Verbal Alternations in Akan

Abstract

It has been recognized (Levin 1993) that the variation in the expression of the arguments of a verb (verbal alternation) is based largely on its meaning. This paper explores the relevant alternations that verbs in Akan, a Kwa language of Ghana, participate in. The following alternations are identified as being applicable to verbs in the language: Causative / Inchoative Alternation, Unexpressed Object Alternations (made up of Understood Object, Unspecified Object, and Reflexive Object Alternations), and Ditransitive Alternations (consisting of Optional Theme Ditransitive and Definite Theme Ascension Alternations). There are also alternations that involve Non-Causative Verbs of Emission and Verbs of Spatial Configuration. An important observation arising out of the study is the interaction between certain types of alternations and a particular form of serial verb construction in the language.