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A Text-Based Lexicogrammatical Description of Ọ̀kọ́

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A Text-Based Lexicogrammatical Description of Ọ̀kọ́ A text-based lexicogrammatical description of Ọ̀ kọ́ : a systemic functional approach Ernest Somimola Akerejola A thesis submitted in fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy November 2005 Department of Linguistics, Division of Linguistics and Psychology Macquarie University Sydney, Australia i Acknowledgements I thank God for the opportunity and life to complete this PhD study. My profound gratitude goes to Professor Christian Matthiessen, who supervised this project in the first place, and who also in many ways means so much to me as a mentor, model, adviser, benefactor and guide. My fortunate first contact with him in 1997 rejuvenated my interest in doing SFL and determination to do a PhD. It has been my greatest privilege to benefit from his astounding wealth of intellectual experience, through exposure to his lectures, seminars, talks and academic group discussions. The contact with this man of rare kind has facilitated the amount of efforts put into this research. I am extremely grateful to Professor Michael Halliday for his interest and encouragement right from the conception of this study. My first inspiration to study linguistics comes from Halliday’s works. It was the greatest honour he did to me by organizing the talk on “The importance of bringing Ernest here”. I thank all those who took part in that talk. I also thank Professor Ruqaiya Hasan for her constant encouraging advice and comments. I am indebted to Associate Professor David Butt, who was my associate supervisor. His and Dr. Annabelle Lukin’s roles in organizing our trip to Sydney and ensuring our well-being for the past three and a half years will remain indelible in my mind. Their humane, pragmatic and prompt response to our needs every time has helped us through difficult times. We appreciate their relentless efforts to keep our family always happy. Many thanks to Annabelle, for organizing the proof reading, and to the very willing and selfless proofreaders of this thesis: Bradley Smith, Claire Scott and Rebecca Wegener. I thank Dr Canzhong Wu, for assisting me with the tools for analysing my data and for helping to resolve the formatting problems, which caused me nightmares. I appreciate all the queries and insightful comments by Dr. Kazuhiro Teruya. These have enhanced the quality of this thesis. I also thank him for his many generous acts of friendship. I am grateful to Dr. David Rose for his interest in my study and for initiating my access to his very helpful experience in describing the Western Desert Code. I am grateful to Professor Jim Martin, whose works and interaction with me on a number of occasions, have provoked deeper ii thoughts on aspects of my research. It was a great privilege to sit in the lectures of Ms Rhondda Fahey, one of the greatest teachers of SFG and of our time. Her frequent encouraging words and acts of kindness sustained my hope throughout the study. Special thanks go to Professor Geoff Williams and Carolyn MacLulich for their benevolence, and constant concern shown to my family and about my research. I thank Professor Peter and Nan Fries for their support. I am also grateful to Professor. Erich Steiner, and Dr. Mick O’Donnell for helpful materials for the research. The study also benefited from my interaction with various intellectual groups such as The International Systemic Functional Linguistic Association (ISFLA); The Australian Systemic Functional Linguistic Association (ASFLA); The European Systemic Functional Linguistic Association (ESFLA); The Systemic Functional Linguistic Association of Nigeria (SYSFLAN); and The Systemic Typology Group, who all supported me for their conferences. I had great insights from the SFL Friday meetings at the University of Sydney and the Semantics Group. I also cherish the insight gained from John Knox and Dr. Alison Moore (who were always willing to assist). I appreciate advice from Maria Couchman, Kathryn Tuckwell and the kindness from Dr. Alice Caffarel. I give special thanks to other colleagues of mine in the Typology Group Pattama Patpong (Jor), Mohamed Ali-Bardi not previously mentioned. There is a host of other scholars I have no space to mention, but whose friendly and intellectual interactions have been very helpful in the course of writing this thesis. I am very grateful to them all. I am indebted to St Vincent de Paul especially Tony and Dorothy in Epping for all their support. I also thank, Dr. Joyce James, and then to my pastor: Mr Peter Dadson, Mr Lindsey Lebon, Mr. & Mrs. Sola Fabumni, Manuel Tshuma and family. I am extremely thankful to Macquarie University for awarding me the International Macquarie University Research Scholarship, without which this study would not have been