Akan languages

Akan
Ákán
Native to	Ghana
Ethnicity	14 millionAkan(2021 census)
Native speakers	L1:8.9 million (2013) L2:1 million (no date)
Language family	Niger–Congo? Atlantic–Congo Volta–Congo Kwa Potou–Tano Tano Central Tano Akan
Dialects	Twi Ahafo Akuapem Wasa Fante Agona Anomabo Abura Gomoa Akyem Bosome Asen Denkyira Kwawu Asante Fante
Writing system	Latin
Official status
Official language in	None. — Government-sponsored language ofGhana
Regulated by	Akan Orthography Committee
Language codes
ISO 639-1	ak
ISO 639-2	aka
ISO 639-3	aka
Glottolog	akan1251Akanic akan1250

Akan(/əˈkæn/) is a group of several closely related languages within the widerCentral Tano languages.These languages are the principal native languages of theAkan peopleofGhana,spoken over much of the southern half of Ghana.About 80% of Ghana's population can speak an Akan language as a first or second language,and about 44% of Ghanaians arenative speakers.There are populations ofpolyglotsin Ghana who speak an Akan language as a third language.They are also spoken in parts ofCôte d'Ivoire.

Four dialects have been developed as literary standards with distinctorthographies:Asante,Akuapem,Bono(collectively known asTwi), andFante.Despite beingmutually intelligible,they were inaccessible in written form to speakers of the other standards until theAkan Orthography Committee(AOC)'s development of a common Akan orthography in 1978, based mainly onAkuapem Twi.This unified orthography is used as the medium of instruction in primary school by speakers of several other Central Tano languages, such asAkyem,Anyi,Sehwi,Fante,Ahanta,and theGuan languages.TheAkan Orthography Committeehas worked on the creation of a standard orthography.

With theAtlantic slave trade,Akan languages were introduced to theCaribbeanandSouth America,notably inSuriname,spoken by theNdyuka,and inJamaica,spoken by theJamaican Maroons,also known as theCoromantee.The cultures of the descendants of escaped slaves in the interior of Suriname and theMaroonsin Jamaica still retain Akan influences, including theAkan naming practiceof naming children after the day of the week on which they are born, e.g. Akwasi/Kwasi for a boy or Akosua for a girl born on a Sunday. In Jamaica and Suriname, theAnansispider stories are still well-known.

History

In history, the Akans who live inGhanamigrated in successive waves between the 11th and 18th centuries. Others inhabit the eastern part ofCôte d'Ivoireand parts ofTogo.They migrated from the north to occupy the forest and coastal areas in the south in the 13th century. The Akans have a strong oral history tradition of their past and they're also known in the art history world for symbolic artifacts of wood, metal and terracotta.Their cultural ideas are expressed in stories and proverbs and also in designs such as symbols used in carvings and on clothes.The cultural and historic nature of the Akans inGhanamakes it an area of research for various disciplines such as folklore, literary studies,linguistics,anthropologyand history.

A map of Ghana's ethno-linguistic areas. Akan areas (light green) extend west about halfway into Côte d'Ivoire.

Relationship to other Central Tano languages

Akan is adialect continuumthat includesTwi,Fante,andWasa.Ethnologue, whose classification is based on studies of mutual intelligibility and lexical similarity from a multitude of sources,classifies the varieties of Akan as dialects of the overarching Akan language, which belongs to theCentral Tanolanguage family. Glottolog makes basically the same analysis, with the exception that the Akan dialect continuum is labeled "Akanic".

According to work done by P. K. Agbedor, Fante, Twi (Bono, Asante and Akuapem), Sefwi, Wassa, Asen, Akwamu, and Kwahu belong to Cluster 1 of the speech forms of Ghana, defined as in Ethnologue by the level of mutual intelligibility.Cluster 1 may better be termed r-Akan, which do not have /l/ as a phoneme, while l-Akan refers to the Akan cluster comprisingNzema,Baoulé,Anyinand other dialects spoken mainly in Côte d'Ivoire, which have /l/ in place of /r/.

Phonology

The Akan dialects contain extensivepalatalization,vowel harmony,andtone terracing.

