ASPECTS OF TÙTRÙGBÙ (NYAGBO) PHONOLOGY

TABLE OF CONTENTS

Page

Declaration                                                                                          i

Dedication                                                                                           ii

Acknowledgements                                                                            iii

Table of Contents                                                                               iv

Abstract                                                                                              x

List of Abbreviations                                                                          xi

Map of GTM Languages showing Tùtrùgbù                                      xiv

CHAPTER ONE:       GENERAL INTRODUCTION

1. Introduction                                                                                        1
   1. Tùtrùgbù and Its Speakers                                                                  1
      1. The Migration Story                                                    3
      1. Religious and Socio-Economic Life of the People     5
      1. Domains and Use of the Language                            6
   1. Statement of the Problem                                                                         7
   1. Research Objectives                                                                                  9
   1. Research Questions                                                                                   9
   1. Significance of the Study                                                                         10
   1. Scope of the Study                                                                                   10
   1. Organization of the Study                                                                        11
   1. Research Methodology                                                                             12
      1. Research Area                                                                         12
      1. Sample Size of the Research Population                                12
      1. Data Collection Instruments                                                   13
         1. Conversations                                                             14
         1. Unstructured Interview                                              14
         1. Content Analysis                                                        15
      1. Data Collection Procedures                                                    15
   1. Conclusion                                                                                          16

CHAPTER TWO:       LITERATURE REVIEW AND THEORETICAL

FRAMEWORK

1. Introduction                                                                                        18
   1. Literature Review                                                                               18
   1. Theoretical Framework                                                                       26
      1. The Autosegmental Theory                                                     26
      1. The Mora Theory                                                                    27
   1. Conclusion                                                                                          28

CHAPTER THREE: SOUND INVENTORY, SYLLABLE AND TONE

3.1       Introduction                                                                                        30

• Sounds of the Language                                                                     30
  • The Consonant Sounds                                                                       30
    • The Stops                                                                                31
    • The Fricatives                                                                          32
    • The Affricates                                                                         33
    • The Nasal Consonant Sounds                                                 34
    • The Retroflex                                                                          35
    • The Liquids                                                                             35
    • The Approximants                                                                  35
    • Complex Consonant Segments                                               36
  • The Vowel Sounds                                                                             38
    • The Oral Vowel Sounds                                                         39
    • The Nasal Vowel Sounds                                                       42
    • Vowel Sequence                                                                     43
  • The Syllable                                                                                        45
  • The Syllable Types                                                                              45
    • The V Syllable Type                                                               46
    • The VC Syllable Type                                                             48
    • The CV Syllable Type                                                             50
    • The CCV Syllable Type                                                          52
    • The CVN Syllable Type                                                          54
    • The CVV Syllable Type                                                          55
  • Tone                                                                                                    65
  • Tone Bearing Units                                                                             66
  • The Tone Inventory                                                                            68
  • Functions of Tone                                                                               71
    • Lexical Functions of Tone                                                      72
    • Grammatical Functions of Tone                                             75
      • Tense and Aspect                                                        75
      • Conditional Clause Marking                                       77
  • Tone Behaviours                                                                                 78
  • Gliding Pitches                                                                                   81
  • Tone Processes                                                                                    81
    • Down Stepping                                                                       82
    • Automatic down stepping                                                      82
  • Tone Copying                                                                                     83
  • Tone Polarity                                                                                       84
  • Low Tone Spreading                                                                          85
  • Complex Tone Simplification                                                             86
  • Tone Dumping                                                                                    88

