DOCSLIB.ORG

The Dagbani Language -- Pronunciation and Fonts the Language of the Dagomba People Is Called Dagbani

Total Page：16

File Type：pdf, Size：1020Kb

Download full-text PDF Read full-text
The Dagbani Language -- Pronunciation and Fonts the Language of the Dagomba People Is Called Dagbani The Dagbani Language -- Pronunciation and Fonts The language of the Dagomba people is called Dagbani. A speaker of the local language would refer to the people as "Dagbamba" and the language as "Dagbaŋli." Until the 20th century, Dagbani existed as a spoken language. Only relatively recently have experts been working on the best way to write the language. The written Dagbani on this site was reviewed by several experts in orthography--Reverend Daniel Wumbee and M. Dawuda Sulley. Although this site primarily engages with Dagomba dance drumming as instrumental and vocalized music, the fact that most drumming phrases have a basis in the local language means that a great deal of information is given in written Dagbani. In my teaching experience, mispronunciation is reduced if the Dagbani language is written using phonetic fonts, rather than their closest English counterpart. Thus, great effort has gone into spelling and writing (orthography) according to best current practices. Wherever possible, PDF files show the language written with phonetic fonts (AfroRoman for Unicode, Linguists Software). Alhaji Abubakari was an expert in many forms of spoken Dagbani, from the contemporaneous vernacular to the classical and esoteric style found in drum language. However, his ability to read and write was constrained by his father's decision to limit his Western-style schooling so that he could instead achieve excellence in the very demanding skill set of a drummer (see "Life Story of Abubakari Lunna"). My knowledge of Dagbani is modest, with pronunciation being much stronger than grammar and vocabulary. You can hear me reciting the drum language on this site (go to "Drum Language - Audio"). For three weeks in 2003, I formally studied the language at the Ghana Language Center in the Department of Linguistics at the University of Ghana. Although this short period of study did not make me a good speaker of Dagbani, the knowledge I gained about the structure of the spoken language did prove extremely important in my understanding of drum language. My instructor was Mohammed Dawuda Sulley. We used a photocopied text called "Learning Dagbani" that was written and distributed by Mr. Sulley for African students 1 fulfilling their proficiency requirements in two African languages at the university. An edited version of this text, complete with audio files that are keyed to the text, will be available on this site in the future. The following information about the Dagbani language is taken from Sulley's text. Excepts from Learning Dagbani by M. Dawuda Sulley, edited by David Locke Alphabet, Orthography, Phonemes The Dagbani sound system is made from vowels, consonants including affricates, and diagraphs or double letter combinations. The phonetic symbols of „, —, ŋ, ɣ, and ˝ are used for correlates of o, e, n, g and z. The Dagbamba have a tendency to elide vowels and slur consonants. Dagbani is a tonal language with two tones, low and high. Vowels Besides the known English Vowels of a, e, i, o, and u, two others commonly used in Dagbani - „ and —. Consonants Dagbani is written with the following: b, d, f, g ɣ, h, j, k, l, m, n, ŋ, p s, t, v, w, y, z, and ˝ Digraphs The following occur: gb, kp, ch, ny, ŋm, sh Tone Dagbani is a tonal language. We may distinguish two tones – high and low. Tone is not marked in the written language since that can be confusing, even for native speakers. The pitch of the voice on which a word is pronounced can bring about a difference in the meaning of words that are otherwise identical. 2 Vowel elision Vowel elision is a very common phenomenon in spoken Dagbani. In fluent speech, the final vowel at the end of many words is elided. Vowels are always elided before other vowels and often before words beginning with consonants. Orthographically, an apostrophe is used instead of the elided vowel. Pronunciation of Phonetic Fonts „ as in the "aw" of "awful" — as in the "e" of bet ɣ as in the "ch" of "loch" ŋ as in the "ng" of "gong" ˝ as in the "z" of "zzz," i.e., a child vibrating its throat to sound like an engine 3 .
