A Morphological Analysis of Akan Honorific and Title Names for God

Authors

  • Samuel Yeboah University of Cape Coast
  • Emmanuel Amo Ofori University of Cape Coast
  • Kofi Busia Abrefa University of Cape Coast

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.17507/tpls.1111.04

Keywords:

morphology, Akan, honorific, title names, God

Abstract

This study is motivated by our observation that earlier works have looked at Akan personal names either from sociolinguistics or non-linguistic perspectives; however, a critical morphological analysis of the structure of Akan honorific and title names for God has eluded researchers in linguistics. It is based on this background that we conduct a thorough morphological investigation into Akan honorific and title names for God, with the aim of addressing the morphological processes that account for their derivation. Drawing on data from both primary and secondary sources, the analysis reveals that Akan honorific and title names ascribed to God have complex nominals and this is manifested through affixation, compounding and reduplication. It further shows that some of the names are recursive in nature and are therefore derived through nominalization of sentences or clauses, especially those that undergo compounding.

Author Biographies

Samuel Yeboah, University of Cape Coast

Department of Ghanaian Languages and Linguistics

Emmanuel Amo Ofori, University of Cape Coast

Department of Ghanaian Languages and Linguistics

Kofi Busia Abrefa, University of Cape Coast

Department of Ghanaian Languages and Linguistics

References

Abakah, E.N. (2003). The segmental and tone melodies of Akan. Ph.D. Dissertation. Trondheim: Norwegian University of Science &Technology.

Abakah, E.N. (2004). Elision in Fante. Africa & Asia, 4, 181-213.

Abrefa, K. B. (2016). A closer look at the Akan relativiser. Legon Journal of the Humanities, 27(1), 1-19.

Adomako, K. (2012). Verbal nominalization as a derivational process: The case of Akan. Ghana Journal of Linguistics, 1(2), 43-64.

Agyekum, K. (2003). Honorifics and status indexing in Akan communication. Journal of Multilingual and Multicultural Development, 24(5), 369-385.

Agyekum, K. (2006). The sociolinguistics of Akan personal names. Nordic Journal of African Studies, 15(2), 206-235.

Agyekum, K. (2011). Akan kasadwini. Accra: Dwumfour publication.

Agyekum, K. (2019). Akan body parts expressions: Cognitive semantics and pragmatic approach. Accra: Adwinsa Publications Ltd.

Agyekum, O. N. (2017). Asante nkuro din no bi mu mpɛnsɛmpɛnsɛmu wɔ Mɔfɔ-fɔnɔlɔgyi kwan so. MPhil Thesis, University of Education,

Amekpordi, C. K. (2012). The sociolinguistics of the appellations in the Asogli State in the Volta Region of Ghana. MPhil Thesis. University of Ghana, Legon.

Ansong, K. D, Asante, E. A. & Kquofi, S. (2014). Eulogising God in Christian worship through Akan traditional appellation: The case of Kumasi. Advances in Social Sciences Research Journal, 1(8), 126-135.

Ansu-Kyeremeh, K. (2000). Communicating nominatim: Some social aspects of Bono personal names. Research Review New Series, 16(2), 19-33.

Anyidoho, A. (1991). Parallelism in Akan traditional appellation poetry. Research in African Literatures, 22(1), 67-81.

Appah, C. K. I. (2003). Nominal derivation in Akan. MPhil Thesis, NTNU, Trondheim.

Appah, C. K. I. (2009). Compounding in Akan. A Paper presented at the Universals and Typology in Word- Formation, Košice-Slovakia.

Appah, C. K. I. (2013). Construction morphology: Issues in Akan complex nominal morphology. Lancaster: Lancaster University Dissertation.

Appah, C.K.I. (2013). The case against A-N compound in Akan. Journal of West African Languages, 40(1), 73-87.

Aziaku, E. V. (2016). A linguistic analysis of animal names among the Ewe of Ghana. Köln: Rüdiger Köppe Verlag.

Boadi, L. A. (1989). Praise poetry in Akan. Research in African Literatures, 20(2), 181-193.

Christaller, J. G. (1933). Dictionary of the Asante and Fante Language called Twi. (2nd ed.). Basel: Evangelical Missionary Society.

Danquah, J. B. (1968). Akan doctrine of God. Frank Cass & Co. Ltd. London.

Dolphyne, F. A. (1988). The Akan (Twi-Fante) Language. Its sound systems and tonal structure. Accra: Ghana University Press.

Gyekye, K. (1996). African cultural values. Accra: Sankofa Publications.

Kambon, O. B. (2012). Serial verb nominalization in Akan. Ph.D. Thesis. University of Ghana, Legon.

Marfo, C. O. (2004). On tone and segmental processes in Akan phrasal words: A prosodic account. Linguistik online, 18, 93–110.

Mbiti, J. S. (1991). Introduction to African religion (2nd ed.). England: Heinemann Educational Publishers.

McCracken, C. (2013). Relative clauses in Asante Twi. Rice Working Papers in Linguistics, 4, 1-28.

Mensah, E. C. (2016). A morpho-semantic analysis of Mfantse neologisms in some radio stations in the Central Region. MPhil Thesis, University of Cape Coast.

Obeng, S. G. (2001). African anthroponymy: An ethnopragmatic and morphophonological study of personal names in Akan and some African societies. Munich, Germany: Lincom Europa.

Obeng, S. G (1997). From morphophonology to sociolinguistics: The case of Akan hypocoristic day-names. Multilingua, 16(1), 39-56.

Opoku, A. (1967). Obi Kyerɛ. Accra: Bureau of Ghana Languages.

Owu-Ewie, C. (2014). A morphosyntactic analysis of some Fante habitation names (econym). The International Journal of Humanities and Social studies, 2(5), 232-243.

Rattray, R. (1927). Art and religion in Ashante. Oxford University Press, London.

Saah, K. K. (2010). Relative clauses in Akan. In: E.O. Aboh and J. Essegbey (Eds.), Topics in Kwa Syntax (pp. 91-107). Springer: Dordrecht.

Sarpong, P. K. (1974). Ghana in retrospect. Accra: Ghana Publishing Corporation.

Sarpong, P. K. (2011). Asante liturgy. Kumasi: Good Shepherded Publications.

Yankah, K. (1995). Speaking for the chief: Okyeame and the politics of royal oratory. Bloomington: Indiana University Press.

Downloads

Published

2021-11-02

Issue

Section

Articles