Akan verb-noun compounds

This paper attempts to demarcate the class of Akan verb-noun compounds like bó-àdéϵ [create-thing] 'creator', to discuss their properties and to present a Construction Morphology account of the properties. Working with the view that Akan verbs are invariably consonant-initial and that the verb constituent of verb-noun compounds are invariably simplex, it is shown that many exemplars cited in the Akan literature do not belong to the class because they bear affixes that betray them as either nominalized verb phrases or noun-noun compounds with deverbal left-hand constituents. It is shown that the noun constituent may be the internal argument of the verb mostly, but may also be the external argument or an adjunct, usually naming the location of the action. The noun constituent may bear the semantic role of undergoer, affected object, patient, instrument, location, result or goal of the action/event designated by the verb, while the denotatum of the compound may be agent, theme, instrument, location or condition. Finally, it is shown that Akan verb-noun compounds have endocentric and exocentric subtypes whose properties are adequately accounted for in Construction Morphology.