Language change is an inevitable linguistic phenomenon that affects all natural languages and should not be viewed as a deviation from grammatical norms. In Tiv, grammatical change is ongoing and particularly impactful at the levels of morphology, graphology, phonology, syntax, and semantics. This study focuses on the morphological processes of language change in Tiv, specifically affixation, compounding, cliticisation, word separation, and clipping.

It adopts Hockett’s (1965) Item-and-Process Model, which views word formation as a process of derivation. Using the method of Internal Reconstruction, the study examines patterns within Tiv by analysing data from historical and contemporary sources. Words and expressions reflecting change were collected, classified according to the identified morphological processes, and analysed. Findings reveal that language change in Tiv occurs to accommodate new vocabulary, rectify incorrect spellings, and address tense and usage inconsistencies.

The study observes that infixation may lead to consonant clusters and vowel lengthening, while cliticisation can result in hype rcorrection, highlighting the interplay between morphology and phonology. It recommends that changes in Tiv be systematically examined across morphological, phonological, syntactic, semantic, and graphological levels.