Aspect in Yoruba and Nigerian English

227 Pages·2001·8.5 MB·English

by  Àjàní, Timothy Tèmil?lá

ASPECTINYORUBAAND NIGERIANENGLISH
By
TIMOTHYTEMILOIAAJANI
ADISSERTATIONPRESENTEDTOTHEGRADUATESCHOOL
OFTHEUNr/ERSITYOFFLORIDAINPARTIALFULFILLMENT
OFTHEREQUIREMENTSFORTHEDEGREEOF
DOCTOROFPHILOSOPHY
UNIVERSITYOFFLORIDA
2001
Thisworkisdedicatedtothelovingmemoryof:
JimSharp,Jr.:
Fromtheheavenlygrandstands
Iknowyouwearaproudgrinatthe
conclusionofthiswork;
and
Mylatefather,JacobAjani,
whotaughtmehowtoreadandwriteYorubaathome
whilelivinginaforeigncountry;
Andto
Mymother,RebeccaMadand61aAjani,
whohasenduredmanyyearsofmyabsencefromhome
whileIpursuedmyeducationfromoneinstitutiontoanotherand
fromonenationtoanother.
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
Successfulcompletionofanyexerciseusuallyreflectstheeffortsof
morethanoneindividual.Thisdissertationwouldneverhavebeenwritten
withoutthehelp,collaboration,encouragement,prayersandgoodwillofahost
ofpeople,bothhereintheUnitedStatesandbackhomeinNigeria.
Foremost,mysinceregratitudegoestothechairpersonofmydoctoral
committee,Professor.M.J.Hardmanwhotaughtmehowtolookatlanguage
criticallyandthroughunbiasedlenses,toquestionassumptionsand
previouslyheldopinions,inthespiritofhumility.Iappreciateherpatience
andthoroughness,especiallyduringtheinitialstagesofthisstudy.I
appreciateherkindness,gentlenessandsenseofhumor.Ithankherfor
adoptingmeandmyyoungfamilyintoherownfamily.Myfirstsonfondly
callsher"grandma."Workingwithherone-on-onehasbeenarealprivilege.
Ihavebenefittedimmenselyfromherexcellentlinguisticinsightsand
intuitions.
Ialsoexpressmysinceregratitudetotheothermembersofmy
committee.Ihavelearntmuchaboutlanguageandlinguisticsfromthem.I
workedcloselywiththesecommitteemembers:ProfessorJeanCasagrande,Dr.
DianaBoxer,Dr.PeterSchmidt,andProfessorMarieNelson.Although
ProfessorMarieNelsonwasthelasttoformallyjointhecommittee,shewas
alreadyavoluntaryadjunctmember.ShewillinglysteppedinwhenProfessor
OlabiyiYailefttheUniversitytotakeapermanentassignmentas
representativeforhiscountryatUNESCO.
iii
Drs.CasagrandeandYaiwereinstrumentalinbringingmetothis
University,afterIhadcompletedmyDEA(M.Phil,equivalent)inParis,
France.WhenhewasChairoftheDepartmentofAfricanandAsianLanguages
andLiteratures(AALL),Dr.Yaiofferedmeanopen-endedteaching
assistantshipattheAALLduringtheSpringandFallsemesters,and
occasionallyduringthesummer.Dr.Casagrande,thendirectoroftheProgram
inLinguistics(PIL)andtheEnglishLanguageInstitute(ELI),offeredme
summerassistantshipsattheELIduringmyfirsttwoyearshere.Itaught
YorubaforseveralyearsunderthesupervisionofDr.Yai,untilheleftfor
Francetwoyearsago.ItaughtEnglishasaSecondLanguage(ESL)atthe
ELIundertheleadershipofDr.Casagrandeandlater,Dr.Boxer.Myinterestin
andloveforSociolinguisticsreallyblossomedwhileIwasastudentinDr.
Boxer'sSociolinguisticsandSecondLanguageAcquisition(SLA)classes.
