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(Logba), an Endangered Ghana Togo Mountain Language Lydia Jewl Green SIT Study Abroad

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(Logba), an Endangered Ghana Togo Mountain Language Lydia Jewl Green SIT Study Abroad SIT Graduate Institute/SIT Study Abroad SIT Digital Collections Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection SIT Study Abroad Fall 2009 A Preliminary Linguistic Analysis of Plant Names in Ikpana ́ (Logba), an Endangered Ghana Togo Mountain Language Lydia Jewl Green SIT Study Abroad Follow this and additional works at: https://digitalcollections.sit.edu/isp_collection Part of the Anthropological Linguistics and Sociolinguistics Commons Recommended Citation Green, Lydia Jewl, "A Preliminary Linguistic Analysis of Plant Names in Ikpana ́ (Logba), an Endangered Ghana Togo Mountain Language" (2009). Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection. 751. https://digitalcollections.sit.edu/isp_collection/751 This Unpublished Paper is brought to you for free and open access by the SIT Study Abroad at SIT Digital Collections. It has been accepted for inclusion in Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection by an authorized administrator of SIT Digital Collections. For more information, please contact [email protected]. School for International Training Study Abroad – Ghana (Arts & Culture) Fall 2009 A Preliminary Linguistic Analysis of Plant Names in Ikpána (Logba), an Endangered Ghana Togo Mountain Language Lydia Jewl Green (University of Southern California) Project Advisors: Dr. Mary Esther Kropp Dakubu Institute of African Studies University of Ghana, Legon Dr. Kofi Dorvlo Language Center University of Ghana, Legon Academic Director: Dr. Olayemi Tinuoye Abstract 1. Title: A Preliminary Linguistic Analysis of Plant Names (and Uses) in Ikpána (Logba), an Endangered Ghana Togo Mountain Language 2. Author: Lydia Jewl Green ([email protected]; USC – College of Letters, Arts and Sciences and the Institute for Multimedia Literacy) 3. Objective: The purpose of this project is as follows: i. To conduct a study of the linguistic properties of plant names in Ikpána ii. To analyze the degree of lexical borrowing in the botanical domain iii. To document the names and usages of the plants in the surrounding area for the benefit of both the local community and the research community. iv. To contribute to the lexical corpus of the language towards the creation of a dictionary of the language, with the ultimate goal of developing teaching materials so children can be taught in their mother tongue 4. Methodology: I spent 12 days living in three of the towns in the Logba traditional area (Alakpeti, Klikpo, and Tota) during which time I elicited approximately three hours of footage spread over four miniDV tapes of native speakers of Ikpána describing the names and uses of the plants in the surrounding area in the Ikpána language. 5. Findings: The names for plants used by native speakers of Ikpána include a significant number of Ewe terms. This linguistic shift can be shown to be occurring particularly in the terms for plants which have both an Ikpánaa name and an Ewe name, where the Ewe name is better- known by younger speakers and is more commonly used. 6. Conclusion: Ikpána is being pressured by Ewe and by the effects of globalization. This can be demonstrated through an analysis of the plant names, which in addition to including Ikpána names also include borrowed names. These names can be shown to be from Ewe and from the influences of agriculture. Further documentation and study is needed (and desired by the leaders of the community). 7. Appendix: The compiled corpus of plant names and uses, along with reference information for the footage and photos of the plants, is contained in the Appendix. The document is bound separately from this paper and, due to the sensitive nature of the material, cannot be checked out or copied without prior permission from the author and the Paramount Chief of the Logba Traditional Area (Togbega Dabra VI, e-mail: [email protected]) i Table of Contents Abstract……………………………………………………………………………………………..……….i Table of Contents………………………………………………………………………………….….……ii Acknowledgments…………………………………………………………………………………………iv Introduction………………………………………………………………………………………………...1 Definition of Terms………………………………………………………………………...….......1 Purpose…………………………………………………………………………………………….3 Endangered Languages……………………………………………………………………………4 The Situation in Logba ……………………………………………………………………….......5 Lexical Borrowing………………………………………………………………………………...7 Language vs Dialect………………………………………………………………………………8 Classification of Ikpána ………………………………………………………………………….11 Motivation for Studying Plant Names…………………………………………………………...12 Motivation for Studying in Logba……………………………………………………………….13 Previous Research………………………………………………………………………………..15 Methodology…………………………………………………………………………………………..