Interrogating the Interfix [-ní-] as an Evaluative Morpheme in Yorùbá Language

This study examines the evaluative function of the interfix –ní– in Yorùbá, specifically its role in expressing degree, intensification, and emphasis in nominal and quantificational constructions. The research is motivated by the limited attention given to interfixation in Yorùbá evaluative morphology, despite extensive work on reduplication and affixation. The study aims to investigate the morphological conditions that govern the use of –ní– and the semantic and pragmatic effects it introduces. The study adopts a qualitative methodology. Data were obtained through native-speaker elicitation and supported by attested examples from descriptive grammars and existing Yorùbá linguistic literature. The analysis of data collected is carried out within the framework of Evaluative Morphology Theory (Grandi & Körtvélyessy, 2015), with supplementary insights from formal semantics and pragmatics (Montague 1970; Heim & Kratzer 1998). The findings show that –ní– functions as a bound evaluative interfix that derives intensified meanings without changing the lexical category of the base. Its distribution is morphologically restricted to bases specified for the feature [+SCALAR], while non-gradable nouns do not permit its insertion. Semantically, –ní– encodes degree elevation along scales such as quantity, age, and distance. Pragmatically, constructions containing –ní– express contextual emphasis, speaker attitude, and expressive force rather than purely descriptive meaning. The study concludes that –ní– constitutes a productive and semantically motivated evaluative strategy in Yorùbá. Its behavior provides evidence for an interface-based analysis in which morphology, scalar semantics, and pragmatics jointly determine evaluative meaning, contributing to broader typological discussions of evaluative morphology.