3.5.0    Conclusion                                                                                          89

CHAPTER FOUR:	ATR HARMONY, LOANWORDS AND OTHER PROCESSES
4.1	Introduction	91
4.1.1	The ATR Vowel Harmony	91
4.1.2	Words With [+ATR] Vowels	93
4.1.3	Words with [-ATR] Vowels	95
4.1.4	Words with [+ATR] and [-ATR] Mixed Vowels	96
4.1.5	/a/ Words with [+ATR] Vowels	98
4.1.6	Harmony at Phrase and Sentence Levels	98
4.1.7	Harmonizing Affixes	100
4.1.8	Harmonizing Article	110
4.2.0	Loanwords Phonology	112
4.2.1	Sources of Loanwords	113
4.2.2	Some Identifiable Loanwords	113
4.2.3	Accommodation Strategies	117
	4.2.3.1 Change of Tone	113
	4.2.3.2 Class Marking in Noun Class Languages	119
	4.2.3.3 Change of Phonation	120
	4.2.3.4 Deletion to Rationalize Syllable Structure	121
4.3.0	Other Phonological Processes	124
	4.3.1    Rhotacization and Retroflection	125
	4.3.2    Deletion at Clause Level	125
	4.3.3    Labialization and Glide Formation	127
	4.3.4    Nasalization	129

4.4.0    Conclusion                                                                                          130

CHAPTER FIVE:      SUMMARY OF FINDINGS, RECOMMENDATIONS AND CONCLUSIONS

1. Introduction                                                                                        132
   1. Summary of Findings                                                                          133
   1. Contributions of the Study                                                                 136
   1. Recommendations                                                                              137
   1. Conclusions                                                                                         138

References                                                                                          139

Appendix        A                                                                                 146

Appendix        B                                                                                 147

Appendix        C                                                                                 158

Appendix        D                                                                                 163

Appendix        E                                                                                  166

ABSTRACT

This thesis presents aspects of the Phonology of Tùtrùgbù. The main focus of the study is the Syllable Structure, Tone, ATR Vowel harmony, and Loanword Phonology. The people of Nyagbo are called Bàtùgbù while the language is called Tùtrùgbù. Tùtrùgbù is

one of the fourteen (14) languages classified as Ghana-Togo Mountain (GTM) languages of the Kwa family. Nyagbo communities are located in the new Afadzato West District of the Volta Region. From the Ghana ethnologue (2010), Tùtrùgbù has a population of 4405

speakers out of which 2176 live in diaspora. Nyagbo shares borders with other GTM Languages like Tafi and Logba in the North and Avatime on the East. The objective of this research is to study the phonology of the language under the themes indicated above.

The  significance  of  this  study  is  that,  data  from  Tùtrùgbù  would  be  used  for cross

linguistic study in relation to other world languages. Data for the study was collected through recording, use of picture stories and direct elicitation of structures with assistance from native speaker informants. The Theoretical Frameworks adopted for this study are the Autosegmental Theory (Goldsmith, 1976) and the Mora Theory. This thesis has demonstrated, among other things, how tone is used to express tense and aspect in the language. It has also shown that, vowels are in harmonious relationship and that foreign words are borrowed into the language through noun class marking, change of tone, change of phonation, deletion of some segments and epenthesis.

List of Abbreviations

1. –           1^st person pronoun

• –           2^nd person pronoun

• –           3^rd person pronoun

ADJ                 –           Adjective

ADV               –           Adverb

AT                   –           Autosegmental Theory

AUX               –           Auxiliary

CM                  –           Noun Class Marker

COMP             –           Complementizer COMPL    –                        Completive tense marker CONN     –                        Connective

DET                –           Definite Determiner

EMPH             –           Emphasizer

FOC                –           Focus marker

FUT                 –           Future marker

HAB               –           Habitual tense INDEF                        –           Indefinite article

INT                 –           Intensifier

LOC                –           Locative adverb

LOG                –           Logophoric Pronoun

NEG                –           Negative marker

OBJ                 –           Objective form

PART              –           Particle

PST                 –           Past tense

PL                   –           Plural Marker

POSS              –           Possessive Pronoun POST.MOD    –           Post modifier

POT                 –           Potential Marker PRE.MOD      –           Premodifier PREP    –                        Preposition

PROG             –           Progressive form

Q                     –           Question marker

SG                   –           Singular Marker

SUBJ               –           Subject form

SM                  –           System Marker

TBU                –           Tone Bearing Units

TP                    –           Topicalizer

TRPS               –           Topological Relations Picture Series UNDP                        –           United Nations Development Programme

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