Thesis Abstract

Abstract
Morphology plays a crucial role in understanding the structure and function of languages. The Migili language, spoken by a minority group in Nigeria, presents unique aspects of morphology that are of interest to linguists and language researchers. This study aims to explore various aspects of Migili morphology, focusing on its word formation processes, morphological typology, and morphosyntactic features. The word formation processes in Migili involve intricate mechanisms such as affixation, compounding, and reduplication. Affixation is a prominent method used to create new words or modify existing ones by adding prefixes or suffixes. Compounding, on the other hand, involves combining two or more words to form a new word with a distinct meaning. Reduplication is another notable process in Migili morphology, where a part of a word is repeated to indicate plurality, intensity, or other grammatical functions. In terms of morphological typology, Migili exhibits characteristics of agglutination, where affixes are added to a root morpheme with clear boundaries between them. This agglutinative nature allows for the creation of complex words with multiple layers of affixation. Additionally, Migili morphology shows evidence of fusion, where affixes merge with the root morpheme, resulting in modifications to the original word form. The morphosyntactic features of Migili morphology reveal the language's rich system of agreement, where nouns, pronouns, and verbs show concord in gender, number, and person. This agreement system is reflected in various parts of speech, contributing to the overall structure and coherence of Migili sentences. Furthermore, Migili morphology includes unique patterns of derivation and inflection that contribute to the language's expressive capabilities and communicative functions. Overall, the study of Migili morphology sheds light on the intricate linguistic patterns and structures present in this minority language. By examining the word formation processes, morphological typology, and morphosyntactic features of Migili, researchers can gain valuable insights into the underlying principles that govern the language's morphology. This research contributes to the broader field of linguistics by expanding our knowledge of language diversity and providing a deeper understanding of the complexities of human language systems.

Thesis Overview

   GENERAL INTRODUCTION

Language is the universal fabric that holds every individual of a community together. An instrument, used by man for communication within his environment, without which there would be no meaningful relationship between the human world. Language can also be referred to as the medium through which ideas, thoughts, and other forms of human communication are expressed or carried out.

In the metal compartment where all possible, meaningful and acceptable words are formed, there are certain rules that must be followed or certain conditions met before any word can be viewed as acceptable in any language. The branch of linguistics that studies the compatibility of such combinations and proposes the rules for their formation is called MORPHOLOGY. The basic concept of this branch is the morpheme, the smallest meaningful unit in grammar which may constitute a word or part of a word.

Every language has its own set of morphological rules which are strictly adhered to by members of its community. Such members , (Native speakers) share a great deal of unconscious knowledge about their language which helps in the acquisition of their first language with little or no formal instructions. In connection to morphology, the Migili language has been duely investigated with a view to finding/revealing the aspects of its morphological set up. The Migili people are a tribal group found in Agyaragu local government, Lafia, Nasarawa State. The first chapter of this research centers on areas such as the historical background of the Migili people, their socio-cultural profile, occupation, religion, festival, mode of dressing, marriage, genetic classification. Several other aspects will be reviewed in the latter chapters of the project work.