Abstract:
This thesis examines the structure of the Dagbani verb phrase, a Mabia language spoken
in Northern Ghana within the framework of Functional Grammar (FG). The goals were to
examine the various elements that occur within the Dagbani verb phrase and their roles.
The data were collected from both primary and secondary sources. The primary data were
collected through unstructured interviews and focus group discussions while the
secondary data were elicited from existing Dagbani literature. The study revealed that the
pre-verbal particles are used to indicate future tense, negation, marking of habitual action,
emphasis, condition, hypothetical and assertiveness in Dagbani. The pre-verbal ni and yɛn
are used to mark the future. Also, negations are marked by ku (future-negative), bi (past
negative) and di, while emphasis is marked by the pre-verbal particle jɛndi. The study
also shows that yaha marks habitual whereas naan, shiri and yi mark hypothetical,
assertiveness and conditional respectively. The thesis also looks at the post-verbal
particles, it shows that, sa/ha and na function as a post-verbal particles performing
various roles such as marking of deitic reference whereas hali marks emphatic. The study
concludes with the interaction between pre-verbal and post-verbal particles.
Description:
A thesis in the Department of Gur-Gonja Education, Faculty of Ghanaian
Languages Education, submitted to the school of Graduate Studies, in partial
fulfilment
of requirements for the award of the degree of
Master of Philosophy
(Dagbani)
in the University of Education, Winneba
FEBRUARY, 2023