A Contrastive Analysis of Plural Formation in English and Ụkwụanị

Abstract

This study is a contrastive analysis of the morphology of plural formations in English and Ụkwụanị. It is primarily directed at investigating the cross-linguistic variations in plural formation processes and the acquisitional challenges they pose. With insight from Auto-segmental phonology, primary and secondary data were analyzed using probability sampling and nominal scale. Data analyses revealed that phonological conditioning of the D1 morpheme and realizing nouns through allomorphs is only obtainable in English. However, plural noun formations are morphological processes involving vowel and consonant spreading of the skeletal tier. The study identifies the structural divergence between English and Ụkwụanị in number marking systems and establishes the pedagogical value of pluralization. The study recommends that English language teachers, especially in the Niger Delta region, particularly among Ụkwụanị users of English, should utilize auto-segmental phonology in the teaching/learning processes to avoid overgeneralization.

Keywords: Contrastive analysis, pluralization, nouns, morphology, phonology, Ụkwụanị