Beauty in the Eyes of the Akan People of Ghana: A Sociolinguistic Analysis of Alex Konadu’s Song “Asianawaa”

Cynthia Elizabeth Osei; Emmanuel Yaw Appiah; Emmanuel Antwi Fordjour

doi:doi:10.11648/j.ijla.20210904.12

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Beauty in the Eyes of the Akan People of Ghana: A Sociolinguistic Analysis of Alex Konadu’s Song “Asianawaa”

Cynthia Elizabeth Osei, Emmanuel Yaw Appiah, Emmanuel Antwi Fordjour

Published in International Journal of Literature and Arts (Volume 9, Issue 4)

Received: 18 June 2021 Accepted: 2 July 2021 Published: 13 July 2021

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Abstract

Beauty is a universal concept and has many facets. But the standards of measuring beauty are arbitrary and differ from one culture to another. The variations in the ideals of beauty show what is expected of women in any society. In the Western world, the standards of beauty do not extend beyond the physical appearance of a woman. In the African cultural setting, particularly in the Akan culture, the standards of beauty are not limited to only the physical appearance of the woman. How language is used in exploring the standard of beauty in the Akan has received a little attention. This paper seeks to focus on the use of language used in expressing beauty in the Akan society. Using data based on the song entitled “Asianawaa”, by Alex Kwabena Konadu, a well-known Ghanaian musician, this study examines the Akan concept of beauty as reflected in the use of language. Konadu captures the notion of beauty, through the female physical features, non-physical features and the social capital of beauty. The metaphor, allusion and symbolism are the main language tools that help to conceptualise the concept of beauty in this Akan song. The findings reveal that Konadu’s lyrics highlight the metaphorical concept of beauty with its connotations. It draws conclusion that Konadu’s idea of beauty is demonstrated in understanding the relationship between the language and the socio-cultural experiences of the Akan of Ghana.

Published in	International Journal of Literature and Arts (Volume 9, Issue 4)
DOI	10.11648/j.ijla.20210904.12
Page(s)	155-160
Creative Commons	This is an Open Access article, distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/), which permits unrestricted use, distribution and reproduction in any medium or format, provided the original work is properly cited.
Copyright	Copyright © The Author(s), 2021. Published by Science Publishing Group

Keywords

Beauty, Akan, Culture, Female Curvature

References

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Cynthia Elizabeth Osei, Emmanuel Yaw Appiah, Emmanuel Antwi Fordjour. (2021). Beauty in the Eyes of the Akan People of Ghana: A Sociolinguistic Analysis of Alex Konadu’s Song “Asianawaa”. International Journal of Literature and Arts, 9(4), 155-160. https://doi.org/10.11648/j.ijla.20210904.12

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Cynthia Elizabeth Osei; Emmanuel Yaw Appiah; Emmanuel Antwi Fordjour. Beauty in the Eyes of the Akan People of Ghana: A Sociolinguistic Analysis of Alex Konadu’s Song “Asianawaa”. Int. J. Lit. Arts 2021, 9(4), 155-160. doi: 10.11648/j.ijla.20210904.12

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Cynthia Elizabeth Osei, Emmanuel Yaw Appiah, Emmanuel Antwi Fordjour. Beauty in the Eyes of the Akan People of Ghana: A Sociolinguistic Analysis of Alex Konadu’s Song “Asianawaa”. Int J Lit Arts. 2021;9(4):155-160. doi: 10.11648/j.ijla.20210904.12

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@article{10.11648/j.ijla.20210904.12,
  author = {Cynthia Elizabeth Osei and Emmanuel Yaw Appiah and Emmanuel Antwi Fordjour},
  title = {Beauty in the Eyes of the Akan People of Ghana: A Sociolinguistic Analysis of Alex Konadu’s Song “Asianawaa”},
  journal = {International Journal of Literature and Arts},
  volume = {9},
  number = {4},
  pages = {155-160},
  doi = {10.11648/j.ijla.20210904.12},
  url = {https://doi.org/10.11648/j.ijla.20210904.12},
  eprint = {https://article.sciencepublishinggroup.com/pdf/10.11648.j.ijla.20210904.12},
  abstract = {Beauty is a universal concept and has many facets. But the standards of measuring beauty are arbitrary and differ from one culture to another. The variations in the ideals of beauty show what is expected of women in any society. In the Western world, the standards of beauty do not extend beyond the physical appearance of a woman. In the African cultural setting, particularly in the Akan culture, the standards of beauty are not limited to only the physical appearance of the woman. How language is used in exploring the standard of beauty in the Akan has received a little attention. This paper seeks to focus on the use of language used in expressing beauty in the Akan society. Using data based on the song entitled “Asianawaa”, by Alex Kwabena Konadu, a well-known Ghanaian musician, this study examines the Akan concept of beauty as reflected in the use of language. Konadu captures the notion of beauty, through the female physical features, non-physical features and the social capital of beauty. The metaphor, allusion and symbolism are the main language tools that help to conceptualise the concept of beauty in this Akan song. The findings reveal that Konadu’s lyrics highlight the metaphorical concept of beauty with its connotations. It draws conclusion that Konadu’s idea of beauty is demonstrated in understanding the relationship between the language and the socio-cultural experiences of the Akan of Ghana.},
 year = {2021}
}

