Infixation and Circumfixation Process: Unraveling Some Intricacies of Lexeme-Formation Processes in Hausa and English Languages

Two socio-culturally linked languages are often juxtaposed to ascertain their areas of convergence and divergence. The similarities or differences could be in the area of phonology, morphology, syntax or semantics. A study of this nature can help in explicating reasons behind some difficulties often encountered by second language learners. It may also help in guiding teachers to understand the peculiarities of a target language, especially when the comparison is done between a foreign language and an indigenous language. This paper is therefore aimed at juxtaposing one of the most productive lexeme-formation processes (affixation) in Hausa and English languages to ascertain their areas of convergence and divergence, particularly in the area of infixes and circumfixes. It shall specifically shed some light on the intricacies surrounding the two processes (infixation and circumfixation) which have triggered misconceptions among linguistic scholars. Some researchers are of the view that Hausa language lacks infixation process, while others have argued with convincing facts that the process exists in the language. Moreover, some scholars are of the view that Hausa does not exhibit instances of circumfixation as it is predominantly used in English language. Using descriptive linguistic approach, Contrastive Analysis Theory was adopted in this study to ascertain the areas of convergence and divergence as regard the two processes in Hausa and English languages. Based on the data collated and analyzed, this research has revealed that Hausa has instances of infixation process which appears to be rich and highly productive. The study has further confirmed that the instances of circumfixation are even more productive and formal in Hausa than in English language.