DOCSLIB.ORG

Some Translation and Exegetical Problems in the Pastoral Epistles of the Kronkron (Akuapem-Twi Bible) By

Total Page：16

File Type：pdf, Size：1020Kb

Download full-text PDF Read full-text
Some Translation and Exegetical Problems in the Pastoral Epistles of the Kronkron (Akuapem-Twi Bible) By Some Translation and Exegetical Problems in the Pastoral Epistles of the kronkron (Akuapem-Twi Bible) By Emmanuel Augustus Twum-Baah July 2014 Some Translation and Exegetical Problems in the Pastoral Epistles of the kronkron (Akuapem-Twi Bible) A Thesis Submitted to the School of Graduate Studies, Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirement for the Award of Master of Philosophy Degree in Religious Studies By Emmanuel Augustus Twum-Baah July 2014 i Declaration I hereby declare that this thesis of which is a record is the result of my own work and that no part of it has been presented for another degree in this university or elsewhere, and that all sources of information used have been duly referenced by way of footnotes. Emmanuel Augustus Twum-Baah …………………… ...………………………. (Student) Signature Date Certified by: Rev. Jonathan E. T. Kuwornu-Adjaottor …………………… ......………………………. (Supervisor) Signature Date Certified by: Rev. Dr. Nathan Iddrisu Samwini …………………… ........….……………………. (Head of Department) Signature Date ii Abstract The present 2012 Akuapem-Twi Bible had been the labour of several revision exercises from its existence as fragments of Bible books till the New Testament was completed and later the first full version published in 1871. Over the years the task of revision work had aimed at eliminating ambiguous phrases and words in the Akuapem-Twi Bible that are not translated in accordance with the thought pattern and worldview of the Akuapem people. However after the 2012 publication of the Akuapem-Twi Bible, there still exist a number of translation and exegetical problems in the translated text; clear examples are 1 Timothy 6:10a, 2 Timothy 1: 10b, 2:20b, Titus 1: 7, 11b which are in focus for this study. The research draws from the field of Biblical exegesis to analyze the Greek source texts and also do background study of the PE with the aid of critical and exegetical commentaries along with some relevant literatures on the subject. We focused on ascertaining the very message the author of the PE sought to deliver to his audience, in order to make it relevant to contemporary audience today. A discussion was delineated on several possible translations in the Akuapem-Twi dialect including the 2012 Akuapem-Twi Bible translation of the selected texts to ascertain which of these possible alternatives had adequately represented the worldview and dialect of the Akuapem people and had also exhibited a close nuance of the Greek source text. A comparative discussion of the various Akuapem-Twi and Asante-Twi Bibles along with some English versions on the selected texts revealed which of the alternative translations suggested in the Akuapem-Twi dialect was the best translation; commentaries were written on the interpretations behind the translations. This is a summon to the clergy and laity in academia to take a re-look at our Akuapem-Twi Bible in the form we have it today to make the word of God more meaningful and relevant in our contemporary setting, seeing that it is the medium of God’s revelation to us. iii Dedication This work is dedicated to the Twum-Baah family: my parents Bishop Dr. and Mrs. Twum-Baah, my siblings Mrs. Trinilass Nyarkoah Mills, Mrs. Catherine Pomaah Yeboah Appiah and Luis Kofi Gyimah Twum-Baah Jnr., for their encouragement and support during the course of the study. The dedication is also in recognition of the insightful contribution of the leadership and entire members of Immanuel Methodist Church, Hwidiem, during the Bible study section on the Pastoral Epistles; 1 Timothy, 2 Timothy and Titus. iv Acknowledgement To God be the Glory: For we have this treasure in earthen vessels, that the excellency of the power may be of God, and not of us. (2 Corinthians 4:7, KJV). The final result of this thesis has been the help of several people who contributed in diverse ways; to you all I say thank you. My deepest appreciation goes to my advisor, The Most Rev. Prof. Emmanuel Kwaku Asante whose encouragement and wise counsel led me to undertake the Master of Philosophy program of which this research work was a requirement. I was equally fortunate to have him not only