Consonants

Beforefront vowels,all Asante consonants arepalatalized(orlabio-palatalized), and thestopsare to some extentaffricated.Theallophonesof/n/are quite complex. In the table below, palatalized allophones which involve more than minor phonetic palatalization are specified, in the context of the vowel/i/.These sounds do occur before other vowels, such as/a/,though in most cases not commonly.

In Asante,/ɡu/followed by a vowel is pronounced/ɡʷ/,but inAkuapemit remains/ɡu/.The sequence/nh/is pronounced[ŋŋ̊].

A word final/k/can be heard as a glottal stop[ʔ].There is also a nasalization of/h/and of/jw/as[h̃]and[j̃w̃],when occurring before nasal vowels.

The transcriptions in the tables below are in the order /phonemic/, [phonetic]. Note that orthographic⟨dw⟩is ambiguous; in textbooks,⟨dw⟩=/ɡ/may be distinguished from/dw/with a diacritic:d̩w.Likewise, velar⟨nw⟩(ŋw) may be transcribedn̩w.Orthographic⟨nu⟩is palatalized[ɲᶣ].

Akan consonant phonemes

		Labial	Alveolar	Dorsal	Labialized
Nasal	plain	/m/	/n/		/nʷ/
	geminated		/nː/		/nːʷ/
Stop	voiceless	/p/	/t/	/k/	/kʷ/
	voiced	/b/	/d/	/g/	/ɡʷ/
Fricative		/f/	/s/	/h/	/hʷ/
Trill			/r/
Approximant			/l/	/j/	/w/

Allophones of Akan consonants

		Labial	Alveolar		Dorsal		Labialized
			Phoneme	Allophones	Phoneme	Allophones	Phoneme	Allophones
Nasal	plain	/m/	/n/	[n~ŋ,ɲ,ɲĩ]			/nʷ/	[ŋʷ, ɲᶣ]
	geminated		/nː/	[ŋː, ɲːĩ]			/nːʷ/	[ɲːᶣ]
Stop	voiceless	/p/	/t/	[t,tçi]	/k/	[k,tɕ~cç]	/kʷ/	[kʷ, tɕᶣi]
	voiced	/b/	/d/		/g/	[g,dʒ,dʑ~ɟʝ]	/ɡʷ/	[ɡʷ, dʑᶣi]
Fricative		/f/	/s/		/h/	[h, ç]	/hʷ/	[hʷ, çᶣi]
Trill			/r/	[ɾ,r,ɽ]
Approximant			/l/		/j/		/w/	[w, ɥ]

Akan consonant orthography

		Labial	Alveolar	Dorsal	Labialized
Nasal	plain	⟨m⟩	⟨n, ny, ngi⟩		⟨nw, nu⟩
	geminated		⟨ng, nyi, nnyi⟩		⟨nnw⟩
Stop	voiceless	⟨p⟩	⟨t, ti⟩	⟨k, ky⟩	⟨kw, twi⟩
	voiced	⟨b⟩	⟨d⟩	⟨g, dw, gy⟩	⟨gu, dwi⟩
Fricative		⟨f⟩	⟨s⟩	⟨h, hy⟩	⟨hu, hwi⟩
Trill			⟨r⟩
Approximant			⟨l⟩	⟨y⟩	⟨w, wi⟩

Vowels

The Akan dialects have fourteen to fifteen vowels: four to five "tense" vowels (advanced tongue root;+ATR or -RTR), five "lax" vowels (retracted tongue root,+RTR or -ATR), which are not entirely contrastively represented by the seven-vowel orthography, and five nasal vowels, which are not represented at all. All fourteen were distinguished in theGold Coast Alpha betof the colonial era. A tongue-root distinction in orthographicais only found in some subdialects of Fante, but not in the literary form; in Asante and Akuapem there are harmonic allophones of/a/,but neither is ATR.The two vowels writtene(/e/and/i̙/) ando(/o/and/u̙/) are often not distinguished in pronunciation.

Akan vowel phonemes

	Front		Central		Back
	-RTR	+RTR	-RTR	+RTR	-RTR	+RTR
Close	/i/	/i̙/			/u/	/u̙/
Mid	/e/	/e̙/			/o/	/o̙/
Open			/a/	/a̙/

Orthog.	-RTR	+RTR
i	/i/[i]
e	/e/[e]	/i̙/[ɪ~e]
ɛ		/e̙/[ɛ]
a	/a/[æ~ɐ~ə]	/a̙/[a]
ɔ		/o̙/[ɔ]
o	/o/[o]	/u̙/[ʊ~o]
u	/u/[u]

Tongue root harmony

Akan vowels engage in a form ofvowel harmonywith the root of the tongue.

