A Study on Mumuye Lexical Relation Terms: A Semantics Approach

This study, "A Study on Mumuye Lexical Relation Terms: A Semantics Approach," addresses the absence of documented lexical relation terms in Mumuye semantics, despite the language being taught from nursery to undergraduate levels in Taraba State. While extensive scholarship exists on English lexical relations, no serious work had been undertaken on Mumuye, leaving speakers and students without a systematic reference for these terms. The main objective of the study is to identify and categorize the semantic properties of lexical relation terms in Mumuye, specifically to determine the names of these terms and to establish kinship and colour terms as semantic fields within the language. The research is restricted to the Zing and Pugong dialects of Mumuye, spoken in Zing and Yorro Local Government Areas, due to time and financial constraints. Methodologically, the study adopts a descriptive research design, with data gathered from native speakers through interviews and questionnaires administered using a survey method; 120 questionnaires were distributed, 112 of which were returned and analyzed. The study is grounded in Semantic Field Theory, which holds that the meaning of words is best understood in relation to other words within a shared conceptual field rather than in isolation. Findings reveal that Mumuye possesses equivalent terms for antonyms, synonyms, homonymy, polysemy, and hyponymy across both dialects, alongside identifiable kinship and colour term inventories. The study concludes that meaning in Mumuye can be systematically described through these lexical relations and recommends further research into additional semantic domains, including animal and cooking terminology, to achieve a more comprehensive documentation of Mumuye semantics.