Load more

Recommended publications
  • Dagbani Tongue-Root Harmony: a Formal Account with Ultrasound Investigation
    Dagbani Tongue-root Harmony: a formal account with ultrasound investigation by Fusheini Angulu Hudu B.A., University of Ghana, 2002 M.Sc., University of Alberta, 2005 A THESIS SUBMITTED IN PARTIAL FULFILMENT OF THE REQUIREMENTS FOR THE DEGREE OF Doctor of Philosophy in The Faculty of Graduate Studies (Linguistics) The University of British Columbia (Vancouver) August, 2010 c Fusheini Angulu Hudu 2010 ! Abstract The aim of this dissertation is (i) to contribute to understanding of [ATR] harmony patterns with a formal account of Dagbani [ATR] harmony using the theory of Headed Spans (Span Theory) and (ii) to answer basic empirical questions about the relations between tongue-root phonological features and the articulatory gestures involved in producing vowels with these features. In Dagbani [+ATR] harmony, there are three vowel triggers: the high front vowel /i/ triggers progressive assimilation of [+ATR]; the mid vow- els [e] and [o] trigger regressive assimilation. Mid vowel triggers predictably surface in domain-final open syllables while /i/ is contrastive. I account for [+ATR] harmony using the theory of Grounded Phonology and the in- teraction of height-based markedness constraint hierarchies. In addition to the basic harmonic patterns, Dagbani [ATR] harmony is constrained by a height similarity condition limiting the trigger and target to vowels of the same specification for [ high]. Within Span Theory, this is argued to be a ± restriction on height featural combination in a [+ATR] span. A unique part of the formal analysis is the account of direction-specific consonant opacity. Having challenged previous harmony theories, the ac- ii Abstract count here demonstrates the relative strength of Span Theory and supports the assumption that intervocalic consonants are targets of vowel harmony features.
    [Show full text]
  • Asymmetries in the Phonological Behaviour of Dagbani Place Features: Implications for Markedness1
    Hudu, F./ Legon Journal of the Humanities 29.2 (2018) DOI: https://dx.doi.org/10.4314/ljh.v29i2.8 Asymmetries in the phonological behaviour of Dagbani place features: Implications for markedness1 Fusheini Hudu Senior Lecturer Department of Linguistics University of Ghana, Legon, Ghana E-mail: [email protected]; [email protected] Submitted: March 11, 2018 / Accepted: October 18, 2018 / Published: December 3, 2018 Abstract It has been observed in phonological studies that phonological processes often apply to place features in asymmetrical ways. Certain processes may affect only one of the place features, others may affect all but one place feature. This paper analyses various asymmetrical phonological patterns in Dagbani, a Gur language of Ghana. It shows that while the dorsal place is the target of most processes that lead to the loss of underlying place features, the labial and coronal places are targets of processes that enhance underlying place specifications. Labial-dorsals [kp, ɡb, ŋm] also surface in patterns of neutralisation with dorsals. Evidence from both diachronic and synchronic sound patterns suggest active sound changes in progress with the labial-dorsals being preferred to plain dorsals. The paper discusses the implication of these findings for the understanding of the theory of markedness and questions the widely held view of segmental complexity as a markedness diagnostic. Keywords: markedness, complex segments, place features, Dagbani, Gur language Introduction This paper studies the nature of place feature specifications in the phonology of Dagbani, a Gur language spoken natively by the Dagomba and Nanumba ethnic groups of Northern Ghana, and the markedness conclusions that can be drawn from various phonological processes that affect these place specifications.
