Open AccessNoun formation processes in Nda’nda’
Author(s) -
Hugues Carlos Gueche Fotso
Publication year - 2021
Publication title -
language in africa
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
ISSN - 2686-8946
DOI - 10.37892/2686-8946-2021-2-4-3-25
Subject(s) - linguistics , noun , lexicon , computer science , lexicalization , natural language processing , compounding , vocabulary , word formation , artificial intelligence , lexical item , philosophy , medicine , nursing
This paper examines nouns formation processes in Nda’nda’, a littledocumented language spoken in Western Cameroon. My concern is to account for the various strategies used by the language to expand its vocabulary in the face of new realities. How are new words created? What are the linguistics transformations loanwords undergo when they enter the language? To answer these questions, data are collected with a wordlist, transcribed in IPA and analyzed in a structural approach. Four lexical enrichment processes are identified here, namely derivation, conversion, borrowing and compounding. Derivation mainly explores how suffixes function in Nda’nda’ in the creation of new words. Conversion from verbs to nouns, though not very productive, is also examined. An analysis of loanwords highlights the phonological, morphological and semantic behavior of the latter in the language. Compounding studies the rules that govern the association of lexical items that exists independently in the Nda’nda’ lexicon.