Florida State University Libraries Electronic Theses, Treatises and Dissertations The Graduate School 2007 Establishment of Literacy Standards for an Oral Language: The Case of Nafara Discourse Patterns, Côte d'Ivoire, West Africa Sidiky Diarassouba Follow this and additional works at the FSU Digital Library. For more information, please contact [email protected] THE FLORIDA STATE UNIVERSITY COLLEGE OF EDUCATION ESTABLISHMENT OF LITERACY STANDARDS FOR AN ORAL LANGUAGE: THE CASE OF NAFARA DISCOURSE PATTERNS, CôTE D’IVOIRE, WEST AFRICA by SIDIKY DIARASSOUBA A Dissertation submitted to the Department of Middle and Secondary Education In partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy Degree Awarded: Summer Semester, 2007 Copyright © 2007 Sidiky Diarassouba The members of the committee approved the Dissertation of Sidiky Diarassouba defended on March 2, 2007 __________________________(Signed) Pamela S. Carroll Professor Directing Dissertation ___________________________(Signed) Joseph Hellweg Outside Committee Member ___________________________(Signed) Deborah Hasson Committee Member ____________________________(Signed) Jeffrey Milligan Committee Member Approved:________________________(Signed) Pamela S. Carroll, Chair, Middle and Secondary Education The Office of Graduate Studies has verified and approved the above named committee members. ii In Memory of Judy Kathryn Josserand Suddenly and violently snatched away from our earthly affection. May the Almighty have mercy on her and grant her peace and happiness in the hereafter. For Nnou Mêtanh Raissa Adja Gnima Issouf Who have borne the burden of loneliness, in addition to all the various and sundry emotions that have been caused by my prolonged absence from home. In remembrance of Madjuma Pitchiinh Sita Kapiéne Adama Tiohna Tiohdana Tiagnipilé Gnamangolo My beloved siblings and close relatives who passed away while I was away working on this project. May their souls rest in piece. iii ACKNOWLEDGEMENT Dr. Josserand had a personal involvement in my project beyond the call of duty. She opened up her house and office and made herself available at any time. She proved very influential in my thinking and my development as a researcher in the field of discourse analysis and hardcore linguistics. She continued to guide me even after she was suddenly snatched away from this world. She was a true academic, devoted to the expansion of knowledge, a real friend and family. Words are not enough to express how I feel about her. Simply stated, I am utterly indebted to her for everything. May the Almighty have mercy on her and grant her peace and happiness in the hereafter. My children, Nnou Mêtanha Raissa, Adja Gnima, and my nephew Issouf who have borne the burden of loneliness in addition to all of the various and sundry emotions that have been caused by my prolonged absence from home. Being aware of the enormous sacrifice they conceded was a sound source of encouragement and inspiration for my work. I am grateful to them for their keen sense of understanding and forbearance, which have made it possible for me to have the right spirit to carry this project through. This section of my dissertation has proved the most daunting because of the magnitude of the population of academics, support personnel at FSU, and friends, in the US and other parts of the world, who have contributed in one way or another to make an effort such as this project come to fruition. To begin with, it seems hard to remember everyone and personally honor them here, the corollary being that those left out may rightly feel slighted. Then, it also seems to me that I cannot thank them enough for all their help and support in any way. Yet, keeping quiet about how I feel about what these numerous people have done for me would seem even worse. Thus was I prompted to write these few words by way of recognizing and acknowledging their beneficial actions, deeds, and thoughts that proved major incentives, instrumental in helping me stay afloat as I was working on this study, mainly during the many rocky moments I went through during my stay here. I would like to express my sincere gratitude to my committee, whose foresight, guidance, and understanding helped pave the way for the completion of this present project. Special thanks iv to all of them for their keen sense of duty and commitment. I, hereby, individually thank each of them for everything. I am utterly indebted to my chair, Dr. Carroll for the many ways in which she has wholly influenced my academic and socio economic life, while I was working on my project. Dr. Carroll saw to it that the right conditions were created to allow me to pursue my program in the best way possible, in every sense of the word. She has had a pervading beneficence in my life, beyond what a student could expect from a major