1. +RTR vowels followed by the -RTR non-mid vowels /i a u/ become -RTR. This is generally reflected in the orthography: That is, orthographiceɛaɔobecomei e a o u.However, it is no longer reflected in the case of subject and possessive pronouns, giving them a consistent spelling. This rule takes precedence over the next one.
2. After the +RTR non-high vowels /e̙ a̙ o̙/, -RTR mid vowels /e o/ become +RTR high vowels /i̙ u̙/. This is not reflected in the orthography, for both sets of vowels are spelled⟨e o⟩,and in many dialects this rule does not apply, for these vowels have merged.

Tones

Akan has three phonemic tones,high(/H/),mid(/M/), andlow(/L/). Initial syllable may only behighorlow.

Tone terracing

The phonetic pitch of the three tones depends on their environment, often being lowered after other tones, producing a steady decline known astone terracing.

/H/ tones have the same pitch as a preceding /H/ or /M/ tone within the same tonic phrase, whereas /M/ tones have a lower pitch. That is, the sequences /HH/ and /MH/ have a level pitch, whereas the sequences /HM/ and /MM/ have a falling pitch. /H/ is lowered (downstepped) after a /L/.

/L/ is the default tone, which emerges in situations such as reduplicated prefixes. It is always at bottom of the speaker's pitch range, except in the sequence /HLH/, in which case it is raised in pitch but the final /H/ is still lowered. Thus /HMH/ and /HLH/ are pronounced with distinct but very similar pitches.

After the first "prominent" syllable of a clause, usually the first high tone, there is adownstep.This syllable is usually stressed.

Morphology

Formation of plural nouns in Akan

Akan forms some plural nouns by adding the prefixes 'm' or 'n' to the original word and removing the first sound of the noun. Example include nouns likeabofra(child), which forms its plural by removing the 'ab' from the word and adding 'mm' to form its plural:mmofra(children). Same goes foraboa(animal) tommoa(animals),abusua(family) tommusua(families),abirekyie(goat) tommirekyie(goats) etc. in the Twi dialect.

The nouns which use the 'n' prefix include;adaka(box) tonnaka(boxes),adanko(rabbit) tonnanko(rabbits),aduro(medicine) tonnuro(medicines),atare(dress) tontare(dresses),odwan(sheep) tonnwan(sheep plural),aduane(food) tonnuane(food plural),kraman(dog) tonkraman(dogs),kanea(light) tonkanea(lights),safoa(key) tonsafoa(keys).

Akan can create plural nouns by adding the suffixnomto the original word. Examples include;agya(father) toagyanom(fathers),nana(grandparent/grandchild) tonananom(grandparents/grandchildren),nua(sibling) tonuanom(siblings),yere(wife) toyerenom(wives).

Some Akan nouns are the same in both singular and plural. Nouns such asnkyene(salt),ani(eye),sika(money), etc., are written the same in both singular and plural.

Literature

The Akan languages have a rich literature in proverbs, folktales, and traditional drama, as well as a new literature in dramas, short stories, and novels.This literature began to be documented in written form in the late 1800s.Later,Joseph Hanson Kwabena Nketiacollected a number of proverbs and folktales, includingFuneral Dirges of the Akan People(1969),Folk Songs of Ghana(1963), andAkan Poetry(1958). Some of the important authors in the language areA. A. Opoku(dramatist),E. J. Osew(dramatist),K. E. Owusu(novelist), andR. A. Tabi(dramatist and novelist).TheBureau of Ghana Languageshas been unable to continue printing novels in the language, and the following are out of print:Obreguo, Okrabiri, Afrakoma, Obeede, Fia Tsatsala,andKu Di Fo Nanawu.

Education

Primary

In 1978 the AOC established a common orthography for all of Akan, which is used as the medium of instruction inprimary school.The Akan language is recognized for literacy, from at least the lower primary level (primary 1–3).

