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Tutrugbu (Nyangbo) Language and Culture
Series: - Grammars and Sketches of the World's Languages, Volume: 8
- Africa, Volume: 8
Author:
This is the first comprehensive description of Tutrugbu(Nyangbo-nyb), a Ghana Togo Mountain(gtm) language of the Kwa family. It is based on a documentary corpus of different genre of linguistic and cultural practices gathered during periods of immersion fieldwork. Tutrugbu speakers are almost all bilingual in Ewe, another Kwa language. The book presents innovative analyses of phenomena like Advanced Tongue Root and labial vowel harmony, noun classes, topological relational verbs, the two classes of adpositions, obligatory complement verbs, multi-verbs in a single clause, and information structure. This grammar is unparalleled in including a characterization of culturally defined activity types and their associated speech formulae and routine strategies. It should appeal to linguists interested in African languages, language documentation and typology.
James Essegbey, Ph.D. (1999), Leiden University, is an associate professor in the Department of Languages, Literatures, & Cultures at the University of Florida. He is interested in descriptive, documentary and theoretical linguistics, especially in the domain of syntax, semantics and pragmatics; contact linguistics; language and culture; Kwa languages of West Africa, especially Gbe (i.e. Ewe, Gen, Aja and Fon), Akan, and Ghana-Togo Mountain languages; and creole studies. He has worked on the influence of the Gbe languages on the creoles of Suriname, and the description and documentation of Nyangbo. More recently, he has been working on the description and documentation of Dwang (a north Guang language), and Animere (another
GTM
language).
Acknowledgments List of Figures and Tables
1 Introduction 1.0 The People 1.1 Classification 1.2 History 1.3 The Multilingual Nyangbo Community 1.4 The Roadmap for This Grammar
2 Phonology 2.0 Introduction 2.1 Segmental Inventory 2.2 Syllable Structure 2.3 Phonological Processes 2.4 Tone 2.5 Conclusion
3 Morphology 3.0 Introduction 3.1 Reduplication 3.2 Inflection 3.3 Noun Classes 3.4 Derivation 3.5 Compounding
4 The Noun Phrase 4.0 Introduction 4.1 The Simple Noun Phrase 4.2 Complex Noun Phrase
5 The Verb Phrase 5.0 Introduction 5.1 Lexical Aspect 5.2 Tense Aspect Mood 5.3 Argument Structure
6 Adpositional Phrases and Locative Constructions 6.0 Introduction 6.1 The Basic Locative Construction (BLC) 6.2 The Verbs 6.3 Postpositions 6.4 Prepositions
7 Constructions 7.0 Introduction 7.1 Copula Construction 7.2 Descriptive Constructions 7.3 Serial Verb Constructions (SVC) 7.4 Coordinate Clausal Constructions 7.5 Subordinate Clauses
8 Sentence Types 8.0 Introduction 8.1 Declaratives 8.2 Interrogatives 8.3 Imperatives
9 Information Structure 9.0 Introduction 9.1 Topic 9.2 Focus 9.3 Contrastive Topic 9.4 Cleft Construction 9.5 Conclusion
10 Routine Activities 10.0 Introduction 10.1 Greetings 10.2 Spinning Yarn 10.3 Female Initiation Rite 10.4 Funeral Rites
References
1 Introduction 1.0 The People 1.1 Classification 1.2 History 1.3 The Multilingual Nyangbo Community 1.4 The Roadmap for This Grammar
2 Phonology 2.0 Introduction 2.1 Segmental Inventory 2.2 Syllable Structure 2.3 Phonological Processes 2.4 Tone 2.5 Conclusion
3 Morphology 3.0 Introduction 3.1 Reduplication 3.2 Inflection 3.3 Noun Classes 3.4 Derivation 3.5 Compounding
4 The Noun Phrase 4.0 Introduction 4.1 The Simple Noun Phrase 4.2 Complex Noun Phrase
5 The Verb Phrase 5.0 Introduction 5.1 Lexical Aspect 5.2 Tense Aspect Mood 5.3 Argument Structure
6 Adpositional Phrases and Locative Constructions 6.0 Introduction 6.1 The Basic Locative Construction (BLC) 6.2 The Verbs 6.3 Postpositions 6.4 Prepositions
7 Constructions 7.0 Introduction 7.1 Copula Construction 7.2 Descriptive Constructions 7.3 Serial Verb Constructions (SVC) 7.4 Coordinate Clausal Constructions 7.5 Subordinate Clauses
8 Sentence Types 8.0 Introduction 8.1 Declaratives 8.2 Interrogatives 8.3 Imperatives
9 Information Structure 9.0 Introduction 9.1 Topic 9.2 Focus 9.3 Contrastive Topic 9.4 Cleft Construction 9.5 Conclusion
10 Routine Activities 10.0 Introduction 10.1 Greetings 10.2 Spinning Yarn 10.3 Female Initiation Rite 10.4 Funeral Rites
References
The book will appeal to linguists and students interested in African languages, documentary linguistics, typology, contact linguistics, and anthropological linguistics.