professor. She has always been there, wherever I turned, always offering her gracious help, be it academically, in administrative procedures, or on a material and personal basis. I would like to expres my profound indebtedness to Dr. Carroll for always being there in the right place, at the right time. Dr. Joseph Hellweg’s sustained interest and active involvement in my work helped me look at my work from several perspectives, which undoubtedly helped improve the quality of my work. I am indebted to him for his unfailing friendship and care. Dr. Deborah Hasson deserves special mention by virtue of her constant encouragement and input; her scholarship in my major field was a valuabe asset. I have been impressed by her selfless moves ever since I enrolled the Multilingual and Multicultural program. I also owe her a great deal of gratitude. Dr. Jeffrey Milligan has impressed me with his willingness to share with me, devoting long hours during tutorials. I am grateful to him for all the input he gave and the judicious remarks he made. A special word of gratitude to Dr. Nicholas A. Hopkins, who guided my first steps in hardcore linguistics and discourse analysis, side by side with his beloved late wife, Dr. Judy Kathryn Josserand. Then, even though Dr. Hopkins was not an official member on my committee, he saw to it that necessary measures were taken to ensure the completion of my dissertation, when Dr. Josserand, his companion for over 30 years was suddenly and violently snatched away from our earthly affection. Despite the terrible times he went through after the demise of his wife, Dr. Hopkins spared no means to guide, and edit, the manuscript of my dissertation. I have been very impressed by his extraordinary show of resilience in the face of adversity and compelling trials of life. I would like to express my sincere indebtedness to him for his enlightened mentorship and unfailing friendship over the years since we met about four years ago. I am also grateful to him for his material support. v The study was initiated with Dr. Frank B. “Pete” Brooks, then my major professor, whose interest and enthusiasm prompted me to hold on tight to the project, even in times of truly baffling turbulence. I am grateful to him for being a real mentor and a friend. When my Fulbright grant ended, my dear friend Marsha Whitaker from the Dean’s Office introduced me to Dr. Barbara J. Edwards, Associate Dean at the College of Education, who offered a waiver that allowed me to continue my program of study. In the same line of thinking I would like to recognize Dr. David F. Foulk, formerly Chair of the Department of Middle and Secondary Education (MSE), and currently Associate Dean at the Dean’s Office, College of Education. My gratitude to these people can never be emphasized enough. Dr. Ethel Jones, over three years, offered me the position of graduate assistant on the ESOL project in his department, which not only allowed me to pursue my studies, but also to sustain myself. My consideration and gratitude to him for his generous moves and friendship. Other faculty members deserve special attention here too. Such ones are Dr Elisabeth Platt, Dr. Eleni Pappamiehel, Dr. Frederick L. Jenks, and Dr. Steven E. Humphries from the Multilingual Multicultural Education Program (MMed); Dr. Susan N. Woods, from English Education, Dr. Deborah Floyd and Dr. Diana Rice among many other faculty members that I was brought to interact with at the Child Education Reading and Disability Services (CERDS) department. My deepest consideration for all their helpful prods. I am grateful to my elder, Professor Valy Charles Tuho, for his active role as I was engaged in my project through the remittance of foundational materials on Nafara people and culture, and for his insightful comments on cardinal aspects of my dissertation. I would also like to thank the following for their precious contributions to my research. First and foremost, Hélène AffouéYao, a doctoral student from the Université de Abidjan-Cocody, Côte d’Ivoire, contributed a lot in the preparation and the realization of this project, owing to the multifaceted roles she played. Thanks to her I was able to have access to Senufo literature that ever existed in Côte d’Ivoire; she also introduced me to the right people, as far as literacy in Senufo languages and dialects is concerned. She is a genuine friend, the type of friend anyone would wish to have on their side. I am grateful to her for putting herself to so much trouble to help out. Mehérigué Coulibaly, a linguistic technician versed in Cebaara, guided, edited, supervised the transcription of the tales used in the methodological test, and later helped transcribe most tales that went into vi the study. He also served as a consultant in many respects regarding issues related to the Nafara project.