“This Child Is This Small Only on His Age”
This paper examines the emic concepts pertaining to age in Ngəmba, a language spoken in the Western Region of Cameroon. It explores both the terminological concepts available in the language for talking about age and their usage in everyday speech. Drawing upon video recordings of spontaneous inter...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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Nordic Africa Research Network
2024-12-01
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| Series: | Nordic Journal of African Studies |
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| Online Access: | http://njas.fi/njas/article/view/1142 |
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| _version_ | 1846111925551759360 |
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| author | Solange Mekamgoum |
| author_facet | Solange Mekamgoum |
| author_sort | Solange Mekamgoum |
| collection | DOAJ |
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This paper examines the emic concepts pertaining to age in Ngəmba, a language spoken in the Western Region of Cameroon. It explores both the terminological concepts available in the language for talking about age and their usage in everyday speech. Drawing upon video recordings of spontaneous interactions obtained through ethnographic and linguistic fieldwork conducted between 2015 and 2023 within this community, I analyse how age disparities and similarities are negotiated through social interactions. This includes examining advice speech events and interactional routines such as turn taking, bodily actions, and linguistic behaviours during greetings and receiving gifts. The paper underscores the role of verbal and non-verbal indicators of power and familiarity in establishing relationships. By uncovering the age dynamics and the sociocultural significance of age in social interactions, this study makes a substantial contribution to the broader discussions on age negotiation and intergenerational dynamics. Furthermore, it addresses a notable gap in the existing literature on age-related topics in Ngəmba, paving the way for further exploration of the interplay between traditional values and evolving social dynamics concerning age within the Ngəmba community and beyond.
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| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-aafb2fa423ad4e46b90fa6bd4a0edb93 |
| institution | Kabale University |
| issn | 1459-9465 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2024-12-01 |
| publisher | Nordic Africa Research Network |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Nordic Journal of African Studies |
| spelling | doaj-art-aafb2fa423ad4e46b90fa6bd4a0edb932024-12-22T16:10:14ZengNordic Africa Research NetworkNordic Journal of African Studies1459-94652024-12-0133410.53228/njas.v33i4.1142“This Child Is This Small Only on His Age”Solange Mekamgoum0University of Hamburg This paper examines the emic concepts pertaining to age in Ngəmba, a language spoken in the Western Region of Cameroon. It explores both the terminological concepts available in the language for talking about age and their usage in everyday speech. Drawing upon video recordings of spontaneous interactions obtained through ethnographic and linguistic fieldwork conducted between 2015 and 2023 within this community, I analyse how age disparities and similarities are negotiated through social interactions. This includes examining advice speech events and interactional routines such as turn taking, bodily actions, and linguistic behaviours during greetings and receiving gifts. The paper underscores the role of verbal and non-verbal indicators of power and familiarity in establishing relationships. By uncovering the age dynamics and the sociocultural significance of age in social interactions, this study makes a substantial contribution to the broader discussions on age negotiation and intergenerational dynamics. Furthermore, it addresses a notable gap in the existing literature on age-related topics in Ngəmba, paving the way for further exploration of the interplay between traditional values and evolving social dynamics concerning age within the Ngəmba community and beyond. http://njas.fi/njas/article/view/1142age dynamics and social rolesconceptualisation of agesocial interactionsNgəmbaWestern Cameroon |
| spellingShingle | Solange Mekamgoum “This Child Is This Small Only on His Age” Nordic Journal of African Studies age dynamics and social roles conceptualisation of age social interactions Ngəmba Western Cameroon |
| title | “This Child Is This Small Only on His Age” |
| title_full | “This Child Is This Small Only on His Age” |
| title_fullStr | “This Child Is This Small Only on His Age” |
| title_full_unstemmed | “This Child Is This Small Only on His Age” |
| title_short | “This Child Is This Small Only on His Age” |
| title_sort | this child is this small only on his age |
| topic | age dynamics and social roles conceptualisation of age social interactions Ngəmba Western Cameroon |
| url | http://njas.fi/njas/article/view/1142 |
| work_keys_str_mv | AT solangemekamgoum thischildisthissmallonlyonhisage |