The Grammar of Bisa
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1 THE GRAMMAR OF BISA - a Synchronic Description of the Lebir Dialect Thesis submitted for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy of the University of London by Anthony Joshua Naden Department of Phonetics and Linguistics School of Oriental and African Studies 1973 ProQuest Number: 10672949 All rights reserved INFORMATION TO ALL USERS The quality of this reproduction is dependent upon the quality of the copy submitted. In the unlikely event that the author did not send a com plete manuscript and there are missing pages, these will be noted. Also, if material had to be removed, a note will indicate the deletion. uest ProQuest 10672949 Published by ProQuest LLC(2017). Copyright of the Dissertation is held by the Author. All rights reserved. This work is protected against unauthorized copying under Title 17, United States C ode Microform Edition © ProQuest LLC. ProQuest LLC. 789 East Eisenhower Parkway P.O. Box 1346 Ann Arbor, Ml 48106- 1346 ABSTRACT % (This thesis sets out a description of the Grammar of the Bis a language of West Africa, and particularly the Lebiri Dialect thereof. An introductory chapter (Chap. 1 p. 12 ) describes the people and their back ground, and explains the research on which the thesis is based and the hierarchical mode in which the Grammar is presented.. A section of this chapter (l»5 » PP- 6 l ff0 gives a sketch of the phonology as an explanation of the transcriptions used in the citation of Bisa examples. Chapters 2 to 7 present the main matter of the analysis, viz. the Syntax of Lebiri Bisa in a Syntagmatic presentation. The successive Ranks of the hierarchy set up are described in terms of their structures and functions in these chapters; Chapter 2 treats of the Higher Banks, Chanter 3 °f the Sentence, Chapter 4 of the Clause, Chapter 5 covers the Phrase, and Chapter 6 the Word, while Morpheme Rank is dealt with in Chapter 7- The eighth and final Chapter describes non-Mcrphemic■features with syntactic significance and idle Morphophonemic relations between Syntax and Phonology, The thesis concludes with Appendices presenting Texts in transcrption with accompanying vocabulary, notes on Dialects and Tdeophones and Exclamations, and finally with a Bibliography, My primary debt in the preparation of this thesis is to the teaching staff of the School of Oriental and African Studies, end especially to my supervisor Mr, J, Carncchan, for therr guidance through the intricacies of the science of Linguisitics. I have also received considerable assis tance in these studies through the teaching of the Summer Institute of Linguistics* With regard to the period of time which I was able to spend in Africa on a field study of the Bisa language, I am again indebted to S,0..A#S# for a financial grant which supported the work, and also to the Irwin Fund of the University of London from which I received supplementary aid towards travel expenses. While in Ghana I benefited more than I can detail by the privilege of working as a Short Term Assistant of the Wycliffe Bible' Translators and Institute of Linguistics - both by being able to make use of administrative and other facilities of the organisation, and also through the personal advice and friendship of individual members. I should also acknowledge my gratitude to many officials and private persons both in the University of Ghana and elsewhere whose friendly co-operation forwarded my work. Above all, this study would not have been possible without the help of the people of Wuriyanga - notable Hamidu Musa, Mallam Iddrisu, and Kasim Musa? and of Kasim's relatives the Bandaogo family of Zigila Koupela in Upper Volta.. In processing the linguistic data I was aided by Dr, A C, Bay and Mr. A. Shaw at the University College (London) Computer Centre. Finally, thanks are due to the British School of the Summer Institute of Linguistics, and to St.Fauls1 Church, London .0.6, for help during the production of this thesis# 4 nO MA.? to nho r the 3i«a aree O'." Ghar^a aii4 Upper Volta O: o pj 5 KEY to MAP (p.4) Scale: 1,400*000: 1 ( 1 cm. - 14 lan. ) The right-hand edgs is roughly the Greenwich Meridian. River Main Road - Major Town - Town or Village & a® ib International boundary 77 ft - Bisa 'homeland1 territory MOSS*- - _ Major Language-group Bisa towns and villages numbered as: In Upper Volta: In Ghana: (substantial Bisa 'colony') 1. Komtoega 8. Busim 14. Pusiga 21. Sakogu 2. Belegho 9. Bane 13. Buguri 22. Nagbog 3. Niagho 10. Lenga 16 . Garu 23. Langbinsi 4* Ouaregou 11. Yakala 17. Ymriyanga 5. Zigila 12. Komboussougou 18. Tempane ( also: 6 . Sandogho 13. Bittou 19. Nalerigu 3awku> 7. Loanga 20. Namaasim Nakpanduri) 6 TABLE OF COFTENTS : ABSTRACT p#2 ACKNO vVLEDGEMEN TS 3 MAP 1 - Bisa Country A KEY to Map 3 CHAPTER 1 - INTRODUCTION: pei2 1 .1 - The Bisa People! 