A Descriptive Study of the Tiv Nominal Morphology

A Tivoid Language of North-Central Nigeria

Author: Michael Terhemen Angitso. Series edited by: Wilhelm J.G. Möhlig †, Bernd Heine.

Series: GA Grammatical Analyses of African Languages Volume 64

This study describes and analyzes the nominal morphology of the Tiv language. Nominal morphology focuses on how languages distinguish features such as case, humanness, number, animacy, and gender of nouns, as well as (intra-)location. These features form the bases for the grouping or classification of nouns in many languages of the world, more relatedly, Niger-Congo languages. Generally, Allan (1977) identifies four classifier systems: concordial, numeral, predicate and intra-locative. In concordial classifier systems (i.e., noun class systems), ‘classifying formatives are affixed to nouns, their modifiers and predicates’. In numeral classifier systems, certain elements obligatorily occur with the noun to express quantity. In predicate classifier systems, certain verbs-like verbs of motion co-occur with classifying elements that vary based on certain obvious traits of the object. In intra-locative classifier systems, nouns bear certain classifying formatives based on visual locative notions, such as ‘going out of view, out of view, coming into view, in view, and invisible.’

Within the Benue-Congo subgroup of Niger-Congo, Tiv is a central Tivoid language of the Southern Bantoid group of Bantu languages. Tiv is a West African language spoken in Nigeria and Cameroon. It is difficult to estimate the current number of Tiv and/or Nigerian language speakers. According to the WorldAtlas (2018), Tiv is Nigeria’s eighth most populous ethnic group, with 3.5% of the country's population speaking the language. According to Kretowicz (2009), there are over 5.6 million Tiv speakers. The Ethnologue (2018) and the Joshua-Project (2016), say Tiv speakers in Nigeria are roughly 4 million.

In Nigeria, they can be found in the states of Benue, Nassarawa, Plateau, Taraba, and Cross-River. Of all these places, they are concentrated in Benue State, occupying 14 of the 23 Local Government Areas (henceforth, LGAs) of the state. The LGAs are: Logo, Ukum, Katsina-ala, Kwande, Tarka, Gwer-West, Gwer-East, Guma, and Makurdi, as well as Gboko, Buruku, Vandeikya, Ushongo, Tarka and Konshisha, from where the data used for this study is collected (§1.9). In Cameroon, they are found in the southwest region in the Manyu division, Njobo, and northeast of Akwaya along the Nigerian border (Ethnologue 2018). The Joshua-Project (2016), states 1,600 Tiv speakers in Cameroon and 4,289,600 speakers in the world.

Under these links you will find descriptions of further Nigerian languages and studies of nominal morphology in various African language families:

Accompanying material:

• A Dictionary of Emai (ISBN 978-3-89645-468-3)
• A Dictionary of Margi (Nigeria) – Margi–English with English–Margi Index (ISBN 978-3-89645-477-5)
• A Grammar of Duya (ISBN 978-3-89645-476-8)
• A Grammar of Kuteb (ISBN 978-3-89645-422-5)
• A Grammatical Outline of Gùrdùn / Gùrùntùm (Southern Bauchi, Nigeria) (ISBN 978-3-89645-461-4)
• A Grammatical Sketch of Bure (ISBN 978-3-89645-528-4)
• A Reference Grammar of Degema (ISBN 978-3-89645-047-0)
• A Reference Grammar of Oko (ISBN 978-3-89645-553-6)
• Bole Language and Documentation Unit, BOLDU Report I & II (ISBN 978-3-89645-475-1)
• Classes in Kiswahili (ISBN 978-3-89645-022-7)
• Eine Grammatik der Kwami-Sprache (Nordostnigeria) (ISBN 978-3-927620-49-0)
• Gur Languages and Nominal Classification Diversity (ISBN 978-3-89645-613-7)
• Les classes nominales dans les langues atlantiques (ISBN 978-3-89645-565-9)
• Nominal Classification in African Languages (ISBN 978-3-89645-014-2)
• Noun Class Systems in Gur Languages I + II (ISBN 978-3-89645-619-9)
• Reference Grammar of Kanuri (Nigeria) (ISBN 978-3-89645-670-0)
• Reference Grammar of Yukuben (Jukunoid, Nigeria) (ISBN 978-3-89645-473-7)
• The Lamang Language and Dictionary (ISBN 978-3-89645-294-8)
• The Tarok Language (ISBN 978-3-89645-781-3)

Cross-reference:

• Advances in Minority Language Research in Nigeria vol. I (ISBN 978-3-89645-426-3)
• Advances in Nilo-Saharan Linguistics (ISBN 978-3-89645-140-8)
• African Languages in Global Society / Les langues africaines à l’heure de la mondialisation / Lugha za Kiafrika kwenye enzi ya utandawazi (ISBN 978-3-89645-259-7)
• African Linguistics in the 21st Century (ISBN 978-3-89645-765-3)
• Aspects of Co- and Subordination (ISBN 978-3-89645-888-9)
• Chadic and Hausa Linguistics (ISBN 978-3-89645-043-2)
• Copy Pronouns (ISBN 978-3-89645-424-9)
• Hausa Verbal Compounds (ISBN 978-3-89645-292-4)
• Lehrbuch der Hausa-Sprache mit Audio-CD (ISBN 978-3-89645-008-1)
• Mitteilungen des Sonderforschungsbereichs 268 (Burkina Faso und Nordostnigeria) (ISBN 978-3-927620-42-1)
• Studia Africana (ISBN 978-3-89645-915-2)
• Tense, Aspect, and Mood in Benue-Congo Languages (ISBN 978-3-89645-470-6)
• Topics in West African Discourse-Pragmatics (ISBN 978-3-89645-856-8)
• When Languages Meet (ISBN 978-3-89645-257-3)
• Zwischen Bantu und Burkina (ISBN 978-3-89645-348-8)

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