Nana Aba Appiah Amfo
Biographic Data
| ID | 1038768 |
|---|---|
| NAME | Nana Aba Appiah Amfo |
| GIVEN NAMES | Nana Aba Appiah |
| FAMILY NAME | Amfo |
| SIGNATURE | AMFO N A A |
| AFFILIATIONS | University of Ghana |
| VERIFIED | No |
| TOTAL WORKS | 15 |
| TOTAL CITATIONS | 30 |
| WORKS AS AUTHOR | 15 |
| WORKS AS EDITOR | 0 |
| FIRST PUBLICATION YEAR | 2005 |
| LATEST PUBLICATION YEAR | 2022 |
| H-INDEX | 3 |
Noun phrase conjunction in Akan
Noun phrase conjunction in Akan (Niger-Congo, Kwa) is performed by placing a connective between two noun phrases, but there is some variation in the forms used in the major dialects. In the Twi dialects the connective is ne , but Fante speakers may use nye or na depending on whether a comitative or a coordinative interpretation is intended. This paper focuses on the historical origins of the noun phrase connective n(y)e in Akan. It suggests that …
Managing authorship in (socio)linguistic collaborations
This article examines the issue of joint authorship in (socio)linguistic publications. On the assumption that research work in the humanities has traditionally been performed on a "lone scholar" basis, discussion of authorship attribution has not dominated conversations in the arts and humanities as compared to the natural, health and engineering sciences. However, considering the increasing occurrence of collaboration in (socio)linguistics and i…
Multilingualism and language practices of Nigerien migrants in Ghana
This paper aims at examining language socialisation practices of members of two groups of migrants of Nigerien origin living in Ghana, i.e. Tamasheque-speaking beggars in Accra and Hausa/Zambarima/Buzu-speaking hawkers at the Akuapem Ridge. We examine the migrants’ language practices in various domains, such as work and home, interrogate whether such practices reflect the level of socioeconomic integration they experience and ascertain the role t…
Multilingualism and language policies in the African context
Africa is a highly multilingual continent; the languages are diverse and numerous. Even though Maho (2004) suggests that there are 1441 languages in Africa, Simons and Fennig (2018) have a much hig
Insanity is from home”
This paper examines selected expressions relating to the articulation of mental health challenges in three Akan speaking communities in Ghana, in the context of considering that language is reflective of human thought, and that human cultural practices and behavior emanate from people’s underlying appreciation of particular issues. Expressions of mental health challenges were extracted from a total of 37 one-on-one interviews and 12 focus group d…
A case for revisiting definitions of serial verb constructions
In this study, we undertook an experiment in which native speakers of Akan were given serial verbs both with and without oblique non-verbal elements (such as relator nouns, direct objects, postpositions, etc.) and asked them to construct Serial Verb Construction Nominals (SVCNs) from them. We found that, by and large, when not given said non-verbal elements, speakers were not able to construct nominal forms. In another task, we gave speakers nomi…
Caring supporters or daring usurpers? Representation of women in Akan proverbs
The article examines the representation of women as espoused in a number of Akan (Niger-Congo, Kwa) proverbs. The objective is to analyze traditional views on the perceptions and roles of the woman in Akan society and explore the interrelation between language, gender and culture. Using a (Feminist) Critical Discursive Approach, 62 Akan proverbs about women, selected from both written and oral sources, are examined. We argue that although the con…
Token-reflexive, anaphoric and deictic functions of ‘here’
There are basically three ways in which the reference of a token of the English proximal spatial indexical here and corresponding terms in other languages can be resolved in the context-dependent, pragmatic phase of the addressee's determination of the propositional content of an utterance that contains this adverbial adjunct. ‘Here’ may refer reflexively to the place of utterance, including minimally the spot occupied by the speaker (token-refle…
Identity meets nationality
Lexical signaling of information structure in Akan
Akan (Kwa, Niger Congo) has a rich inventory of lexical items for the purposes of signaling information structure. This article examines the communicative role of a number of these markers. The focus marker na singles out the constituent within its scope as the only new information in the utterance in which it is contained. Two inclusive markers are identified; they are (n)so and mpo . (N)so is an additive focus marker which indicates that the ut…