as an advisor but also as my professor and a father. My profound gratitude also goes to Dr. Samuel Adubofour, Former Vice President of Christian Service University College, whose directions led me to very useful contributors to the final out-come of this work. I would like to put on record my indebtedness to Professor B.Y Quarshie, the Rector, Akrofi- Christaller Institute and Professor John David Ekem of Trinity Theological Seminary, Legon: In spite of your busy schedules you made time to grant me audience for clarification on subjects particularly relating to Mother-Tongue Biblical Hermeneutics as well as read considerable number of chapters in this work to make constructive criticisms. Indeed the work in its present form has enjoyed such considerable editorial assistance and input, Professor Ekem and Professor Quarshie, I am most grateful for your assistance. My special thanks go to Professor Irene Odotei of the Kwame Nkrumah Institute of African Studies, Legon; Dr. Ernestina Afriyie, Akrofi-Christaller Institute, Akropong; and Dr. Owusu- Ansah of the History Department, Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology who in spite of their busy schedules granted me oral interviews and recommended several books for v my consideration to ensure that I was historically right if not accurate on the history of the Akuapem people. Of special mentioning is Dr. Ebenezer Ayesu also of the Kwame Nkrumah Institute of Africa Studies (IAS), Legon who in addition to granting me audience for oral interview gave out his personal materials (both M. Phil and PhD theses) for consultation. The researcher recalls with thanks, the special assistance of Mr. Julius Akoto, a researcher assistant in the Kwame Nkrumah Institute of African Studies (IAS), who provided me with numerous articles and books relevant to my work. The researcher also acknowledges the special help of the administrative staff of all the libraries visited during the course of this work: Blame Library- University of Ghana, Legon; Bill Chapman Library- Christian Service University College, Kumasi; Faculty of Social Science Library and the main Library of Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology, Kumasi, and the Library at Akropong- Akrofi-Christaller Institute of Theology, Mission and Culture. Above all, I wish to express my heartfelt gratitude to all who contributed in diverse ways from early stages of formulation of thought to the final form we have as a thesis. Of particular mention is Rev. Solomon Acquah of the Methodist Church, Kumasi Diocese, Mr. Jonathan Aseidu Asa- Ntow a former Linguist of the Aburi Aberade Stool and Mr. Daniel Anguah Attuah; a resident of Amanokrom and himself a translation consultation. I acknowledge the benevolent assistance of Mr. Festus Amponsah who donated his laptop for the typesetting, Brother Kwasi Sikayena and Mrs. Kate Afreh Amankwaa Amaning who did the type setting as well as Mr. Samuel Nyarko who equally donated his printer throughout this work. To you all I say thank you. vi Finally I am highly indebted to my supervisor Reverend Jonathan Edward Tetteh Kuwornu- Adjaottor under whose distinguished supervision that this thesis has been a reality. I recall your promptings of deadline, keeping us abreast with issues relating to our thesis, and your readiness to make available personal materials for consultation among many other support rendered to me and my colleagues, we are much grateful. Emmanuel Augustus Twum-Baah Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology July 2014 vii List of Abbreviations AGL -Analytical Greek Lexicon Lk. -Luke AkTB -Akuapem-Twi Bible MTBH -Mother-Tongue Biblical Hermeneutics Amp. -Amplified Bible Mt. -Matthew Ap -Akuapem People NASB -New American Standard Version AsTB -Asante-Twi Bible NIV -New International Version ASV -American Standard Version NKJV -New King James Version ATR -African Traditional Religions NLT -New Living Translations BAGD -Bauer, Arndt, Gingrich, and Danker NRSV -New Revised Standard Version BFBS -British and Foreign Bible Society NT -New Testament 1 and 2 Corinth.