"Look Me, Hwe Ha, Ofaine Kwem? Bie Aha Mi Fioo!!": Codeswitching at Inter-Ethnic Traditional Marriage Ceremonies in Southern Ghana

Autor/inn/en	Nuworsu, Anastasia; Diabah, Grace; Amuzu, Evershed Kwasi
Titel	"Look Me, Hwe Ha, Ofaine Kwem? Bie Aha Mi Fioo!!": Codeswitching at Inter-Ethnic Traditional Marriage Ceremonies in Southern Ghana
Quelle	In: Multilingua: Journal of Cross-Cultural and Interlanguage Communication, 38 (2019) 3, S.283-311 (29 Seiten) PDF als Volltext Verfügbarkeit
Zusatzinformation	ORCID (Amuzu, Evershed Kwasi)
Sprache	englisch
Dokumenttyp	gedruckt; online; Zeitschriftenaufsatz
ISSN	0167-8507
DOI	10.1515/multi-2017-0097
Schlagwörter	Code Switching (Language); Ethnography; Foreign Countries; Marriage; Ethnic Groups; Intergroup Relations; Audiovisual Aids; Speech Communication; Multilingualism; Urban Areas; Bilingualism; Family Relationship; Ceremonies; English (Second Language); Second Language Learning; African Languages; Ghana + Suchen Sie Ihr Suchwort? Ethnografie; Ausland; Ehe; Ethnie; Intergruppenbeziehungen; Audiovisuelles Medium; Mehrsprachigkeit; Multilingualismus; Urban area; Stadtregion; Bilingualismus; Zeremoniell; English as second language; English; Second Language; Englisch als Zweitsprache; Zweitsprachenerwerb; Africa; Language; Languages; Afrika; Sprachen; Afrikanische Sprache
Abstract	This paper investigates the use of codeswitching at traditional inter-ethnic marriage ceremonies in the southern part of Ghana. The study site is Accra, the multilingual capital of Ghana which is located in the south of the country, and was selected due to the high frequency of inter-ethnic marriage ceremonies which take place there. The data analysed were audio-visual recordings of interactions at such ceremonies, collected, by (Nuworsu, Anastasia 2015: Language use in inter-ethnic marriage ceremonies in Greater Accra. MPhil. thesis, Department of Linguistics, University of Ghana, Legon.). They were complemented with observations made at the event grounds, as well as follow up interviews with key actors during and after the events. The theoretical framework employed is based on a combination of Giles' Communication Accommodation Theory, Hymes's Ethnography of Communication and Myers-Scotton's Markedness Model. It is found that bilinguals who speak on behalf of families participating in the ceremonies often use codeswitching in innovative ways to convey various social messages. Significant uses were: (i) speakers use codeswitching to converge toward the speech of their in-laws in a bid to decrease the social and linguistic distance between the two families and (ii) they use it as a divergence strategy to, for instance, increase the social and linguistic distance between them when they wish to accentuate an ideological, or any other, difference between them. Overall, the study contributes towards insights about inter-group language practices in multilingual African settings, especially in urban areas. (As Provided).
Anmerkungen	De Gruyter Mouton. Available from: Walter de Gruyter, Inc. 121 High Street, Third Floor, Boston, MA 02110. Tel: 857-284-7073; Fax: 857-284-7358; e-mail: service@degruyter.com; Web site: http://www.degruyter.com
Erfasst von	ERIC (Education Resources Information Center), Washington, DC
Update	2020/1/01