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Dual-Plural as a Formal Category in the History of Hausa Language

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This paper examines the plural forms in Hausa to build a case that the language recognized dual plural in the past. The article suggests that having words with two plural forms in Hausa is an element of resistance to the historical change of getting rid of dual forms. It is considered that change does not occur in all words or environments simultaneously, but rather some environments are more conducive than others. Thus, the paper analyses the parts of the human body as a distinct register, and it has found that dual organs are more likely to have two plural forms than the other organs. Therefore, there could be reasons to suggest that one of the forms stood for the dual plural in the past and the other for the general plural. By critically examining a Hausa proverb, the paper traced the usage of this dual plural in the language and which among the plural forms referred to the double.
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