-1 and 2 Corinthians NWT -New Word Translation f -following OT -Old Testament Gk -Greek Rev. -Revelation GN -Good News Rom. -Romans i.e. -That is RSV -Revised Standard Version KJV -King James Version TEV -Today’s English version Lit. -Literal(ly) 1 and 2 Tim. -1 and 2 Timothy LTm -Literal Translation mine Tit. -Titus viii Table of Contents Title Page....................................................................................................................................i Declaration..................................................................................................................................ii Abstract.......................................................................................................................................iii Dedication....................................................................................................................................iv Acknowledgement.......................................................................................................................v List of Abbreviations..................................................................................................................viii Table of Contents.........................................................................................................................ix
Load more

Recommended publications
  • Negotiating Elder Care in Akuapem, Ghana: Care-Scripts and the Role of Non-Kin
    Please do not remove this page Negotiating Elder Care in Akuapem, Ghana: Care-Scripts and the Role of Non-Kin Coe, Cati https://scholarship.libraries.rutgers.edu/discovery/delivery/01RUT_INST:ResearchRepository/12643433240004646?l#13643528290004646 Coe, C. (2017). Negotiating Elder Care in Akuapem, Ghana: Care-Scripts and the Role of Non-Kin. In Africa (Vol. 87, Issue 1, pp. 137–154). Rutgers University. https://doi.org/10.7282/T3D50Q24 This work is protected by copyright. You are free to use this resource, with proper attribution, for research and educational purposes. Other uses, such as reproduction or publication, may require the permission of the copyright holder. Downloaded On 2021/09/29 21:13:19 -0400 Negotiating Elder Care in Akuapem, Ghana: Care-Scripts and the Role of Non-Kin Cati Coe1 Abstract. In contemporary Ghana, adult children are considered responsible for the care of aged parents. Within this idealized framework, two aspects of elder care are overlooked. First, such a narrative obscures the role of non-kin and extended kin in providing elder care in southern Ghana historically and in the present. Secondly, it hides the negotiations over obligations and commitments between those who manage elder care and those who help with an aging person’s daily activities. It is in this latter role in which non-kin and extended kin are significant in elder care, while closer kin maintain their kin roles through the more distant management, financial support, and recruitment of others. This paper examines recruitment to elder care and the role of kin and non-kin in elder care in three historical periods—the 1860s, the 1990s, and the 2000s— centered on Akuapem, in southern Ghana.
    [Show full text]
  • THE ASANTE BEFORE 1700 Fay Kwasi Boaten*
    The African e-Journals Project has digitized full text of articles of eleven social science and humanities journals. This item is from the digital archive maintained by Michigan State University Library. Find more at: http://digital.lib.msu.edu/projects/africanjournals/ Available through a partnership with Scroll down to read the article. 50. •# THE ASANTE BEFORE 1700 fay Kwasi Boaten* PEOPLING OF ASANTE • •*•• The name Asante appeared for the first time In any European literature at the beginning of the eighteenth century. This was the time when some Akan clans came to- gether to form a kingdom with Kumase as their capital,, some few years earlier. This apparently new territory was not the original home of the Asante. Originally all the ances- tors of the Asante lived at Adansc/Amansle.' The above assertion does not agree with Eva Meyerowitz's2 view that the Akan formerly lived along the Niger bend in the regions lying roughly between Djenne and Timbucto. There Is no evidence to support such mass migrations from outside.3 Adanse is therefore an important ancestral home of many Twi speakers. The area is traditionally known in Akan cosmogony as the place where God (Odomankoma) started the creation of the world, such as the ideas of the clan <snd kinship. Furthermore, Adanse was the first of the five principal Akan states of Adanse, Akyem Abuakwa, Assen, Denkyfra and Asante (The Akanman Piesle Num) In order of seniority.5 Evidence of the above claim for Adanse is shown by the fact that most of the ruling clans of the Akan forest states trace their origins to Adanse.
