A Comparative Study of the Phonology of Mọ̀bà and Adó Ekiti Dialects of Yorùbá Language

Abstract

This study presents a comparative analysis of the phonological systems of Mọ̀bà and Adó dialects of Yorùbá with the aim of comparing and finding their similarities and differences regardless of their distance and classification as Central Yorùbá. The study area is located in southwestern part of Nigeria, where Yorùbá language and its dialects are predominantly spoken by the indigenes. A comparative approach was adopted for this study. Data were collected from 100 native speakers of 60 years and above from the study areas, 50 from each of the dialects, using adapted instrument of 1700 wordlist of the Summer Institutes of Linguistics (SIL) Dallas, Texas. The selection of elderly native speaker was based on the need to avoid code-mixing is common among younger generation. Common lexemes in the dialects are used for the classification of the dialects’ sound systems and syllables to assess the differences and similarities. The study reveals that with the exception of [ɲ], all other consonants can occur at the word initial of the two dialects, and that no consonant is permitted in the word final because the dialects operate open syllables like that of Standard Yorùb́á. However, it was revealed that Mọ̀bà dialect attests palata alveolar fricative [ʃ] which does not reflect in Adó Èkìtì dialect. It is concluded that even the two dialects are mutually intelligible, there are differences in the way the native speakers articulate some words. However, the identified differences did not constitute problem of misunderstanding during communication process among speakers of the dialects. It is therefore established that despite the fact that Mọ̀bà people share borders with Ọ̀ṣun and Kwara states and some other local governments within Ekiti state, this has not influenced the phonological structures of speakers of Mọ̀bà dialect. The study established that there exists a very strong affinity between the dialects as the researcher discovered some common lexemes.