Nzema, also known as Nzima or Appolo, is a

Central Tano language 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 ...

spoken by the

Nzema people The Nzema are an ethnic group numbering about 328,700, of whom 262,000 live in southwestern Ghana and 66,700 live in the southeast of Côte d'Ivoire. In Ghana, the Nzema area is divided into three electoral districts: Nzema East Municipal, also k ...

of southwestern

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 t ...

and southeastern

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 ...

. It is partially intelligible with Jwira-Pepesa and is closely related to Baoulé. Being a Bia language, Nzema is one of the many Akan languages, and it has had considerable influence from other

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 ...

s, especially

Twi Twi (; ) is the common name of the Akan literary language of Asante and Akuapem. Effectively, it is a synonym for 'Akan' that is not used by the Fante people. It is not a linguistic grouping, but more of a common name used by inland Akans as ...

and Fante. There are notable towns in Nzemaland such as Bonyere,

Nkroful Nkroful is a village and the capital of the Ellembelle District in the Western Region of Ghana, located near Axim in the Nzema East Municipal. The village is the birthplace of Kwame Nkrumah, Ghana's first president.Half Assini Half Assini, also known as Awiane, is a small town and is the capital of Jomoro Municipal District, a municipality in the Western Region of Ghana. It is the hometown of Kwame Nkrumah's father. Nkrumah, the first president of Ghana The presi ...

Axim Axim is a coastal town and the capital of Nzema East Municipal district, a district in Western Region of South Ghana. Axim lies 64 kilometers west of the port city of Sekondi-Takoradi in the Western Region, west of Cape Three Points. Axim ha ...

Eikwe Eikwe is a small town in the Ellembelle District of the Western Region of Ghana. Eikwe is popularly known amongst the Nzema folks of Ghana Ghana, officially the Republic of Ghana, is a country in West Africa. It is situated along the ...

, Baku,

Atuabo Atuabo is a town in the Western Region of 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 t ...

Beyin Beyin is a village in the Jomoro district, a district in the Western Region of 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 ...

Essiama Essiama is a town near Axim in the Nzema East Municipal District, a district in the Western Region of Ghana. Beaches Essiama has some of the best beaches in Ghana which serves as a source of entertainment for incoming tourists Tourism is ...

and Anokyi.

Phonology

Consonants

Vowels

Of Nzema's ten vowels, eight may be

nasalized In phonetics, nasalization (or nasalisation in British English) is the production of a sound while the velum is lowered, so that some air escapes through the nose during the production of the sound by the mouth. An archetypal nasal sound is . ...

: /ĩ/, /ɪ̃/, /ɛ̃/, /ɐ̃/, /ã/, /ũ/, /ʊ̃/ and /ɔ̃/.

Writing system

References

External links

Nzema language dictionaries
Central Tano languages Languages of Ghana Languages of Ivory Coast {{kwa-lang-stub