A Comparative Study of English Language and Mumuye Language Morphological process

71 Pages·1.254 MB·

by  Stephen Abednego

A Comparative Study of English
Language and Mumuye Language
Morphological process
Stephen Abednego
CHAPTER ONE
1:0. Introduction: This work is an attempt to make a comparative study of English
and Mumuye Morphological. In this chapter, the background of the study will be
given in which such topics as; the geographical location of Mumuye people, brief
history of Mumuye people, the genetic classification of Mumuye Language, the
brief history of English language and its genetic classification, statement of the
problem, aim and objectives of the study, scope of the study, and the significant of
the study will be discussed.
1.1 Geographical Location and Population of Mumuye People.
The Mumuye people covers the entire land South of the Benue River,
starting from the cities in the Republic of Cameroun such as Tibati, Bertua,
Ngaundare, Garua region, Koncha, pitowa,Beka and Wuroboki among others
(Marubitͻɓa etal 2008:16). In Nigeria they are in two states; Taraba and Adamawa
state: in Taraba state they are found in large number at: Bali, Donga, Gashaka,
Gassol, Ardo-kola, Jalingo, Lau, Yͻrͻ and Zing local government areas. While in
Adamawa state, they are found in the following local government areas; Teongo,
Ganye, Jada, Mayo-Belwa, Fufore, Yola south, Yola North, Ngorori, Demsa and
some part of Numan local governments. Taraba state lie roughly between latitude
60 25N and 90 3On and longitude 9.300E and 11.450E, while Adamawa state lies
between longitudes 110 in and 52/20E of the Greenwich meridian and latitude
100and 143/4N of the equator. (See fig1.1 map of Nigeria showing Taraba state
where the language is predominantly spoken, fig 1.2 map of Taraba state showing
local government areas where Mumuye speakers are found.
In terms of population, according to the 1963 national population census of
Nigeria, cited in Alkali (1998) Mumuye population was 294,208 and they were
ranked eighteen (18) out of four hundred and four (404) ethnic groups in Nigeria
and they were the second largest in former Gongola now the largest in Taraba
state. According to Wikipedia the free encyclopedia on line by (1993) Mumuye
population rose to four hundred thousand (400 000) native speakers, while
Marubitɔɓa (2013:34) added that they are even one Million today.
See Fig 1.1.Map of Nigeria showing Taraba and Adamawa states where the
Language is predominantly spoken. Fig.1.2. Map of Taraba state is showing local
government areas where Mumuye speakers are found and fig.1.3 Map of Adamawa
State is showing where few Mumuye speakers are found.
Map of Nigeria showing Taraba State and their
neighboring State where the language

is predominantly spoken

O
E N
B R
O O
Y B

E
I B
H M
C O
U G
A
B

NASARABWE AN U E P L A T E A UT A R A...........B.......................A.............................................................................................................................................................................................A...............D..........A.......M..A....W.........A..............................

Fig. 1.1

KEY:

THE STATES THAT BORDERED WITH TARABA AND ADAMAWA
........
STATES WHERE MUMUYE SPEAKERS ARE FOUND
U
A
L
Y
O
J R
ALI O
N
G
O
ARDO-KOLAZING
GASOL
BALI
GASHAKA
DONGA
WHERE MUMUYE NATIVES ARE MAJORITY
WHERE MUMUYE NATIVES ARE MINORITY
Adopted from Abednego (2016)Adopted from Abednego (2016)
Map of Adamawa showing where pockets of
mumuye people are found

Hong Michika
Girie nMourbthi

Guyuk Shelleng Song MaihasMouutbhi
Lammurde
Numan Gombi
+ Demsa + Fufore
+
Mayo-+belwa YoYloal as o+nuotrhth

