| dc.description.abstract | Most generalisations made on nominal compounding are based on western languages. In this study,
we examine nominal compounding in Lukabarasi language of Western Kenya based on The
Generative Morphological Theory by Bochner(1992) and The Lexical Morphological Theory
proposed by Petesky (1979) and later elaborated by Kiparsky (1982). The study is guided by the
following objectives, to; identify and categorize nominal compounds and their pragmatic functions
in Lukabarasi, analyse the derivative aspects of Lukabarasi nominal compounds and determine the
extent to which Lukabarasi nominal compounds can be analysed within the generative lexical
approach. To achieve the objectives of the study, we adopt the descriptive research design which
is a qualitative research paradigm. A combined method of elicitation (verbal and visual) and native
speaker’s intuition are used to collect data. The snowballing technique, initiated with an initial
group of respondents who were then asked to recommend additional participants, was employed
to recruit a total of 10 participants. From a population of 174 compound nouns, 52 well-formed
nominal compounds were selected for analysis based on specific criteria. Data for the study are
collected through key informant interviews. The collected data was analyzed using a content
analysis guide to identify and describe emerging themes. The findings reveal the following
types of Lukabarasi nominal compounds: Noun+ Noun= nominal compounds, Noun+ verb=
Nominal compounds and Verb+ Verb= nominal compounds. It is also established that the
processes of acquiring compounds in Lukabarasi involve the following; prefix deletion, vowel
duplication and nominalisation of verbs. The pragmatic process is where the two nominal meaning
change to match with that of the prevailing environment. After combining the two lexical items in
Lukabarasi, the compound noun derived has pragmatic functions which cannot be realized when
analysed singly. Additionally, the nominal compound can serve the following pragmatic functions:
metaphoric function, attitudinal function, identification function and classifying function.
Lukabarasi has prefixes of singular and plural nouns. The singular prefixes include omu-, eshi-
and eli- while the plural prefixes are ava-, efu- and ofu-. The study is significant because its
analysis can provide insight to the morphological processes and pragmatic realisations in
Lukabarasi as far as nominal compounds are concerned. The knowledge of nominal compounds
in Lukabarasi will further add to the existing literature and studies done on the language. | en_US |
