Underapplication in an Akan language game
This paper discusses the phenomenon of underapplication of palatalization in a Pig Latin game in Akan, a Niger-Congo (Kwa) language. Akan Pig Latin (henceforth APL), which is popularly known in Akan as Megesege, is a language game played usually by Akan youth. The game is played by appending the ve...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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Nordic Africa Research Network
2019-05-01
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| Series: | Nordic Journal of African Studies |
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| Online Access: | https://www.njas.fi/njas/article/view/398 |
| _version_ | 1797698559479382016 |
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| author | Kwasi Adomako |
| author_facet | Kwasi Adomako |
| author_sort | Kwasi Adomako |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description |
This paper discusses the phenomenon of underapplication of palatalization in a Pig Latin game in Akan, a Niger-Congo (Kwa) language. Akan Pig Latin (henceforth APL), which is popularly known in Akan as Megesege, is a language game played usually by Akan youth. The game is played by appending the velar consonant /ɡ/ to the right of every vowel in the input word or phrase and then copying the vowel of the base syllable to form a CV structure. Whenever the base syllable contains /i, ɪ, e/ or /ɛ/, the manipulation performed by the game creates a palatalizing environment, in which a velar segment is followed by a front vowel. In regular Akan phonology, such sequences tend to undergo the process of palatalization. This paper provides evidence to show that in the forms produced by APL, palatalization fails to apply in the expected contexts. The underapplication of palatalization is accounted for within the framework of Optimality Theory. It is argued that the process is blocked by a high-ranking OCP constraint that bans adjacent [Coronal] segments in neighboring syllables.
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License.
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| first_indexed | 2024-03-12T03:56:00Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-a89306f4bf6e4b61b66c915b87d48a7e |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 1459-9465 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-03-12T03:56:00Z |
| publishDate | 2019-05-01 |
| publisher | Nordic Africa Research Network |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Nordic Journal of African Studies |
| spelling | doaj.art-a89306f4bf6e4b61b66c915b87d48a7e2023-09-03T11:54:49ZengNordic Africa Research NetworkNordic Journal of African Studies1459-94652019-05-0127410.53228/njas.v27i4.398Underapplication in an Akan language gameKwasi Adomako0Department of Akan-Nzema Education, College of Languages Education, University of Education, Winneba This paper discusses the phenomenon of underapplication of palatalization in a Pig Latin game in Akan, a Niger-Congo (Kwa) language. Akan Pig Latin (henceforth APL), which is popularly known in Akan as Megesege, is a language game played usually by Akan youth. The game is played by appending the velar consonant /ɡ/ to the right of every vowel in the input word or phrase and then copying the vowel of the base syllable to form a CV structure. Whenever the base syllable contains /i, ɪ, e/ or /ɛ/, the manipulation performed by the game creates a palatalizing environment, in which a velar segment is followed by a front vowel. In regular Akan phonology, such sequences tend to undergo the process of palatalization. This paper provides evidence to show that in the forms produced by APL, palatalization fails to apply in the expected contexts. The underapplication of palatalization is accounted for within the framework of Optimality Theory. It is argued that the process is blocked by a high-ranking OCP constraint that bans adjacent [Coronal] segments in neighboring syllables. This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License. https://www.njas.fi/njas/article/view/398UnderapplicationAkan Pig LatinOTpalatalizationlanguage game |
| spellingShingle | Kwasi Adomako Underapplication in an Akan language game Nordic Journal of African Studies Underapplication Akan Pig Latin OT palatalization language game |
| title | Underapplication in an Akan language game |
| title_full | Underapplication in an Akan language game |
| title_fullStr | Underapplication in an Akan language game |
| title_full_unstemmed | Underapplication in an Akan language game |
| title_short | Underapplication in an Akan language game |
| title_sort | underapplication in an akan language game |
| topic | Underapplication Akan Pig Latin OT palatalization language game |
| url | https://www.njas.fi/njas/article/view/398 |
| work_keys_str_mv | AT kwasiadomako underapplicationinanakanlanguagegame |