Style and Literary Devices in Dangme Klama Songs

ABSTRACT

The work aims at a qualitative study of Dangme klama songs. The study looked at the style, literary devices, meanings and moral lessons the songs convey to its audience. The study reveals that the songs have many literary devices such as metaphors, parallelisms, repetition and so on. It was found out that there are a lot of respectable literature worthy of consideration that cannot be pushed or glossed over. In translating the songs from Dangme into English, a conscious effort has been made in order to maintain the actual meanings of the songs. In so doing, the richness of the language of the song text has been maintained.  The study has also revealed various and varied embedded messages in the songs that point or at least make reference to the history, religion, culture as well as the harmonies and tensions within the society from which these songs were drawn. Some of the song texts were found to contain words whose meanings are not intelligible. However, the meanings of the words are implied to make the songs meaningful. Finally, klama songs serves as check and balance on the behaviour and general lives of its singers.