Browsing by Author "Adomako, K."
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Item The Phonology of Akan Loanwords in Ga and Dangme(University Of Ghana, 2018-07) Adomako, K.This thesis studies the loanword phonologies of Ga and Dangme (Kwa, Ga-Dangme group) languages. It focuses on investigating how Akan (Kwa, Tano Central group) source words have been phonologically adapted into Ga and Dangme. It has been observed that both Ga and Dangme have borrowed comparatively more Akan words into their vocabularies than Akan has borrowed from Ga and Dangme. However, not much studies have been carried out to establish the nature and extent of borrowings between Akan, on the one hand, and Ga and Dangme, on the other hand. The thesis, therefore, seeks to investigate how the two target languages have adapted some Akan segments, especially non-native segments (both vowels and consonants) into their vocabularies. It also explores how Akan source prosodic features such as syllabic nasals and tone have been realised in the two target languages. The data for this study were collected from the entries in both Ga-English and Dangme-English dictionaries. The study concludes that the phonological adaptations in general are motivated by a combination of phonological and perceptual factors. Phonologically, the adaptations of non-native vocalic and consonantal segments can be accounted for within OT due to the crucial ranking of some markedness constraints. In terms of tone, it has been concluded that the source tone melody is generally preserved in both languages. However, additionally, the same source melodies can be adapted into other melodies present in the targel languages.Item Truncation of some Akan personal names(Gema Online Journal of Language Studies, 2015-02) Adomako, K.This paper examines some morphophonological processes in Akan personal names with focus on the former process. The morphological processes of truncation of some indigenous personal names identified among the Akan (Asante) ethnic group of Ghana are discussed. The paper critically looks at some of these postlexical morpheme boundary processes in some Akan personal names realized in the truncated form when two personal names interact. In naming a child in a typical Akan, specifically in Asante’s custom, a family name is given to the child in addition to his/her ‘God-given’ name or day-name. We observe truncation and some phonological processes such as vowel harmony, compensatory lengthening, etc. at the morpheme boundaries in casual speech context. These morphophonological processes would be analyzed within the Optimality Theory framework where it would be claimed that there is templatic constraint that demands that the base surname minimally surfaces as disyllable irrespective of the syllable size of the base surname. The relatively high ranking of this minimality constraint, we claim in this paper, forces the application of the compensatory lengthening rule to ensure satisfaction of that constraint in the truncated forms. © 2015, Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia Press. All rights reserved.Item Vowel Raising in Akan Reduplication(Legon Journal of the Humanities, University of Ghana, 2012) Adomako, K.This paper examines vowel raising in reduplication in Akan, a Niger- Congo (Kwa) language, focusing on the Asante-Twi dialect. It has been generally observed in Akan that in reduplicating CV stems, the stem [+low] vowels are pre-specified with [+high] the reduplicant (RED). However, it has been claimed that raising to the mid vowel in disyllabic REDs is idiosyncratic to the Fante dialect. I show that the phenomenon is attested in Asante and that stem CV1V2, where V2 is [+low], raises to a corresponding [-high, -low] vowel in the RED, and not [+high]. I account for this within the Optimality Theory framework.