ABSTRACT
Marriage is a universal cultural practice. However, its enactment is culture specific. Among the Akans, the customary marriage is one important aspect of its culture which is celebrated to establish a lasting union between married couples. Since language and culture are highly interwoven, the importance of language in the contract of Akan customary marriage cannot be over-emphasized. This study does a linguistic analysis of the language of Akan customary marriage, focusing on how language is used to express the culture of the people. The study is essentially based on primary data recorded from selected Akan customary marriage ceremonies. The study examines how language is used as a tool in the expression of concepts such as negotiation, persuasion, conflict resolution and linguistic etiquettes; which are all crucial to the marriage contract. The stylistic devices in the language are also explored. The study reveals that the embellishment of the language of the spokespersons with the use of such stylistic devices as metaphors, proverbs and humor is highly appreciated. Again, adept linguistic skills are required for negotiations, conflict resolutions and the expression of linguistic etiquettes such as thanking, greetings and requests. The effective use of language in these situations ensures a smooth and peaceful marriage contract. Using Fairclough’s (1995) model of Critical Discourse Analysis, the study reveals a strong interrelation between the text, discourse practice and socio-cultural practice. Thus, both speakers and audience must draw on a common socio-cultural knowledge in the production and interpretation of texts for effective understanding.
TABLE OF CONTENTS
DECLARATION…………………………………………………………………………………….. i
DEDICATION……………………………………………………………………………………….. ii
ACKNOWLEDGEMENT………………………………………………………………………. iii
ABSTRACT…………………………………………………………………………………………… v
TABLE OF CONTENTS………………………………………………………………………… vi
LIST OF TABLES………………………………………………………………………………….. x
LIST OF FIGURES……………………………………………………………………………….. xi
CHAPTER ONE…………………………………………………………………………………….. 1
GENERAL INTRODUCTION………………………………………………………………… 1
CHAPTER TWO…………………………………………………………………………………….. 9
LITERATURE REVIEW, THEORETICAL FRAMEWORK AND METHODOLOGY 9
- Introduction………………………………………………………………………………….. 9
CHAPTER THREE……………………………………………………………………………….. 45
NEGOTIATION, CONFLICT RESOLUTION AND LINGUISTIC ETIQUETTES IN AKAN CUSTOMARY MARRIAGE……………………………………………………… 45
CHAPTER FOUR…………………………………………………………………………………. 83
STYLISTIC ANALYSIS OF THE LANGUAGE OF AKAN CUSTOMARY MARRIAGE……………………………………………………………………………………………………………. 83
- Introduction………………………………………………………………………………… 83
CHAPTER FIVE…………………………………………………………………………………. 112
CONCLUSION…………………………………………………………………………………… 112
APPENDIX 1: UNSTRUCTURED INTERVIEW GUIDE……………………… 118
APPENDIX 2: CEREMONIES…………………………………………………………….. 119
REFERENCES……………………………………………………………………………………. 128
LIST OF TABLES
Table 1: Language situation in Accra………………………………………………………… 47
LIST OF FIGURES
Figure 1: A framework of critical discourse analysis of a communicative event..39
CHAPTER ONE GENERAL INTRODUCTION
Background to the Study
The Akans, as the largest ethnic group in Ghana, have various traditional and customary practices which make them unique from other ethnic groups in the country (Agyekum 2006a). One important aspect of such practices is the customary marriage, which is one of the most cherished and celebrated rites of passage in the culture of the Akans. It is the institutionalization of a complementary relationship between a male and a female.
The concept of marriage is a universal phenomenon which occurs in most cultures of the world, and this is reflected in the large body of literature on the topic by researchers from all walks of life. Marriage is seen as a special ritual, that is, a rite of passage that culturally marks a person’s transition from one life stage to another and redefines social and personal identity (Nelson and Otnes 2005). As a social and cultural institution, marriage, in Acheampong’s (2010:7) view “is shaped by cultural norms and practice which tend to influence people’s attitude towards it”. From a general perspective, marriage accords the individual a new social personality and membership in groups.
According to Nukunya (2003:41), “marriage is the recognised traditional and religious institution for the establishment and maintenance of family life all over the world”. Following these perceptions of marriage, it is established that marriage is an institution which is governed by social, cultural and religious norms of practices. However, these norms of practices are highly culture specific as is the case with most customary practices.
In many African societies, marriage is seen as a unifying tool that unites families and even communities. This notion is confirmed by Agyekum (2012) who sees marriage among the Akans as a union between the two families involved. According to him, marriage in the Akan tradition goes beyond a union between a man and a woman. It also includes a permanent union between the families of these people. This means that although marriage as an institution happens between a man and a woman, the families as well as the community at large play an influential role in its establishment and sustenance.