12 1,1*1 - Location 2.2 1.1*2 ~ Tribal Situation 2.3 1,1,3 - Cvtlture 1*1,A - Political and Religious Situation 15 1 .2 - The Bisa Language: , 16 1*2*1 - Linguistic Relationships py 1.2.2 - Dialects py 1*3 - The Bata: 13 1*3*1 - Source 19 1 .3 .2 - Method pg 1*3.3 - Style 19 1*3.1 - Composition of Corpus 20 1*3.5 - Machine Processing of Data 20 1,1 - The Model: 21 1 ,1 ,1 - Syntagmatic Grammar 21 1.1*2 - The Phonological Level 27 1.1*3 - The Syntactic Level 29 1,1.3.1 - Structure, Function, System 29 1.1,3*2 - Elements 32 1.1*3*3 - Syntagmatic Features 33 1.1*3*1 - Recursion & Singulary Branching 16 1*1.3*5 -* Formulee and Displays 17 1.1.3*6 - Constructional Homonym!ty 33 1*1.3*7 * Corpus 53 1.1*1 - The Semantic Level 37 Table of Contents: Ch. 1 ctd.) 1.5 - The Transcriptions: p, 6l 1,5*1 “* Phonemic Analysis and Transcription 6 l 1., 5 A'- «1 — Tnoneiue Rank 6l - Syllable Rank 66 1., 5-1.-3 -- Higher Ranks 67 1.5«1->A - Phonemic Writing 69 1.5.2 - Morphemic Transcription 70 1.5*2.1 ** Nature of the Transcription 70 1.5*2*2 - Uses of M,T, 71 1*3*3 - The Reading Transcription 72 1,5,3*1 - Introduction 72 1.5*3*2 - R.T. Conventions 73 1 ,6 - The Presentation of Texts and Examples 73 CHAPTER SYNTAX ABOVE THE SENTENCE p. 80 2.1 Status of Higher Ranks 80 2.2 Discourse Rank? 82 2.2.1 - Discourse Function 83 2 .2 .2 - Discourse Structure 8a 2.2.3 - Discourse Systems 83 2.2.A- - Discourse Examples 87 2,3 - Section Rank: 88 2.3*1 - Section Function 89 2,3.2 - Section Structure 89 2 ,i’r - Paragraph Rank: 90 2.A.1 - Paragraph Function 90 2 .A . 2 - Paragraph Structure 91 2.A.3 ~ Paragraph Examples 91 CHAPTER 3 THE SENTENCE p. 95 3.1 - The Major Sentence: 95 3.1.1 - Structure: Types: 96 3*1.1.1 - Type I Developmental 97 3.1*1*2 - Type H Precondition 101 3,1.1,3 - Type m Antithesis 102 3*1.1.A - Type IV Succession 103 'Table of Contents! Ch., 3 ctd,) 8 3ol-p2 “ Clause-Seauence Expressionss p* 103 3 3-1 *2 ..! ~ Narrative Cl&use-Sequence 103 3 1 2 Auxiliary Sequence 107 3*1 *2*3 ~ 0,no fee-Sequence 109 3*1-3 “ Expo no at, 3 of Sentence-Elements 111 3*1*4 Systems of Sentence Rank! 114 3*1-4*1 - The Modality System 114 3*1*4*2 - The Motive System 117 3*2 - The Minor Sentence: 120 3*2.1 - High-Rank Particles 120 3*2.2 - Exclamations 120 3*2*3 - Greetings 122 3 *2 *1;. - Conversational Fragments 124 3-2.5 - Nominal Phrases 12 8 CHAPTER LV - THE CLAUSE p - 131 4.1 — Clause Function 131 4 .2 - Functional Classes of Clause: 132 4 *2 .1 - The Quotative Clause 132 4-2*2 - The Quote-Auxiliary Clause 132 4-2-3 - The Auxiliary Clause 132 4-2.4 - The Bokale Clause 133 4*2*5 “ The Nominal Clause 133 4 .2 .6 - The Verbal Clause I34 4.3 ** Clause Structure 134 4 .4 - Structural Types of Clause: 135 4*4*1 - The Nominal Clause: 135 4*4*1*1 - The Comment Clause 135 4 .4*1*2 - Event-Comment Clause 138 4.4.1*3 - locative Clause 139 4-4.1.4 - Existential Clause 14O 4.4*1*5 - Interrogative Nominal Clause 141 4 *4 *2 - The Verbal Clause: 142 4*4*2*1 - The Nuclear Verbal Clause 143 4*4*2*2 - The Equational Verbal Clause 146 4*4*2*3 - The Relational Clause 147 4*4.2*4 - Sentential-Complement Clause 149 ( 4 sub- Types) Table of Contents! Otie t ) 9 ^,^*.3 - The NP Coordinate Expression p.153 if?if»3*l ™ With Conjunctions 153 if,ta3*2 - Without Conjunctions 155 if « if ,if - The Split Nominal Phrase 156 if .5 - Systems of Clause Iiank 157 if*5*1 “■ The Information System 157 if, 5 .2 - The Mood System 159 if.5*3 ~ The Polarity System 160 if-5 .A - The Focus System l6 l i|-*5»5 - The Tense System 163 if,5.6 - The Aspect System 163 if o5 »7 - Examples l6 if CHAPTER 5___ THE PHRASE p * 171 5.1 - Introduction: Phrase Function 171 5.2 - Functional Classes: 172 5.2.1 - The Nominal Phrase 172 5.2.2 - The Verbal Phrase 173 5.2.3 - The Adjunctive Phrase 173 5.2.A - The Adverbial Phrase 173 5 .3 - Structure: The Nominal Phrase: 17 ^ 5.3*1 - Type I - Pronominal Phrase 17 if 5*3.2 - Type II - Noun-Phrase': 175 5.3.2.1 - Noun-Head Phrase (II,i ) 176 5.3.2.2 - Proper-Noun Phrase ( II,ii ) 183 5-3*2.3 - Raised-Head NP ( II#ih.,l-3) l8if 5.3*3 - Type Hi - ’The One Who 1 Phrase 187 5,3*^ - Type IV - Specifying NP 187 5.3.5 - Type V - Date Phrase 188 5#if - Other Phrase Structures: 189 5.A.1 - The Verbal Phrase ,1 8 9 5 .if.