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The morphophonology of the Akan reduplicated verb-form

Year 2013, Volume: 9 Issue: 2, 0 - 56, 01.10.2013

Abstract

This paper discusses the interaction between constituent formation and alteration of sounds (i.e., morphophonology) in Akan reduplicated verb-forms. Specifically, we strive to look into two issues; the morphology of reduplicated verb stems and how the morphological manifestation(s) affect certain target sounds. With its morphology, we observe that reduplication of the Akan verb-stem is generally total and, through the Morphological Doubling Theory (Inkelas 2005; Inkelas and Zoll 2005), reduplication of Akan verb-stems is viewed as the double (or multiple) occurrence of a morphological constituent meeting a particular morpho-semantic description. That is to say, while there could be differences in structure between the reduplicant and the base, they are subject to a common phonology that determines a resulting shape of an output. With morphophonology, we observe that three issues are relevant in the discussion of the phonology of the reduplicated verbs in Akan. These are the application of vowel harmony, vowel shift in terms of height, and the realization of tonal semblance. Through thorough discussions, the paper finally explains that reduplication of verb-stems in Akan is morphophonologically driven.

References

  • Berry, J. (1957). Vowel harmony in Twi. Bulletin of the School of Oriental and Africa Studies 19(1),124-130.
  • Clements, G. N. (1981). Akan vowel harmony: A nonlinear analysis. Harvard Studies in Phonology 2,108-173.
  • Connell, B. (2001). Downdrift, downstep, and declination. Proceedings of Typology of African Prosodic Systems Workshop, Bielefeld University, Germany, May 18-20, 2001.
  • Dolphyne, F. A. (1988). The Akan (Twi-Fante) language: Its sound systems and tonal structure. Accra: Ghana Universities Press.
  • Downing, L. J. (2008). Co-phonologies and morphological exponence in OT. Paper presented at the 3rd Exponence Network meeting and Workshop on Theoretical Morphology 4, University of Leipzig (Großbothen), 20-21 June 2008.
  • Harrison K.D.&Raimy E. (2004), Reduplication in Tuvan: Exponence, Readjustment and Phonology. In A. Csirmaz, Y. Lee, & M. A. Walter (Eds.)MIT Working Papers in Linguistics 46 (122-136). Proceedings of the Workshop on Altaic Formal Linguistics (WAFL) 1.Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
  • Hombert, J-M. (1974). Universals of downdrift: Their phonetic basis and significance for a theory of tone. Studies in African Linguistics, Suppl. 5, 169–183.
  • Hulst, H. van der, and van de Weijer, J.(1995). Vowel harmonies. In J. Goldsmith (Ed.),Thehandbook of phonological theory (pp. 495-534). Oxford: Blackwell.
  • Inkelas, S., &Zoll, C. (2005). Reduplication: Doubling in morphology. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
  • Inkelas, S. (2005).Morphological doubling theory: Evidence for morphological doubling in reduplication. In B.Hurch (Ed.), Studies in reduplication (pp. 65-88). Berlin/New York: Mouton de Gruyter.
  • Ladefoged, P. (1993). A course in phonetics (3rd ed.). Fort Worth: Harcourt Brace Jovanovich.
  • Marantz, A. (1982). Re-reduplication. Linguistic Inquiry 13, 483-545.
  • Marfo, C.(2009). Aspects of Akan grammar and the phonology-syntax interface. Saarbrücken: Lambert Academic Publishing.
  • Marfo, C., &Yankson, S. (2008). The structure of the ‘CCV’ syllable of Akan, Concentric:Studies in Linguistics 34(2), 85-100.
  • McCarthy, J., &Prince, A. (1995). Faithfulness and reduplicative identity. In L. Beckman, W. Dickey & S. Urbanczyk (Eds.),Papers in optimality theory,UMOP 18(pp. 249-384). UMass, Amherst: GLSA.
  • Moravcsik, E. (1978). Reduplicative constructions. In J. Greenberg (Ed.),Universals of human language, vol 3: Word Structure (pp. 297-334). Stanford: Stanford University Press.
  • O’keefe, M. (2003). Akan vowel harmony. (Unpublished BA thesis). Swarthmore College, Pennsylvania.
  • Oswalt, R. L. (1961). A Kashaya grammar: South-westernpomo. (Unpublished PhD dissertation). University of California, Berkeley, CA.
  • Raimy, E. (2000). Remarks on backcopying. Linguistic Inquiry 31, 541-552.
  • Raimy, E. (2000). The phonology and morphology of reduplication. Studies in generative grammar 52. Berlin/New York: Mouton de Gruyter.
  • Rubino, S. (2005). Reduplication: Form, function and distribution.In B.Hurch (Ed.),Studies in reduplication (pp. 11-29). Berlin/New York: Mouton de Gruyter.
  • Selkirk, E. (1984). On the major class features and syllable theory. In M. Aronoff& R.T. Oehrle (Eds.), Language sound structure (pp. 107-136). Cambridge, MA: MIT Press.
  • Singh, R. (2003). Reduplication in Modern Hindi and the Theory of Reduplication. In R. Singh (Ed.),The yearbook of south Asian languages and linguistic (pp.156-172). Berlin/New York: Mouton de Gruyter.
  • Skinner, T. R. (2008). Morphological optionality in reduplication: A lowering account, In B. C. Charles and H. J. Haynie (Eds.), Proceedings of the 26th West Coast Conference on Formal Linguistics (pp. 420-428). Somerville, MA: Cascadilla Proceedings Project.
  • Steriade, D. 1988. Reduplication and syllable transfer in Sanskrit and elsewhere, Phonology 5, 73-155.
  • Winkler, G. E.,&S. G. Obeng. 2002. A comparison of reduplication in Limonese Creole and Akan. In S.Kouwenberg (Ed.),Twice as meaningful: Morphological reduplication in pidgins and creoles (pp. 155-171). London: Battlebridge Press.
Year 2013, Volume: 9 Issue: 2, 0 - 56, 01.10.2013