    [Show full text]
  • Topic: Spatial and Locative Reference in Dagbani
    Topics in Linguistics (2020), 21(2), pp. 41-61 10.2478/topling-2020-0009 On body-part nouns and the expression of spatial and locative reference in Dagbani Samuel Alhassan Issah* University of Education, Ghana Abstract This paper examines the linguistic means by which spatial relations are expressed in Dagbani, a Mabia (Gur) language spoken in the northern region of Ghana (West Africa). I pay particular attention to the grammar of Dagbani “postpositions” demonstrating that the system of locative expressions comprises words that share heterosemic relations with some body parts and landmark terms. I show that although these locative expressions are related both segmentally and suprasegmentally to the nominal items they might have developed from, they are distinct in terms of their semantic, syntactic and morphological properties. Consequently, I conclude that the body-part nouns in locative constructions are distinct syntactic categories due to the morphosyntactic and semantic differences they exhibit. These body-part nouns are thus analysed as grammaticalized items, which function as postpositions and instantiate a postpositional phrase (PostP) category. Finally, I propose possible series of semantic changes that could account for the development of the body-part terms as postpositions. Key words Dagbani, lexical category, grammaticalization, postpositions, Mabia, spatial reference, location 1. Introduction Dagbani, a major language of Northern Ghana belongs to the South-Western Oti-Volta subgroup of the Mabia (Gur) group of languages (Bendor-Samuel, 1971; Naden, 1988; 1989). It is a member of the Southeastern subgroup of Western Oti-Volta languages, in the group now called Mabia. Dagbani is spoken mainly by the Dagbamba who are found mostly in the Northern Region of Ghana.
    [Show full text]
  • Spiritual Foundations of Dagbamba Religion and Culture
    Spiritual Foundations of Dagbamba Religion and Culture This essay will describe the multifaceted religious environment of the Dagbamba people of northern Ghana. 1 Among the Dagbamba, Islam and animism are the dominant religious forms. There is an increasing penetration of Christianity which I shall not discuss here. Although there has been a Catholic presence for some time, and although there is a stronger Catholic presence in the Francophone country of Burkina Faso to the north, the recent efforts of Protestant missions have also had effect particularly among animists in villages. A number of American denominations are directly involved in the region, and others are indirectly involved through missions that have branched upward from southern Ghana. Primarily evangelical in character, the Protestant missions have also been energetic in providing developmental assistance such as clinics, agricultural inputs and literacy programs. Nonetheless, it is premature to assess either the longterm or even the immediate impact of Christianity on mainstream cultural patterns. The Christian missions have met no hostility from local Muslims, though fervent proselytizing does not seem suited to the cultural ambience, and some Muslims complained to me that Christians like to argue too much. To the extent that there is a competition for converts, however, it is rather Islam that continues to attract more new adherents. This essay will begin by placing the Dagbamba in a regional context, then proceed to describe the major examples of religious manifestation, and then conclude with a discussion of the Dagbamba kinship system as the cultural foundation of religious sentiment. The Volta Basin in West Africa is a large savanna area nestled between the sweeping curve of the Niger River and the beginning of the tropical forest.
    [Show full text]
  • Language and Gender: the Construction and Reproduction of Gender in Dagbanli
    University of Ghana http://ugspace.ug.edu.gh LANGUAGE AND GENDER: THE CONSTRUCTION AND REPRODUCTION OF GENDER IN DAGBANLI SALIFU NANTOGMA ALHASSAN A THESIS SUBMITTED TO THE UNIVERSITY OF GHANA, LEGON IN PARTIAL FULFILMENT OF THE REQUIREMENTS FOR THE AWARD OF THE DEGREE OF DOCTOR OF PHILOSOPHY (AFRICAN STUDIES) INSTITUTE OF AFRICAN STUDIES UNIVERSITY OF GHANA JUNE 2012 University of Ghana http://ugspace.ug.edu.gh DECLARATION I hereby declare that this thesis is the result of my own research under the supervision and guidance of my team of supervisors. With the exception of sources which I have used or cited and which have been acknowledged by means of complete references, I confirm that this work is my own original work, and that it has not been submitted in part or as a whole to any institution for an award of a degree. Salifu Nantogma Alhassan (Candidate) SUPERVISORS 1. Prof. Mary Esther Kropp-Dakubu (Lead Supervisor) 2. Prof. Esi Sutherland-Addy 3. Dr. George Akanlig-Pare i University of Ghana http://ugspace.ug.edu.gh Dedication This work is dedicated to Abukari, Wumpaga, Wumpini, Wumya and Tiyumba ii University of Ghana http://ugspace.ug.edu.gh ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS One can hardly go through a work of this nature successfully without the assistance, support and encouragement of others. From the beginning to the end of this project, I have received an abundance of all these from numerous people and I can only acknowledge their invaluable help with this short note of my appreciation. First, I express my profound gratitude to my supervisors, Prof.
