Abstract:
This thesis investigated lexical borrowings in Dangme (a language that belongs to the
Kwa family of languages of the Niger–Congo Phylum) from a sociolinguistic
perspective. It investigated the borrowed items that permit nativization or adaptation and
those that resist nativization in Dangme. The dialectal variation in the use of lexical
borriwings for same entities in Dangme was also investigated. The Processes and
Products Framework propounded by Winford (2003) to explain lexical contact
phenomena was adopted to explain the linguistic features of the lexical borrowings in
Dangme. Again, the Variationist Sociolinguistic Theory propounded by Labov in 1966
was adopted to explain and discuss the dialectal variations in the use of lexical
borrowings in Dangme. Data were drawn from both primary and secondary sources. The
convergent parallel mixed method research design, which merges both quantitative and
qualitative data at the same time of the research before integrating the information in the
interpretation of the results, was deployed in collecting primary data in this study.
Elicitation, interviews and focus group discussions were used to gather primary data from
100 respondents from the Ada, Gbugblaa, Manya Krobo and Yilo Krobo dialects of
Dangme. The findings of the study showed that some borrowings to Dangme are
localized to the extent that speakers of Dangme in direct contact with the source
languages (Akan, Ga and Ewe) have knowledge and prefer to use them. It was also
established that some Akan words borrowed to Dangme and most English words
borrowed to Dangme are evenly distributed among all the respondents selected for the
dialectal variations in the use of the lexical borrowings in Dangme. It also emerged from
the study that whilst some lexical borrowings permit phonological, morphological and
semantic adaptations in the course of borrowing, others also resist phonological
adaptation during borrowing into Dangme.
Description:
A thesis in the Department of Ga–Dangme Education,
faculty of Ghanaian Languages Education, submitted to
the School of Graduate Studies in partial fulfilment
of the requirements for the award of the degree of
Master of Philosophy
(Ghanaian Language Studies)
in the University of Education, Winneba