Tutrugbu (Nyangbo) Language and Culture

James Essegbey, Ph.D. (1999), Leiden University, is an associate professor in the Department of Languages, Literatures, & Cultures at the University of Florida. He is interested in descriptive, documentary and theoretical linguistics, especially in the domain of syntax, semantics and pragmatics; contact linguistics; language and culture; Kwa languages of West Africa, especially Gbe (i.e. Ewe, Gen, Aja and Fon), Akan, and Ghana-Togo Mountain languages; and creole studies. He has worked on the influence of the Gbe languages on the creoles of Suriname, and the description and documentation of Nyangbo. More recently, he has been working on the description and documentation of Dwang (a north Guang language), and Animere (another GTM language).

• AcknowledgmentsList of Figures and Tables1 Introduction1.0 The People1.1 Classification1.2 History1.3 The Multilingual Nyangbo Community1.4 The Roadmap for This Grammar2 Phonology2.0 Introduction2.1 Segmental Inventory2.2 Syllable Structure2.3 Phonological Processes2.4 Tone2.5 Conclusion3 Morphology3.0 Introduction3.1 Reduplication3.2 Inflection3.3 Noun Classes3.4 Derivation3.5 Compounding4 The Noun Phrase4.0 Introduction4.1 The Simple Noun Phrase4.2 Complex Noun Phrase5 The Verb Phrase5.0 Introduction5.1 Lexical Aspect5.2 Tense Aspect Mood5.3 Argument Structure6 Adpositional Phrases and Locative Constructions6.0 Introduction6.1 The Basic Locative Construction (BLC)6.2 The Verbs6.3 Postpositions6.4 Prepositions7 Constructions7.0 Introduction7.1 Copula Construction7.2 Descriptive Constructions7.3 Serial Verb Constructions (SVC)7.4 Coordinate Clausal Constructions7.5 Subordinate Clauses8 Sentence Types8.0 Introduction8.1 Declaratives8.2 Interrogatives8.3 Imperatives9 Information Structure9.0 Introduction9.1 Topic9.2 Focus9.3 Contrastive Topic9.4 Cleft Construction9.5 Conclusion10 Routine Activities10.0 Introduction10.1 Greetings10.2 Spinning Yarn10.3 Female Initiation Rite10.4 Funeral RitesReferences