    [Show full text]
  • Colonial Land Policy and the Role of the Tindana in Northern Ghana
    Research on Humanities and Social Sciences www.iiste.org ISSN (Paper)2224-5766 ISSN (Online)2225-0484 (Online) Vol.5, No.4, 2015 State and Non-State Actors in Land Appropriation: Colonial Land Policy and the Role of the Tindana in Northern Ghana Haruna Abdallah Imam Institute of African Studies, University of Ghana, Legon, P.O. Box LG 73 Legon, Accra, Ghana E-mail: [email protected] Abstract This paper draws historical lines from Precolonial, Colonial to Postcolonial periods, linking colonial land policy to that of the state, and their effects on the traditional functions of the tindana (‘landowner’) in Dagbon. The office of the earthpriest was known throughout West Africa. Among the Dagbamba of Northern Ghana for example, the tindana did not only ‘own’ the land, but by reason of his or her ‘ownership’, was the only one who knew or was known by, the ‘spirit of the land’. Principally, the tindaamba (plural for tindana) appropriated land in the past, but with colonialism and subsequently independence, the power to distribute land has been vested in the chiefs and/or the state (Government of Ghana). In this sense, modernity has affected the role of the tindana. The paper concludes that the roles of the tindaamba in contemporary land issues are quite marginal. The influence they now enjoy is more apparent than real. Keywords : Tindana; Earth Priest; Dagbon; Yaan Naa; Land Policy 1. Introduction According to the oral traditions of the peoples of Northern Ghana, the indigenous inhabitants of the region were the Vagla, Sisala, Tampulensi and Guan who lived to the West of the White Volta (Boahen 1977).
    [Show full text]
  • Understanding the Folk Islam of the Dagbani-Speaking People: a Prerequisite to Evangelism in North Ghana
    Andrews University Digital Commons @ Andrews University Dissertation Projects DMin Graduate Research 1996 Understanding the Folk Islam of the Dagbani-Speaking People: a Prerequisite to Evangelism in North Ghana Sampson Kenneth Twumasi Andrews University Follow this and additional works at: https://digitalcommons.andrews.edu/dmin Part of the Missions and World Christianity Commons Recommended Citation Twumasi, Sampson Kenneth, "Understanding the Folk Islam of the Dagbani-Speaking People: a Prerequisite to Evangelism in North Ghana" (1996). Dissertation Projects DMin. 136. https://digitalcommons.andrews.edu/dmin/136 This Project Report is brought to you for free and open access by the Graduate Research at Digital Commons @ Andrews University. It has been accepted for inclusion in Dissertation Projects DMin by an authorized administrator of Digital Commons @ Andrews University. For more information, please contact [email protected]. Thank you for your interest in the Andrews University Digital Library of Dissertations and Theses. Please honor the copyright of this document by not duplicating or distributing additional copies in any form without the author’s express written permission. Thanks for your cooperation. INFORMATION TO USERS This manuscript has been reproduced from the microfilm master. UMI films the text directly from the original or copy submitted. Thus, some thesis and dissertation copies are in typewriter face, while others may be from any type of computer printer. The quality of this reproduction is dependent upon the quality of the copy submitted. Broken or indistinct print, colored or poor quality illustrations and photographs, print bleedthrough, substandard margins, and improper alignment can adversely affect reproduction. In the unlikely event that the author did not send UMI a complete manuscript and there are missing pages, these will be noted.
