Possessive constructions in Tongugbe, an Ewe dialect

Possessive constructions in Tongugbe, an Ewe dialect This book concerns the description of possessive constructions in Tɔŋúgbe, one of the many dialects of the Ewe language, which is spoken in south-eastern Ghana, along the lower basins of the Volta River. It presents a detailed description of the constructions and their meanings; and explores the relationship that exists between clausal possessive constructions, locative and existential constructions. In addition to this, the work presents a first outline grammar of Tɔŋúgbe. The preliminary findings on the duration contrast in tones reveal a change in progress; the rich demonstrative paradigm presents interesting data for analysis; attributive possessive constructions support the understanding that linguistic structures are functionally motivated; external possessor constructions cast the assumption that part-whole relations are given special treatment in grammar in a comparative light; and relationships between clausal possessive constructions, locative constructions and existential constructions support the view that synchronically, the different constructions are not reducible to a single structure. Possessive constructions in Tongugbe, an Ewe dialect, is of interest not only to specialists of African languages working on Ewe, Gbe and Kwa languages, but also to dialectologists, typologists and linguists interested in functional approaches to understanding micro-syntactic variations.