Potou–Tano Languages
The Potou–Tano or Potou–Akanic languages are the only large, well-established branch of the Kwa family. They have been partially reconstructed historically by Stewart in 1989 and 2002.Stewart, John M. 2002. The potential of Proto-Potou-Akanic-Bantu as a pilot Proto-Niger-Congo, and the reconstructions updated. ''Journal of African Languages and Linguistics'' 23:197-224. Languages The Potou branch consists of two minor languages of Ivory Coast, Ebrié and Mbato. The Tano branch includes the major languages of SE Ivory Coast and southern Ghana, Baoulé and Akan. *Potou–Tano **Potou (Potu) *** Ebrié *** Mbato **Tano (Akanic) *** Krobu ***West Tano: Abure, Eotile *** Central Tano (Bia and the Akan language, the Akan languages) *** Guang See also * Proto-Potou-Akanic reconstructions (Wiktionary) References External linksProto-Potou-Akanic-Bantu reconstructions(Stewart) Kwa languages {{kwa-lang-stub ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
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Ivory Coast
Ivory Coast, also known as Côte d'Ivoire and officially the Republic of Côte d'Ivoire, is a country on the southern coast of West Africa. Its capital city of Yamoussoukro is located in the centre of the country, while its largest List of cities in Ivory Coast, city and economic centre is the port city of Abidjan. It borders Guinea to the Guinea–Ivory Coast border, northwest, Liberia to the Ivory Coast–Liberia border, west, Mali to the Ivory Coast–Mali border, northwest, Burkina Faso to the Burkina Faso–Ivory Coast border, northeast, Ghana to the Ghana–Ivory Coast border, east, and the Atlantic Ocean's Gulf of Guinea to the south. With 31.5 million inhabitants in 2024, Ivory Coast is the List of African countries by population, third-most populous country in West Africa. Its official language is French language, French, and indigenous languages are also widely used, including Bété languages, Bété, Baoulé language, Baoulé, Dyula language, Dyula, Dan language, Da ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
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Ebrié Language
Ebrié, or Cama (Caman, Kyama, Tchaman, Tsama, Tyama), is spoken by the Tchaman people in Ivory Coast and Ghana. It is a Potou language of the Kwa branch of the Niger–Congo family of languages. Phonology Phonemic Inventory The sounds and are marginal and occur only in loanwords. There are no nasal consonant phonemes in Ebrié. Instead, the nasal vowels cause the voiced lenis consonant series �, ɗ, j, wto assimilate into , n, ɲ, ŋʷ Tones Ebrié has two level tones (H and L) and a falling tone (HL). It also has floating tones, and the voiced fortis consonants have a tendency to lower the pitch of the low tone. Morphology Nominal Prefixes The noun class prefixes in Ebrié distinguish between certain homophones and between singular and plural forms. Originally, this system would have been more robust, as seen in other Niger-Congo languages. The four nominal prefixes are ''á-, à-, ɛ̃́-'', and ''ɛ̃̀''-. The latter two, which are nasal vowels, can ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
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Guang Languages
The Guang languages are languages of the Kwa languages, Kwa Language families and languages, language family spoken by the Guang people in Ghana and Togo: *Southern Guang ** Efutu language, Efutu-Awutu ** Hill Guang: dialects Cherepon language, Cherepon, Gua language, Gua (Gwa), Larteh language, Larteh *Northern Guang: dialects Anii language, Anii, Chumburung language, Chumburung–Tchumbuli language, Tchumbuli, Dwang language, Dwang, Foodo language, Foodo, Kyode language, Kyode, Ginyanga language, Ginyanga, Gonja language, Gonja, Kplang language, Kplang, Krache language, Krache, Nawuri language, Nawuri, Nchumbulu language, Nchumbulu, Nkonya language, Nkonya–Nkami language, Nkami, Ntrapo language, Ntrapo, Vagala language, Vagala History Of Guan ''Ethnologue'' and ''Glottolog'' also list Dompo language, Dompo, but according to Blench (1999), that is better left unclassified. Proto-Guang has been reconstructed by Snider (1990). See also *Wiktionary:Appendix:List of Proto-Gu ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
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Central Tano Languages
The Central Tano or Akan languages are a pair of dialect clusters of the Niger-Congo family (or perhaps the theorised Kwa languages) spoken in Ghana and Ivory Coast by the Akan people. There are two or three languages, each with dialects that are sometimes treated as languages themselves:Dolphyne, Florence Abena (1986) The languages of the Akan peoples. ''Research review''. Vol. 2 No. 1, Pages 1-University of Ghana. p. 15. *Akanic (primarily in Ghana) **core Akan language, Akan (Asante, Akuapem and Fante dialects) ** Bono ** Wasa *Bia (primarily in Ivory Coast and Western Ghana) **Northern Bia language *** Anyin dialect *** Baoulé dialect *** Chakosi (Anufo) dialect *** Sefwi (Sehwi) dialect **Southern Bia language *** Nzema dialect *** Ahanta dialect *** Jwira–Pepesa dialect All have written forms in the Latin script The Latin script, also known as the Roman script, is a writing system based on the letters of the classical Latin alphabet, derived from a form of ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
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Eotile Language
Eotile, or Beti, is a nearly extinct Tano language of Ivory Coast. Speakers are shifting to Anyin, with remaining Eotile speakers heavily influenced by that language. The last speaker of "pure" Eotile is reported to have died in 1993. References Potou–Tano languages Languages of Ivory Coast Endangered Niger–Congo languages {{kwa-lang-stub ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