Omobola (2013:139) also posits that “in Yoruba culture, marriage is not the sole responsibility of the couple but that of the communities because it is the joining of two or more families”. However, this is in sharp contrast to what pertains in most western cultures where marriage is solely an issue between a husband and a wife. That is, in western cultures, the primary motive of marriage is to promote intimacy between husband and wife (Skolnick 2006).
Gesinde (2010) and Boomie (2010) note that the customary marriage, usually referred to as “Engagement” or “Traditional wedding” still remains an important aspect of the wedding ceremony among the Yurobas of Nigeria. This is so because, traditionally, that is what the society recognizes as marriage between a man and a woman. This also buttresses the fact that even in recent times where most customary practices have lost their value due to civilization, education, religion and modernity, the customary marriage is still seen as an important ritual in most societies.
In line with the Akan perception of marriage as an important aspect of their socio-cultural life, they have proverbs and other elaborate expressions relating to
the concept. These proverbs and expressions deal with language use and they “confirm the philosophical notion in language that any aspect of life, which is important to a community, is well elaborated and coded” (Agyekum 2012:1). It is also argued that every language has a particular form or register relating to different areas of their cultural concepts such as marriage.
As posited by Agyekum (2012:3), language is an important aspect of a people’s culture and as such, the two are highly interrelated. Language use is thus crucial in marriage ceremonies all over the world. Like many other speech events, language plays a vital role in the contract of customary marriages across cultures; and this research seeks to do a linguistic and stylistic analysis of the language use in the contract of customary marriage among Akans.
Ethnolinguistic Background of Akans
Akan belongs to the Kwa sub-group of the Niger-Congo language family spoken in West Africa. It is spoken mainly in the Southern part of Ghana and also in the Central and Eastern parts of Cote d’Ivoire. Out of the ten regions in Ghana, Akan is spoken as a native language in six of them, including Ashanti, Eastern, Western, Central, Brong Ahafo and Volta regions. From the Ghana national population census conducted in 2010, about 47.5% of the Ghanaian population is Akans while 44% speak the language as non-native speakers.
As noted by Agyekum (2006a), the Akan language consists of many dialects which are mutually intelligible; they are Akuapem, Akwamu, Asante, Akyem, Fante, Kwahu, Bono, Agona, Assin, Denkyira, Twifo, Wassaw and Buem.
However, only three of these; Asante, Akuapem and Fante have been developed into literary status and these are taught from the primary school to the university.
Statement of the Problem
The Akan customary marriage contract is one area where terms of negotiations, the use of persuasive language and the enactment of linguistic etiquettes such as greetings, requests, honorifics and thanking are greatly employed in conformity to the cultural norms of the people. These goals cannot be achieved without proper and effective use of language.
Again, just as social and cultural practices undergo change from time to time; one can see a kind of linguistic change that involves the use of language with regard to the contract of customary marriages among the Akans. This is portrayed by a developing trend in recent times where families of the bride and groom engage the services of professional spokespersons, rather than using members from their respective families in the contract of customary marriages.
This research investigates what linguistic features in the language of these spokespersons that make people engage their services.
Furthermore, there are a number of works on marriage in general, which include Van der Vliet (1991), McKinney (1992), and Smith (2001); and on customary marriage in particular, among Ghanaians. There are also works on language use in other linguistic domains or discourses such as funerals, churches, among others. For instance, Agyekum (2008a) does a linguistic analysis of the language of nsawa ‘funeral donations’ among the Akans.
However, to the best of my knowledge, no work has been done on the language used in the contract of customary marriage among Akans. This research therefore seeks to fill that gap in the literature by doing a linguistic analysis of the language of customary marriage among Akans, focusing on how it reflects the culture of the people.
Research Questions
This study will attempt to answer specific questions such as;
- What are the major features of the language of marriage ceremony?
- What stylistic devices are found in the language of Akan customary marriage?
- What role(s) does language play in the marriage ceremony?
- What are the contemporary trends in Akan customary marriages?
Objectives of the Study
The general objective of the study is to do a linguistic and stylistic analysis of the discourse of customary marriage among Akans. The specific objectives include;
- To determine the predominant feature(s) of the language of customary marriage.
- To identify the stylistic devices in the language of customary marriage.
- To identify the specific functions of language in the contract of the marriage.
- To establish the contemporary trend in Akan customary marriage ceremonies.
Significance of the Study
Although there is a large body of literature on various aspects of the customary marriage among Akans and Ghanaians in general, the review of literature in this study reveals that not much research has been done on language use in this regard. Since language is an important tool to measure the culture and ideologies of a people, it becomes an indispensable aspect of the enactment of any customary ceremony like the customary marriage (Agyekum 2012:3). Thus, more effort in the study of language use in such customary practices like marriage will enhance our understanding of those practices. It will also highlight the crucial role language plays in such practices.
The study will also serve as reference document for future research in related fields of study.
