| Peer-Reviewed

Accentuation: A Key Factor of Native Languages in African Philosophy

Received: 12 August 2021     Accepted: 30 August 2021     Published: 13 September 2021
Views:       Downloads:
Abstract

The pattern of the pronunciation of words in any part of the world depends on the people’s accent. In native languages, what gives a word its meaning is largely dependent on how the word is pronounced. For instance, ‘akwha’ could mean up to three different things in Etche language and the only way to identify the particular meaning of the use of the word at any point is the accentuation. Thus, accentuation plays a very vital role in the meaning of words in native languages. The absence of accents in words most times leaves such words ambiguous, and sometimes they are used out of context. Accentuation therefore, is very important in the language game of words and their meanings in native Africa. Words are accentuated with marks called diacritical marks. These marks are fixed based on the tone of the word and the tone in turn determine the pronunciation and meaning of the word. Using Etche as a place of reference, this research work therefore seeks to unravel the role of accents in native languages in philosophy. It will use the analytical method of inquiry as it intends to analyze the effects of accentuation in the meaning of words in African languages. This is a fresh area in the field of African philosophy and therefore, the most common challenge encountered as it is also the case with many other researches in African philosophy, is lack of sufficient materials on the topic under research. It also does not in any way pretend to be a close investigation, rather it is open to criticisms, reviews and additions, especially in the context other languages or dialects.

Published in International Journal of Philosophy (Volume 9, Issue 3)
DOI 10.11648/j.ijp.20210903.19
Page(s) 178-181
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), 2021. Published by Science Publishing Group

Keywords

Accentuation, Factor, Native, Language, Africa, Philosophy

References
[1] Ndimele, O. (2005). A Concise Grammer & Lexicon of Echie. Aba. National Institute for Nigerian Languages, p. 26.
[2] Wikipedia (Retrieved 9th July, 2021). Language Game Philosophy. https://en.m.wikipedia.org, p. 1.
[3] Oxford Language Dictionary (Retrieved) July, 2021). Accentuation. https://www.google.com, p. 1.
[4] BBC English Dictionary (1992). Accentuation. London: Harpercollins Publishers Ltd, p. 6.
[5] Cambridge Dictionary (Retrieved 9th July, 2021). “Accentuation”. dictionary.cambridge.org, p. 1.
[6] Singh, S. (March 25, 2015 retrieved 9th July, 2021). Importance of Punctuation Marks. https://www.linkedin.com, p. 1.
[7] Authors LC. (2001. Retrieved 9th July, 2021). Punctuation Marks. In Language Connection. Punctuations, Compete Now Edition. https://www.languageconnection.com, p. 2, 3.
[8] Wolf, M. P. (2006. Retrieved 13th July, 2021). “Philosophy of Language” in Internet Encyclopedia of Philosophy. ISSN 2161002. https://iep.utm.edu, p. 3, 14.
[9] Wittgenstein, L. (1977). Philosophical Investigations. Oxford: Blackwell, p. 43, 123, 161.
[10] Omoregbe, J. (1999). A Simplified History of Western Philosophy, Vol. 3: Comptemporary Philosophy. Lagos: Joja Educational Research and Publishers Ltd, p. 121, 122.
[11] Eklundh, K. S. (1983). The Nation of Language Game – A Natural Unit of Dialogue and Discourse. Sweden: University of Linkoping Studies in Communication, p. 3.
[12] Stumpf, E. S. (1994). Philosophy: History and Problems, 5th edition. U.S.A: MacGraw Hill, Inc, p. 404.
Cite This Article
  • APA Style

    John Justice Nwankwo. (2021). Accentuation: A Key Factor of Native Languages in African Philosophy. International Journal of Philosophy, 9(3), 178-181. https://doi.org/10.11648/j.ijp.20210903.19

    Copy | Download

    ACS Style

    John Justice Nwankwo. Accentuation: A Key Factor of Native Languages in African Philosophy. Int. J. Philos. 2021, 9(3), 178-181. doi: 10.11648/j.ijp.20210903.19

