Details de l’article

This study aims to determine the genetic relationship that exists between Yoruba and Ifɛ spoken in Togo. To achieve this objective, I used a wordlist as questionnaire to collect data from native Yoruba and Ifɛ speakers, and these data are analyzed using the comparative method. The results revealed that (1) Yoruba and Ifɛ attest stalexemes (or stable lexemes), and equilexemes (or equivalent lexemes) with varying degrees of differences, (2) Yoruba and Ifɛ attest two regular phonological correspondences which prove that the two languages are genetically related, and (3) the regular variations identified are accounted for by linguistic and extra-linguistic factors. The study concludes that Yoruba and Ifɛ spoken in Togo are sister languages or varieties of the same mother language today.