…..16 Getting Started……………………………………………………………………………………16 Finding Resource People…………………………………………………………………………16 Alakpeti…………………………………………………………………………………………..18 Tota……………………………………………………………………………………………….18 Klikpo…………………………………………………………………………………………….19 Female Herbalists………………………………………………………………………………...19 Plant Name Committee…………………………………………………………………………..20 Elicitation…………………………………………………………………………………………22 Recordings………………………………………………………………………………….…….23 ii Analysis…………………………………………………………………………………………..24 Findings……….…………………………………………………………………………………………..26 Interlinear Glossing………………………………………………………………………………27 Tone……………………………………………………………………………………………....27 Ikpána , or Partially Ikpána ……………………………………………………………………...28 Transparent Ikpána Names ……………………………………………………………...28 Combination of Opaque and Transparent Elements……………………………28 Entirely Opaque/Descriptive Names……………………………………………30 Warning Names……………………………………………...………………….31 Relation to Animals……………………………………………………………..31 Environmental Change……………………………………………………….....32 Descriptive of Origin of Plant…………………………………………………..33 Clear Etymology………………………………………………………….…….34 Unclear Etymology……………………………………………………………..35 Male or Female Plants………………………………………………………….36 Dialectal Variation……………………………………………………………...37 Opaque Ikpána Names …………………………………………………………………………...38 Discussion of Nouns-Class Markers as Argument for Borrowing……………..39 Borrowed from Ewe ……………………………………………………………………………..41 Borrowed Due to Agriculture…………………………………………………………………...42 Obscure vs Common …………………………………………………………………………….43 Amanyi – Secret Botanical Lexicon……………………………………………………………...45 Conclusion.………………………………………………………………………………………………..46 References………………………………………………………………………………………………...49 Informants…………………………………………………………………………………………………52 iii Acknowledgments I am sincerely grateful to many people for the advice, support, and assistance that they gave me during the course of my research for this project. Firstly, I am most grateful to my parents for supporting my decision to study abroad in Ghana and always challenging me to challenge myself. They have supported me my whole life. I also want to thank Peter Austin, the director of the Endangered Languages Academic Program at the University of London, School of Oriental and African Studies, for being the first person to tell me that linguistic field research is all about Love and Trust. Much thanks is due to the members of the staff for SIT – Ghana: Arts and Culture. In particular, I would like to thank Olayemi Tinuoye, the Academic Director, for his patience, support, and faith in me. Whenever I changed my topic, he would laugh, say he was not surprised, and then add that he thinks it is good to think critically and challenge oneself. Also, I am very grateful to Papa Attah for his encouragement and advice, as he always told us, “You are full-grown mosquitoes!” and “You can paddle your own canoe!” before sending us off on our own. I also wish to thank Kokroko for always being there, and Kwakuche for helping me before I changed my project to a new location. I am grateful to Clement Appah from the University of Ghana, Legon, for helping me to contact professors in the Linguistics Department there and for teaching me some Twi in preparation for my trip to Ghana. iv Additionally, I was greatly aided by my two advisors: Dr. Dakubu, who provided me with academic resources and advice and directed me to my other advisor, Dr. Dorvlo, who provided me with an amazing opportunity to do research on an endangered language he has been working on for the last five years and set me up with all of the resources I needed to do so. Lastly, I would like to thank all of the people of Logba who were so helpful to the completion of this project: Mawuli, for patiently teaching me the language and working all day with me on the research; Mr. and Mrs. Howusu, for their kind hospitality; the Time Tells family, for their friendship and delicious food; Alex, Daniel Kofi, Daniel Koku, Elizabeth, Kudzo, Lawrence, Mabel, Manfred, Mathias, and Togbe Shamoa III, for sharing their knowledge of plants; and finally Unansanango Togbega Dabra VI and family for welcoming me into their family and believing in the value of my research. Anyiŋtsé (Thank You) v Introduction Definition of Terms Akpanawò– Ikpána word for the Logba people Common – I use this to refer to plant names which are known by the majority of the population GTM – Ghana-Togo Mountain (languages) Ikpána – Ikpána word for the Logba language ISP – Independent Study Project, term used to refer to this project by the academic program for which it was completed Plant Name Committee – this is the term I use to refer to the group of people I organized to look through my compiled list of plant names to determine certain linguistic properties of them. Metadata – data about data Morpheme – a meaningful semantic linguistic unit Obscure – I use this in the sense of “little known” when referring to plant names. They may
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