A phonological study of derived words in kikuyu with reference to nouns and adjectives.

Abstract

This study is an attempt to investigate the phonological processes in Kikuyu nouns and adjectives derived from verbs. Chapter one provides some background information on the language, a brief discussion of the analytical tool (theory) and the methodology. The study proceeds to investigate the sound system of Kikuyu, by presenting examples of sounds at word initial and medial position for consonants and word initial, midial and final for vowels, to establish their phonemic status. The study established that Kikuyu has eighteen consonant phonemes and seven vowel phonemes. In Chapter Three is a discussion of the phonological processes in nouns derived from verbs, where all sound changes have been accounted for in terms of phonological rules. A discussion of the phonological processes involved in the derivation of Kikuyu adjectives, from verbs, follows in Chapter Four. The study then summarises the changes occurring in the N C clusters in the underlying representation, and establishes a sequence structure condition. This study proved that although derivation is a morphological process there are changes involved which can only be accounted for phonologically.