    [Show full text]
  • 57 CHAPTER 2 CHURCH and CHANGE in ARUAPEM M.A. KWAMENA POH* This Paper Concerns Some Effects of Basel Missionary Influence Upon
    View metadata, citation and similar papers at core.ac.uk brought to you by CORE provided by57 IDS OpenDocs CHAPTER 2 CHURCH AND CHANGE IN ARUAPEM M.A. KWAMENA POH* This paper concerns some effects of Basel Missionary influence upon aspects of marriage and family life among the South-eastern Akan since 1835. The year 1835 saw the arrival of the first Basel missionary, the Danish born Andreas Riis (1804-54), at Akropong. The Basel Mission Society founded in 1815 in Switzerland was the first active mission to begin work among a truly indigenous people, as yet largely unaffected by the influence of Europeans on the Gold Coast. There had been attempts at evangelisation on the coast by such bodies as the Society for the Propagation of the Gospel (S.P.G.), - whose great African Missionary had been Philip Quaque (1765-1816),- the Moravian Brethren and the Danish- Halle Society in the Eighteenth century. The acti­ vities of these bodies, however, were mainly concern­ ed with the education of the mulatto children at Cape Coast and Osu, and such attempts at evangelisa­ tion as they had made scarcely went beyond the con­ fines of the forts. (Reindorf, 1950:213-17; Smith, 1966: 1928). Riis was warmly received by the Akuapemhene, Addo Dankwa, the Paramount Chief of Akuapem, who allowed him to open a mission station at Akropong. He bought a piece of land and with the help of the chiefs and people of Akuapem, he built a house for himself. In 1836, Riis reported to the Home Committee of the Society in Basel that he had got a house in Akropong ready for more missionaries.
    [Show full text]
  • Emmanuel Nicholas Abakah. Hypotheses on the Diachronic
    1 Hypotheses on the Diachronic Development of the Akan Language Group Emmanuel Nicholas Abakah, Department of Akan-Nzema, University of Education, Winneba [email protected] Cell: +233 244 732 172 Abstract Historical linguists have already established the constituent varieties of the Akan language group as well as their relationships with other languages. What remains to be done is to reconstruct the Proto- Akan forms and this is what this paper sets out to accomplish. One remarkable observation about language is that languages change through time. This is not to obscure the fact that it is at least conceivable that language could remain unchanged over time, as is the case with some other human institutions e.g. various taboos in some cultures or the value of smile as a nonverbal signal. Be that as it may, the mutually comprehensible varieties of the codes that constitute the Akan language group have evidently undergone some changes over the course of time. However, they lack adequate written material that can take us far back into the history of the Akan language to enable any diachronic or historical linguist to determine hypotheses on their development. Besides, if empirical data from the sister Kwa languages or from the other daughters of the Niger-Congo parent language were readily available, then the reconstruction of the Proto-Akan forms would be quite straightforward. But, unfortunately, these are also hard to come by, at least, for the moment. Nevertheless, to reconstruct a *proto-language, historical linguists have set up a number of methods, which include the comparative method, internal reconstruction, language universals and linguistic typology among others.
    [Show full text]
  • Religion, Mission and National Development
    Page 1 of 6 Original Research Religion, mission and national development: A contextual interpretation of Jeremiah 29:4–7 in the light of the activities of the Basel Mission Society in Ghana (1828–1918) and its missiological implications Author: We cannot realistically analyse national development without factoring religion into the analysis. 1 Peter White In the same way, we cannot design any economic development plan without acknowledging Affiliation: the influence of religion on its implementation. The fact is that, many economic development 1Department of Science of policies require a change from old values, attitudes, beliefs and behaviour patterns of the Religion and Missiology, citizenry to those that are supportive of the new policy. Christianity has become a potent social University of Pretoria, force in every facet of Ghanaian life, from family life, economic activities, occupation, and South Africa health to education. In the light of the essential role of religion in national development, this Correspondence to: article discusses the role the Basel Mission Society played in the development of Ghana and Peter White its missiological implications. This article argues that the Basel Mission Society did not only present the gospel to the people of Ghana, they also practicalised the gospel by developing Email: [email protected] their converts spiritually, economically, and educationally. Through these acts of love by the Basel Mission Society, the spreading of the Gospel gathered momentum and advanced. Postal address: Private Bag X20, Hatfield Intradisciplinary and/or interdisciplinary implications: The article contributes to the 0028, South Africa interdisciplinary discourse on religion and development with specific reference to the role of the Basel Mission Society’s activities in Ghana (1828–1918).