Jada
+
Ganye
+

+
Teungo

Fig. 1.3

KEY:
+ MUMUYE NATIVE SPEAKERS
1.1.1.Brief History of Mumuye People.
The term Mumuye refers to the people as well as the language. Many people
believe that the term Mumuye was given by the fulanis, but Meek (1931:446)
states that “It is improbable that the Fulani invented the term Mumuye, as the root
is found in other parts of Africa in the sense of “man” Thus the Tikari word for
man is “mum” and the form “mume” meaning man is found in one of the
Nyasaland languages. We may conclude therefore that Mumuye means ‘the
people’ like so many African tribal titles”.
The Mumuye believe that they came from Kang or Kam, Kang is located
between Garba chede and Bali towns in Taraba state. Marubitͻɓa (2013:2) said
while the Mumuye were in Kang they nicknamed the Rivers flowing at the foot of
Kang and Bali mountains to be “mii-tãrã-bang” (strong water or river) this was
later modified to be River Taraba, and the name of the state is coined from the
River. From Kang the Mumuye people moved to Yͻrͻ. Yͻrͻ is regarded by all the
Mumuye as their ancient city and that is where the chief rain maker (Kpanti Giriri)
lives.
Kirk-Green (1969) cited in Marubitͻɓa et al (2008:3) observed that “there is a
theory that the Mumuye people might have stemmed from the Cross-River region
and they are probably one of the original tribe of the Adamawa province”. If the
Mumuye were once in Cross-River region, then, they might probably have
migrated from Middle East to Nigeria as asserted by Marubitͻɓa (2013:42-45) that
the original Mumuye man might have stemmed from the descendant of ‘Ham’ one
of the three sons of ‘Noah’ in the Christian Holy Bible, who came to Egypt after
“the Shinar dispersion” when God confused people with different languages to
stopped the building of the Tower of Babel. This made the people to move to
various locations in the world, and some of the Ham’s descendant entered Africa
through Egypt and stayed there for over eight hundred years (800yrs). Marubitͻɓa
supported his argument with the Egyptian word for sun and God “Ra” which is
used by one of the dialect of Mumuye called Nyashuu, they use “ra” for sun and
prefixed “Kpanti” to it to make “Kpanti ra” meaning God the King. He further
explained that as people increased in number, the need to search for better farm
land became a necessity, so the Mumuye moved out of Egypt through Sudan and
followed Central Africa Republic (CAR) and Cameroun Republic into Nigeria and
it could be through Cross-River region as the distance between their present
location (Taraba and Adamawa state) is trekable. This journey might have taken
place but they all forgot the route and the places they settled before arriving at
Kang. Just as none can remember when they left Kang to Yͻrͻ hills. (See fig 1.4
map of Africa showing the route which the Mumuye people followed from Egypt
to Nigeria)
Map of Africa showing the route which the

mumuye people followed from Egypt to Nigeria

CAIRO

EGYPT
SUDAN
SUDAN
NIGERIA

ABUJA
CENTRAL
CAMEROON SUDAN REPUBLIC
BOSSANGOA
YAOUNDE

R
A
C
S
A
G
A
D
A
M

Fig. 1.4

KEY:

POINT TO THE ROUTE
Adopted from Abednego (2016)
1.1.2 Mumuye Culture and Occupation
The Mumuye people predominantly practice the African Traditional Religion
(ATR), with the exception of few who have joined either Christianity or Islamic
religion, and even among those who have left the old religion still they belief in its
secrecy.the two important deities are the va ab and va ad s which the male child
is initiated into at the puberty stage or nearly that age. The Mumuye also belief in
the supreme being called “Kpanti (La , a , ra )” (depending on the dialect); God
who is the creator and sustainer of the cosmos. In whom Christianity and Islamic
religion is rooted in. (Marubit ɓ a et al 2008:92) cited in Abednego (2016). The
Mumuye people believe that God (Kpanti La) is omniscient, omnipresence and
omnipotent, so, He should be approached through other deities. Ancestral worship
is done through the use of skull (zoepi), it recognizes god relationship between the
dead and the living; they belief that the ancestors are agents of Kpanti La.
Politically the mumuye people have no any dominant Family. The chief rain maker
is the most respected chief in Mumuye community but that those not gave him a
mantle of leadership among the Mumuye people; his duty is to pray rain to fall for
better farming, and he does not mandate any one to pay him humage in kind or
otherwise. But no one dares to provoked him as the consequences will be draught
throughout the land, this was pointed out by Meek (1931) cited in Abednego
(2016). Other respected people among the Mumuye people include the war chief,