Introduction
The word “body politic” is, undeniably, among the active vocabulary of many politicians in Ghana. Arguably, “body politic” is a major victim of abuse in political communication in the country. It is for this reason that LITERARY DISCOURSE today examines the word in relation to its grammatical and semantic properties.
Grammar
Grammatically, “body politic” is a noun. It could be written as a compound noun with a hyphen linking “body” to “politic.” However, modern lexicographers (authors and editors of dictionaries) seemingly prefer the spelling of the word without the hyphen. This observation is apparently confirmed by many modern dictionaries that list “body politic” without the hyphen.
Though considered as one noun, “body politic” is made up of two lexical categories: a noun and an adjective. “Body” is the noun, and “politic” the adjective. In this context, the adjective is POSTPOSITIVE. This term refers to an adjective that is positioned after the word it qualifies. An example is “GALORE” in the phrase “food GALORE.” Here “GALORE”, an adjective, qualifies “food” but comes after “food.”
Semantics
“Body politic” carries different meanings in different contexts. Generally, However, “body politic” is a metaphorical term referring to all the people in a country as a single corporate entity.
Merriam-Webster Dictionary lists the following definitions of “body politic”:
● A people considered as a collective unit.
Points to Note
It is instructive to note the following points on “body politic”:
● Because “politic” is a postpositive adjective, It is not affected by PLURALITY.
● The “S” morpheme of PLURALITY needed to make “body politic” plural goes to “body” NOT “politic.”
● Therefore, the plural form of “body politic” is “bodieS politic” NOT “body politicS.”
On the bases on these analyses, it becomes obvious that “body politicS” is an alien in the lexicon of Politics and Governance. Perhaps, it is an invention in the literature of Ghana’s political discourse. But it should be avoided in the interest of respect for Grammar and Usage.
Conclusion
Dear reader, as you digest this discourse, we humbly remind you of Sunday January 1, 2017. It is a special day when your humble Abubakar Mohammed Marzuq Azindoo celebrates his birthday and plays a special role as a senior “ANGO” in a wedding between his younger brother Shaikh Olu and Hajia Faiza at Zogbeli, Tamale. It is a day of food galore. It is a day of drink galore. It is a day of happiness galore. Together, we shall dine and wine. Together, we shall dance and glance.
Allah is the Best Grammarian.
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