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Ethnopoetic Analysis of the Dagbamba Song Riddles

Received: 17 April 2020     Accepted: 19 May 2020     Published: 8 June 2020
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Abstract

This paper discusses the song riddle (Tuya duɣibu) among the Dagbamba in the Northern Region of Ghana. Data for this study were taken from recordings of interviews as well as native speaker intuition and analyzed within the theoretical framework of Jacobson’s Ethnopoetic Theory. The paper shows that the Dagbamba song riddle has the antecedent and a response as its parts. I show in the paper that the Dagbamba song riddles have alliteration and pilling as a repetitive pattern. Again, the paper shows that the dominant ratio of the number of elements (elements pattern) employed in the Dagbamba song riddle performance of both the antecedents and the responses is 2:2. It is also shown in the paper that there is no syllabic equivalence in the Dagbamba song riddle, but short and open syllables are most prominently employed in both the song riddle antecedents and responses. Also shown in this paper is the opening formula. The song riddle is peculiar because, apart from it being sang as a song, it is also accompanied with gestures and dance during its enactment. As a relationship, the Dagbamba song riddle cautions the Dagbamba society against divorce didactically. The paper serves as a way of documenting the knowledge of literature and augmenting the existing knowledge of literature among the Dagbamba since modernity is seen as a threat to Dagbamba folklore.

Published in International Journal of Applied Linguistics and Translation (Volume 6, Issue 3)
DOI 10.11648/j.ijalt.20200603.11
Page(s) 59-67
Creative Commons

This is an Open Access article, distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/), which permits unrestricted use, distribution and reproduction in any medium or format, provided the original work is properly cited.

Copyright

Copyright © The Author(s), 2020. Published by Science Publishing Group

Keywords

Riddle, Ethnopoetic, Dagbamba and Antecedent

References
[1] Abubakari, H. (2017). Ideophones in Kusaal. Journal of West African Languages, vol. 44.1, 42-57.
[2] Agyekum, k. (2013). Introduction to Linguistics. Legon-Ghana: Adwinsa Publications (GH) Ltd.
[3] Atintono, A. S. and Nsoh, A. E. (2001). Asserting the Literariness of “Riddles”: The Case of Solengirisi of Farefare in Northern Ghana. In In Cahiers du CERLESHS. Actes du colloque inter-universitaire sur la coexistence des langues en Afrique de I’ Ouest. Ouagadougou du 26 au 28 septembre, 192-206.
[4] Awedoba, A. K. (2000). Social Roles of Riddles with Reference to Kasena Society. African e-Journals Project, 16 (2), 35-51.
[5] Bodomo, A. (1996). On Language and Development in Africa: The Case of Ghana. Nordic Journal of African Studies, 5 (2), 31–35.
[6] Dingemanse, M. (2012). Advances in the Cross-Linguistic Study of Ideophones. Language and Linguistics Compass, 6 (10), 654-672.
[7] Fenton, James (2003). The Strength of Poetry. Oxford University Press.
[8] Finnegan, R. (2012). Oral Literature in Africa. Cambridge: OpenBook Publishers. http://doi.org/10.2307/216450
[9] Gee, J. P. (1992). The Social Mind: Language, Ideology and Social Practice, Series in Language and Ideology, Macedo, D. (Ed.) New York: Bergin and Garvey.
[10] Harries, D. (1942). Some Riddles of the Makua People. African Studies. Vol: 1.
[11] Hymes, D. (1996) Ethnography, linguistics, narrative inequality: Toward an understanding of voice. London: Taylor & Francis.
[12] Jakobson, R. (1960). ‘Concluding Statement: Linguistics and Poetics’, in SEBEOK, T. A. (Ed.) Style and Language, Cambridge, MA: MIT Press, pp. 350–77.
[13] Manuel, E. A. (1962). Bagobo Riddles. Quezon City: University of the Philippines.
[14] Manyah, K. A. & Marfo, C. O. (2016). Dominant Voices and Sounds of Akan Proverbs and Riddles. Social Socience and Humanities Journal, 212-221.
[15] Maureen, W-L. (2004). Caribbean Verbal Art in African Folklore an Encyclopedia, Philip, M. P. and Yankah, K. (Ed). New York: Routledge.
[16] Nsoh, E. A., Fusheini, A - R. and Ababila, J. A. (2010). Aspects of Oral literature in Ghana: with illustrations from selected languages. Saarbrucken, Deutscland: LAMBERT Academic Publishing.
[17] Okpewho, I. (1992). African oral literature: Bacgground, character, and continuity. Bloomington and Idianapolis: University Indiana Press.
[18] Sanortey, T. (2012). The aesthestics of Kontomboor songs. Mphil Thesis: University of Education Winneba.
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  • APA Style

