By
Isyaku Bala Ibrahim
Keywords:
Morphology, Affixation, Nupe, Language, Prefix,
Suffix, Circumfix, and Infix
1.0 Abstract
Nupe
numeration is one area of Nupe language that has been neglected for too long
until recently by researchers. Only few people /scholars were able bring out
some aspects of the topic in their Nupe grammar books. But, it is often treated
peripherally in most. So, Nupe language has a rich numeric tradition which uses
some aspect of grammar to communicate or use it in the day-to-day activities.
The grammatical stance of each of the words as adverbial, cardinal, and ordinal
numbers are extensively analyze and how awuba
(affixation) helps in number formation generally and other numeric functions in
this aspect of Nupe grammar.
2.0 Introduction
Affixation
is known as ‘awuba’. It is an important aspect of grammar that allows adding of
letters before and after a root or base word to give another meaning or
grammatical stance to the new word. For example, a word, ‘gan’ becomes ‘egan’
when letter ‘e’ is added before the root word. In another instance, when the
word ‘egan’ becomes ‘egangan’ with the affixing of the suffix ‘gan.’
The
use of morphology has help in the generation of words in Nupe grammar and this
is done through affixation. It is not different in Nupe numeration as
morphological affixes have helped to produce countless higher numbers. It
organizes the standard root or base numbers in the formation of numbers in tens,
hundreds, thousands, millions and billions.
Affixation
in Nupe numeration has not been extensively discussed in Nupe grammar
generally. The two dictionaries written first by Alexander Wood Banfield (1915)
and the recent one by Ambassador Solomon Adama Yisa (2013) did not focus on it
specifically. So this could be the first attempt of looking deeply into the
behaviours of numbers and their formation in Nupe language. In fact, the only
attempt to discuss the topic was by the same author in his book Enyalò (Nupe Arithmetic-2012) which
elaborate on the way numbers are formed in Nupe language with emphasis on the
base numbers and their suffixes.
However, this is an extension of the attempt to open
new front that will cover broadly extensiveness of the use of grammatical
devices in Nupe numeric system with the hope of increasing awareness on the
uniqueness of the system when compared with numeric traditions around the
world.
3.0 Morphological
Affixation in Nupe Numeration Awuba (Affixation) is extensively used
in Nupe numeric tradition. It root word wuba (fix/affix), is a verb which
simply means to attach, fuse or stick. In Nupe numeration, there are unbreakable
relationship between bases and their multipliers. The bases are the root words or
free morphemes, while the times or multipliers are standard affixes used in the
formation of numbers progressively. One interesting fact is that as the numbers
grow bigger and bigger, there is a level of flexibility as to the affixing of
bases and times which can take the form of prefix or suffix progressively.
In addition, there are four types of affixes
generally:
-
Wubaca
(prefix): this is the type where some letters are attached before the base
word.
-
Wubati
(suffix): this allows attachment after the root word.
-
Wubayezuma
(circumfix): this allows attachment from before and after concurrently.
-
Wubatacin
(infix): this allows addition or insertion of letters at the middle of the root
or base word.
Each will be discussed as it relates to the subject and
how it affects Nupe language generally and Nupe numeric system specifically.
3.1 Wubaca (Prefix)
This is the numeric affix added before a root word
to form higher numbers. Examples of numeric prefixes are: ‘gú’, and gba (two
thousand).
Example (1) – prefix – Gú affixed with the eight numeric multiples, it will give the
following:
Example (2) there are two instances where gba (two thousand) is used as prefix to
two numeric root words: Shi and Kpákó (kpó) to generate higher numbers as seen
below:
3.2 Wubati (Suffix)
These are the affixing of the numeric numbers to
form any number in Nupe numeration. Examples of numeric suffixes in Nupe
numeric systems are the following multiples: bà, tá, ni, tsun, tswanyi, twabà,
tòtá, and twani. However, the three numeric root words are Eshi (Shi - twenty),
Kpákó (kpa, kpau or kpó – two hundred) and Egba (gba, gbau or gbó – two
thousand). So, when the numeric suffixes are fixed to the numeric root words, it
gives new higher numbers as shown in the examples below:
Example (1): when we use the root word Shi (twenty) with the eight multiple
suffixes bà, tá, ni, tsun, tswanyi, twabà, tòtá, and twani.
Example (2) the use of the numeric root word
kpó which has two hundred value in Nupe numeration generate new higher numbers with the affixing of the
eight multiple suffixes.
Example (3) Egba
(gbó) - this
numeric base or root word has two thousand value. Therefore, when
any of the numeric multiple suffixes is affix to it, it will give higher
number.
3.3 Wubayezuma
(Circumfix)
This is another interesting circumstance where
prefix and suffix are added to a root numeric word simultaneously to give new
compound numbers.
