Akua Campbell
Biographic Data
| ID | 4157574 |
|---|---|
| NAME | Akua Campbell |
| GIVEN NAMES | Akua |
| FAMILY NAME | Campbell |
| SIGNATURE | CAMPBELL A |
| AFFILIATIONS | University of Ghana |
| ORCID | 0000-0002-5413-4034 |
| VERIFIED | Yes |
| TOTAL WORKS | 8 |
| TOTAL CITATIONS | 1 |
| AUTHOR COUNT | 8 |
| EDITOR COUNT | 0 |
| FIRST PUBLICATION YEAR | 2020 |
| LATEST PUBLICATION YEAR | 2025 |
| H-INDEX | 1 |
Deriving (anti)-uniqueness: Demonstratives in Ga (Kwa)
There is a long line of previous research arguing for a tight connection between the meaning of definites and demonstratives, see e.g. Ahn (2019); Dayal and Jiang (2022); Ebert et al. (2020); Elbourne (2008); King (2001); Roberts (2003); Wolter (2006). New data from Ga (Kwa), an under-researched language spoken in Ghana, directly supports the view that demonstratives are kind of marked definites: the meaning of demonstratives is transparently com…
Sequentiality: A novel use of the perfect in Gã
This paper examines a hitherto unreported use of the Gã Perfect gram termed the ‘sequential perfect’. The sequential perfect represents a late stage of grammaticalization as it no longer conveys any aspectual information on its own, instead deriving its semantics from verbal categories in the prior discourse. It is primarily modal, being used for irrealis, habitual and iterative situations. It occurs in the non-initial clause of multiclausal cons…
Turn taking in Ghanaian judicial discourse
Turn construction and turn allocation in social interactions have been studied from different theoretical and methodological perspectives, the most important and debated ones being conversation analysis and (critical) discourse analysis. Even though turn taking has been studied in informal conversations in Ghanaian languages, nothing has been done on turn taking in Ghanaian judicial discourse. This paper examines turn taking management in Ghanaia…
Language choice in churches in indigenous Gã towns: A multilingual balancing act
This paper examines the determinant factors motivating language choice in churches in coastal Accra, an area characterized by a high degree of urbanization and multilingualism. As this region is also ethnically Gã, we survey the attitudes of Gã congregants to the use of other languages in their churches, bearing in mind the pressure faced by Gã from the more dominant vehicular languages, Akan and English. Data was obtained via participant observa…
Language and power: Discursive strategies employed by interpreters in Ghanaian district courts
This article investigates the power dynamics at play in interpreter-mediated discourse interactions in the district courts in Ghana. Using audio recordings of authentic courtroom proceedings, we analyzed the discursive practices performed by court actors, especially interpreters, and the ways in which these practices signal their power or the lack thereof. We also examine the way language is employed by dominant actors to intrude on the liberty o…
The Perfect in Gã
This paper investigates the meaning and distribution of the perfect in Gã (Niger-Congo, Kwa). Data from natural speech and elicitation reveals that in addition to uses of the perfect that have been established cross-linguistically, Gã makes use of the perfect for the predication of qualities (perfect of quality), for overtly signalling a change of state (inchoative perfect) and for marking iterative, habitual or predictable events (sequential per…
The syntax and semantics of Gã future markers
This paper explores the syntax and semantics of two grammatical markers of future time in Gã (Niger–Congo, Kwa) – bàá- and àá-. The coexistence of àá- and bàá- over a long period, coupled with their overlapping roles, has led to some inconsistency in their analysis. I show that in modern Gã, bàá- is the most prevalent future marker, with àá- existing much less prominently alongside it. Data from natural speech and elicitation reveal that both mar…
“That’s not my understanding”: Interpretation in the Ghanaian multilingual court
This study investigates the extent to which mostly untrained interpreters render accurately the voices of participants in Ghanaian district courts, and how the participants orient to shortcomings in the interpretations. Based on 7.5 hours of audio-recordings, we found that 91% of interpretations were accurate. The 9% of interpretations that were inaccurate were of five types: non-equivalence in propositional content, omissions, elaborations, inco…
Language and power: Discursive strategies employed by interpreters in Ghanaian district courts
