A COMPARATIVE INVESTIGATION OF MORPHOLOGICAL PROCESSES IN HAUSA AND JAAKU LANGUAGES

Comparative linguistic studies help to identify similarities and differences among languages and enhance the understanding of their structures. This study examines word formation processes in Hausa and Labur (Jaku) languages, focusing on derivation and compounding. Hausa is a Chadic language of the Afro-Asiatic family, while Labur is a Bantoid language spoken in Bauchi State, Nigeria. Using a comparative approach, the study investigates how new words are formed in both languages through derivational and compounding processes. The findings reveal that both languages utilize derivation and compounding as productive means of word formation, despite belonging to different language families. However, differences are observed in their morphological patterns, affixation processes, and compound word structures. The study concludes that Hausa and Labur share certain similarities in word formation while maintaining distinctive linguistic features. The research contributes to comparative morphology and provides further insight into the structural characteristics of indigenous Nigerian languages.