done. I thank Associate Professor David Hall and other members of Linguistics Department (especially Ms Collette Ryan and Ms Robyn Guilmette, Ms Lalana Knox and Mr. Chris Callaghan) for the many areas in which they have been of assistance. I also thank Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria, Nigeria for granting me leave to do the PhD. Thanks to Mrs. C. O Oyidi and her Women Association Group, Eroekwesiye and the Eba group, Mr. Gideon Eyika, Okpa people and others who readily assisted with information for the data. iii I am most thankful to Janet, Tianosi, Mebayo, Osibi and Christian-Eefosi, members of my family, whose support and understanding throughout the study is unquantifiable, and to Veronica Sunmola, my mother and other members of the entire Eminefo Dynasty. Ernest S. Akerejola iv Abstract Among the over 400 languages in Nigeria, and the over one thousand languages in Africa, very few have been described in any detail; and among the few described, very few have been given a comprehensive grammatical description. The few grammars of African languages that exist have tended to use traditional or formal approaches, which pay very little attention to the development of a description from real texts, and hardly reflect their function in the community. This study is a text-based description of the grammar of Ọ̀ kọ́. It will explore the language from the systemic functional typological perspective, as a meaning potential for its speakers. For this purpose, Ọ̀ kọ́ texts, sampled from their natural contexts of occurrence, will be analysed and interpreted using systemic functional linguistics. This thesis will focus on the lexicogrammatical description of Ọ̀ kọ́, addressing both the global dimensions of the organization of language in context — the hierarchy of stratification, the spectrum of metafunctions, and the cline of instantiation; and the local dimensions of the rank scale and axis (paradigmatic and syntagmatic). The study will therefore reveal the meaning making processes of Ọ̀ kọ́ (as of any human language), not as a haphazard affair, but as motivated by the context, which is then realized as meaning. Meaning is realized by wording, and the wording in turn through sounds. By implication, in this study the context, semantics, lexicogrammar and the phonology of Ọ̀ kọ́ will be given an interpretation, from a corpus of real texts. The Ọ̀ kọ́ texts have been transcribed using a writing system based on the Roman script. The description of the writing system, the product of a preliminary investigation in the study, is based on a phonological description. The lexicogrammatical description is organized metafunctionally, exploring the various resources used to model ideational, interpersonal and textual meanings. The goal in the study is to develop a description that will be a resource for the development of other resources such as materials for literacy in Ọ̀ kọ́. v Dedication This thesis is dedicated to the fond memory of: My beloved father, My beloved brother His Royal Highness, His Royal Highness Late Gabriel Bawa Akerejola, Eminefo Late Gaius Bade Akerejola III, Eminefo IV The Ologori of Ogori. The Ologori of Ogori 1947-1969 1990 - 1999 Okurin lafia, lafia, Okurin lafia lafia, ogbuloko jen ẹkọn, ayeni, Osiako, Saaki, Kabiyesi Odio Ekenikun oogben, Emiefo b’Oyibo. Idodo. a visionary, who, following his belief in a most decent, principled and progressive the power and dignity of education, ruler, who also contributed to my ensured the education of all his thirty education and those of other brothers. children, contributed to the education of other people’s children and encouraged all in his domain to send their children to school vi I hereby certify that the work has not been submitted for a higher degree to any other university or institution, and also that the sources of information used and the extent to which the work of others has been utilised have been indicated in the thesis. Ernest S. Akerejola November 2005 vii Table of Contents Acknowledgements ................................................................................................... i Abstract .................................................................................................................... iv Dedication ................................................................................................................. v Table of Contents ................................................................................................... vii List of Figures .......................................................................................................... xi List of Maps ............................................................................................................. 12 List of Tables ........................................................................................................
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