A Contrastive Analysis of Inflectional Morphemes in English and Igbo

Abstract

This research investigates inflectional morphemes in English and Igbo, aiming to identify their forms, functions, similarities, and differences. Contrastive Analysis and Morphological Theory are employed as frameworks to explain how both languages express grammatical categories. The findings indicate that English primarily utilizes a fixed system of suffixes, such as -s/-es, -ed, -en, -ing, -er, and -est, to mark number, possession, tense, agreement, aspect, and comparison. In contrast, Igbo employs a broader array of verbal suffixes, prefixes, auxiliaries, tonal patterns, and syntactic devices, with forms like -rV, -ghị, and -la/-le expressing completed action, negation, and perfective aspect. Both languages mark comparable grammatical meanings, yet they differ significantly in their structural mechanisms. The research concludes that these differences may contribute to learning challenges among Igbo learners of English and recommends increased emphasis on comparative morphology in language instruction, further investigation of other morpheme types, and enhanced development of Igbo linguistic materials to improve learners' grammatical competence and reduce first-language interference in English usage.