Akan Teleteaching Course

Unit 10.6: Notes on grammar 2

Sentence combining 2 - Adverbial clauses

Types of subordinate clauses:

1. Complement clauses (-> Unit 9)

2. Adverbial clauses:

3. Relative clauses:

4. Coordinate clauses:

2. Adverbial clauses

a) Cause

(i) Cause follows main predication:

Conjunction: ñfiri sñâ

because

1. Ïheáne noá wõ mmaá bebree, ñfiri sñâ ne yeárenom dõáõàsü. "The chief has many children because he has many wives."
2. Akaánfoõ nnä agyadeáñ, ñfiri sñâ ñnyñá wõn amaámàmeárñ. "The Akan don't inherit patrilineally, because it's not their custom."

(ii) Cause precedes main predication:

Conjunction: náti

because (of)

3. Meyareá náti, mamfrñá wo. "I didn't call you because I was sick."
4. Woá náti mede akyñá no. "I have forgiven him because of you."
Note: The causal clause may be replaced by a nominal as in (4).
Note also that ntä is a postposition: It is always put after the noun or clause which it modifies.

(iii) Consequence follows main predication:

Conjunction: eánti

therefore, so

5. Menim sñâ woáyñà näpa paá, eánti mede me baábaáa yä maá wo sñâ wareá no. "I know that you're a good person therefore I give you my daughter into marriage."
6. Ïkyeána mñába, eánti siesie m'akyä! "I'll return tomorrow, so get something ready for me!"

Conjunction: náti na

that is why

7. Mennä sikaá náti na meánkõõ Ghaánaà. "I have no money,that's why I didn't go to Ghana."
8. Ïbaáa noá 'kuánu awuá náti na õreádi awerñhoáõ yä. "The woman's husband is dead, that's why she is sorrowful.

b) Condition

Conjunction: sñ…aâ

if

9. õbaá meánàkõá. "If he comes I won't go."
10. awiaá bõá yñbñádi agoárõ. "If the sun shines we'll play."

c) Temporal clause

Temporal and relative clauses show the same link tone characteristics as focus sentences, as can be seen in the examples given below: replacement of the first Low tone of the predicate by High tone (except in the future): High tone (suffix) addition to clause-final verb:

-> Link tone: Link tone chat (Unit 7.4), Link tone 1 (Unit 4.5) and Link tone 2 (Unit 10.5)
-> Focus (Unit 10.6)

Conjunction:

when (event not yet realised)

11. Kofä baá õbñáfràñá meá. "Kofi will call me whenhe comes."
12. Meduáruá Kumaáse mñátweàrñá woá.  "I'll write to you whenI arrive at Kumasi."

Conjunction: noá

when (event already realised)

13. Ïtõáõà nsuáo noá muá noá, õteæéteaam. "He kept shouting whenhe fell into the water." 
14. Abõfraá noá hþéþè n'agyaá noá, n'anä gyee yäe. "The child was very happy when (s)he saw his/her father."

3. Relative clauses

The relative particle is always put after the head noun (also called the antecedent). Note that the definitiviser noá is placed after the embedded relative clause: 

abõfraá noá 'the child' -> abõfraá <relative clause> noá 'the child who …'. 

If the antecedent is also the (human) object of the relative clause, it is also represented by noá in the relative clause: 

Mehunuu no "I saw him/her." 

By inserting this sentence in the <relative clause> slot and making the necessary tone changes, we obtain (18): Abõfraá aâ mehuánuáuà noá noá yñ meá nuáaá baá. "The kid whom I saw is my sister's child."

Conjunction: aâ…noá

who, which, that

15. Ïbaräma õreábaá[õàõá'baá] noá yñ meá papaá. "The man who is coming is my father."
16. Wõde abõfraá õyaáreá noá kõõ ayaresaábeáa. "They took the sick child to the hospital." (lit. …the child who is sick).
17. Aémmaá daa õbaräma õkyñáñà no sikaá noá aseá. "Amma thanked the man who had given her money."
18. Abõfraá mehþéþè noá noá yñ meá nuáaá baá. "The kid I saw is my sister's child."

4. Coordinate clauses

a) Adversative clause

Conjunction: nanáso

but

19. Mehunuu no, nanáso meneá no aánàkasaá. "I saw him but I didn't speak with him."
20. Ïkõõ fäe hõá, nanáso obäara nnä hõá. "He entered the house but no one was there."

b) Concessive clause

Conjunction: náso

although, yet, but

21. Ïte Burofo kaása, náso õntumä nkæé. "Although he understands English, he can't speak it."
22. Ïbaábarämaá noá awoáfoõ wõ fäe kñseáñ bä, náso õdaá abõnteáne. "Although the boy's parents have a big house, he sleeps on the street."
Note that the conjunction náso marks the part of the statement which is contrary to the expectation, whereas English 'although' marks the part which carries the expectation.

c) Restrictive clause

Conjunction: gyeá / gyeá sñâ

except

23. Obäara nnä tumä gyeá Onyameá. "Nobody has any power except God."
24. Ïanyñá hwee, gyeá sñâ õkõdäì dwaá. "She didn't do anything, except that she went shopping."

d) Conjoining clause

Conjunction: na

whereas, while

25. Aémmaá noaá aduaneá, na neá 'kuánu kenkaán nwoáma bä. "Amma cooks,whereas her husband reads a book."

-> Go to exercises 2 and 3

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