Coordination in Nkami

Authors

  • Rogers Krobea Asante University of Education, Winneba

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.4314/gjl.v7i1.124

Keywords:

Coordination, coordination strategies, linguistic properties of coordinators, multi-functionality and grammaticalization of coordinators, semantics of coordination

Abstract

In this paper I comprehensively discuss the syntactic phenomenon of coordination in Nkami, an endangered, less known Guang (Kwa, Niger-Congo) language of Ghana, based on synchronic natural data. I discuss issues including Nkami’s coordination strategies, its number and types of coordinators, morpho-phonological make-up and distributional abilities of the coordinators, allowable types of syntactic structures for coordination, and the semantic effect(s) of the coordinators on coordinate structures. In addition, some constraints governing Nkami’s coordination, and the multi-functionality and source concepts of the coordinators are also discussed. Among other things, it is observed that Nkami employs both syndetic (overt) and asyndetic (covert) strategies for coordination though the former is highly restricted, occurring chiefly in narratives and pithy sayings. Nkami employs a Serial Adjective Construction (or an asyndetic) strategy when modifiers (adjectives) in a sentence modify the same referent, while a Coordinate Adjective Construction (or a syndetic) strategy is used when the modifiers qualify different referents within the same sentence. Like regional languages, Nkami has clearly distinct and-coordinators for phrasal and clausal coordination. Lastly, almost all the coordinators in Nkami are multi-functional, and are diachronically derivable from more lexical or less grammatical concepts.

References

Abdoulaye, Mahamane L. 2004. Comitative, Coordinating, and Inclusory
Constructions in Hausa. In Martin Haspelmath, ed., Coordinating Constructions. Amsterdam: Benjamins. Pp 165-193.

Aikhenvald, Alexandra Y. & Robert M. W. Dixon, eds., 2006. Serial Verb
Constructions: a Cross-linguistic Typology. Oxford: Oxford University Press.

Asante, Rogers K. 2016a. Nkami Language: Description and Analysis. PhD Dissertation, Tongji University.

Asante, Rogers K. 2016b. Complement Clause Constructions in Nkami. Acta Linguistica Hafniensia 48.2: 219-248, DOI:10.1080/03740463.2016.1242829.

Asante, Rogers K., and Qiuwu Ma. 2016. Relative Clause Constructions in Nkami. Studies in African Linguistics 45.1&2: 27-59.

Baker, Carl L. 1978. Introduction to Generative-transformational Syntax. New Jersey: Prentice-Hall.

Bamgbose, Ayo. 1973. The Modifying Serial Construction: a Reply. Studies in African Linguistics 4.2: 207-217.

Bamgbose, Ayo. 1982. Issues in the Analysis of Serial Verb Constructions. Journal of West African Languages 12.2: 3-21.

Dik, Simon C. 1968. Coordination: Its Implications for the Theory of General Linguistics. Amsterdam: North Holland.

Dzameshi, A. K. 1998/1989. Structures of Coordination in Ewe. Journal of West African Languages 27.1: 71-31. '

Jacops, Roderick A. & Peter S. Rosenbaum. 1968. English Transformational Grammar. London: Ginn and Co.

Haspelmath, Martin. 2004. Coordinating Constructions: an Overview. In Martin Haspelmath, ed., Coordinating Constructions Amsterdam: Benjamins. Pp 3-39.

Haspelmath, Martin. 2007. Coordination. In T. Shopen, ed., Language Typology and Syntactic Description. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. Pp 1-51.

Kibrik, Andrej A. 2004. Coordination in Upper Kuskokwim Athabaskan. In Martin Haspelmath, ed., Coordinating Constructions. Amsterdam: Benjamins. Pp 537-553.

Lefebvre Claire. 2004. Coordinating Constructions in Fongbe with Reference to Haitian Creole. In Martin Haspelmath, ed., Coordinating Constructions. Amsterdam: Benjamins. Pp 123-164.

Matras, Yaron. 1998. Utterance Modifiers and Universals of Grammatical Borrowing. Linguistics 36: 281-331.

Mithun, Marianne. 1988. The Grammaticalization of Coordination. In J. Kaiman and S. A. Thompson, eds., Clause Combining in Grammar and Discourse. Amsterdam: Benjamins. Pp 331-359.

Ohori, Toshio. 2004. Coordination in Mentalese. In Martin Haspelmath, ed., Coordinating Constructions. Amsterdam: Benjamins. Pp 41-66.

Osam, Kweku E. 2003. The Trondheim Lectures: an Introduction to the Structure of Akan, its Verbal and Multiverbal Systems. Legon: Department of Linguistics.

Payne, John R. 1985. Complex Phrases and Complex Sentences. In T. Shopen, ed., Complex Constructions. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. Pp 3-41.

Payne, Thomas. 1997. Describing Morphosyntax: a Guide for Field Linguists. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.

Radford, Andrew. 1998. Transformational Grammar: a First Course. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.

Ross, John R. 1967. Constraints on Variables in Syntax. Bloomington: Indiana University Linguistics Club.

Sanders, Gerald A. 1977. A functional Typology of Elliptical Coordination. In F. R. Eckman, ed., Current Themes in Linguistics: Bilingualism, Experimental Linguistics, and Language Typologies. Washington, DC: Hemisphere. Pp 241–70.

Schachter, Paul. 1977. Constraints on Coordination. Language 53: 86-103.

Sebba, Mark. 1987. The Syntax of Serial Verbs. Amsterdam: Benjamins.

Stassen, Leon. 2000. AND-languages and WITH-languages. Linguistic Typology 4.1: 1-55.

Wälchli, Bernhard. 2003. Co-compounds and Natural coordination. PhD Dissertation, University of Stockholm.

Watson, Richard. 1966. Clause to Sentence Gradations in Pacoh. Lingua 16: 166-168.

Welmers, W. 1973. African Language Structures. Berkeley: University of California Press.
Coordination in Nkami

Downloads

Published

06/30/2018

How to Cite

Asante, R. K. (2018). Coordination in Nkami. Ghana Journal of Linguistics, 7(1), 1–31. https://doi.org/10.4314/gjl.v7i1.124