Abstract

References

  • Berry, J. (1957). Vowel harmony in Twi. Bulletin of the School of Oriental and Africa Studies 19(1),124-130.
  • Clements, G. N. (1981). Akan vowel harmony: A nonlinear analysis. Harvard Studies in Phonology 2,108-173.
  • Connell, B. (2001). Downdrift, downstep, and declination. Proceedings of Typology of African Prosodic Systems Workshop, Bielefeld University, Germany, May 18-20, 2001.
  • Dolphyne, F. A. (1988). The Akan (Twi-Fante) language: Its sound systems and tonal structure. Accra: Ghana Universities Press.
  • Downing, L. J. (2008). Co-phonologies and morphological exponence in OT. Paper presented at the 3rd Exponence Network meeting and Workshop on Theoretical Morphology 4, University of Leipzig (Großbothen), 20-21 June 2008.
  • Harrison K.D.&Raimy E. (2004), Reduplication in Tuvan: Exponence, Readjustment and Phonology. In A. Csirmaz, Y. Lee, & M. A. Walter (Eds.)MIT Working Papers in Linguistics 46 (122-136). Proceedings of the Workshop on Altaic Formal Linguistics (WAFL) 1.Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
  • Hombert, J-M. (1974). Universals of downdrift: Their phonetic basis and significance for a theory of tone. Studies in African Linguistics, Suppl. 5, 169–183.
  • Hulst, H. van der, and van de Weijer, J.(1995). Vowel harmonies. In J. Goldsmith (Ed.),Thehandbook of phonological theory (pp. 495-534). Oxford: Blackwell.
  • Inkelas, S., &Zoll, C. (2005). Reduplication: Doubling in morphology. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
  • Inkelas, S. (2005).Morphological doubling theory: Evidence for morphological doubling in reduplication. In B.Hurch (Ed.), Studies in reduplication (pp. 65-88). Berlin/New York: Mouton de Gruyter.
  • Ladefoged, P. (1993). A course in phonetics (3rd ed.). Fort Worth: Harcourt Brace Jovanovich.
  • Marantz, A. (1982). Re-reduplication. Linguistic Inquiry 13, 483-545.
  • Marfo, C.(2009). Aspects of Akan grammar and the phonology-syntax interface. Saarbrücken: Lambert Academic Publishing.
  • Marfo, C., &Yankson, S. (2008). The structure of the ‘CCV’ syllable of Akan, Concentric:Studies in Linguistics 34(2), 85-100.
  • McCarthy, J., &Prince, A. (1995). Faithfulness and reduplicative identity. In L. Beckman, W. Dickey & S. Urbanczyk (Eds.),Papers in optimality theory,UMOP 18(pp. 249-384). UMass, Amherst: GLSA.
  • Moravcsik, E. (1978). Reduplicative constructions. In J. Greenberg (Ed.),Universals of human language, vol 3: Word Structure (pp. 297-334). Stanford: Stanford University Press.
  • O’keefe, M. (2003). Akan vowel harmony. (Unpublished BA thesis). Swarthmore College, Pennsylvania.
  • Oswalt, R. L. (1961). A Kashaya grammar: South-westernpomo. (Unpublished PhD dissertation). University of California, Berkeley, CA.
  • Raimy, E. (2000). Remarks on backcopying. Linguistic Inquiry 31, 541-552.
  • Raimy, E. (2000). The phonology and morphology of reduplication. Studies in generative grammar 52. Berlin/New York: Mouton de Gruyter.
  • Rubino, S. (2005). Reduplication: Form, function and distribution.In B.Hurch (Ed.),Studies in reduplication (pp. 11-29). Berlin/New York: Mouton de Gruyter.
  • Selkirk, E. (1984). On the major class features and syllable theory. In M. Aronoff& R.T. Oehrle (Eds.), Language sound structure (pp. 107-136). Cambridge, MA: MIT Press.
  • Singh, R. (2003). Reduplication in Modern Hindi and the Theory of Reduplication. In R. Singh (Ed.),The yearbook of south Asian languages and linguistic (pp.156-172). Berlin/New York: Mouton de Gruyter.
  • Skinner, T. R. (2008). Morphological optionality in reduplication: A lowering account, In B. C. Charles and H. J. Haynie (Eds.), Proceedings of the 26th West Coast Conference on Formal Linguistics (pp. 420-428). Somerville, MA: Cascadilla Proceedings Project.
  • Steriade, D. 1988. Reduplication and syllable transfer in Sanskrit and elsewhere, Phonology 5, 73-155.
  • Winkler, G. E.,&S. G. Obeng. 2002. A comparison of reduplication in Limonese Creole and Akan. In S.Kouwenberg (Ed.),Twice as meaningful: Morphological reduplication in pidgins and creoles (pp. 155-171). London: Battlebridge Press.
There are 26 citations in total.

