Analysis of Performative Language Use at the Nzema Taditional Courts in Ghana

Analysis of Performative Language Use at the Nzema Taditional Courts in Ghana
Author: Seth Nretia Essien
Publisher: GRIN Verlag
Total Pages: 204
Release: 2023-09-01
Genre: History
ISBN: 3346932699

Master's Thesis from the year 2023 in the subject African Studies - Linguistics, , language: English, abstract: This thesis examines language use in the Nzema Traditional courts. It specifically identifies performative use of Nzema language using the Speech Act and the Discourse Analyses theory to analyse ten texts, which were recorded from various Chief Palaces in Elembele and Jomoro Districts. Having transcribed the text into written form and translated into English, the researcher applies two theories for the analyses and the findings obtained indicate that many people lack the concept of performative expressions of language, in which utterances constitute acts or doings. These usually put them into trouble among themselves, during which the case is settled at the traditional courts. Among such performative use of language that bring litigations are the most common ones such as; cursing a fellow, threatening, accusing someone, making false allegation. The study finally recommends that society should be educated by the elders on the implications of such uses of language so that members of the society become aware and avoid them.

American Juries

American Juries
Author: Neil Vidmar
Publisher: Prometheus Books
Total Pages: 428
Release: 2009-09-25
Genre: Law
ISBN: 1615929878

This monumental and comprehensive volume reviews more than 50 years of empirical research on civil and criminal juries and returns a verdict that strongly supports the jury system.

World Jury Systems

World Jury Systems
Author: Neil Vidmar
Publisher: Oxford University Press on Demand
Total Pages: 464
Release: 2000-01-01
Genre: Law
ISBN: 9780198298564

This unique volume on modern jury systems presents in-depth coverage of juries in Australia, England, Canada, New Zealand, the Republic of Ireland and Northern Ireland, Scotland and the United States. Coverage involves civil as well as criminal juries. The book has enormous value for students of comparative law and for practitioners and policy makers who are concerned about issues such as free press versus fair trial', pretrial prejudice, racial or ethnic bias, and complex evidence.

The Cambridge Handbook of African Linguistics

The Cambridge Handbook of African Linguistics
Author: H. Ekkehard Wolff
Publisher: Cambridge University Press
Total Pages: 0
Release: 2019-05-16
Genre: Foreign Language Study
ISBN: 9781108417983

This book provides an in-depth and comprehensive state-of-the-art study of 'African languages' and 'language in Africa' since its beginnings as a 'colonial science' at the turn of the twentieth century in Europe. Compiled by 56 internationally renowned scholars, this ground breaking study looks at past and current research on 'African languages' and 'language in Africa' under the impact of paradigmatic changes from 'colonial' to 'postcolonial' perspectives. It addresses current trends in the study of the role and functions of language, African and other, in pre- and postcolonial African societies. Highlighting the central role that the 'language factor' plays in postcolonial transformation processes of sociocultural modernization and economic development, it also addresses more recent, particularly urban, patterns of communication, and outlines applied dimensions of digitalization and human language technology.

Staging Ghana

Staging Ghana
Author: Paul Schauert
Publisher: Indiana University Press
Total Pages: 364
Release: 2015-09-07
Genre: Performing Arts
ISBN: 0253017491

The Ghana Dance Ensemble takes Ghana's national culture and interprets it in performance using authentic dance forms adapted for local or foreign audiences. Often, says Paul Schauert, the aims of the ensemble and the aims of the individual performers work in opposition. Schauert discusses the history of the dance troupe and its role in Ghana's post-independence nation-building strategy and illustrates how the nation's culture makes its way onto the stage. He argues that as dancers negotiate the terrain of what is or is not authentic, they also find ways to express their personal aspirations, discovering, within the framework of nationalism or collective identity, that there is considerable room to reform national ideals through individual virtuosity.

Boy-Wives and Female Husbands

Boy-Wives and Female Husbands
Author: Stephen O. Murray
Publisher: State University of New York Press
Total Pages: 283
Release: 2021-04-01
Genre: Social Science
ISBN: 1438484119

Among the many myths created about Africa, the claim that homosexuality and gender diversity are absent or incidental is one of the oldest and most enduring. Historians, anthropologists, and many contemporary Africans alike have denied or overlooked African same-sex patterns or claimed that such patterns were introduced by Europeans or Arabs. In fact, same-sex love and nonbinary genders were and are widespread in Africa. Boy-Wives and Female Husbands documents the presence of this diversity in some fifty societies in every region of the continent south of the Sahara. Essays by scholars from a variety of disciplines explore institutionalized marriages between women, same-sex relations between men and boys in colonial work settings, mixed gender roles in east and west Africa, and the emergence of LGBTQ activism in South Africa, which became the first nation in the world to constitutionally ban discrimination based on sexual orientation. Also included are oral histories, folklore, and translations of early ethnographic reports by German and French observers. Boy-Wives and Female Husbands was the first serious study of same-sex sexuality and gender diversity in Africa, and this edition includes a new foreword by Marc Epprecht that underscores the significance of the book for a new generation of African scholars, as well as reflections on the book's genesis by the late Stephen O. Murray. This book is freely available in an open access edition thanks to the generous support of the Murray Hong Family Trust. Access the book online at the SUNY Open Access Repository at http://hdl.handle.net/20.500.12648/1714.

Dictionary of Languages

Dictionary of Languages
Author: Andrew Dalby
Publisher: Bloomsbury Publishing
Total Pages: 754
Release: 2015-10-28
Genre: Reference
ISBN: 1408102145

Covering the political, social and historical background of each language, Dictionary of Languages offers a unique insight into human culture and communication. Every language with official status is included, as well as all those that have a written literature and 175 'minor' languages with special historical or anthropological interest. We see how, with the rapidly increasing uniformity of our culture as media's influence spreads, more languages have become extinct or are under threat of extinction. The text is highlighted by maps and charts of scripts, while proverbs, anecdotes and quotations reveal the features that make a language unique.

Chasing the Elephant Into the Bush

Chasing the Elephant Into the Bush
Author: Arthur Kennedy
Publisher: AuthorHouse
Total Pages: 203
Release: 2009
Genre: Ghana
ISBN: 1449037046

"CHASING THE ELEPHANT INTO THE BUSH" is an insider's account of how the governing New Patriotic Party lost power in the closest elections in Africa's history. The writer believes that providing an accurate account will begin the process of correcting the rumours, lies and myths that are out there about the 2008 elections in Ghana. Throughout, the book is liberally sprinkled with quotes and historical references that makes it very informative and interesting. He begins with the state of the nation and the governing party as Ghana approached 2008. He then takes the reader through the NPP primary and his own experiences as a losing candidate. There is candid discussion of the rivalries in the campaign that undermined its effectiveness. He takes the reader inside meetings and quotes some of the key players at key moments in the campaign. There is candid discussion of the roles of the media, the security forces and civil society. The identification of issues and their use in the campaign is discussed thoroughly. While his sympathies are never in doubt, he is very objective and acknowledges the mistakes made by the campaign, the government and the party. He credits the NDC Campaign for doing certain things well. Amongst these are the deployment of President Mills and former President Rawlings as well as Vice-President John Mahama. He reveals the roles of key people, including the President, the Presidential candidate and powerful groups, like the "Kyebi Mafia". He offers candid assessments of all the key players. He suggests reasons for the NPP defeat and the way to recapture power. This will be a very significant first cut and reference point for an account of the 2008 Presidential and Parliamentary Elections in Ghana.