Abstract:
This thesis is on aspectual marking in Gonja, a Guan language spoken in the Savannah
Region of Ghana. The study employs Basic Linguistic Theory (BLT) in the data analysis.
Data used in this thesis were collected from primary sources; mainly from naturally
occurring spoken texts (spontaneous speech), which were recorded from Nkilgi FM.
Hence, spontaneous data, which were tape recorded informally and formally, were then
transcribed for analysis and description. Furthermore, the spoken texts were
supplemented by elicited data as well as data based on my native speaker's introspection.
It revealed that Gonja employs both covert and overt strategies in the marking of aspect.
For instance, while the perfective aspect is not morphologically marked, the habitual and
progressive employ independent syntactic elements to mark aspect. In terms of syntax, I
show that these particles occur in the preverbal position immediately preceding the verb
phrase (VP). I also investigated the interaction between aspect and negation, showing that
the progressive aspectual marker bee and the negative progressive marker maa are not
compatible in Gonja. It is also established that the future aspectual marker beeŋ and the
negative future marker maaŋ are not compatible in Gonja. Again, the study shows that
the particle bee doubles as a progressive and habitual marker in Gonja. In addition, the
study investigates the particle maa and show that it can be used to code both negative
progressive and negative habitual in Gonja.
Description:
A Thesis in the Department of Gur-Gonja Education, Faculty of Ghanaian
Languages Education, Submitted to the School of Graduate Studies, in partial
fulfillment
of the requirements for the award of the degree of
Master of Philosophy
(Gonja)
in the University of Education, Winneba