MORPHO-PHONOLOGICALANALYSIS

The study investigated an aspect of the morpho-phonological structure of Ẹdo language and its focus was to examine the structure of names and the linguistic processes associated with name derivation. The study was based on the desire to get a proper insight into the structure of words in Ẹdo language and how they affect the general world view of the people in the process of naming. The method of data analysis employed is the qualitative research method which consists of personal names analyzed by breaking them down into components units. The study shows that names represent an important aspect of the morphological and phonological structure of Ẹdo language and they possessed a unique compositional nature and are expressed following the circumstance of birth. Naming of children is of great significance in the African society and it often marked by ceremonies and rituals. Within Edo community Osa personal names assigned to children carry deeper meanings, cautions, emotions, and references to God’s guidance and protection and the names also function as a form of acknowledgement to God for his mercies as the names in Ẹdo are drawn from the general beliefs of the people, and are believed to guide the child through life and determine their fate. Personal names in Ẹdo can be a phrase or even complete sentence which are often abbreviated for ease of use. This means that the names are post-lexical forms that have been merged into a single word by desententialization.