GRAMMAR AND THE MORPHEMIC FORMATIONS OF WORDS IN UKWUANI LANGUAGE

Abstract

This study examines grammar and the morphemic formations of words in Úkwúání, an Igboid variety spoken in Ndokwa West Local Government Area, Delta State, Nigeria. The aim is to describe the morphological processes through which new words are formed and how they function within Úkwúání grammar. Data were elicited in 2025 from six native speakers aged 35–70, residing  in Obiaruku, kwale and Aboh, using a wordlist and sentence frame technique. Adopting a descriptive-morphological approach, the study identifies seven main processes: affixation, reduplication, compounding, and tone-based derivation. Findings show that Úkwúání relies heavily on prefixal and tonal changes for nominalization and verb derivation, uses reduplication for intensification and plurality, and forms compounds with a head-modifier order. The study contributes to knowledge by providing the first morphological description of Úkwúání, documenting dialect-specific morphemic patterns, and creating a baseline for comparative Igboid morphology.