Languages in Ghana
University of Puerto Rico
Rio Piedras Campus
Master of Arts in English
Submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the course
INGL 6466 – Studies in Bilingualism
Prof. Alicia Pousada
By
Stephanie Hernandez Reinat
First semester 2012-2013
Languages in Ghana
Introduction
There have been linguistic studies prepared in order to understand the functions of multilingual countries. Ghana, being one of these multilingual countries, is very complex and complicated with many linguistic intricacies. It is also a highly multilingual country, with approximately fifty intelligible languages. Since the country is culturally and linguistically divided into two parts, Ghanaian languages are also divided into two subfamilies: Kwa and Gur. (Anyidoho & Kropp, 2008) This creates an interesting division between communities in Ghana; however, English has become their official language even though Ghana has been an independent nation for over forty years. So, the Ghanaian society has one language which unites them with each other and the rest of the world. English is the language used in Ghana for education, diplomacy, business, government and other technical matters.
This paper intends to explore the different languages used in Ghana and demonstrate the use of these languages by the Ghanaian people. There are many Ghanaian’s who do not acquire English as their mother tongue. I will also be studying their functions in the Ghanaian society and which language is used in the educational system as their medium of instruction. Since, “in May 2002, Ghana promulgated a law, which mandates the use of English language (hereafter L2) as the medium of instruction from primary one (grade one) to replace the use of a Ghanaian language as the medium of instruction for the first three years of schooling, and English as the medium of instruction from primary four (grade four).” (Owu-Ewie, 2006) Also, the future of the languages used in Ghana will also be explored.
Rio Piedras Campus
Master of Arts in English
Submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the course
INGL 6466 – Studies in Bilingualism
Prof. Alicia Pousada
By
Stephanie Hernandez Reinat
First semester 2012-2013
Languages in Ghana
Introduction
There have been linguistic studies prepared in order to understand the functions of multilingual countries. Ghana, being one of these multilingual countries, is very complex and complicated with many linguistic intricacies. It is also a highly multilingual country, with approximately fifty intelligible languages. Since the country is culturally and linguistically divided into two parts, Ghanaian languages are also divided into two subfamilies: Kwa and Gur. (Anyidoho & Kropp, 2008) This creates an interesting division between communities in Ghana; however, English has become their official language even though Ghana has been an independent nation for over forty years. So, the Ghanaian society has one language which unites them with each other and the rest of the world. English is the language used in Ghana for education, diplomacy, business, government and other technical matters.
This paper intends to explore the different languages used in Ghana and demonstrate the use of these languages by the Ghanaian people. There are many Ghanaian’s who do not acquire English as their mother tongue. I will also be studying their functions in the Ghanaian society and which language is used in the educational system as their medium of instruction. Since, “in May 2002, Ghana promulgated a law, which mandates the use of English language (hereafter L2) as the medium of instruction from primary one (grade one) to replace the use of a Ghanaian language as the medium of instruction for the first three years of schooling, and English as the medium of instruction from primary four (grade four).” (Owu-Ewie, 2006) Also, the future of the languages used in Ghana will also be explored.
References: Anyidoho, A., & Dakubu, M. K. (2008). Ghana: Indigenous Languages, English, and an Emerging National Identity. Language & National Identity in Africa (pp. 141-157). New York: Oxford University Press. Bodomo, A. B. (1996). On Language and Development in Africa: The Case of Ghana. Nordic Journal of African Studies, 5, 31-51. Retrieved October 13, 2012, from http://www.njas.helsinki.fi/pdf-files/vol5num2/bodomo.pdf Morris, L. (1998). The Function of English in Contemporary Ghanaian Society. African Diaspora Collection, 52, 1-23. Owu-Ewie, Charles. 2006. The Language Policy of Education in Ghana: A Critical Look at the English-OnlyLanguage Policy of Education. In Selected Proceedings of the 35th Annual Conference on African Linguistics, ed. John Mugane et al., 76-85. Sherris, A. (2006). A Critical Analysis of Language and Education in the Republic of Ghana. Mason Academic Research, 1, 1-27. Retrieved October 22, 2012, from http://mason.gmu.edu/~asherris/Portfolio/Coursework/Frameworks_Sanchez/Critical_A alysis_Ghana.pdf