IamdeeplyindebtedtoDr.MarieNelson,whovoluntarilyofferedto
readthroughallofmymanuscripts,offeringfreshinsights,andmaking
usefulcommentsandcorrections.Atthetime,shewasbusydischargingher
manydutiesasdirectorofthePIL.Dr.PeterSchmidt,DirectoroftheCenterfor
AfricanStudies,gavemeasummerdissertationgranttodoresearchin
Nigeria,andIthankhimverymuch.IgivemanythanksgotoDr.AnnWyatt-
Brown,whowillinglyofferedmeherpersonallaptopcomputertouseforas
alongasIneededit,whenIbeganmystudieshereinGainesville.Itwasalso
shewhoencouragedmetopublishmyfirstarticleinFOCUSonLinguistics,the
UniversityofFloridaworkingpapersinLinguistics.
MyexperienceattheUniversityofFloridawouldhavebeenvery
differentwithoutthesupportoffriends,colleagues,studentsandfamily,here,
intheUnitedStates,backhomeinNigeria,andinotherplaces.Iamvery
gratefulforalltheencouragement,financialsupport,andprayersupportI
iv
havereceivedovermanyyearsfromgroupsandindividualsalike:membersof
theIGSFellowshipinIbadan,Nigeria,LivingFaithFellowshipinGainesville
andmyhomegroupatTheRockofGainesville,aswellasthefollowing
individuals:Dr.MichaelandAlannaBoutin,thelateJimSharp,Jr.,whopaid
formyfirstpersonalcomputerandprinterwithwhichthisdissertationwas
written;theFalades,TomandSharonStebbins,BillandFayAlexander,Roband
SherylNorton,KeyandRuthAnnPowell,NellieOtero,BethAlexander,thelate
C.R.,andEvelynSmith,my"bigsister",MarylynPerazziniand"littlebrother",
DerekTirado;Ms.AgnesLeslie;BeveGunderson,RenaSmith,KimHewitt,Rosie
PiedraHall,JeanetteFlandersandAshleyHicks;TroyandReneeClark,Carol
Lauriault,andtheentirestaffoftheCAS.OutsideofFlorida,manythanksgoto
mydearfriends,Drs.AustinandUdyInyangofOklahoma;my"littlesisters"
FeyiandFoluk6,bothoftheUnitedKingdom;andmylongtimefriends,Drs.
GeorgeandOmoladeAlaoofFrance.
Finally,myheartfeltgratitudeandappreciationgotomyfamily,both
immediateandextended,especiallymysiblings,mylatefather,andmyaging
mother,RebeccaMadand61a,whohasseenverylittleofmesinceIbeganmy
longjourneyinacademia;andlastly,mydearwifeandlifecompanion,
aajumok^Olufunmilayoandourtwoprecioussons,Ay9<?laUerioluwaand
IbukunOlubus^la,whohaveweatheredthelongsummersandwinterswithme
hereinGainesville,withalotofunderstanding,patienceandequanimity.To
youallIsay"Eseo.Ekuadurbti;a6koereokodeleo.Anun."
v
TABLEOFCONTENTS
page
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS iii
KEYTOSYMBOLSANDABBREVIATIONS ix
ABSTRACT xi
CHAPTERS
1.INTRODUCTION 1
1.1 TheYorubaPeople 1
1.2 TheYorubaLanguage 9
1.2.1 Phonology 12
1.2.2 Morphology 15
1.2.3 Syntax 16
1.3 TheDynamicsofYorubaandEnglishinNigeria 21
2.ASPECTINYORUBA 29
2.1 TheNatureoftheVerbPhrase(VP)inYoruba 42
2.2.1 TheIncompletiveAspect 44
2.2.2 TheRelationalAspect 45
2.2.3 TheHabitual+Post-verbalTimeMarker 45
2.2.4 TheIntentional+Post-verbalTimeMarker 46
2.2.5 CompletiveAspect+Pre-verbalTimeMarker(Focus) 46
2.2.6 TheAnticipative+Pre-verbalTimeMarker(Focus) 46
2.2.7 TheCompletiveAspect 47
2.3 AspectinYoruba 47
2.3.1 AspectConstraintsonPersonMarkingandPronounSelection... 48
2.3.1.1 Intentional+regularpronoun 51