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Abure Language
Abure (Aboulé), also known as ''Abonwa'' or ''Akaplass'', is a Tano language ( Kwa, Niger–Congo) spoken near Abidjan Abidjan ( , ; N'Ko script, N'ko: ߊߓߌߖߊ߲߬) is the largest city and the former capital of Ivory Coast. As of the Demographics of Ivory Coast, 2021 census, Abidjan's population was 6.3 million, which is 21.5 percent of the overall population ... in Ivory Coast. Phonology There are four tones: high, low, rising, and falling. References External links Listen to a sample of Abure from Global Recordings Network Potou–Tano languages Languages of Ivory Coast {{kwa-lang-stub ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
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Krobu Language
Krobu (Krobou) is a Tano language ( Kwa, Niger–Congo) of Ivory Coast Ivory Coast, also known as Côte d'Ivoire and officially the Republic of Côte d'Ivoire, is a country on the southern coast of West Africa. Its capital city of Yamoussoukro is located in the centre of the country, while its largest List of ci .... Phonology Additionally, Krobu has seven tones; high, mid, low, rising, falling, low-rising, and low-falling. References Potou–Tano languages Languages of Ivory Coast {{Authority control ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
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Mbato Language
Mbato, also known as Mbatto, Nghlwa, Potu or Gwa, is a Kwa language spoken in Ivory Coast and in Ghana. It is one of two Potou languages, along with Ebrié. The Mbato people primarily live in the La Mé region of Ivory Coast, particularly in the sub-prefecture of Oghlwapo in the Alépé department. Phonology Mbato has no nasal consonant phonemes, but the nasal vowels (see table below) cause the sonorants �, l, j, wto assimilate and be pronounced as , n, ɲ, ŋʷ There are two bilabial implosive phonemes, /ɓ¹/ and /ɓ²/. The first is always pronounced as � while the second is pronounced in the context of a nasal vowel. The sounds , v, zare marginal and occur only in loanwords. While the Proto- Potou language likely had an ±ATR system, it has disappeared from Ebrié and left only traces in Mbato. Mbato has a tonal system consisting of three level tones. Grammar Noun Classes The noun class prefixes in Mbato serve to distinguish between certain homophone ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
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Akan Language
Akan (), or Twi-Fante, is the most populous language of Ghana, and the principal native language of the Akan people, spoken over much of the southern half of Ghana. About 80% of Ghana's population speak Akan as a first or second language, and about 44% of Ghanaians are native speakers. The Bono dialect is also spoken across the border in Ivory Coast. Three dialects were developed as literary standards with distinct orthographies: Asante and Akuapem, collectively known as Twi, and Fante. Despite being mutually intelligible, they were inaccessible in written form to speakers of the other standards until the Akan Orthography Committee (AOC)'s development of a common Akan orthography in 1978, based mainly on Akuapem dialect. As the first Akan variety to be used for Bible translation, Akuapem had become the prestige dialect. With the Atlantic slave trade, Akan languages were introduced to the Caribbean and South America, notably in Suriname, spoken by the Ndyuka, and i ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
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Ghana
Ghana, officially the Republic of Ghana, is a country in West Africa. It is situated along the Gulf of Guinea and the Atlantic Ocean to the south, and shares borders with Côte d’Ivoire to the west, Burkina Faso to the north, and Togo to the east. Ghana covers an area of , spanning diverse ecologies, from coastal savannas to tropical rainforests. With nearly 35 million inhabitants, Ghana is the second-most populous country in West Africa. The capital and largest city is Accra; other significant cities include Tema, Kumasi, Sunyani, Ho, Cape Coast, Techiman, Tamale, and Sekondi-Takoradi. The earliest kingdoms to emerge in Ghana were Bonoman in the south and the Kingdom of Dagbon in the north, with Bonoman existing in the area during the 11th century. The Asante Empire and other Akan kingdoms in the south emerged over the centuries. Beginning in the 15th century, the Portuguese Empire, followed by other European powers, contested the area for trading r ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
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Baoulé Language
Baoulé (native name: ), also known as Baule or Bawule, is a language spoken in central and southern Ivory Coast, including in the regions of Lacs, Lagunes, Gôh-Djiboua, Sassandra-Marahoué, Vallée du Bandama, Woroba, and Yamoussoukro, by approximately 5.3 million people. It is a Kwa language of the Central Tano branch, forming a dialect continuum with Anyin and closely related to Nzema and Sehwi. It is the common language of the Baoulé people, the largest ethnic group in Ivory Coast. Translations of the Bible In 1946, portions of the Bible translated into Baoulé were first published; the full New Testament followed in 1953. The complete Bible was published first in 1998, by the Bible Society in Abidjan. Phonology Consonants Vowels Of these vowels, five may be nasalized: /ĩ/, /ɛ̃/, /ã/, /ũ/, and /ɔ̃/. Tones Baoulé has five tones: high, low, mid, rising, and falling. Orthography Baoulé uses the following letters to indicate the following ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |