Affixation in Relation to Nominal Pronouns and their Contribution to Discourse in Ghanaian Language (Twi)

Abstract

This study examined the phenomenon of affixation in relation to nominal pronouns and their contribution to discourse in Twi. Purposive sampling technique was used to select the participants for the study. The participants were selected based on their proficiency in Twi and their knowledge of affixation in relation to nominal pronouns. Purposive sampling was used to elicit significant information for the study. In all one hundred (100) participants consisting of both native and non-native speakers of Twi were considered. Twenty-five (25) from Atebubu Senior High School, fifty (50) from Asare Bediako Senior High School Akrokerri and twenty-five (25) from Berekum Senior High School. The instrument for data collection was unstructured interview consisting of open-ended questions. The unstructured interview was developed based on Owu-Ewie (2010), unstructured interview is a flexible way of obtaining information from participants in the field of research. The investigation revealed that, adding a morpheme, which is a meaningful linguistic unit, to a base word to change its meaning or create a new word is significant in Twi. The use of affixation in nominal pronouns contributes significantly to discourse in Twi by providing information about the speaker’s social identity, the social relationship between the speaker and the addressee, and the context of the communication. The study of affixation in nominal pronouns and its contribution to discourse in Twi have significant implications for language teaching, language policy. Theory that underpins this study is discourse analysis theory propounded by Foucault (1969). The theory explores the concepts of discourse and how knowledge is organized and produced through discursive formation.