Mɔfɔ-sentatek ne sohyiɔ-pragmatek mpɛnsɛmpɛnsɛnmu fa radio ne TV so mmɛ bi ho: “akɔmfo bɔne sɛ kuro mmɔ a,..”

Abstract

Nhwehwɛmu da no adi sɛ, ɛnnɛ yi nso, wɔde mmɛ di dwuma pa ara wɔ Akan radio ne TV so dwumadie ahodoɔ no mu, titire ne anɔpa dawubɔ nkrataa mpɛnsɛmpɛnsɛnmu ne kaseɛbɔ. Ɛso akasafoɔ dodoɔ no taa yɛ amanyɔfoɔ ne amanyɔkuo akyitaafoɔ. Dwumadie yi mu nsɛm nso taa fa asetena-amanyɔ ho. Nsɛm no bi ka yɛ den; ɛtumi dane abufuo anaa ɛde ɔtan ba. Ɛno na ama yɛahwɛ sɛdeɛ wɔde mmɛ di dwuma wɔ dwumadie no mu. Yɛhwɛɛ mmɛ pɔtee a wɔtaa fa no mu nsɛm ne botaeɛ nti a wɔfa saa mmɛ no. Yɛahwɛ mmɛ no nhyehyɛeɛ ne ne sohyiɔ-pragmatek dwumadie. Yɛgyee mmɛ no ne ɛho nsɛm kakra firii Peace F.M.; Kookrokoo ne Adom F.M.; Edwaso Nsɛm, UTV ne Adom TV. Yɛhwɛɛ berɛ ne nnipa pɔtee a nsɛm no fa wɔn ho. Anɔpa dawubɔ nkrataa mpɛnsɛmpɛnsɛnmu taa wɔ anɔpa firi nnɔnsia kɔpem nnɔndu. Wei nso boa maa yɛhunuu botaeɛ pɔtee a ɛma akasafoɔ no de saa mmɛ pɔtee no di dwuma. Yɛgyinaa Fairclough (1995 ne 2012) ne Fairclough ne Wodak (1997) adwenemusɛm CDA so na ɛyɛɛ mpɛnsɛmpɛnsɛnmu no. Ɛdaa adi sɛ, mmɛ a amanyɔfoɔ taa de di dwuma no gu mmusuakuo mmeɛnsa; mmɛ dada, nsesamu anaa mframu ne abɛɛfo mmɛ. Nsesamu no nso nhyehyɛeɛ gu; nsɛmfua nsiananmu ne nyifirimu. Yɛhunuu sɛ, sɛdeɛ kaseɛbɔfoɔ nwene wɔn ankasa mmɛ no, amanyɔfoɔ ntaa nnwene mmɛ foforɔ. Sohyiɔ-pragmateks dwumadiemu nso, ɛbɛdaa adi sɛ, wɔmfa mmɛ no nni dwuma sɛ kwatikwan turodoo nko, wɔde bi yɛ sabuakwan (anidaho).

The morpho-syntactic and socio-pragmatic analysis of proverbs use on radio and T.V.: “Traditional priests of doom, if you wish for the destruction of a town, …”

Agyekum (2000) and Wiafe-Akenten (2015) have observed an extensive use of proverbs in the media since the establishment of Ghana Broadcasting Corporation (GBC) in 1954. This paper therefore examines how these proverbs are used in radio and television programmes, especially in the Morning Shows and News broadcast in Akan. These programmes are socio-political, in which some of the issues discussed are very sensitive, delicate and inflammatory. The paper focuses on investigating how participants of these programmes employ proverbs in handling such difficult issues in their interactions, especially within this highly formal setting. Data for this study was sourced from Peace F.M., Adom F.M, GTV, UTV, (all in the Greater Accra Region of Ghana) Kessben F.M. (in the Ashanti Region of Ghana) and Ɔboɔba F.M. (in the Eastern Region of Ghana). Recordings of 6:00a.m, 12 noon and 6:00p.m. News from the radio stations and Television stations, and those of the Morning Shows from 6am-10am constituted the data for the study. Also, follow-up interviews were conducted after the recordings were transcribed for further analysis. The text and their context were discussed using Fairclough’s (1995 and 2012) and Fairclough & Wodak’s (1997) approach to Critical Discourse Analysis (CDA). The study specifically looked at the structural and lexical content of the proverbs, the motivation behind choice of certain proverbs and socio-pragmatic functions of the selected proverbs. Findings from the study showed that, some presenters and hosts of the programmes utilized proverbs as facesaving, mitigating and softening strategies. It was also concluded that majority of the politicians also employed the proverbs as indirectional strategies, escape routes, and evasive tools. They either removed or added their own words to strategically manipulate the proverbs to carry out and/or suit their intended message.