This article investigates the power dynamics at play in interpreter-mediated discourse interactions in the district courts in Ghana. Using audio recordings of authentic courtroom proceedings, we analyzed the discursive practices performed by court actors, especially interpreters, and the ways in which these practices signal their power or the lack thereof. We also examine the way language is employed by dominant actors to intrude on the liberty o…
“That’s not my understanding”: Interpretation in the Ghanaian multilingual court
This study investigates the extent to which mostly untrained interpreters render accurately the voices of participants in Ghanaian district courts, and how the participants orient to shortcomings in the interpretations. Based on 7.5 hours of audio-recordings, we found that 91% of interpretations were accurate. The 9% of interpretations that were inaccurate were of five types: non-equivalence in propositional content, omissions, elaborations, inco…
The Perfect in Gã
This paper investigates the meaning and distribution of the perfect in Gã (Niger-Congo, Kwa). Data from natural speech and elicitation reveals that in addition to uses of the perfect that have been established cross-linguistically, Gã makes use of the perfect for the predication of qualities (perfect of quality), for overtly signalling a change of state (inchoative perfect) and for marking iterative, habitual or predictable events (sequential per…
The syntax and semantics of Gã future markers
This paper explores the syntax and semantics of two grammatical markers of future time in Gã (Niger–Congo, Kwa) – bàá- and àá-. The coexistence of àá- and bàá- over a long period, coupled with their overlapping roles, has led to some inconsistency in their analysis. I show that in modern Gã, bàá- is the most prevalent future marker, with àá- existing much less prominently alongside it. Data from natural speech and elicitation reveal that both mar…
Turn taking in Ghanaian judicial discourse
Turn construction and turn allocation in social interactions have been studied from different theoretical and methodological perspectives, the most important and debated ones being conversation analysis and (critical) discourse analysis. Even though turn taking has been studied in informal conversations in Ghanaian languages, nothing has been done on turn taking in Ghanaian judicial discourse. This paper examines turn taking management in Ghanaia…
Language choice in churches in indigenous Gã towns: A multilingual balancing act
This paper examines the determinant factors motivating language choice in churches in coastal Accra, an area characterized by a high degree of urbanization and multilingualism. As this region is also ethnically Gã, we survey the attitudes of Gã congregants to the use of other languages in their churches, bearing in mind the pressure faced by Gã from the more dominant vehicular languages, Akan and English. Data was obtained via participant observa…
Language and power: Discursive strategies employed by interpreters in Ghanaian district courts
This article investigates the power dynamics at play in interpreter-mediated discourse interactions in the district courts in Ghana. Using audio recordings of authentic courtroom proceedings, we analyzed the discursive practices performed by court actors, especially interpreters, and the ways in which these practices signal their power or the lack thereof. We also examine the way language is employed by dominant actors to intrude on the liberty o…
Sequentiality: A novel use of the perfect in Gã
This paper examines a hitherto unreported use of the Gã Perfect gram termed the ‘sequential perfect’. The sequential perfect represents a late stage of grammaticalization as it no longer conveys any aspectual information on its own, instead deriving its semantics from verbal categories in the prior discourse. It is primarily modal, being used for irrealis, habitual and iterative situations. It occurs in the non-initial clause of multiclausal cons…
Deriving (anti)-uniqueness: Demonstratives in Ga (Kwa)
There is a long line of previous research arguing for a tight connection between the meaning of definites and demonstratives, see e.g. Ahn (2019); Dayal and Jiang (2022); Ebert et al. (2020); Elbourne (2008); King (2001); Roberts (2003); Wolter (2006). New data from Ga (Kwa), an under-researched language spoken in Ghana, directly supports the view that demonstratives are kind of marked definites: the meaning of demonstratives is transparently com…
Linguistics (7 works) · Computer Science (6 works) · Language, Discourse, Communication Strategies (5 works) · Philosophy (5 works) · Syntax, Semantics, Linguistic Variation (4 works) · Epistemology (3 works) · Interpreter (3 works) · Interpreting and Communication in Healthcare (3 works) · Linguistic Variation and Morphology (3 works) · Psychology (3 works)