2.3.1.2 Intentional+emphaticpronoun 51
2.3.1.3 Completiveaspect+regularpronoun 53
2.3.1.4 Completiveaspect+emphaticpronoun. 53
2.3.1.5 Relationalaspect+regularpronoun 54
vi
2.3.1.6 Relationalaspect+emphaticpronoun 54
2.3.1.7 HabitualAspect+regularpronoun 54
2.3.1.8 HabitualAspect+emphaticpronoun 55
2.3.1.9 Antecedentcompletion+regularpronoun 55
2.3.1.0 Antecedentcompletion+emphaticpronoun 56 ;
2.3.2 TheSimpleAspectSeries 56
2.3.2.1 TheCompletiveAspect(Unmarked) 56
23.2.2 TheIncompletiveAspect 58
2.3.2.3 TheRelationalAspect 59
2.3.2.4 TheIrrealisAspects 59
2.3.2.4.1 Theanticipativeaspect * 60
2.3.2.4.2 Theintentionalaspect 61
2.3.3 TheComplexAspectSeries 63
2.3.3.1 Backgrounder 64
2.3.3.2 Expective 65
2.3.3.3 Inceptive 66
2.3.3.4 Manifestive 68
2.3.3.5 AntecedentCompletion 68
2.3.3.6 Relevant-Inceptive 70
2.3.3.7 Habitual 71
2.3.3.8 TwoMajorCategoriesoftheComplexAspects 72
2.3.3.8.1 Thoseinvolvingtherelationalaspect 73
2.3.3.8.2 Thosenotinvolvingtherelational 78
2.4 AspectMarkersinContext 80-4
2.4.1 Completive(Unmarked)Aspect 81
2.4.2 IncompletiveAspect 8i
2.4.3 RelationalAspect 82
2.4.4AnticipativeAspect 82
2.4.5 IntentionalAspect 82
2.4.6 Relevant-InceptiveAspect 84
2.4.7 ExpectiveAspect 84
2.4.8 HabitualAspect 84 .
2.5 TemporalRelationsinYoruba 85
vii
3.ASPECTIN NIGERIANENGLISH 88
3.1 AmosTutuola:theMan 93
3.2 AmosTutuola:hisWorks 98
3.3 AmosTutuola:hisAccomplishments 105
3.4 AspectinTutuola'sWritings 107
3.4.1 TheIncompletiveAspect 112
3.4.2 TheHabitualAspect 122
3.4.3 TheAnticipativeAspect 125
3.4.4 TheRelationalAspect 128
3.4.5 TheRelevant-Inceptive 130
4.CONCLUSION 133
4.1 Summary 133
4.2 Implications 141
APPENDIX 148
REFERENCES 198
BIBLIOGRAPHICALSKETCH 211
viii
KEYTOSYMBOLSANDABBREVIATIONS
FxplanaiionofGlossary
ANT(E)COMP antecedentcompletionaspect
ANTI/ANTICIP anticipativeaspect
BACKGRD backgrounderaspect
BAH TheBraveAfricanHuntress
BE BritishEnglish
CLT CommunicativeLanguageTeaching
CV consonantvowel
DIREC directional
EL Englishlanguage
Emp/EMP/EP emphaticpronoun
ESL Englishasasecondlanguage
ESP Englishforspecificpurposes
HABIT habitualaspect
HE HausaEnglish
ICE InternationalCorpusofEnglish
IE IgboEnglish
INCOM/INCOMP incompletiveaspect
INT/INTEN intentionalaspect
INTV interrogativeverb
LBG MyLifeintheBushofGhosts
LOG locative
LI mothertongue
L2 secondlanguage
MANIFEST manifestiveaspect
NE NigerianEnglish
NEG negator
NP nounphrase
NPE NigerianPidginEnglish
O/Obj/OBJ object
PART particle
PLU/PLUR plural
PP prepositionalphrase
PREP preposition
PWD ThePalm-WineDrinkard
RELA/RALAT relationalaspect
REL(EV)-INCEP relevant-incpetiveaspect
RP regularpronoun
SF&F ScienceFictionandFantasy
SNE StandardNigerianEnglish
SVC(s) serialverbalconstructions)
SVO subject-verb-object
V- vowel
VP verbphrase
YE YorubaEnglish
ix
ExplanationofGlossary
YL Yorubalanguage
YSL Yorubaasasecondlanguage
YVP Yorubaverbphrase
lpP firstpersonplural
IpS firstpersonsingular
2pP secondpersonplural
2pS secondpersonsingular
3pP thirdpersonplural
3pS thirdpersonsingular
X