Operations of reduplication and triplication in Tiv

The study focuses on the operations of reduplication and triplication in Tiv, which are morphological processes that exist in most languages of the world. Reduplication deals with repeating part of a word or a whole word to form a new word. Triplication, on the other hand, has to do with the application of two distinct reduplication processes/operations. The present study, “Operations of reduplication and triplication in Tiv”, is aimed at investigating the two processes in the Tiv language. The objectives of the study were to examine reduplication and triplication in Tiv, identify the functions of reduplication and triplication in Tiv, and show the suitability of Morphological Doubling Theory (MDT) in analysing reduplication and triplication in Tiv. Data for the study were sourced from 20 native speakers from Gboko and Makurdi (ten from each). The study employed the use of instruments such as cell phone recorders for recording utterances or responses from native speakers, a jotter for field notes, as well as files for data elicitation. The responses elicited from the respondents were recorded on a cell phone and also jotted down on paper. The data collected were presented, interpreted and analysed descriptively. The findings of the study are as follows: firstly, that reduplication and triplication exist in the Tiv language with partial (incomplete) and total/complete types. Secondly, that reduplication and triplication perform morphological function (formation of words), grammatical function (changing of word classes), emphatic function (emphasis), distributive function, as well as ideophonic and onomatopoeic function. The study proves the suitability of Morphological Doubling Theory (MDT) in analysing reduplication and triplication in Tiv. The paper concludes that the Tiv language is fascinating and worthy of intellectual interest for the purpose of its presentation and development.