Dialectal Interference on Selected Yorùbá Lexis: It’s Implications on Standard Yoruba Orthography

One of the characteristics of any language is its ability to grow. Also, it is mandatory for any language to be comprehensible, communicable and linguistically functional. It is also observed that some of Yorùbá words are gradually losing their original phonological and morphological status as a result of dialectal interference. This research work sets out to identify these words and discuss how this interference affects the phonological and morphological status of the selected Yoruba words and its effects on Yoruba standard language. The study employs the phonological and morphological theories to critically examine the selected Yorùbá words with dialectal interference. Though, Yoruba dialects are culturally and linguistically beautiful and embraceable, thus, this study admonishes the speakers of Yorùbá language and Yorùbá scholars on the need to maintain the linguistic status quo of Yorùbá phonology, morphology and orthography as prescribed by the Yoruba standard language so as to avoid ambiguity as well as phonological and morphological errors. The study concludes by making recommendations and admonishing Yorùbá speakers in general to improve more on speaking and writing standard Yorùbá language.