Details

Primary Language English
Journal Section Articles
Authors

E. Kwekuosam This is me

Charles Marfo This is me

Kofi Agyekum This is me

Publication Date October 1, 2013
Published in Issue Year 2013 Volume: 9 Issue: 2

Cite

APA Kwekuosam, E., Marfo, C., & Agyekum, K. (2013). The morphophonology of the Akan reduplicated verb-form. Journal of Language and Linguistic Studies, 9(2), 0-56.
AMA Kwekuosam E, Marfo C, Agyekum K. The morphophonology of the Akan reduplicated verb-form. Journal of Language and Linguistic Studies. October 2013;9(2):0-56.
Chicago Kwekuosam, E., Charles Marfo, and Kofi Agyekum. “The Morphophonology of the Akan Reduplicated Verb-Form”. Journal of Language and Linguistic Studies 9, no. 2 (October 2013): 0-56.
EndNote Kwekuosam E, Marfo C, Agyekum K (October 1, 2013) The morphophonology of the Akan reduplicated verb-form. Journal of Language and Linguistic Studies 9 2 0–56.
IEEE E. Kwekuosam, C. Marfo, and K. Agyekum, “The morphophonology of the Akan reduplicated verb-form”, Journal of Language and Linguistic Studies, vol. 9, no. 2, pp. 0–56, 2013.
ISNAD Kwekuosam, E. et al. “The Morphophonology of the Akan Reduplicated Verb-Form”. Journal of Language and Linguistic Studies 9/2 (October 2013), 0-56.
JAMA Kwekuosam E, Marfo C, Agyekum K. The morphophonology of the Akan reduplicated verb-form. Journal of Language and Linguistic Studies. 2013;9:0–56.
MLA Kwekuosam, E. et al. “The Morphophonology of the Akan Reduplicated Verb-Form”. Journal of Language and Linguistic Studies, vol. 9, no. 2, 2013, pp. 0-56.
Vancouver Kwekuosam E, Marfo C, Agyekum K. The morphophonology of the Akan reduplicated verb-form. Journal of Language and Linguistic Studies. 2013;9(2):0-56.