Indefiniteness marking and Akan bi
Noun phrase and clausal connectives in Akan
This paper explores the semantics and pragmatics of noun phrase and clausal connectives in Akan (Niger-Congo, Kwa branch), highlighting dialectal variation. In Fante, noun phrases may be conjoined by nye which encodes comitativity, or na, which is underdetermined between comitative and coordinative meanings. Asante, on the other hand, uses the underdetermined noun phrase connective ne. The interlocutor in Asante thus relies on contextual informat…
Clausal conjunction in Akan
Recurrence marking in Akan
The linguistic phenomenon of recurrence is identified in two aspects; either as a repetition of an action or a restoration to a former state. This paper examines two lexical items, an auxiliary verb san and an adverb (e)bio , which encode this phenomenon in Akan. The recurrence marker san is claimed to be the output of a grammaticalization process which has as its historical input a phonologically identical lexical verb with a restorative meaning…
Modal marking in Akan
Caring supporters or daring usurpers? Representation of women in Akan proverbs
The article examines the representation of women as espoused in a number of Akan (Niger-Congo, Kwa) proverbs. The objective is to analyze traditional views on the perceptions and roles of the woman in Akan society and explore the interrelation between language, gender and culture. Using a (Feminist) Critical Discursive Approach, 62 Akan proverbs about women, selected from both written and oral sources, are examined. We argue that although the con…
Lexical signaling of information structure in Akan
Akan (Kwa, Niger Congo) has a rich inventory of lexical items for the purposes of signaling information structure. This article examines the communicative role of a number of these markers. The focus marker na singles out the constituent within its scope as the only new information in the utterance in which it is contained. Two inclusive markers are identified; they are (n)so and mpo . (N)so is an additive focus marker which indicates that the ut…
Indefiniteness marking and Akan bi
Multilingualism and language practices of Nigerien migrants in Ghana
This paper aims at examining language socialisation practices of members of two groups of migrants of Nigerien origin living in Ghana, i.e. Tamasheque-speaking beggars in Accra and Hausa/Zambarima/Buzu-speaking hawkers at the Akuapem Ridge. We examine the migrants’ language practices in various domains, such as work and home, interrogate whether such practices reflect the level of socioeconomic integration they experience and ascertain the role t…
Managing authorship in (socio)linguistic collaborations
This article examines the issue of joint authorship in (socio)linguistic publications. On the assumption that research work in the humanities has traditionally been performed on a "lone scholar" basis, discussion of authorship attribution has not dominated conversations in the arts and humanities as compared to the natural, health and engineering sciences. However, considering the increasing occurrence of collaboration in (socio)linguistics and i…
Clausal conjunction in Akan
Modal marking in Akan
Recurrence marking in Akan
The linguistic phenomenon of recurrence is identified in two aspects; either as a repetition of an action or a restoration to a former state. This paper examines two lexical items, an auxiliary verb san and an adverb (e)bio , which encode this phenomenon in Akan. The recurrence marker san is claimed to be the output of a grammaticalization process which has as its historical input a phonologically identical lexical verb with a restorative meaning…
Modal marking in Akan
Noun phrase and clausal connectives in Akan
This paper explores the semantics and pragmatics of noun phrase and clausal connectives in Akan (Niger-Congo, Kwa branch), highlighting dialectal variation. In Fante, noun phrases may be conjoined by nye which encodes comitativity, or na, which is underdetermined between comitative and coordinative meanings. Asante, on the other hand, uses the underdetermined noun phrase connective ne. The interlocutor in Asante thus relies on contextual informat…
Clausal conjunction in Akan
Lexical signaling of information structure in Akan