    [Show full text]
  • Notes on the Development of a Multiple-Genre Tagged Corpus of Dagbani Tristan Michael Purvis University of Maryland, Box 25, College Park, MD 20742 [email protected]
    Proceedings of the Second Workshop on African Language Technology - AfLaT 2010 - Corpus Building in a Predominantly Oral Culture: Notes on the Development of a Multiple-Genre Tagged Corpus of Dagbani Tristan Michael Purvis University of Maryland, Box 25, College Park, MD 20742 [email protected] Abstract This paper describes the development of a multiple-genre tagged corpus of texts and recordings in Dagbani, a language spoken by a newly literate speech community in an African context with unique oral traditions. The paper begins with a brief review of the target speech community and corpus collection, followed by a discussion of the problems encountered and procedures conducted for tagging the corpus, and concludes with a presentation of example applications of and future plans for this corpus. Written Spoken 1. Introduction Short stories, fables Salima (fable-telling) Among the many challenges of developing African Novel excerpts Oral interview with novelist language technologies is the fact that language News articles Oral recounting of articles technology development highly favors the use of written Written history Oral history resources both in terms of data management and specific Poetry Oral intro/preface; Interview applications, whereas a majority of African cultures place Introduction with novelist (monologue) a higher value on oral traditions. This paper describes the Personal letters Natural conversation development of a multiple-genre tagged corpus of texts Scripted conversation Radio call-in discussion and recordings for a language (Dagbani) spoken by a Written plays Broadcast talk show predominantly oral, yet also newly literate, speech Improvisational drama community in an African context. (see News article above) *Radio & TV News *Broadcast announcement 2.
    [Show full text]
  • THE PHONOLOGY of DAGBANI VERBAL REDUPLICATION Samuel Alhassan Issah Department of Gur-Gonja Education, University of Education, Winneba, Ghana Samuel [email protected]
    THE PHONOLOGY OF DAGBANI VERBAL REDUPLICATION Samuel Alhassan Issah Department of Gur-Gonja Education, University of Education, Winneba, Ghana [email protected] This paper examines the phonology of reduplication in Dagbani; an under- researched Gur language spoken in Northern Ghana by the Dagbamba. I examine the data within the theoretical framework of Optimality Theory. I argue that, in Dagbani, the reduplicant has to be exactly two moras- that is, either a long vowel (CVV), two light syllables, (CV.CV) or a (CVN) syllable. I postulate that segment insertion and deletion are employed to meet the bimoraic size requirement of the reduplicant. The epenthetic segment is identified as a homorganic nasal suffixed to the stem of the reduplicant, whilst the deleted segment is invariably /i/. Reduplication could also be devoid of insertion and deletion in instances where complete copying of the base will yield the needed bimoraic size needed for the reduplicative stem. I hypothesize that the insertion of the homorganic nasal and deletion of /i/ could be analyzed as an instance of phonological conspiracy. Ce papier examine la phonologie de la réduplication en Dagbani, une langue Gur moins étudiée mais parlée au Nord du Ghana par les Dagbamba. J’examine ces données suivant le modèle de la théorie de l’optimalité. J’avance l’argument qu’en Dagbani, le réduplicant doit exactement être deux segmentations c’est-à-dire, soit une longue voyelle (CVV) deux syllabes courtes (simples) (CV.CV), soit une syllabe (CVN). Je postule que l’insertion et la suppression d’un segment sont employées pour satisfaire à la taille de la bisegmentation exigée du duplicant.
    [Show full text]
  • Language of Instruction Country Profile: Ghana
    LANGUAGE OF INSTRUCTION C O U N T RY P RO F I L E Ghana PREPARED FOR Bureau for Africa Office of Sustainable Development, Education and Youth Division United States Agency for International Development 1300 Pennsylvania Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20523 PREPARED BY Dexis Consulting Group 1412 Eye Street NW, Washington, DC 20005 MAY 2020 CONTENTS ABBREVIATIONS Introduction 3 CCRD Curriculum Research and Development Division Linguistic Context 4 EGR Early Grade Reading Official Language of Instruction Policy 4 GES Ghana Education Service GILLBT Ghana Institute of Linguistics, Literacy and Class Time 7 Bible Translation INSET In-Service Education and Training Pre-Service Teacher Training Curriculum for Literacy 7 KOICA Korean International Cooperation Agency Teacher Language Proficiency/Language Specific Training 8 L1 First Language Teacher In-Service 8 L2 Second (or additional) Language LOI Language of Instruction USAID Reading Program Approach and Ongoing Programs 9 LOI1 Language of Instruction Spoken at Home Community Engagement within USAID Projects 9 LOI2 Subsequent Language of Instruction MOE Ministry of Education Other Donor Funded Reading Programs 10 NGO Nongovernmental Organization References 11 NTC National Teaching Council PE Physical Education PTPDM Pre-Tertiary Teacher Professional Development and Management REEP-A Research for Effective Education Programming–Africa SBA School Based Assessment UNESCO United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization UNICEF United Nations Children’s Fund Funding was provided by the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) from the American people under Contract No. AID-OAA-I-15-00019, Task USAID United States Agency for International Development Order No. AID-OAA-TO-16-00024. The contents are the responsibility of the USAID Research for Effective Education Programming (REEP-Africa) Project and do not necessarily reflect the views of USAID or the United States Government.
