Multimodality in Òkó folktale discourse and its sociosemiotic purposes

28 page(s

Serial verb constructions in Òkó*

The article explores the ways Òkó speakers construe experience as a flow of events through the verbal group in a clause. Some events which are construed in some languages as a nuclear process made up of a single event (that is a single verbal group) are expressed in Òkó through a series of verbs, usually referred to as ‘serial verb construction’ or ‘verbal group complex’ (see Matthiessen, 1995:62). This article describes serial verb construction as a useful resource, systematically organized in Òkó, for expressing different logical relations in the semantics of the verbal group. Òkó is spoken in Kogi State – the Middle Belt of Nigeria, West Africa – by a population of about 60,000 people. It belongs in the West-Benue group of the Niger-Congo family. At present, the language exists only in the spoken mode. This study is a step towards a detailed description and codification of Òkó, to facilitate oracy and literacy in the language.S.Afr.J.Afr.Lang.,2008,

A Profile of �k� Grammatical Voice

6 page(s

Typology of MOOD : a text-based and system-based functional view

This chapter is a 'case study' in systemic functional typology: the principles of systemic functional typology are applied to propose generalisations about grammatical systems by means of which interactants exchange meanings in dialogue in different languages. Such systems for dialogic negotiation are known as mood systems. The generalisations proposed here are based on comprehensive, text-based and meaning-oriented systemic functional descriptions of a range of languages, six of which are sketched here (Oko, Spanish, French, Danish, Thai and Japanese), on descriptions couched in terms of other frameworks and typological accounts from the general typology literature. After a brief characterisation of systemic functional typology (Section 2), we will present certain generalisations about MOOD systems in different languages (Section 3) and then move on to illustrations from the six languages included in this chapter (Section 4)

The expanding galaxy of performing arts: extending theories and questioning practices

© 2016 Informa UK Limited, trading as Taylor & Francis Group.This paper introduces the Special Issue on the languages of performing arts and is therefore aimed at designing how the context of the latter can be illuminated by socio-semiotic and multimodal approaches to communication. In this Special Issue, performances and performing arts are described as multimodal semiotic acts that co-deploy a range of semiotic resources to produce and construct meanings across different cultures and ages. Seen as dynamic and interactive processes of meaning-making, their analysis calls for new and multidisciplinary frameworks which are collected in this Special Issue. The introduction gives an overview of these papers and discusses their range of diverse phenomena, both live and recorded, including theatre performances and films, art installations, opera, as well as reading out aloud. By outlining the significance and contribution of different disciplines and fields of studies to the broad area of performance studies, the chapter argues the case for innovative approaches that can extend theories and analyse aesthetic and performative practices in context. With the help of some case studies, it provides guidelines for the reading and interpretation of the several theoretical discussions and practical case studies presented to encourage further multidisciplinary research on these domains