    [Show full text]
  • ETD Template
    CREATIVE PROCESSES IN AKAN MUSICAL CULTURES: INNOVATIONS WITHIN TRADITION by Eric Odame Beeko Dip. Mus., National Academy of Music, Winneba, Ghana, 1984 Post-Dip. Mus. Edu., University College of Education, Winneba, Ghana, 1988 B.Ed. Mus., University of Cape Coast, Ghana, 1996 M.Phil. Mus., University of Ghana, Legon, 2000 Submitted to the Graduate Faculty of Arts and Sciences in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy Degree University of Pittsburgh 2005 UNIVERSITY OF PITTSBURGH FACULTY OF ARTS AND SCIENCES This dissertation was presented by Eric Odame Beeko It was defended on April 19, 2005 and approved by Dr. Mary Lewis Dr. Nathan Davis Dr. V. Kofi Agawu Dr. Joseph Adjaye Dr. Akin O. Euba Dissertation Director ii This work is copyright, and no part of it may be reproduced by any process, manually or electronically, without the written permission of the author. Copyright 2005 by Eric Odame Beeko iii CREATIVE PROCESSES IN AKAN MUSIC: INNOVATIONS WITHIN TRADITION Eric Odame Beeko, PhD University of Pittsburgh, 2005 The aim of this dissertation is to explain the creative processes in composition and performance of traditional music, and the subsequent innovations that emerge out of these processes in the musical traditions of the Akan people of Ghana. The study is premised on the fact that, traditional musicians in the Akan culture, like most people on the surface of the earth, also have the natural capacity to consciously or unconsciously effect changes in their environments, play significant roles in most human-initiated change processes, and make contributions to both the material and institutional aspects of their culture, as their creative sensibilities or tendencies continue to bring about various forms of innovations from time to time.
    [Show full text]
  • Diplomarbeit
    DIPLOMARBEIT Titel der Diplomarbeit „Vergesset Asante nicht!“ Der Beitrag des Basler Missionars Friedrich August Louis Ramseyer zur Asante Mission 1864–1896 Verfasserin Manuela Koncz angestrebter akademischer Grad Magistra der Philosophie (Mag.phil.) Wien, Mai 2011 Studienkennzahl lt. Studienblatt: A 390 Studienrichtung lt. Studienblatt: Afrikawissenschaften Betreuer: Mag. Dr. Clemens Gütl EIDESSTATTLICHE ERKLÄRUNG Ich erkläre an Eides statt, dass ich die vorliegende Diplomarbeit selbständig und ohne fremde Hilfe verfasst, andere als die angegebenen Quellen und Hilfsmittel nicht benutzt und die den benutzten Quellen wörtlich und inhaltlich entnommenen Stellen als solche erkenntlich gemacht habe. Wien, Mai 2011 Koncz Manuela II Danksagung Mein Dank richtet sich naturgemäß an all Jene, die in aufopferungsvoller Hingabe meine Launen während des Entstehungsprozesses der vorliegenden Arbeit geduldig ertragen haben. Ihre fortwährende Motivation und Aufmunterung waren mir in Zeiten von Stagnation und Rückschlägen stets ein Ansporn und haben somit maßgeblich zur Fertigstellung beigetragen. Hier soll allen voran meine Studienkollegin Mazza genannt sein, mit welcher mich seit Beginn des Studiums eine tiefe Freundschaft verbindet und die es durch ihr schier grenzenloses Verständnis geschafft hat, mich aus so manchem Sumpf zu ziehen. Besonderer Dank gebührt meinem Diplomarbeitsbetreuer Mag. Dr. Clemens Gütl, der es vermochte mich schon mit seiner ersten Lehrveranstaltung in den Bann von Missionsgeschichte zu ziehen. Seine konstruktive wie faire Kritik, sowie seine Ratschläge abseits der Erstellung dieser Arbeit, waren mir eine außerordentliche Hilfe. Gleichsam sei hier Herrn Dr. Guy Thomas, Leiter des Archives der mission21 in Basel, sowie seinem gesamten Team gedankt, welche mir während meiner Archivforschung in Basel alle erdenkliche Hilfe haben zukommen lassen. Für ihre fortwährende Unterstützung während der Jahre meines Studiums, möchte ich meinen Dank an Putzla und Hans aussprechen, welche mich so freundlich und liebevoll aufgenommen haben.