    [Show full text]
  • The Peoples of Northern Ghana 22/05/2006
    The Peoples Of Northern Ghana 22/05/2006 By PROF. A.K. AWEDOBA ABSTRACT This is a detailed survey of the socio-demographic patterns of the peoples who inhabit the Northern half of Ghana. The author gives an account of the indigenous language patterns of the different ethnic groups, their social customs and distinctive customs. Among the main ethnic groups discussed in the survey are: (1) Dagbani - Nanuni and Moore–Gurma of Northern Region; (2) Dagaare – Wali- Birifor of Upper West Region; and (3) "Frafra" – Nankani, Talni, Bulsa, Nabit, Kusaal, and Grusi of Upper East Region. Northern Ghana comprises the three northernmost administrative regions of Ghana: the Upper West Region, Upper East Region and Northern Region. These lie roughly north of the Lower Black Volta River, which together with its tributaries the White and Red Voltas and the Oti and Daka rivers, drain the area that comprises Northern Ghana. Northern Ghana shares international boundaries with the Burkina Faso to the North, Togo to the east and Cote D'Ivoire to the lower south- west. To the south Northern Ghana shares regional boundaries with the Brong Ahafo Region and the Volta Region. In colonial times the area now covered by these three regions constituted the Northern Territories of the Gold Coast and were administered by a Chief Commissioner who was responsible to the Governor of the Gold Coast for its administration. The area and its people were designated as the 'Tribes of the Ashanti Hinterland' by the Gold Coast anthropologist, Capt. R.S. Rattray who wrote a two volume account on that title describing the social institutions of the communities in this part of modern Ghana.
    [Show full text]
  • Negotiating Gender Equality for Women's Empowerment
    Negotiating Gender Equality for Women’s Empowerment: Educational Challenges in Selected Communities in the Northern Region of Ghana A Dissertation Submitted to the Faculty of Drexel University by Fatima Nabia Adam Bassit in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Education Educational Leadership and Management May 2018 ii © Copyright 2018 Fatima Nabia Adam Bassit. All Rights Reserved. D-5 REPORT OF DOCTORAL FINAL ORAL DEFENSE FORM This fom1 must be filed with the Graduate College by the Dissertation Defense Chair (not the student) within 48 hours of the oral defense. fn the case of disagreement within the DefenseCommittee , the Chair should consult with the Office of Graduate Studies. The deadline is typically the first day of linal exams during t.,lJe term in which the student plans to graduate. Please check with the Graduate College for exact term deadline. We have examined the following student who is pursuing a PhD/doctoral degree in EdD School of Education (Degree/Program) Fatima Bassil 13630067 (Student Full Name) (StudentID Number) The results of the final dissertation defense on _05/24/2018_____ _ � WERE or D WERE NOT satisfactory. (MMIDD!YYYY) Each committee member must sign this fonn to show either agreement \vith or dissent from the overall result. Print Name Chair:. l<rii;tyKeily Member: Rebecca Clothey Member; A. Alia Apusigah Member: _______________________ Member:______________________ _ Member______________________ _ Member:______________________ _ We dissent from the report: Member: _______________________ Member: _______________________ Member: Authorizations/Signatures* Chair: Kristy Kelly Date:. _8/4/2018______ Supervising Professor (if not the Chair):______________ Date:. __________ Co-SupervisiJ1g Professor( if applicable):·-------------- Dute: _________ Department Graduate Advisor:___________ ________ Date: _________ Graduate College: Date: __________ *Please Note: ((corrections/edits are necessary, p.leuse sfrm.
    [Show full text]