A Note on Morphophonological Changes of Fulfulde Verb Suffixes

Abstract

This paper attempts to analyse the changes of Fulfulde verb suffixes, with particular attention to Adamawa Dialect. The aim of the paper is to analyse verb suffixes to identify the nature of the changes and the conditions that trigger them. The study employed unstructured observation to collect the data and oral interview was used to validate them. Generative Phonology (GP) was adopted as the theoretical framework for data analysis in the study. The study reveals that both phonology and morphology interact in the process of changes that occur within the verb suffixes in Fulfulde. It shows that each voice has a single underlying suffix, which interacts with various tense suffixes to derive a complete verbal complex. Considering the various environments that have different suffixes with common characteristics across the three voices, the changes are found to be triggered by certain rule-based conditions.