A Survey of Hausa Loanwords in the Igala Language of Kogi State

Kogi State in North Central Nigeria represents a significant contact zone between Hausa and the Igala language, a major language of the Igala kingdom with its own rich literary and cultural traditions. This study surveys Hausa loanwords that have been adopted into the Igala language through centuries of trade, administrative contact, and inter-community relations in Kogi State. A descriptive contact linguistics design was employed, combining elicitation sessions with 80 fluent Igala speakers in Idah and Anyigba with analysis of published Igala vocabulary collections. Hausa-origin words were identified through etymological comparison with standard Hausa dictionaries and classified by semantic domain, degree of phonological adaptation, and frequency of use. Igala linguists from Kogi State University reviewed the classified corpus for accuracy. Findings document over 150 Hausa loanwords integrated into everyday Igala speech, concentrated in domains of trade and commerce, Islamic religious practice, clothing and textile terms, political administration vocabulary, and food preparation. Phonological adaptation of Hausa words to Igala sound patterns is thorough in older loans, while more recent borrowings retain closer phonological proximity to Hausa. The study contributes to the documentation of Hausa contact influence in North Central Nigeria beyond the Hausa-majority areas and recommends further research on Hausa contact phenomena with Igala, Ebira, and other Kogi State languages. Keywords: Hausa loanwords, Igala language, Kogi State, Language contact, Lexical borrowing.