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Article published In:
Pragmatics
Vol. 29:3 (2019) ► pp.309–331

The ethnopragmatics of Akan advice

ORCID logo | University of Ghana, Legon

This paper discusses Akan Advice under ethnopragmatics. It adopts persuasion, speech acts of directives and expressives, and Akan proverbs to discuss advice with the insight from Akan culture. The adviser expresses some feelings and emotions and directs the advisee to act and behave towards the benefits of the individual, the group or society. The paper taps data from participant observations and audio taped recordings at arbitrations, marriage and naming ceremonies. There is another data from Adi’s (1973) Akan literature book, Brako that covers pieces of advice on travelling, settlement and occupation. The Akan texts are translated into English and analysed. The analysis covers semantics, pragmatics, stylistic devices, and proverbs.

Keywords: Akan, advice, ethnopragmatics, cultural scripts, directives, expressives, persuasion, proverbs
Article outline
  • 1.Introduction: Linguistic routines
    • 1.1The Akan language and people
    • 1.2Methodology
  • 2.Ethnopragmatics
    • 2.1Advice in Akan ethnopragmatics
    • 2.2Expressives and directives in advice
      • 2.2.1Expressive in advice
      • 2.2.2Directives in advice
    • 2.3Persuasive language in advice
    • 2.4The Akan concept and definition of advice
  • 3.Ethnosemantics of afotuo, ‘Advice’ in Akan
    • 3.1Akan proverbs and maxims on advice
  • 4.Ethnographic contexts for advice in Akan
    • 4.1Advice at a naming ceremony
      • Analysis
    • 4.2Advice at a marriage ceremony
    • 4.3Advice on reconciliation after settlement of disputes
    • 4.4Advice for a youth who is travelling (from Brako by Kwabena Adi)
      • Background
  • 5.Analysis of Akora Hwεwodeεso’s advice
    • 5.1Proverbs and metaphors in Akan advice
  • 6.Conclusion
  • Notes
  • References
Available under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial (CC BY-NC) 4.0 license.
Published online: 25 June 2019
DOI logo
https://doi.org/10.1075/prag.17002.agy
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