Compounding of Kente Weaving Terms among Asantes of Akan in Ghana

Abstract

Kente weaving is an historical and traditional textile weaving industry, which has been part of Ghanaian culture for a very long time. It has showcased Ghana to the rest of the world. Previous researches have focused on the design, cloth names, equipment, tools, materials, origin and marketing of Kente weaving with less attention given to compounding of the weaving terms. The study therefore, examines the compounding of Kente weaving terms among the Asantes, a sub-group of Akan in Ghana. Specifically, the study describes the structural classification of Kente weaving compound terms and explores the semantic classification of Kente weaving compound terms. The Lexicalist Word Formation Theory was adopted for the study. The study employed qualitative descriptive design to gather data through elicitation, semi-structured interviews, observation and document analysis with five participants. The study revealed that, structurally, the Kente weaving compound terms are formed through, noun + noun, noun + noun + noun, noun + noun +verb, noun + adjective, noun + verb, noun + postposition, adjective + adjective, adjective + noun, verb + noun and verb + postposition. Semantically, endocentric and exocentric compounds were the semantic classification of Kente weaving compounds. These compounding terms are used in the day-to-day communication of the people who engage in the Asante Kente weaving industry. It concludes that, like the general Asante language, the Asante Kente weavers make extensive use of compounding as a word-formation process. The study recommends that, further studies should examine the morphophonological processes in compound formation of Asante Kente weaving terms.