Example (1)
When shi (twenty) is
considered as the root word, and gba (two thousand) as a prefix to it, while the remaining eight multipliers as the suffixes
to the same word, it will give the following compound numbers:
Example (2)
Kpákó variant of kpó (two hundred) becomes the root morpheme with prefix - gba (two thousand) are affixed with the
eight multipliers as suffixes, it will generate the following compound numbers:
3.4 Wubatacin
(Infix)
It is the insertion of an infix into a word to
change its meaning or value. This kind occurs in two occurrences in Nupe
numeration. This is the insertion of an
infix ‘tsu’ into a numeric word to give its multiple. This can be explained as
follows:
Example (1)
The
number kpótsun (one thousand) change squares up when the derive morpheme –
‘tsu’ is infix into it.
This
can be expressed as Kpótsun multiply by Kpótsun to give Kpótsutsun (one
million).
Example (2)
The
number gbótsun (ten thousand) squares up when the derived morpheme – ‘tsu’ is
infix into it.
This
can be expressed as gbótsun multiply by gbótsun to give gbótsutsun (one hundred
million).
That
is ten thousand multiply by ten thousand to give one hundred million.
4.0 Affixation
in Cardinal & Ordinal numbers
Cibàgi (Ordinal Number)
This is the order of numbers in a particular set.
Each cardinal number is given a position in the set. It simply turns a cardinal
number into an ordinal number with addition of /ci/ after a cardinal number, and /ci/ is the suffix to the cardinal.
Nìní
+ ci = nìníci (first)
Gúbà/Ebà
+ ci = Gúbàci / ebàci (second)
Gútá/Etá
+ ci = Gútáci / etáci (third)
Gúni
/Eni + ci = Gúnici / enici (fourth)
Gútsun
/Etsun + ci = Gútsunci / etsunci (fifth)
Gútswanyi/tswanyi
+ ci = Gútswanyici / tswanyici (sixth)
Gútwabà/Twabà + ci = Gútwabàci / twabàci (seventh)
Gútòtá/Tòtá
+ ci = Gútòtáci / tòtáci (eighth)
Gútwani/Twani
+ ci = Gútwanici / twanici (ninth)
Gúwo
+ ci = Gúwoci (tenth)
Gúwo
bè gúbà è + ci = gúwo bè gúbàci (twelfth)
Gwegi
+ ci = gwegici (fifteenth)
Eshi
+ ci = Eshici (twentieth)
Arata
+ ci = Arataci (fiftieth)
Shitsun
+ ci = shitsunci (hundredth)
Kpákó
+ ci = kpákóci (two hundredth)
Kpótá
+ ci = kpótáci (six hundredth)
Gba
+ ci = gbaci (two thousandth)
Gbótswanyi
+ ci = gbótswanyici (twelve thousandth)
Kpótsutsun
+ ci = kpótsutsunci (one millionth)
Gbótsutsun
+ ci = gbótsutsunci (one hundred millionth)
Zubàgi (Adverbial Number)
These adverbs tell us how often or how frequently an
action takes place. It is formed when a cardinal number turns into an adverbial
number with the affixing of /zu/ before
it. /zu/
therefore becomes the prefix of the cardinal number. It changes a noun/an
adjective into an adverb. For instance, /gútá/
is a cardinal number – three, which is a noun / an adjective. Then, when a
prefix /zu/ is affixed to it, it
turns into /zugútá/, meaning thrice
which is an adverb. See other examples below:
Zu
+ Nìní = zunì/zunìní (once)
Zu
+ Gúbà = zugúbà (twice)
Zu
+ Gútá = zugútá (thrice)
Zu
+ Gúni = zugúni (four times)
Zu
+ Gútsun = zugútsun (five times)
Zu
+ Gútswanyi = zugútswanyi (six times)
Zu
+ Gútwabà = zugútwabà (seven times)
Zu
+ Gútòtá = zugútòtá (eight times)
Zu
+ Gútwani = zugútwani (nine times)
Zu
+ Gúwo = zugúwo (ten times)
Zu
+ Gúwo bè gúbà è = zugúwo bè gúbà è (twelve times)
Zu
+ Gwegi = zugwegi (fifteen times)
Zu
+ Eshi = zushi (twenty times)
Zu
+ Arata = zurata (fifty times)
Zu
+ Shitsun = zushitsun (hundred times)
Zu
+ Kpákó = zukpákó (two hundred times)
Zu
+ Kpótá = zukpótá (six hundred times)
Zu
+ Gba = zugba (two thousand times)
4.0 Conclusion
The
importance of this aspect of grammar cannot be over emphasized. These affixes have
proven that morphemes are very important in number formation in Nupe
Language.
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