    [Show full text]
  • The Slow Death of Slavery in Nineteenth Century Senegal and the Gold Coast
    That Most Perfidious Institution: The slow death of slavery in nineteenth century Senegal and the Gold Coast Trevor Russell Getz Submitted for the degree of PhD University of London, School or Oriental and African Studies ProQuest Number: 10673252 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 complete 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 10673252 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 Code Microform Edition © ProQuest LLC. ProQuest LLC. 789 East Eisenhower Parkway P.O. Box 1346 Ann Arbor, Ml 48106- 1346 Abstract That Most Perfidious Institution is a study of Africans - slaves and slave owners - and their central roles in both the expansion of slavery in the early nineteenth century and attempts to reform servile relationships in the late nineteenth century. The pivotal place of Africans can be seen in the interaction between indigenous slave-owning elites (aristocrats and urban Euro-African merchants), local European administrators, and slaves themselves. My approach to this problematic is both chronologically and geographically comparative. The central comparison between Senegal and the Gold Coast contrasts the varying impact of colonial policies, integration into the trans-Atlantic economy; and, more importantly, the continuity of indigenous institutions and the transformative agency of indigenous actors.
    [Show full text]
  • Population Based Survey in Northern Ghana Enumerators' Manual
    INSTITUTE OF STATISTICAL, SOCIAL AND ECONOMIC RESEARCH (ISSER), UNIVERSITY OF GHANA, LEGON & MONITORING EVALUATION AND TECHNICAL SUPPORT SERVICES (METSS), GHANA FEED THE FUTURE (FTF) POPULATION BASED SURVEY IN NORTHERN GHANA ENUMERATORS’ MANUAL JUNE 2012 TABLE OF CONTENTS LIST OF ACRONYMS.......................................................................................................................... iii 1. INTRODUCTION TO THE PROJECT ...............................................................................................1 2. METHOD OF DATA COLLECTION ................................................................................................2 3. FIELDWORK PROCEDURES AND GUIDELINES .............................................................................2 4. GENERAL INSTRUCTIONS ON ADMINISTERING THE QUESTIONNAIRES .....................................8 5. INSTRUCTIONS ON ADMINISTERING THE MODULES ..................................................................9 6. USING THE DATA CAPTURE APPLICATION ..............................................................................39 7. USING THE TRIMBLE FOR TAKING DWELLING GPS ................................................................46 9. APPENDICES ..............................................................................................................................47 ii LIST OF ACRONYMS EA Enumeration Area FTF Feed the Future GSS Ghana Statistical Service ISSER Institute of Statistical, Social and Economic Research KSU Kansas State University METSS
    [Show full text]
  • Obiaa Pɛ Sɛ Ɔkɔ International.« Negotiating the Local and the Global in Ghanaian Hiplife Music
    »OBIAA PƐ SƐ ƆKƆ INTERNATIONAL.« NEGOTIATING THE LOCAL AND THE GLOBAL IN GHANAIAN HIPLIFE MUSIC Florian Carl Obiaa pɛ sɛ ɔkɔ international Ɛno ne answer? Kwame, yɛfiri one ansa na yɛkɔ two Wo nni ntaban, ɛnso wo pɛ sɛ wotu. Everybody wants to become ›international‹ Is that the answer? Kwame, we start from ›one‹ before we go to ›two‹ You don't have wings, yet you want to fly. (Obour feat. Okyeame Kwame & Richie: »The Game«, Crentsil/Obour 2006) Introduction Ghana's soundscape is currently dominated by three major trends. The per- haps most pervasive of these, permeating public and private spaces, is gos- pel music. The gospel music industry has been fueled by the ever-growing number of charismatic churches that, in the words of one author, have »quite successfully colonized public space« (Meyer 2008: 84) over the past few decades. The rise of neo-Pentecostal Christianity in Ghana has fostered a distinctive Christian popular culture and aesthetics that incorporates both local and international styles (Carl 2012 and 2014b; Meyer 2008). The second major trend is highlife, Ghana's classical form of popular dance band music, which prevailed throughout much of the twentieth century (Collins 1996). In contrast to dance band music up until the 1980s, highlife is nowadays often based on synthesized and computer-programmed sounds (Collins 2012). Since the late 1970s, highlife in its live-performed form has also entered Christian churches, so that in terms of musical style there are 33 FLORIAN CARL strong overlaps between gospel music and highlife (Carl 2014a; Collins 2004). Finally, the third trend in Ghanaian popular music, which is the focus of this article, is hiplife.
