ABSTRACT
Ethnographic and sociolinguistic accounts of "greetings" in some West African societies have pointed to the enactment of an ideology of inequality in which participants with inferior status assume the role of initiator of greetings, with its possible manipulations and attendant responsibilities. Traditional prayer in West African communities is always accompanied by the pouring of some liquid, whether alcoholic or simply water, on the ground as an offering to God and the ancestors. One can think of access rituals as verbal and nonverbal communicative acts that mark boundaries at the beginning and closing phases of social interaction. The thanking or "gratitude" segment of the greetings exchange is present in other West African communities as well. The use of salutation and identification address terms in opening routines has disappeared, especially in urban contexts, and not just among Ewe but also in other communities such as the Akan.
