A Morphopragmatic Analysis of Diminution in the Edo Language

Usenbo, Perpetual; Kekai, Celestina Predia

Journal of Studies in Language, Culture and Society (JSLCS)
Volume 9, Numéro 2, Pages 233-246
2026-06-30

A Morphopragmatic Analysis Of Diminution In The Edo Language

Authors : Usenbo Perpetual . Kekai Celestina Predia .

Abstract

This paper focuses on diminution in the Ẹdo language, with the aim of describing the connotation of units which constitute such evaluative expressions in the language. Diminution is conceived as an interpretation of the semantic primitive SMALL. Previous studies on this language have identified several morphemes which convey this notion and categorized them based on their functions as diminutive markers, kinship and body-part terms amongst others. However, researchers are yet to investigate the pragmatic contribution of these morphemes to the interpretation of expressions where they occur. To address this gap in our knowledge of diminution in the language, the study set two objectives. The first is to describe the structure of diminutive constructions. The second is to discuss the pragmatic interpretations of these constructions. Data were collected via interviews and participant observation. This study also relied on secondary data extracted from a corpus of textual and audio-visual materials. Data analysis was based the model of morphopragmatics outlined in Barbaresi (2015) and Barbaresi & Dressler (2020). The study found that diminutive markers connote positive and negative emotional attitudes; as such, they should be considered strategies for conveying appreciative and pejorative evaluation.