Akan (Kwa, Niger Congo) has a rich inventory of lexical items for the purposes of signaling information structure. This article examines the communicative role of a number of these markers. The focus marker na singles out the constituent within its scope as the only new information in the utterance in which it is contained. Two inclusive markers are identified; they are (n)so and mpo . (N)so is an additive focus marker which indicates that the ut…
Indefiniteness marking and Akan bi
Token-reflexive, anaphoric and deictic functions of ‘here’
There are basically three ways in which the reference of a token of the English proximal spatial indexical here and corresponding terms in other languages can be resolved in the context-dependent, pragmatic phase of the addressee's determination of the propositional content of an utterance that contains this adverbial adjunct. ‘Here’ may refer reflexively to the place of utterance, including minimally the spot occupied by the speaker (token-refle…
Identity meets nationality
Caring supporters or daring usurpers? Representation of women in Akan proverbs
The article examines the representation of women as espoused in a number of Akan (Niger-Congo, Kwa) proverbs. The objective is to analyze traditional views on the perceptions and roles of the woman in Akan society and explore the interrelation between language, gender and culture. Using a (Feminist) Critical Discursive Approach, 62 Akan proverbs about women, selected from both written and oral sources, are examined. We argue that although the con…
A case for revisiting definitions of serial verb constructions
In this study, we undertook an experiment in which native speakers of Akan were given serial verbs both with and without oblique non-verbal elements (such as relator nouns, direct objects, postpositions, etc.) and asked them to construct Serial Verb Construction Nominals (SVCNs) from them. We found that, by and large, when not given said non-verbal elements, speakers were not able to construct nominal forms. In another task, we gave speakers nomi…
Insanity is from home”
This paper examines selected expressions relating to the articulation of mental health challenges in three Akan speaking communities in Ghana, in the context of considering that language is reflective of human thought, and that human cultural practices and behavior emanate from people’s underlying appreciation of particular issues. Expressions of mental health challenges were extracted from a total of 37 one-on-one interviews and 12 focus group d…
Multilingualism and language practices of Nigerien migrants in Ghana
This paper aims at examining language socialisation practices of members of two groups of migrants of Nigerien origin living in Ghana, i.e. Tamasheque-speaking beggars in Accra and Hausa/Zambarima/Buzu-speaking hawkers at the Akuapem Ridge. We examine the migrants’ language practices in various domains, such as work and home, interrogate whether such practices reflect the level of socioeconomic integration they experience and ascertain the role t…
Multilingualism and language policies in the African context
Africa is a highly multilingual continent; the languages are diverse and numerous. Even though Maho (2004) suggests that there are 1441 languages in Africa, Simons and Fennig (2018) have a much hig
Managing authorship in (socio)linguistic collaborations
This article examines the issue of joint authorship in (socio)linguistic publications. On the assumption that research work in the humanities has traditionally been performed on a "lone scholar" basis, discussion of authorship attribution has not dominated conversations in the arts and humanities as compared to the natural, health and engineering sciences. However, considering the increasing occurrence of collaboration in (socio)linguistics and i…
Noun phrase conjunction in Akan
Noun phrase conjunction in Akan (Niger-Congo, Kwa) is performed by placing a connective between two noun phrases, but there is some variation in the forms used in the major dialects. In the Twi dialects the connective is ne , but Fante speakers may use nye or na depending on whether a comitative or a coordinative interpretation is intended. This paper focuses on the historical origins of the noun phrase connective n(y)e in Akan. It suggests that …
Linguistics (13 works) · Language, Discourse, Communication Strategies (11 works) · Philosophy (10 works) · Computer Science (8 works) · Philosophy (7 works) · Psychology (7 works) · Syntax, Semantics, Linguistic Variation (7 works) · Language, Metaphor, and Cognition (6 works) · Political science (6 works) · Linguistic Variation and Morphology (5 works)