Counting System in Efifa

Student: Mosopefoluwa Janet Bamodu (Project, 2025)
Department of Linguistics and Nigeria Language
Ekiti State University, Ado-Ekiti, Ekiti State

Abstract

ABSTRACT The research work investigates the counting system in the Èfìfà dialect spoken in the Àjọwá community of Ondo State, Nigeria. It emphasizes the significance of morphology in language and the role of counting systems as fundamental components of linguistic structure. The study outlines the historical context of counting, distinguishing between positional and nonpositional numeral systems, and highlights the unique characteristics of the Èfìfà counting system, which employs both decimal (base 10) and vigesimal (base 20) structures. Through qualitative research methods, data were collected from native speakers, revealing that cardinal numerals are derived from basic forms, while ordinal numerals are formed by prefixing "ikpò" to cardinal numbers. The findings indicate a consistent pattern of additive and subtractive constructions in numeral formation, particularly for numbers 11 to 19. In addition, the syntactic structure of Èfìfà dictates that numerals follow the nouns they modify. This research contributes to the documentation of endangered languages and provides insights into the morphological and syntactic features of the Èfìfà counting system, serving as a foundation for future studies in linguistics and language preservation.

Keywords
Counting system morphology language linguistic structure cardinal numerals syntactic structure
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