Context-created ideophones in Ewe: a case of some insults
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.61307/gjl.v13i1.645Keywords:
context, culture, Ewe language, ideophones, insultsAbstract
This study explored on-the-spot context-created ideophones in Ewe insults among the fisherfolk of Aflao, Ghana. Data was collected from a purposive sample of one of the fishing companies at Aflao. Findings reveal novel context-created ideophones which are largely reduplication or triplication of syllables or group of syllables or a particular vowel sound. The ideophones function as nouns, verbs, adjectives, adverbs and interjections. The structure of the insults containing the ideophones is comparative language that gives meaning to the ideophones. This study has extended the boundary of the knowledge of ideophones on Ewe in particular and on ideophonic languages in general by showing that apart from mainstream ideophones of Ewe, context has the capacity to create novel ideophones whose meaning can only be supplied by the context, revealing the inexhaustible quality of Ewe in creating ideophones. Other ideophonic languages can be studied to ascertain whether the findings of this study are unique to Ewe.
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