Yemba Laments: Analyzing a Burial Event with an Eye to Bible Translation
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YEMBA LAMENTS: ANALYZING A BURIAL EVENT WITH AN EYE TO BIBLE TRANSLATION By Gretchen Louise Harro Presented to the Faculty of Dallas International University In partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Arts With major in Applied Linguistics Dallas International University December 2020 © 2020 Gretchen Louise Harro All Rights Reserved ABSTRACT YEMBA LAMENTS: ANALYZING A BURIAL EVENT WITH AN EYE TO BIBLE TRANSLATION Gretchen Louise Harro Master of Arts with major in Applied Linguistics Dallas International University, December 2020 Supervising Professor: Dr. Peter Unseth This thesis examines the content and role of Yemba lament songs (Cameroon). A 4 day burial event was recorded, and Schrag’s (2013) seven lens descriptive approach is used, to provide a detailed description of the event. Conceptual Metaphor Theory is used to examine the database of 109 song extracts, leading to the identification of a primary metaphor, LIFE IS A JOURNEY. Though metaphor is the most frequent poetic device (32%), other poetic devices occur and are discussed: metonymy, rhetorical questions, irony, etc. Finally, turning to issues of Bible translation, aspects of Zogbo and Wendland (2020) are discussed. A biblical lament, (2 Sam 1:19-27), is analyzed and used to compare Hebrew and Yemba inventories of poetic devices and themes. The results reveal a great deal of overlap, with the major exception being the many types of Hebrew parallelism. It is suggested that such comparisons of lament texts would benefit Mother Tongue Translators as they prepare for translating. DEDICATION This work is dedicated to my parents, Stewart and Virginia Harro, who always encouraged me to step out in faith, where the Lord would lead me to new adventures. First in their seventies and then in their eighties, they visited and stayed with us in our village home. Dad preached in our local Yemba church and led a Bible study there also. vii ACKNOWLEDGMENTS This thesis could never have happened without these people: My landlord in Cameroon during the years 2000-2016, Maurice Gankeng and his wife. They welcomed us into their compound and lives. Papa and Mamann Nord, as we all called them, made us feel a part of their family and willingly rented us the main part of their village compound. Mamann and her children have allowed us to share in their sorrows with them and to share these details with a larger audience. The Lament Singer they chose for the burial event, Régine Feudjio, helped me better understand the role and motivations of a village lament singer. This led me to appreciate her attitude of service as she engages in this strenuous task. My friends and coworkers among the Yemba people: Jean-Claude Gningtedem, Micheline Anandong, Brigitte Kana, Sylviane Tiofack, who all helped me with this particular project. Many other Yemba friends spent hours in the village, patiently teaching us the language and culture, including three of our village fathers who are no longer with us: Pierre Ngogeo, Gaston Guimeya, and Pastor Jean Réné Kenfack. Other friends include: Albert Tsomejio, (our first language teacher), Eric Georges Tsakem, and Fathers Chrisosthome Dongmo and Cyriaque Dongmeza. All these people formed a team to realize the translation and dedication of the Yemba New Testament in October, 2017. I thank the three members of my thesis committee here at DIU: Dr. Peter Unseth (chair) for his encouragement and advice, Dr. Beth Argot for her patience and editing viii skills, and Dr. Lynell Zogbo for giving me much feedback and help in her quick responses from Ivory Coast. I thank others who gave helpful feedback at various times during the 10 years of this research and thesis-writing: Brian Schrag, who initiated me into his model and worked with me closely on chapter 4, always with humor; Arden Sanders, who served as the chair of the committee for many of those years, encouraging me and getting me started with a thesis template; Dan Fitzgerald, who worked with me on early aspects of the research, always with enthusiasm; and Katie Hoogerheide Frost, who knew what kind of help and advice I needed at different times. Several groups and people have been praying for this work over the years. My longterm prayer team at Menlo Church (CA) since the early 1980s also helped raise money for my studies at DIU: Euny Swensen, Katharine Kleinke, Lennart and Britta Swartz, Bob and Sue Leaf, Joanne Greenwald, Marian Taege. Another prayer group has been Marcia Bleeker with the Wycliffe group on Whidbey Island (WA). Meg Trihus and Kelly Walter of DIU (and Cameroon) have also prayed and encouraged me, as has Patricia Wilkendorf. Thank you all so much. I thank Nancy Haynes, with whom I was privileged to work