Research Article

A Sociolinguistic Explorative Study of Interactional Discourse in Dagbani and Ewe

Iddrisu Alhassan Sibdow
Tamale College of Education, Ghana.
Sampson Lucky Kudjo Yekple
St. Teresa’s College of Education, Ghana.
* Corresponding author
Florence Dorleku
St. Teresa’s College of Education, Ghana.
Mohammed Abdul-Rashid Immorrow
Tamale College of Education, Ghana.
DOI icon 10.24018/ejlang.2022.1.6.41

Read Counter
616

Downloads
271

Citations

Share

Article Sidebar

Submitted 2022-10-12
Published 2022-11-18

Read counter = 616 times

Table of Contents

Article Main Content

This study explores greetings among the Dagbamba of Northern Ghana and the Ewe of Southern Volta, Ghana. The work investigates the time-of-day greetings as the sociocultural interactional functions and value of the people. The research is a qualitative type, which uses ethnography as its design. The primary data was solicited from information from observation, interviews, and participation in events in the research communities. Secondary data has been solicited from existing literature. Researchers participated in daily routines with the people in the research communities in Xavi Traditional Area and Tolon in Dagbon state. The data was descriptively analyzed. It was discovered that greetings in the two languages are culturally categorized with reference to the time of day, interlocutors, and specific events or occurrences. We demonstrate that the types of greetings associated to the Dagbani and the Ewe culture are important as they demarcate timelines and the phenomenal periods, in which these greetings must be cast. Apart from the time-of-day greetings, we demonstrate some referential greetings that are applicable in the languages in relation to specific events. It was further confirmed that greetings among the people encode politeness strategies fostering unity and healthy cohesion. The greetings are categorized as informal and formal or ceremonial. The investigations also reveal that there are social factors such as modernization and religious practices that contribute to changes in greetings, hence influencing society.

Keywords: communicative phenomenon, education, greeting, interlocutor, time.

