Speech play is the manipulation, conscious or unconscious, of elements of language and speech, in relation to one another and/or in relation

to the social and cultural contexts of their use. While speech play, according to this general definition, is found in all societies, it has unique manifestations and functions in particular societies.

TYPES OF SPEECH PLAY The types of speech play include puns, nursery rhymes, counting out rhymes, backward and forward invented speech, nonsense words, Pig Latin

Tongue Twisters: It is a phrase or sentence which is hard to speak fast, usually because of alliteration or a sequence of nearly similar sounds. It helps develop speech skills & helps in speech therapy. To get the full effect of a tongue twister you should try to repeat it several times, as quickly as possible, without stumbling or mispronouncing.

1. If one doctor doctors another doctor does the doctor who doctors the doctor doctor the doctor the way the doctor he is doctoring doctors? Or does the doctor doctor the way the doctor who doctors doctors? 2. Maame kk k Nkawkaw kt kk de k Konongo ktn gyee sika kk A fair woman went to Nkawkaw. She bought riped plantain and sold it for gold. 3. Mek Nkoranza met nsuo ne nsa mede gyee sidi mmiensa. I went to Nkoranza. I bought water and wine and sold it for three cedis.

The examples given above show that in tongue twisting as type of speech play, the most poetic devices used among other things are alliteration, assonance and repetition. Alliteration: It is the repetition of consonant sound at the beginning of words on the same line. Eg of alliteration in tongue twisting include; tikya tenten te Takoradi teta Assonance is the repetition of a vowel sound at a particular place in a sentence or an utterance to create rhythmic pattern. As shown in example (2) above, there is a repetition of the vowel sound //.

Rhyming, Linking and Association a). Rhymes are memorized sequential lines that help children generates extended production composed of repeated small segments. This type of speech play is used to test how familiar people are with the things in the local environment. Such as animals, utensils, trees, people etc. This type of play is normally performed by a group of people where a leader or performer introduces the play and the audience response. Example of such speech play according to Agyekum (2009) is onwi, onwi, onwi ( fur fur fur). Performer: Onwi onwi onwi

Audience: onwi onwi Performer: Kusie onwi Audience: onwi onwi Performer: kra onwi Audience: onwi onwi

Performer: adoma onwi Audience:

The person who violates in responding to onwi in the last line is beaten. b). linking and association In this type of speech play, verses are of already used words or phrases are expanded by one line to indicate an extension of the episode. bfo no nie, bfo no a kumm kra no a kyeree akura no a b dn no a sn h no nie

In this type, the performer or performers are the sole producers of the play. Example of such type is example (3). The other type of speech play involves a performer and audience. Here, the performer initiates the play and the audience response appropriately. The process will continue to the end of the play. Example of such type according to Agyekum (2009) is dua o dua (tail o tail) by the Akans

PERFORMER Dua o dua Kraman dua Odwan dua

RESPONSE Dua Dua Dua Tail o tail Dog has a tail Sheep has a tail Tail

Akok dua Akonwa dua

Chicken has a tail Chair has a tail

In such example, the one who violates the response is beaten and excluded from the game. The violator of the response can also advance his/her defense.

Punning It is a humorous use of word that has two meanings or of different word that sounds the same. A pun may be a word which sounds one way but is capable of having more than one meaning or interpretation. Puns are based on semantics. Punning as a speech play is a word or phrase which is used in a discourse in such a way that the primary or literal meaning gives way to a metaphorical or secondary meaning (Agyekum 2009:58). Sherzer (1985:213) as cited defines pun as a form of speech play in which a word or phrase unexpectedly and simultaneously combines unrelated meanings. Its worth noting that a pun may be used intentionally or otherwise. The following is an example from Agyekum (2009). S gyae saa y anyae saa y a, gyae manenka nnyae mma nenka If the person who has been advised to stop committing certain confusion does not stop, the afflicted person who wants to retaliate will also not stop revenging when advising top do so. This is an advice from the Akan proverb which foreworn people against bad deeds which will always be punishable by law.

Obiara ntumi ny obi biribi ara w mmer a obi ny obi biribi.

No one is permitted to cause harm to any one if the fellow has not offended him or her.

