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The ethnopragmatics of Akan leave-takings and farewells

| University of Ghana
The paper examines leave-takings and farewells as linguistic routines in Akan. It emerged from my previous works on ethnopragmatics of Akan linguistic routines, namely apology, requests, greetings, thanking, advice, compliments, etc. This paper adopted Weigand’s (2010) Mixed Game Model, which deals with dialogic action games. It employs qualitative approaches including interviews, observation, and the recording of natural ethnographic events in the Akan society. These include closings and farewells at funerals, durbars, visits, travelling, arbitrations, folksongs, etc. The paper discusses the ethnosemantics of the leave-takings and farewell expressions. The findings of this paper will contribute to the use of dialogic action games in discussing other linguistic routines. This study will help further research in leave-taking and farewell in other Ghanaian languages.
Keywords: leave-taking, farewell, dialogic action game, expressives, politeness, persuasion
Article outline
  • 1.Introduction
    • 1.1Structure of the article
    • 1.2Concepts of leave-taking and farewell
    • 1.3The Akan language and people
  • 2.Theoretical framework: The dialogic action game
    • 2.1Methodology
    • 2.2Data sources
  • 3.Literature review
  • 4.Ethnographic contexts and analysis of leave-taking and farewells
    • 4.1Akan concept of akwansrɛ ‘leave-taking’ and nkradie ‘farewell’
    • 4.2The Akan ethnosemantics of akwansrɛ ‘leave-taking’
      • Indirect-animator leave-taking
    • 4.3 Nkradie ‘farewell’
      • 4.3.1Direct nkradie ‘farewell’
      • 4.3.2Indirect nkradie ‘farewell’
      • 4.3.3 Nkradie ‘farewell’ in death
  • 5.Leave-taking and farewell in social interaction and time
    • 5.1Leave-taking based on Akan deictic period of the day
    • 5.2Leave-taking after a visit to a sick person
    • 5.3Leave-taking and farewell after arbitration
  • 6.Conclusion
  • Notes
  • References
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