Ameka, Felix Kofi (1986). The use and meaning of selected particles in Ewe. MA thesis, Australian National University.
When studying particles – regardless of the language they belong to – it is not enough to describe their distribution and to provide labels. We must go beyond descriptions and, in an attempt to come up with a reliable guide to usage, elucidate the meanings encapsulated in the particles, in a manner that is linguistically precise and as far as permissible culturally and socially revealing. This is the task undertaken in this study, with special reference to the author’s native language, Ewe.
We describe and defend an illocutionary semantic approach to the particles. In essence, we advocate a method of analysis that decomposes the illocutionary forces of particles into their components, which are expressed in a language that is simple and intuitively intelligible. The test for our analysis is that the formulations (explications) should be substitutable for the particles (salvo sensu) in any of their possible uses.
Research carried out in consultation with or under the supervision of one or more experienced NSM practitioners
