adopts two theories: construction morphology and competition model. The findings show that Eggon compound words have two morphological structures: compound words that consist of two stems: stem + stem, and those that consist of stems and affixes: prefix + stem + stemor prefix + stem + prefix + stem. The prefix can attach to any or both of the compound constituent(s), while, more than two stems can be combined to form a compound word. Expressions that can serve as both words and phrases in Eggon could be distinguished semantically. Compound words’ meaning is figurative, while phrases’ meanings are literal. The findings also show that difference in word class does not always distinguish meaning between phrases and compounds in Eggon. This study adds to theory expansion on African languages by showing that word class cannot be relied on as a distinguishing factor between compound and phrase in all languages. The research also contributes to cross-linguistic comparison and aids lexical documentation in under-documented languages like Eggon. This is believed to be key in reaching universal generalisations on compounding.