Nominal classification in Mabia languages of West Africa

The literature on the nominal classification system of Mabia languages reveals a consistent pattern where nominals are often classified based on their morphology, phonology and semantics. What has not received mention is the role of ethnolinguistics and linguistic anthropology in the classification...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Language sciences (Oxford) 2023-01, Vol.95, p.101514, Article 101514
Main Authors: Abubakari, Hasiyatu, Issah, Samuel Alhassan
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Anthropological linguistics
Classification
Count/Mass distinction
Dagbani language
Ethnolinguistics
Gur languages
Language classification
Linguistic anthropology
Mabia languages
Morphology
Morphophonology
Morphosemantics
Nominal classification
Nouns
Phonology
Pragmatics
Semantics
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Summary:The literature on the nominal classification system of Mabia languages reveals a consistent pattern where nominals are often classified based on their morphology, phonology and semantics. What has not received mention is the role of ethnolinguistics and linguistic anthropology in the classification of nominals in these languages. This study offers a comparative analysis of the nominal class systems of three Mabia languages: Dagbani, Kusaal and Mampruli. The main purpose is to examine the role of semantics from the angles of both ethnolinguistics and linguistic anthropology in the nominal classification system of these languages. The hypothesis is that the morphophonology of nominal classes in these languages is triggered by a shared semantic network and pragmatic association of member elements influenced by the beliefs, traditions and world views of speakers of these languages. The sameness or near sameness of beliefs, and world views of these people explains the observation of identical items from all the languages in specific groups. Nouns in the various categories behave the same morphologically, phonologically and semantically. Nouns are classified under 5 concepts: Human-beings and kin relationship, spirituality, protection, shape and Non-count nouns. This work is entirely qualitative. •Nominal classification in Mabia Languages is a window to the ideologies of speakers of these languages.•Nominals are classified based on semantic networks and pragmatic associations of member elements.•Human beings and kin relationships, spirituality, protections, shape among others form nominal classes in Mabia languages.
ISSN:0388-0001
1873-5746
DOI:10.1016/j.langsci.2022.101514