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TY - JOUR
T1 - Beauty in the Eyes of the Akan People of Ghana: A Sociolinguistic Analysis of Alex Konadu’s Song “Asianawaa”
AU - Cynthia Elizabeth Osei
AU - Emmanuel Yaw Appiah
AU - Emmanuel Antwi Fordjour
Y1 - 2021/07/13
PY - 2021
N1 - https://doi.org/10.11648/j.ijla.20210904.12
DO - 10.11648/j.ijla.20210904.12
T2 - International Journal of Literature and Arts
JF - International Journal of Literature and Arts
JO - International Journal of Literature and Arts
SP - 155
EP - 160
PB - Science Publishing Group
SN - 2331-057X
UR - https://doi.org/10.11648/j.ijla.20210904.12
AB - Beauty is a universal concept and has many facets. But the standards of measuring beauty are arbitrary and differ from one culture to another. The variations in the ideals of beauty show what is expected of women in any society. In the Western world, the standards of beauty do not extend beyond the physical appearance of a woman. In the African cultural setting, particularly in the Akan culture, the standards of beauty are not limited to only the physical appearance of the woman. How language is used in exploring the standard of beauty in the Akan has received a little attention. This paper seeks to focus on the use of language used in expressing beauty in the Akan society. Using data based on the song entitled “Asianawaa”, by Alex Kwabena Konadu, a well-known Ghanaian musician, this study examines the Akan concept of beauty as reflected in the use of language. Konadu captures the notion of beauty, through the female physical features, non-physical features and the social capital of beauty. The metaphor, allusion and symbolism are the main language tools that help to conceptualise the concept of beauty in this Akan song. The findings reveal that Konadu’s lyrics highlight the metaphorical concept of beauty with its connotations. It draws conclusion that Konadu’s idea of beauty is demonstrated in understanding the relationship between the language and the socio-cultural experiences of the Akan of Ghana.
VL - 9
IS - 4
ER -

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Author Information

Cynthia Elizabeth Osei

Liberal Studies Department, Kumasi Technical University, Kumasi, Ghana
Emmanuel Yaw Appiah

Liberal Studies Department, Kumasi Technical University, Kumasi, Ghana
Emmanuel Antwi Fordjour

Department of Modern Languages, Kwame Nkrumah University Science and Technology, Kumasi, Ghana

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APA Style

Cynthia Elizabeth Osei, Emmanuel Yaw Appiah, Emmanuel Antwi Fordjour. (2021). Beauty in the Eyes of the Akan People of Ghana: A Sociolinguistic Analysis of Alex Konadu’s Song “Asianawaa”. International Journal of Literature and Arts, 9(4), 155-160. https://doi.org/10.11648/j.ijla.20210904.12

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ACS Style

Cynthia Elizabeth Osei; Emmanuel Yaw Appiah; Emmanuel Antwi Fordjour. Beauty in the Eyes of the Akan People of Ghana: A Sociolinguistic Analysis of Alex Konadu’s Song “Asianawaa”. Int. J. Lit. Arts 2021, 9(4), 155-160. doi: 10.11648/j.ijla.20210904.12

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AMA Style

Cynthia Elizabeth Osei, Emmanuel Yaw Appiah, Emmanuel Antwi Fordjour. Beauty in the Eyes of the Akan People of Ghana: A Sociolinguistic Analysis of Alex Konadu’s Song “Asianawaa”. Int J Lit Arts. 2021;9(4):155-160. doi: 10.11648/j.ijla.20210904.12

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@article{10.11648/j.ijla.20210904.12,
  author = {Cynthia Elizabeth Osei and Emmanuel Yaw Appiah and Emmanuel Antwi Fordjour},
  title = {Beauty in the Eyes of the Akan People of Ghana: A Sociolinguistic Analysis of Alex Konadu’s Song “Asianawaa”},
  journal = {International Journal of Literature and Arts},
  volume = {9},
  number = {4},
  pages = {155-160},
  doi = {10.11648/j.ijla.20210904.12},
  url = {https://doi.org/10.11648/j.ijla.20210904.12},
  eprint = {https://article.sciencepublishinggroup.com/pdf/10.11648.j.ijla.20210904.12},
  abstract = {Beauty is a universal concept and has many facets. But the standards of measuring beauty are arbitrary and differ from one culture to another. The variations in the ideals of beauty show what is expected of women in any society. In the Western world, the standards of beauty do not extend beyond the physical appearance of a woman. In the African cultural setting, particularly in the Akan culture, the standards of beauty are not limited to only the physical appearance of the woman. How language is used in exploring the standard of beauty in the Akan has received a little attention. This paper seeks to focus on the use of language used in expressing beauty in the Akan society. Using data based on the song entitled “Asianawaa”, by Alex Kwabena Konadu, a well-known Ghanaian musician, this study examines the Akan concept of beauty as reflected in the use of language. Konadu captures the notion of beauty, through the female physical features, non-physical features and the social capital of beauty. The metaphor, allusion and symbolism are the main language tools that help to conceptualise the concept of beauty in this Akan song. The findings reveal that Konadu’s lyrics highlight the metaphorical concept of beauty with its connotations. It draws conclusion that Konadu’s idea of beauty is demonstrated in understanding the relationship between the language and the socio-cultural experiences of the Akan of Ghana.},
 year = {2021}
}

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