The Ahanta and Nzema language have long sparked debate among scholars and language enthusiasts alike. Some argue they belong to the Akan language group, while others maintain that their roots lie in the Guang language family. With differing opinions over the years, the true classification of Ahanta and Nzema remains unclear. This article seeks to explore the linguistic features and historical context of both languages based on what scholars have said, shedding light on their rightful place within Ghana’s language landscape.
According to Gordon (2005), Ahanta, also referred to as ‘Aɣɩnda,’ is a dialect of the Akan language spoken in Ghana, Côte d’Ivoire and parts of other West African regions. In Ghana, van Dantzig (1973) notes that the Ahanta territory extends from Beposo to the Ankobra River. Historically, the Ahanta people were among the first to establish trade relations with the Europeans during the colonial era (van Dantzig, 1973).
Obeng’s (2021) research on some phonological processes of the Ahanta language reveals that Ahanta comprises three dialects. The first is Urban Ahanta, spoken in urban areas such as Sekondi and Takoradi in the Western Region of Ghana, where Fante influences are notable. The second is Rural Ahanta, spoken in areas like Adwoa, Funko, Ewusiejoe, Aboade, Agona Nkwanta, Busua, and Hotopo, all within the Western Region. The third dialect is Evaloe or Valoe, spoken in areas such as Princess Town, Akatakyi, Cape Three Points, and some Nzema communities. Some scholars even classify Evaloe as a dialect of Nzema, given its geographic proximity (Obeng, 2021).
In Ghana, Nzema is spoken in the Western Region. It is estimated that native Nzema speakers are 430, 000. The 2021 Population and Housing Census report from the Ghana Statistical Service indicates that when combining the populations of the major districts in the Western Region, namely Ahanta West, Effia-Kwesimintsim, Sekondi-Takoradi, and Shama District, the total Ahanta population stands at 689,721. Despite this significant figure, the language remains a stable but an uninstitutional language of Ghana, unlike Nzema, which gained institutional status during the era of Dr. Kwame Nkrumah (Ethnologue, 21st edition).
Nyame and Ebule (2022) also identify five dialects of the Nzema language: Dwɔmɔlɔ, Ɛlɛmgbɛlɛ, Adwɔmɔlɔ, Egila, and Ɛvaloɛ. Additionally, Obeng (2021) acknowledges Ɛvaloɛ, a dialect of Ahanta, as being highly influenced by Nzema and considers it a dialect of Nzema as well in her research on some phonological processes of Ahanta.
Abakah (2016) is a notable scholar who argues that both the Ahanta and Nzema languages are not part of the Akan language group, despite sharing a common geographical area with the Akan people. In his classification of the Akan language, Abakah excludes dialects that Westermann and Bryan (1952) identify as belonging to the Anyi-Baule language group, i.e. Ahanta, Nzema,Sehwi, etc. This position places Abakah in disagreement with Gordon (2005) and Stewart (1966) who are of the view that Ahantas and Nzemas are Akans who speak yet another classification of Akan language known as Anyi-Baule-Chakosi.
Delving into Westermann & Bryan (1952) classification, they classify the Ahanta and Nzema languages as part of the Akan language group. They divide the Akan language into three main subgroups: the Twi-Fante dialects [Asante Twi, Akuapem Twi, Fante, Akyem, Wassa, Agona, Kwahu, etc], the Guang dialects [Effutu, Latɛ, Gonja, etc], and the Anyi-Baule dialects [Ahanta, Nzema, Sehwi, Anyi, Chakosi, Aowin, etc].
Dolphyne (1974) supports this classification, noting that beyond the shared geographical and cultural features between the Ahanta and Nzema and the Akan people, a significant number of Ahanta speakers are proficient in and understand the Twi-Fante Akan languages. Dolphyne argues that this linguistic overlap justifies classifying Ahanta and Nzema as an Akan language dialects. Her classification system divides the Akan language into two primary groups: Nzema-Anyi-Baule, which includes Ahanta and Nzema, among other languages such as Sehwi, and Anyi, and Akan, which encompasses the Twi-Fante dialects including Asante Twi, Akuapem Twi, and Fante, among others.
In terms of mutual intelligibility, Nzema is partially intelligible to Jwira-Pepesa and it is very closely related to Ahanta and Baoulé (Bermeister, 1976). It is this same reason Stewart (ibid.) boldly classifies Nzema under Anyi-Baoulé-Chakosi language than mainstream Akan.
The Ahanta and Nzema languages share many similarities, including culture, tradition, naming systems, and common names. As shown above by Dolphyne (1974) on the names of the days as well as names given to females and males, both groups use similar names for days of the week and day-born names for males and females as compared to the Twi-Fante dialects. Based on my native intuition of Ahanta, these names of Nzema as shown in the image above are so closely related to Ahanta that they suggest Ahanta, Nzema, Sehwi, Baule, and Anyi may all belong to the same underlying language group that is not Akan or Guang.
The debate now hinges on the criterion of mutual intelligibility. For those who are also exposed to both Ahanta-Nzema languages and Twi-Fante dialects, the differences are huge. Speakers of Ahanta-Nzema can understand and speak Twi-Fante largely due to exposure and close proximity, despite sharing some similar words and sentence structures. However, the reverse is not true. Twi-Fante speakers often struggle to comprehend even a single word of Ahanta-Nzema. As for Guang, with its dialects Effutu, Latɛ, Gonja, the case becomes worst. This raises the question: Why should Ahanta and Nzema be classified as Akan, or even Guang?
I suggest that the Ahanta and Nzema languages, although sharing cultural and geographical similarities with the Akan people, are not linguistically part of the Akan language group but rather belong to a distinct subgroup within the Niger-Congo language family. However, due to prolonged cultural interactions and geographical proximity, Ahanta and Nzema speakers have become highly proficient in Twi-Fante Akan dialects, leading to its classification as an Akan language by some scholars.
This hypothesis acknowledges the arguments of scholars like Abakah (2016), who assert that Ahanta and Nzema are not truly Akan languages but rather became influenced by the Akan language due to their location and interactions. On the other hand, it also takes into account the perspectives of Westermann & Bryan (1952) and Dolphyne (1974), who recognize the integration of Ahanta and Nzema into the broader Akan language framework based on linguistic and social factors. This would suggest that the classification of Ahanta and Nzema as Akan dialects are more a result of sociolinguistic processes than a purely linguistic one. In other words, Ahanta, Nzema, Sehwi, Anyi, Baule are just ‘Geographic/Anthropologic’ Akans but not Linguistic Akans.
Author: Ebenezer Kobinah Offen
Editor: Ama Gyesiwaa Quansah
