"MORPHOLOGICAL INNOVATION IN NIGERIAN LITERATURE: A STUDY OF ABUBAKAR GIMBA AND AUDI T. GIWA"

Abstract

This study investigates Morphological Innovation in Nigerian Literature with particular focus on Abubakar Gimba’s Witnesses to Tears and Audi T. Giwa’s Yarinya. The objectives of the research are to identify and categorize the morphological processes employed in the novels, analyse how the authors use these processes to express themes, cultural identity, and character traits, examine the influence of regional and societal factors on their morphological choices, provide a comparative perspective of their strategies, and explore how these strategies bridge indigenous and English languages to create a distinct Nigerian literary style. The study adopts the Morpheme-Based Morphological Theory (Hockett, 1954) as its framework, supported by textual analysis as the primary method of data collection. The findings reveal that both authors employ a range of morphological processes such as affixation, compounding, reduplication, loanwords, and code-switching, but with distinct emphases. Gimba’s morphology reflects the socio-political and Islamic cultural realities of Northern Nigeria, while Giwa’s style highlights urban youth dynamism and linguistic hybridity. Comparative analysis shows overlaps in their use of compounding and affixation yet diverges in tone—Gimba tending toward formal and conservative expression, and Giwa toward informal and innovative youth speech. The study concludes that morphological creativity in these works not only enriches Nigerian literary English but also bridges cultural worlds, negotiating tradition and modernity while affirming a distinctly Nigerian voice in world literature.