    Mohammed Abubakari Rashid. (2020). Ethnopoetic Analysis of the Dagbamba Song Riddles. International Journal of Applied Linguistics and Translation, 6(3), 59-67. https://doi.org/10.11648/j.ijalt.20200603.11

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    ACS Style

    Mohammed Abubakari Rashid. Ethnopoetic Analysis of the Dagbamba Song Riddles. Int. J. Appl. Linguist. Transl. 2020, 6(3), 59-67. doi: 10.11648/j.ijalt.20200603.11

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    AMA Style

    Mohammed Abubakari Rashid. Ethnopoetic Analysis of the Dagbamba Song Riddles. Int J Appl Linguist Transl. 2020;6(3):59-67. doi: 10.11648/j.ijalt.20200603.11

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  • @article{10.11648/j.ijalt.20200603.11,
      author = {Mohammed Abubakari Rashid},
      title = {Ethnopoetic Analysis of the Dagbamba Song Riddles},
      journal = {International Journal of Applied Linguistics and Translation},
      volume = {6},
      number = {3},
      pages = {59-67},
      doi = {10.11648/j.ijalt.20200603.11},
      url = {https://doi.org/10.11648/j.ijalt.20200603.11},
      eprint = {https://article.sciencepublishinggroup.com/pdf/10.11648.j.ijalt.20200603.11},
      abstract = {This paper discusses the song riddle (Tuya duɣibu) among the Dagbamba in the Northern Region of Ghana. Data for this study were taken from recordings of interviews as well as native speaker intuition and analyzed within the theoretical framework of Jacobson’s Ethnopoetic Theory. The paper shows that the Dagbamba song riddle has the antecedent and a response as its parts. I show in the paper that the Dagbamba song riddles have alliteration and pilling as a repetitive pattern. Again, the paper shows that the dominant ratio of the number of elements (elements pattern) employed in the Dagbamba song riddle performance of both the antecedents and the responses is 2:2. It is also shown in the paper that there is no syllabic equivalence in the Dagbamba song riddle, but short and open syllables are most prominently employed in both the song riddle antecedents and responses. Also shown in this paper is the opening formula. The song riddle is peculiar because, apart from it being sang as a song, it is also accompanied with gestures and dance during its enactment. As a relationship, the Dagbamba song riddle cautions the Dagbamba society against divorce didactically. The paper serves as a way of documenting the knowledge of literature and augmenting the existing knowledge of literature among the Dagbamba since modernity is seen as a threat to Dagbamba folklore.},
     year = {2020}
    }
    

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  • TY  - JOUR
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    JF  - International Journal of Applied Linguistics and Translation
    JO  - International Journal of Applied Linguistics and Translation
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    AB  - This paper discusses the song riddle (Tuya duɣibu) among the Dagbamba in the Northern Region of Ghana. Data for this study were taken from recordings of interviews as well as native speaker intuition and analyzed within the theoretical framework of Jacobson’s Ethnopoetic Theory. The paper shows that the Dagbamba song riddle has the antecedent and a response as its parts. I show in the paper that the Dagbamba song riddles have alliteration and pilling as a repetitive pattern. Again, the paper shows that the dominant ratio of the number of elements (elements pattern) employed in the Dagbamba song riddle performance of both the antecedents and the responses is 2:2. It is also shown in the paper that there is no syllabic equivalence in the Dagbamba song riddle, but short and open syllables are most prominently employed in both the song riddle antecedents and responses. Also shown in this paper is the opening formula. The song riddle is peculiar because, apart from it being sang as a song, it is also accompanied with gestures and dance during its enactment. As a relationship, the Dagbamba song riddle cautions the Dagbamba society against divorce didactically. The paper serves as a way of documenting the knowledge of literature and augmenting the existing knowledge of literature among the Dagbamba since modernity is seen as a threat to Dagbamba folklore.
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Author Information
  • Languages Department, E. P. College of Education, Bimbilla, Ghana

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