Nzema, also known as Nzima or Appolo, is a
Central Tano language spoken by the
Nzema people 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 and
Fante.
There are notable towns in Nzemaland such as
Bonyere,
Nkroful,
Half Assini,
Axim,
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
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