on the Yemba project in Cameroon 1983-2017, for being a great friend, editor and talented provoker of my thoughts. December 7, 2020 ix TABLE OF CONTENTS ABSTRACT .................................................................................................................... vi ACKNOWLEDGMENTS ............................................................................................... viii LIST OF TABLES ............................................................................................................. xi LIST OF FIGURES AND MAPS ..................................................................................... xii LIST OF ABBREVIATIONS .......................................................................................... xiii CHAPTER 1 Introduction....................................................................................................1 CHAPTER 2 Literature Review ..........................................................................................8 CHAPTER 3 Research Methodology ................................................................................34 CHAPTER 4 Description of the Burial Ceremony ............................................................41 CHAPTER 5 Content of the Laments: Themes and Poetic Devices ...............................106 CHAPTER 6 Implications of Analysis for Bible Translation of Old Testament Poetry .150 APPENDICES APPENDIX A: WIDOW Songs, Themes and Devices, Day 1 ...............183 APPENDIX B: BIG SISTER Songs, Themes and Devices, Day 2 .........185 APPENDIX C: DAUGHTER Songs, Themes and Devices, Day 2 ........187 APPENDIX D: LAMENT SINGER Themes and Devices, Days 1-3 .....190 APPENDIX E: LAMENT SINGER Yemba text, Days 1-3 ....................196 APPENDIX F: LAMENT SINGER Themes, Day 4 ...............................201 APPENDIX G: LAMENT SINGER Interview .......................................205 APPENDIX H: RHETORICAL QUESTIONS of the 109 extracts.........214 REFERENCES ................................................................................................................219 CURRICULUM VITAE ..................................................................................................223 x LIST OF TABLES Table 4.1 Features through Time ...............................................................................81 Table 4.2 Sample of Vocables Used on Day 1 ........................................................104 Table 5.1 Inventory of Poetic Devices in Numbered Extracts .................................110 Table 5.2 Linguistics Expressions of LIFE IS A JOURNEY ..................................116 Table 5.3 Mappings Between Source and Target Domains (LIFE IS A JOURNEY) ...119 Table 5.4 Mappings Between Source and Target Domains (SICKNESS & DEATH) ..122 Table 5.5 Ironic Utterances ......................................................................................139 Table 5.6 Complex Chaining that Re-establishes Identity and Solidarity ...............145 Table 6.1 Comparison of Yemba and Biblical Laments ..........................................156 Table 6.2 Comparison of David’s Lament with Yemba Laments ...........................160 xi LIST OF FIGURES AND MAPS Figure 1 Funeral Program.......................................................................................42 Figure 2 Village compound in Batsengala’, Bafou (Google Maps, Mar 2010) .....46 Figure 3 Compound where the burial took place ...................................................48 Figure 4 Compound preparations (Eric and Sylviane) ...........................................49 Figure 5 Women mourners pass over to men’s side to greet them, Day 1 .............52 Figure 6 Double-belled gong, hand-held size ........................................................53 Figure 7 Double-belled gong for burials ................................................................54 Figure 8 Drums atɔ (leaning on right) and ŋkɛt (with pedestal, on left) ................56 Figure 9 Drums and sliding rasp used for the association dances, Day 4 ..............56 Figure 10 Table with belongings of the deceased ....................................................57 Figure 11 Traditional clothing and hats of the deceased, on front porch .................58 Figure 12 Photos of the Deceased carried by his children into compound, Day 3 ..59 Figure 13 Women’s groups wearing same cloth, Day 4 ..........................................60 Figure 14 Royal white horsetail with double-headed handle, asaŋa lʉɔ ..................61 Figure 15 Two warriors with sabers and whistles ....................................................61 Figure 16 Children selling food outside the gate .....................................................63 Figure 17 Tailgate café on the road, outside the compound ....................................64