Akan serial verb nominalization is one of the most dynamic and generative forces in Afrikan linguistics today. It shows how language grows from the inside — organically, communally, and on its own terms. Furthermore, this is not a peripheral topic. It sits at the very heart of how Akan-speaking people create meaning, name new realities, and sustain cultural continuity across generations. Most importantly, understanding this process affirms that Afrikan languages are living, structured, and intellectually sovereign systems.

In this lecture, Ɔbenfo Ọbádélé Bakari Kambon — joined by Dr. Clement Appah and Dr. Reginald Duah — presents a rigorous scholarly examination of how new nominal forms emerge in Akan. Ɔbenfo Kambon argues that novel forms follow morphosyntactic base templates. In other words, speakers do not form new words randomly. Instead, they apply structured patterns by analogy to meet the speech community’s evolving needs. As a result, the language expands without losing its internal logic or cultural grounding. This insight connects powerfully to Booij’s (2007) word formation schema theory — yet it centers Akan on its own linguistic foundations.

Why Akan Serial Verb Nominalization Demands Our Full Scholarly Attention

Afrikan languages have long been misrepresented in Western academic spaces. However, scholarship like this dismantles those distortions directly. This 54-minute lecture, available through Abibitumi.com, includes 34 downloadable PowerPoint slides for deeper study. Together, they provide a thorough and accessible resource for linguists, students, and community educators alike. In addition, the lecture raises critical questions about intervening elements — asking which morphosyntactic structures permit or block nominalization processes. These are not abstract puzzles. They reveal how Akan encodes thought, structures knowledge, and builds community language in real time.

Abibitumi exists to place this quality of scholarship directly in the hands of Afrikan people worldwide. Every lecture we carry serves Abibifahodie — the liberation of Black people through knowledge, culture, and self-determination. This resource is no exception. Furthermore, whether you are a professional linguist, a parent teaching your children Akan, or a student building your intellectual foundation, this lecture speaks to you. Do not sleep on the tools your liberation requires. Watch the full lecture and download the slides today.

Watch / Get it here: Serial Verb Nominalization in Akan — Video + PDF Bundle ($20.00)