Abstract
The
purpose of this study stems from the huge reawakening and encouragement Igbo language
has received in recent time coupled with the fact that Nnewi dialect is among
the most threatened towards extinction. This
study is informed by the need to preserve the linguistic heritage of the people
and also help the indigenes and other learners alike understand the morphology
of Nnewi Igbo which is a subset of the Igbo language. Minimal Pairs is an
aspect of phonology that cuts the attention of scholars and which this study
explores to put things in perspective in relation to its morphology as regards
the dialect of Nnewi Igbo and English languages. Two theories (lexical
morphology/phonology and contrastive analysis hypothesis) were deployed. Here,
the research evaluates the features of minimal pairs while exploring the
possible horizons in the native Nnewi dialect. It examines the morphological
processes of realising minimal pairs as well as how to identify minimal pairs
in the dialect. This research therefore looks at the possibility of having
common features in both languages; it examines the differences in the
realisation of minimal pairs in English and Nnewi dialect while highlighting
the peculiarities in the attributes of minimal pairs in both languages. By this
task the study covers Nnewi town and using the purposive sample technique and
by participant-observer method interviewed the target respondents of one
hundred (100) (twenty five from each village) substantially literate native
speakers. Among the observations is that the dialect like the English is guided
and regulated by certain principles (vowel harmony, tone, CV or VC structure
etc.) in its morphology to form meaningful words and phrases for clear understanding
of the Nnewi Igbo. Another observation is that tone plays a major role in the
formation of minimal pairs; equally important is the fact that Nnewi Igbo
supports the principle of vowel harmony. Meanwhile, among the findings of this
study is that both the tone influence and the vowel harmony law of the language
sometimes constitute a hindrance in the formation of minimal pairs unlike in the
English language. English is discovered to have no limits in forming minimal
pairs. However, a study of this nature is not an end in itself as it leaves
room for other scholars to extend into the minimal phrase structures etc.
Keywords: Morphology, Minimal Pairs, Nnewi Igbo
DOI: 10.36349/alqajolls.2026.v01i02.041
author/Okeke, Obiageli Peace, Alagbe, Adewole Adigun (Ph.D) & Alani, Ebenezer Akinyele
journal/AL-QALAM JLLS 1(2) | June 2026