Pig Latin In this type of speech play, utterances are created by phonological transfer where the first phoneme is moved to the end an then tacking on the vowel glide (ey). This is done among English children. Eg. He does not know it becomes Ehay oesdey otnay owknay tiay The Akan refers to this type of speech play as megesege Here, the vowel in each syllable is repeated accompanied by the insertion of a velar plosive /k,g/ in between the first vowel and the one which is repeated form a new syllable Megesege ygrege gk digi Pigiaga ogorogo sege gk dege nogo.

Riddles and tone riddles This is a verbal duel in which a statement is posed as challenge and another statement is offered in response to either the hidden meaning or the form of the challenge. Natural and artificial things in the environment are sed in posing the challenge. The Akan call this abisaa. (made up of a-bisa to ask) and begins with agya rekor ogyaa me ade bi where the ade refers to the answer expected

Agya rekor ogyaa me ade bi, saa ade no ofiri soro reba a na hy asomade Agya rekor ogyaa me ade bi, saa ade no efiri soro rba a na resa Agya rekor ogyaa me ade bi saa ade no ete atky m nanso ne ho nny fi

Tone riddles Tone riddles occur in languages where tonality is a significant feature. Among the Ibibio people, tone riddles are characterized by their erotic content or allusion. Practically they all make reference to sex organs such as vagina, clitoris, penis, hips. Tone riddles are referred to as aborme meaning bore a whole in me. The Fante people of Akan are noted for the use of aborm. egs. Are The introductory part of aborm is mostly began with Megye megye megye megye borfer a abere ak a mmoa nyinaa di bie --Ankaa bebree baako b mu k Womaame mma nyinaa wo na woy bayifo Its used to text the intelligence of the audience. The words used are entirely different from the meaning derived.

Wisdom Knot This is a type of riddle which is narrated and woven in such a manner that one should employ a great deal of wisdom in order to uncover the mystery surrounding it. It is most of the time in a form of a story. The performer narrates the story and asked the audience to supply the answer or the meaning. An example is.

A man wanted to travel with his chicken, a maize and hawk across a river (knowing very well the enmity between three entities). How will he cross the river with each entity one at a time?

A man lived with his only daughter in a far village. The girl who happens to be a secret lover of a hunter who comes there deep in the night fell sick and died at mid-night without the knowledge of the hunter. The father who knows about the death of the daughter wanted to take a walk around the village and keep wake to the next day before going to the town to announce it. As he bend the curve to the bedroom side of the girl, he bumped into the hunter. By the time they realized, there was excreta (toilet) on the floor. Who did this?

Joking strategy This is a type of speech play where insults and other humour utterances are used as a form of entertainment among peers, groups, friends, tribes etc. Such insults are considered as entertainment so participants are not expected to be annoyed or get angry. Kotthoff (2006:9) as cited by Kofi Agyekum (2009), every invitation to laugh is an invitation to withdraw focal attention from the ongoing discussion and to direct it to non-instrumental pleasure. A typical example is that which exist

among the Nzema and the Asante where the kings of these two tribes could be insulted where no one is offended. Other tribes include the Gonjas and the KasenaS, Dagaares and Frafra and among the Asante people the Baules of Ivory Coast where the totem of the Asnates kotoko is used to create humor.

Quasi Euphemism These are speech plays associated with the playing of games such as draught, ware and luddo.All manners of insults and insinuations are cast as a form of promoting

the game. No player is expected to get offended. In this that chiefs among the Akans are not supposed to play outside. Example, wo to abo ma, sore ko ne, sore ko di wo yere aduane. Speech lay and Gender Speech play is open to both genders however, in most societies in Africa, those that are more humourous, demeaning are reserved for males. This presumably is due to the fact that women always want to save their face.

Functions of Speech Play Speech play is a secret code meant to obscure meaning from outsiders. It is used to train childrens artistic creativity and verbal art Used to generate competition to test intelligence of people Used as a form of entertainment Often used as indication of peoples deepest values and world views some of which relate to the ecology (flora and fauna) Used to teach such moral values as tolerance,

Ethnographic situation The following are some factors that should be considered in the use of a particular speech play in every society 1. Setting 2. Gender 3. Participants

Speech play involves a wide range of creativity with things in the social environment. It is used as a didactic means to cultivate cultural, social and moral in children and adults alike.