Akan Teleteaching Course

10.5: Notes on pronunciation

Linking tone 2 (-> part 1, -> link tone chat)

B. Dependent predicates

CV(C)V verb stems
f = focus
(1) Yñà-húèæé sìkaá. "We need money." f-neutral
(2) Sìkaá naà yñà-húé!æé. "It is money we need." out-of-f mark
(3) Meàhuànuàuà aàbõàfraá bä. "I saw a child." f-neutral
(4) AÀbõàfraá bä naà meàhuánuáuà noá. "It is a child that I saw." out-of-f mark
(5) AÀbõàfraá aâ meàhuánuáuà noá noá.* "The child that I saw …" relative clause
(6) ÏÀ-baá !haá. "He comes here." f-neutral
(7) Baá naà õà-baá !haá. "He dares to come here." out-of-f mark
(8) AÀdoà bñá-boàaá yñàn. "Addo will help us." bñá future = H
(9) AÀdoà naà õàbñá-boàaá yñàn. "Addo is the one who will help us." bñá future = H
CV verb
(10) Baá naà õá!baá. "He dares to come." verb-f / SPM => H (out-of-f mark)
Multiple & embedded predicates
(11) Meà-pñà sñâ õà-boàaá meà. "I want that he helps me."
(12) ÏÀnoá naà meà-pñá sñâ õà-boá!aá meà. "I want him (and no-one else) to help me." complement S

*The most arresting resemblance between the two constructions … concerns tone: viz., in the formation of both relative and out-of-focus clauses, certain underlying tones must be replaced by high tones, and exactly the same replacements must occur in both clause types." (Schachter, 1973: 22 f.)

C. Verb serialisation and focus extraction: spread of linking tone

"He shot Kofi with a gun."
(1) Ïè- yìì tuáoá fìrìì neà koátoákuáoá muá toá bõàõà Koàfä kuàmà noà.
3s- pull-out gun come-from 3sPOSS pocket inside threw hit Kofi kill 3sOBJ
"He took the gun from his pocket and killed Kofi."
(2) Koàfä naà õà- yäì tuáoá fìräì neà koátoákuáoá muá toá bõáõà noà kuámà noá.
Kofi FOC 3s- pull-out gun come-from 3sPOSS pocket inside threw hit 3sOBJ kill 3sOBJ
1. "It was Kofi whom he took the pistol came-out-of his pocket shot dead."
2. "It was Kofi who took the pistol came-out-of his pocket shot him dead."
3. "It was Kofi out of whose pocket he…"
(3) EÀtuáoá naàà õà- yäi fìräì neà koátoákuáoá muá toá bõáõà Koàfä kuámà noá.
gun FOC 3s- pull-out come-from 3sPOSS pocket inside threw hit Kofi kill 3sOBJ
"It was the pistol that he took from his pocket and shot Kofi dead with."
(4) Koàfä naà õà- yäì tuáoá fìräì neà koátoákuáoá muá toá bõáõà neà baá kuámà noà.
Kofi FOC 3s- pull-out gun come-from 3sPOSS pocket inside threw hit 3sPOSS child kill 3sOBJ
1. "It was Kofi whose son he … shot."
2. "It was Kofi who … shot his son."

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