Hafizu Miko Yakasai,
Halima Abdullahi Aminu
Department of Linguistics & Foreign Languages, Bayero University, Kano
Sokoto State University
Abstract
Hausa is a Chadic language of Afro-asiatic phylum that is very rich in terms of reduplicative constructions. Hausa extensively uses reduplication within lexical units and also in a clausal structure. This paper examines Hausa reduplicative patterns that operate within lexical units and clausal structure as manifested in the songs of Kassu Zurmi. The scope of the paper lays emphasis on reduplicative constructions collated from Kassu songs as contained in Magaji (2016) and some papers presented at the International Conference on Kassu Zurmi in April 2025, such as Birnin Magaji (2025) among others. The paper adopts the typological patterns of reduplicative constructions outlined in Yakasai (2005 and 2006 as modified in 2009), and it is mainly descriptive. Kassu songs reflect a good example of Hausa reduplicative constructions that operate within the morphology and syntax of the language. The paper fills in the gap for understanding the functions and communicative imports of reduplicative constructions in Hausa. It discovers that reduplication presented here has been treated as a phenomenon that has not only a segmental realization, but also a semantic and prosodic perspective. Kassu extensively uses reduplicative constructions that operate at the clausal structure and within a lexical unit. It has been argued that studying reduplicative constructions in Kassu songs could serve as basis for understanding more practical domains of morphological and syntactic reduplication in Hausa.