University

Akan languages are studied at several majoruniversitiesin the United States, includingOhio University,Ohio State University,University of Wisconsin-Madison,Harvard University,Boston University,Indiana University,University of Michigan,and TheUniversity of Florida.Akan has been a regular African language of study in the annual Summer Cooperative African Languages Institute (SCALI) program.The Akan language is studied in these universities as a bachelor or masters program.

Common phrases

• Akwaaba– Welcome
• Aane(Twi) - Yes
• Nyew(Fante)– Yes
• Yiw(Akuapem) – Yes
• Yoo– Okay/Alright
• Oho / anhã(Fante)/Daabi(Twi)– No/Nope
• Da yie(Twi) – Good night (literally "sleep well" )
• Me rekɔ da(Fante) – I'm going to sleep
• Ɛte sɛn?(Twi) – How is it going/How are you? (could also be used in the non lit. sense as "hello" )
• Medaase– Thank you
• Mepa wo kyɛw– Please/excuse me/I beg your pardon
• Ndwom(Fante)/nnwom(Twi) – Song/songs or music
• Wo din de sɛn?/Yɛfrɛ wo sɛn?(Twi) - What is your name?
• Wo dzin dze dεn?(Fante) – What is your name?
• Me dzin dze.../Wɔfrɛ me...(Fante) – My name is/I'm called...
• Woedzi mfe ahen?(Fante) – How old is he/she?
• Edzi mfe ahen(Fante) – How old are you?
• ɔwɔ hen?– Where is it?
• Me rekɔ– I am going/ I am taking my leave.
• Mbo(Fante)/Mmo(Twi)– Good
• Jo(Fante)/Kɔ(Twi) – Leave
• Ayɛ Adze(Fante) – well done
• Gyae– Stop
• Da– Sleep
• Bra - Come
• Bra ha - Come here
• Bɛ didi - Come and eat

Names of places

• Fie - Home
• Sukuu - School
• Asɔre - Church
• Dwaaso - Market
• sukuupon - University or a tertiary Institution
• Ayaresabea - Hospital

Bibliography

• Cleland, Esi; Gyang, Kofi Oteng; Imbeah, Nana Kodwo (Jojoo); Imbeah, Paa Kwesi (2005).Modern Akan: A concise introduction to the Akuapem, Fanti and Twi language.Kasahorow Language Guides. Accra: Kasahorow.ISBN978-9988-0-376-7-3.
• Dolphyne, Florence Abena (1988).The Akan (Twi-Fante) Language: Its Sound Systems and Tonal Structure.Accra: Ghana Universities Press.ISBN9964-3-0159-6.
• Dolphyne, F. A. (1996).A Comprehensive Course in Twi (Asante) for the Non-Twi Learner.Accra: Ghana University Press.ISBN9964-3-0245-2.
• Schacter, Paul (1968).A Phonology of Akan: Akuapem, Asante, Fante.Los Angeles: University of California Press.
• Nketia, William (2004).Twi für Ghana: Wort für Wort(in German). Bielefeld: Reise Know-How Verlag.ISBN3-89416-346-1.
• Obeng, Samuel Gyasi(2001).African anthroponymy: An ethnopragmatic and norphophonological study of personal names in Akan and some African societies.LINCOM studies in anthropology. Vol. 08. München: LINCOM Europa.ISBN3-89586-431-5.
• Redden, J. E.; Owusu, N. (1963).Twi Basic Course.Foreign Service Institute.hdl:2027/mdp.39015005280261.Reprint:Twi basic course.Hippocrene. 1995.ISBN0-7818-0394-2.

External links

• English-Tshi (Asante): a dictionary = Enyiresi-Twi nsem-asekyere-nhõma (1909),Evangelische Missionsgesellschaft in Basel
• Akan Language Resources
• Journal of West African Languages: Akan
• My First Akan DictionaryOnline Akan (Twi, Fanti) Dictionary
• Twi Word of the Day and Articles
• Twi Language Resources
• The Bible in Twi
• The Quran in Twi Language
• Poem translated into Twi
• Watch Twi Music Videos
• Prayer in Twi used by Ghanaians of the Baha'i Faith
• Open Twi Project,a project to bring Akan (Asante Twi at the moment) to standard e.g. in software, dictionary, and grammar
• Literature and articles in AhantaLiterature and articles in Ahanta.