    Copy | Download

    AMA Style

    John Justice Nwankwo. Accentuation: A Key Factor of Native Languages in African Philosophy. Int J Philos. 2021;9(3):178-181. doi: 10.11648/j.ijp.20210903.19

    Copy | Download

  • @article{10.11648/j.ijp.20210903.19,
      author = {John Justice Nwankwo},
      title = {Accentuation: A Key Factor of Native Languages in African Philosophy},
      journal = {International Journal of Philosophy},
      volume = {9},
      number = {3},
      pages = {178-181},
      doi = {10.11648/j.ijp.20210903.19},
      url = {https://doi.org/10.11648/j.ijp.20210903.19},
      eprint = {https://article.sciencepublishinggroup.com/pdf/10.11648.j.ijp.20210903.19},
      abstract = {The pattern of the pronunciation of words in any part of the world depends on the people’s accent. In native languages, what gives a word its meaning is largely dependent on how the word is pronounced. For instance, ‘akwha’ could mean up to three different things in Etche language and the only way to identify the particular meaning of the use of the word at any point is the accentuation. Thus, accentuation plays a very vital role in the meaning of words in native languages. The absence of accents in words most times leaves such words ambiguous, and sometimes they are used out of context. Accentuation therefore, is very important in the language game of words and their meanings in native Africa. Words are accentuated with marks called diacritical marks. These marks are fixed based on the tone of the word and the tone in turn determine the pronunciation and meaning of the word. Using Etche as a place of reference, this research work therefore seeks to unravel the role of accents in native languages in philosophy. It will use the analytical method of inquiry as it intends to analyze the effects of accentuation in the meaning of words in African languages. This is a fresh area in the field of African philosophy and therefore, the most common challenge encountered as it is also the case with many other researches in African philosophy, is lack of sufficient materials on the topic under research. It also does not in any way pretend to be a close investigation, rather it is open to criticisms, reviews and additions, especially in the context other languages or dialects.},
     year = {2021}
    }
    

    Copy | Download

  • TY  - JOUR
    T1  - Accentuation: A Key Factor of Native Languages in African Philosophy
    AU  - John Justice Nwankwo
    Y1  - 2021/09/13
    PY  - 2021
    N1  - https://doi.org/10.11648/j.ijp.20210903.19
    DO  - 10.11648/j.ijp.20210903.19
    T2  - International Journal of Philosophy
    JF  - International Journal of Philosophy
    JO  - International Journal of Philosophy
    SP  - 178
    EP  - 181
    PB  - Science Publishing Group
    SN  - 2330-7455
    UR  - https://doi.org/10.11648/j.ijp.20210903.19
    AB  - The pattern of the pronunciation of words in any part of the world depends on the people’s accent. In native languages, what gives a word its meaning is largely dependent on how the word is pronounced. For instance, ‘akwha’ could mean up to three different things in Etche language and the only way to identify the particular meaning of the use of the word at any point is the accentuation. Thus, accentuation plays a very vital role in the meaning of words in native languages. The absence of accents in words most times leaves such words ambiguous, and sometimes they are used out of context. Accentuation therefore, is very important in the language game of words and their meanings in native Africa. Words are accentuated with marks called diacritical marks. These marks are fixed based on the tone of the word and the tone in turn determine the pronunciation and meaning of the word. Using Etche as a place of reference, this research work therefore seeks to unravel the role of accents in native languages in philosophy. It will use the analytical method of inquiry as it intends to analyze the effects of accentuation in the meaning of words in African languages. This is a fresh area in the field of African philosophy and therefore, the most common challenge encountered as it is also the case with many other researches in African philosophy, is lack of sufficient materials on the topic under research. It also does not in any way pretend to be a close investigation, rather it is open to criticisms, reviews and additions, especially in the context other languages or dialects.
    VL  - 9
    IS  - 3
    ER  - 

    Copy | Download

Author Information
  • Department of Philosophy, Faculty of Humanities, Rivers State University, Port Harcourt, Nigeria

  • Sections