References

  1. Abdulai, S. A. and Ibrahim, J. G. M. (2014). Convergence and divergence strategies in greetings and leave-taking: a view from the Dagbon kingdom in Ghana. International Journal of Linguistics, 6(4), 224–225.
     Google Scholar
  2. Adukpo, J., Wumbei, C.K. & Kumi, E. (2019). Greetings or information exchange in Ewe community. Journal of African Studies and Ethnographic Research, 1(1), 20–35.
     Google Scholar
  3. Agyekum, K. (2008). The pragmatic of Akan greetings: Discourse Studies, 10(4), 493–516.
     Google Scholar
  4. Agyekum, K. (2010). The Sociolinguistics of thanking in Akan. Nordic Journal of African Studies, 19(2), 77–97.
     Google Scholar
  5. Akindele, D. F. (2007). Lumela/Lumela: A socio-pragmatic analysis of Sesotho greetings. Nordic Journal of African Studies, 16(1), 1–17.
     Google Scholar
  6. Akindele, D. F. (1990). A sociolinguistic analysis of Yoruba greetings. Journal of African languages and Cultures, 3(1), 98–113.
     Google Scholar
  7. Ameka, F. K. and Osam, E. K. (eds 2002). New directions in Ghanaian Linguistics. Accra: Black Mask Ltd.
     Google Scholar
  8. Ameka, F. K. (2010). Access rituals in West African Communities: An Ethnopragmatic perspective.
     Google Scholar
  9. Ameka, F. K. (1991). Ewe: Its grammatical constructions and illocutionary devices. [Unpublished Australian National University PhD thesis].
     Google Scholar
  10. Brown, P.& Levinsan S.C. (1987). Politeness. Cambridge University Press.
     Google Scholar
  11. Brown, P. (1980). How and why women are more polite. In McConnell-Ginet, S., R. Borker and N. Furman (eds.) Women and language in literature and society (pp. 111-136). New York: Praeger.
     Google Scholar
  12. Canale, M. (1983). From communicative competence to communicative language pedagogy. In Rechards, J.C. and R. W. Schmidt (eds) Languages and communication (pp. 2-27). New York: Longman.
     Google Scholar
  13. Chenilo, N. L. (2012). A socio-morphological analysis of Koring verbal greetings. An International Journal of Arts and Humanities, 1 (3), 104–115.
     Google Scholar
  14. Coulmas, F. (Ed.) (1981). Conversational routine: Explorations in standardized communication situations and prepatterned speech. The Hague: mouton Publishers.
     Google Scholar
  15. Coupland, J. Coupland, N. and Robison, J. D. (1992) How are you? Negotiating phatic communion. Language and society, 21, 207–230.
     Google Scholar
  16. Duranti, A. (1992). Language and bodies in social space: Samoan ceremonial greetings. American Ethnologist, New Series, 94(3), 657–691.
     Google Scholar
  17. Duranti, A. (1997). Universal and culture specific properties of greetings. Journal of Linguistics Anthropology, 7(1), 63–67. American Anthropological Association.
     Google Scholar
  18. Dzameshie, A. K., 2002. The Forms, Functions and social value of greetings among the Ewe. In Ameka F. K and Osam, E.K. (eds) New Directions in Ghanaian Linguistics. Accra: Black Mask.
     Google Scholar
  19. Dzameshie, Alex K, (1993). The use of politeness strategies as solidarity and deference moves in Christian sermonic discourse. The SECOL Review, 17, 113–126.
     Google Scholar
  20. Dzameshie, A. K. (1995). Social motivations for politeness behavior in Christian sermonic discourse. Anthropological Linguistics, 37(2), 192–215.
     Google Scholar
  21. Dzameshie, A. K. (1992). Motivation for the use of politeness strategies in Christian sermonic discourse. [Unpublished: University of South Carolina PhD. Dissertation].
     Google Scholar
  22. Egblewogbe, E. Y. (1990). The social and psychological aspect of greetings among the Ewe of West Africa. Research review NS, 6(2), 8–18.
     Google Scholar
  23. Emery, P.G. (2000). Greeting, congratulating and commiserating in Omani Arabic Language. Culture and curriculum, 13(2), 196–217.
     Google Scholar
  24. Firth, J. R. (1972). Verbal and bodily rituals of greetings and parting. In: la Fontaine, J. S. (ed). The interpretation of ritual (pp.1-38). London: Tavistock.
     Google Scholar
  25. Geertz, C. (1972). Linguistic Etiquette. In: J.A. Fishman, ed. Readings in the sociology of language. The Hague: Mouton. Harvey.
     Google Scholar
  26. Goody, E. (1972). Greetings, begging and the presentation of respect. In La Fontaine, J.S. (ed.) Interpretation of ritual (pp. 39-72). London: Tavistock.
     Google Scholar
  27. Guffman, E. (1967). Interactional Ritual: Essays on face behavior. Double day.
     Google Scholar
  28. Hymes, D. (1962). The ethnography of speaking. In Anthropology and human behavior. (pp. 15-54). Anthropological society of Washington.
     Google Scholar
  29. Hymes, D. (1968). The Ethnography of speaking. In Fishman, J.A (ed.) Reading in the sociology of language (pp. 99-138). The Hague: Mouton.
     Google Scholar
  30. Hymes, D. (1972). Models of the interaction of language and social life. In J.Gumperz & D. Hymes (Eds), Directions in sociolinguistics (pp. 35-71). Holt, Rinehart and Winston.
     Google Scholar
  31. Hymes, D. (1974). Foundations in sociolinguistics. Philadelphia: University of Pennsylvania Press.
     Google Scholar
  32. Ibrahim, A.G.Y., Grimshaw, A.D. and Bird, C.S. (1976). Greetings in the desert. American ethnologist, 3, 797–824.
     Google Scholar
  33. Laver, J. (1981). Linguistic routines and politeness in greeting and parting. In: F. Coulmas, (ed.) Conversational routines. The Hague: Mouton.
     Google Scholar
  34. Lim, T. (1988) A new model of politeness in discourse. [A paper presented at the speech communication]. Association convention in New Orleans (November) MS.
     Google Scholar
  35. Malinowski, B. (1972) Phatic communion. In Laver, J. and S. Hutcheson (eds.) Communication in face-to-face interaction (pp146-152). Harmonds-worth: Penguin.
     Google Scholar
  36. Mohammed, H. J. (2010). Address terms in Dagbani: A Sociolinguistic study. Winneba: Mphil Thesis, Department of applied Linguistics.
     Google Scholar
  37. Naden, T. (1980) “How to greet in Bisa”. Journal of pragmatics, 4, 137–145.
     Google Scholar
  38. Nantogmah A. S. (2010). Signaling politeness, power, and solidarity through terms of address in Dagbanli. Nordic Journal of African Studies, 19(4), 274–292.
     Google Scholar
  39. Salifu, A. (2000). Speaking with the chief: ethnography of royal discourse in Dagbon. [Accra: MA Dissertation]. University of Ghana.
     Google Scholar
  40. Salifu, A. (2011). Politics and ethnicity: political anthroponymy in northern Ghana. New York: Nova Science Publishers, Inc.
     Google Scholar
  41. Searle, J. R. (1969). Speech acts: an essay in the philosophy of language. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
     Google Scholar
  42. Sekyi-Baidoo, Y. & Koranteng, L.A. (2008). English general greetings in the Ghanaian sociolinguistic context. The International Journal of Language, Society and Culture, LSC ISSUE, 26, 113–125.
     Google Scholar
  43. Warren-Rothlin, A. (2007). Politeness strategies in biblical Hebrew and west African languages, Journal of Translation, 3(1), 55.
     Google Scholar
  44. Yahya-Othman, S. (1995). Aren’t you going to greet me? Impoliteness in Swahili greetings. Text, 15(2), 209–227.
     Google Scholar