dc.description |
A THESIS IN THE DEPARTMENT OF GUR-GONJA, FACULTY OF
GHANAIAN LANGUAGES EDUCATION, SUBMITTED TO THE SCHOOL
OF GRADUATE STUDIES, UNIVERSITY OF EDUCATION,WINNEBA IN
PARTIAL FULFILMENT OF THE REQUIREMENTS FOR THE AWARD OF
THE MASTER OF PHILOSOPHY (M. PHIL) DEGREE IN GHANAIAN
LANGUAGE STUDIES (GURENƐ).
JULY, 201 |
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dc.description.abstract |
This study examines a literary appreciation of fifteen Anaanuurɛ Pɔgesi yuuma
(APY), a genre of music among the Farefari people. The Farefari people are the
speakers of Gurenɛ; Mmabia language, spoken by about 500,000 people, in the Upper
East Region of Ghana. The study established that, women groups that sing these
songs are an evolution from a long singing tradition among women in the Farefari
community. With regard to the nature of the songs, the songs can be categorized into
either (wa‟a yuuma) “danceable” or (yuuma ma‟a) “non-danceable" songs. These
songs are accompanied by stamping of the feet, clapping, dancing, body movement,
of the tongue, and the use of maracas. The songs are also laced with the use of
appellations, proverbs, interjections and code mixing. The study also proved that, the
songs are mostly composed by the lead singer and in some cases by some of the
chorus singers. However, the songs may sometimes be renditions of folk songs. The
study also found that the songs can be used to narrate stories; either fiction or actual
happenings in society. With regard to scope, I have found out that, Anaanuurɛ Pɔgesi
yuuma (APY) address many aspects/themes of life; advice, anger/criticism, sarcasm,
pleading/prayer, praise, peace, awareness creation, regret, and mourning. Structurally,
the study shows that the singing involves call and response. The lines are arranged in
short and long stanzas or lines depending on the type and length of the song, as well
as the style of the composer. Usually, each refrain in the songs is a partial repetition
of the previous stanza. Finally, Anaanuurɛ Pɔgesi yuuma (APY) exhibit the following
stylistics features: idiophones, hyperboles, similes, personifications, rhetorical
questions, symbolisms, euphemisms, and repetitions. Data used for this research was
taken from a collection of songs recorded between October and November 2016 at
Feo, Soe, Namoo, Bongo town, Boko and Zɔkɔ, all in the Bongo District of Ghana,
whilst others were selected from Atintono archives manuscripts collected in 2010. |
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