Abstract:
This study explores Tiv phonotactics within the theoretical framework of generative phonology, with a focus on accounting for Tiv sound patterns and constraints that govern well-formed syllable structures and words in the language. Tiv, a Benue-Congo language spoken predominantly in central Nigeria, shows distinctive segmental distribution, syllable structures, and phonotactic restrictions that allow formal analysis. Drawing on data and descriptive analysis, the study identifies permissible and impermissible consonant and vowel structures, syllable types, and positional restrictions. These surface representations are considered a result of underlying representations and ordered phonological rules within the framework of generative phonology. It accounts for how abstract underlying structures are transformed into surface structures through processes such as vowel insertion, consonant deletion, and feature spreading, thereby resolving phonetic violations. By bringing Tiv phonotactics within a rule-based generative model, it highlights the ability of generative phonology in revealing the general nature of Tiv sound structure and adds to the broader understanding of phonological patterns in Benue-Congo languages.
Keywords: Generative, phonology, phonotactics, syllable, Tiv
DOI: www.doi.org/10.36349/tjllc.2026.v05i02.010
author/Msuega Ahar & Terhile Simon Unyor
journal/Tasambo JLLC 5(2) | February 2026 |