    [Show full text]
  • An Acoustic-Articulatory Study of Bilingual Vowel Production: Advanced Tongue Root Vowels in Twi and Tense/Lax Vowels in Ghanaian English
    Journal of Phonetics 62 (2017) 65–81 Contents lists available at ScienceDirect Journal of Phonetics journal homepage: www.elsevier.com/locate/Phonetics Research Article An acoustic-articulatory study of bilingual vowel production: Advanced tongue root vowels in Twi and tense/lax vowels in Ghanaian English Sam Kirkham *, Claire Nance Department of Linguistics and English Language, County South, Lancaster University, Lancaster LA1 4YL, United Kingdom article info abstract Article history: This article investigates the acoustic and articulatory correlates of vowel contrasts in bilingual speakers. We anal- Received 30 August 2016 yse data from bilingual speakers of Twi (Akan) and Ghanaian English, with the aim of examining how the produc- Received in revised form 14 February 2017 tion of the advanced tongue root vowel contrast in Twi relates to the production of the tense/lax vowel contrast in Accepted 17 March 2017 Ghanaian English. These data are compared to tense/lax vowel data from monolingual British English speakers. The acoustic results show that Twi and Ghanaian English mainly rely on F1 for distinguishing [ATR] and [TENSE] Keywords: vowels, whereas British English uses F1, F2, F3 and duration for the [TENSE] contrast. The ultrasound tongue Advanced tongue root imaging data show tongue root distinctions across all languages, while there are consistent tongue height distinc- Tense/lax vowels tions in British English, no height distinctions in Ghanaian English, and small height distinctions for some vowels in Ultrasound tongue imaging Twi. Twi has the weakest correlation between F1 and tongue root advancement, which suggests that the [ATR] Bilingualism contrast may involve additional strategies for pharyngeal cavity expansion that are not present in [TENSE] vowels.
    [Show full text]
  • Cultural Assimilation of Peki by Akwamu, a Historical Study (1730-1835) Atakro Michael
    University of Ghana http://ugspace.ug.edu.gh CULTURAL ASSIMILATION OF PEKI BY AKWAMU, A HISTORICAL STUDY (1730-1835) BY ATAKRO MICHAEL THIS THESIS IS SUBMITTED TO THE UNIVERSITY OF GHANA, LEGON IN PARTIAL FULFILMENT OF THE REQUIREMENT OF THE AWARD OF MASTER OF PHILOSOPHY DEGREE IN AFRICAN STUDIES DECEMBER 2014 University of Ghana http://ugspace.ug.edu.gh DEDICATION I dedicate this work to the Almighty God who has kept me going through thick and thin and to my parents who have always been supportive of my course. i University of Ghana http://ugspace.ug.edu.gh ACKNOWLEDGEMENT I wish to acknowledge the debt this work owes to the original research of others. In the Bibliography and footnotes, I have indicated the sources of my materials. I am, however, indebted greatly to the works of Ivor Wilks and R.A Kea for the history of Akwamu and of course, to C.W. Welman for the histories of Krepi and Peki. With warm gratitude, I wish to acknowledge the valuable information on traditional histories I have received from chiefs and elders of Akwamu as well as Peki. I am also grateful to the staff of the following libraries in which most of my readings were done, for the considerable co-operation and assistance: Africana section of the Balme Library, Legon; the Library of the Institute of African Studies, Legon. I am also grateful to the assistance given me by the staff of the Public Record and Archives Administration Department’s Head office, Accra. Finally my gratitude goes to Prof. Albert Awedoba and Dr.
    [Show full text]