Image Source: Bureau of Ghana Languages (BGL)
The Gur languages, also known as Mabia languages, spoken predominantly in northern Ghana, represent one of the most diverse linguistic groups in the country. With over a dozen distinct dialects, the Gur languages reflect the diverse cultural heritage and historical experiences of their speakers. The language group has the widely spoken Dagaare and Dagbani to lesser-known dialects like Chali and Kantonsi as well as some other languages that will be covered in this article.
In September 2024, a report from Ghanalingo revealed that the Gur languages are the most endangered languages in Ghana. Despite facing this serious threat, the language boasts the highest diversity of dialects among all language groups in the country.
A study by renowned Gur/Mabia scholar Adam Bodomo (Bodomo, 2017) reveals that the Mabia languages, part of the Niger-Congo language family, comprise around 80 languages spoken by over 30 million native speakers. These languages are primarily found in the savanna regions of West Africa, particularly in the Middle Belt, situated between the southern forests and the northern Sahara Desert. This geographical area spans present-day northern Ghana, northern Ivory Coast, northern Togo, northern Benin, northwestern Nigeria, Mali, and Burkina Faso. However, this article focuses on the Gur/Mabia languages spoken in northern Ghana.
As mentioned earlier, the Gur language group boasts the most dialects in Ghana. Several of these dialects have gained institutional recognition, including Dagbani, Kusaal, Kasem, Gurune, Dagaare, Likpakpaanl, and Sisaala, all of which are studied up to the PhD level at the University of Education, Winneba. In addition to these institutional dialects, the Gur or Mabia language family includes many other dialects, such as Kabiye, Kokomba, Mampruli, Wali, Hanga, Safaliba, Moore, Nabit, Nanuni, Buli, Koni, and more.
The vast number of the Gur/Mabia languages in Ghana has led Adam Bodomo to classify them more systematically. In his work, Bodomo uses the term “Mabia” interchangeably with “Gur” due to historical classifications by scholars like Westermann & Bryan (1952) and Greenberg (1963). These earlier scholars used “Gur” to refer only to a subset of the broader language group, specifically the Western Oti-Volta languages.
Adam Bodomo classifies the Gur languages, also referred to as the Mabia languages, into three primary branches based on mutual intelligibility and linguistic features. The first branch, Mabia West, includes dialects such as Kasem, Sisaala, and Kabiye. The second and largest branch, Mabia Central, encompasses a variety of dialects and subdialects. Notably, Mabia Dagaare comprises Dagaare, Waale, Birifor, and Safaliba as subdialects. Within this branch is Mabia North, represented by the Moore dialect spoken in both Ghana and Burkina Faso. Mabia Mid-Central features dialects such as Mabiene, Nankane, and Nabit, while Mabia South includes Dagbane, Mampruli, and Nanuni. Mabia Kusaal contains Kusaal and Talni, and Mabia Buli Konni covers Buli and Konni. Additionally, Mabia Hanga Kamara features Hanga and Kamara as its primary dialects.
The third branch, Mabia East, comprises dialects like Bassari, Konkomba, and Moba. Each sub-classification within the Mabia languages is characterized by significant levels of mutual intelligibility, both within and across branches. Despite the variations in dialects, the Gur languages share structural and linguistic similarities that unite them under the Mabia or Gur umbrella. This mutual intelligibility highlights the close linguistic relationship among the dialects, further justifying their grouping within a single language family.
The Kwa language family, as classified by Ethnologue, consists of 33 languages spoken primarily in Ghana. These include Abron (abr), Adamorobe Sign Language (ads), Adangbe (adq), Adele (ade), Ahanta (aha), Akan (aka), Animere (anf), Anufo (cko), Anyin (any), Awutu (afu), Cherepon (cpn), Dangme (ada), Dwang (nnu), Esahie (sfw), Ga (gaa), Ghanaian Pidgin English (gpe), Gikyode (acd), Gonja (gjn), Gua (gwx), Krache (kye), Larteh (lar), Lelemi (lef), Logba (lgq), Nkonya (nko), Ntcham (bud), Nyagbo (nyb), Nzema (nzi), Sekpele (lip), Selee (snw), Siwu (akp), Tafi (tcd), Tuwuli (bov), and Wasa (wss). These languages are widely spoken across southern Ghana and reflect the rich linguistic diversity of the region.
The Gur language family comprises 36 languages predominantly spoken in northern Ghana. These include Bimoba (bim), Bisa (bib), Chakali (cli), Chala (cll), Chumburung (ncu), Dagbani (dag), Deg (mzw), Delo (ntr), Farefare (gur), Hanga (hag), Kamara (jmr), Kantosi (xkt), Kasem (xsm), Konkomba (xon), Konni (kma), Kplang (kph), Kusaal (kus), Mampruli (maw), Nafaanra (nfr), Nawuri (naw), Nchumbulu (nlu), Nkami (nkq), Paasaal (sig), Safaliba (saf), Southern Birifor (biv), Southern Dagaare (dga), Tampulma (tpm), Tumulung Sisaala (sil), Vagla (vag), Wali (wlx), Western Sisaala (ssl), Dompo (doy), Dwang (nnu), and Paasaal (sig).
The Gbe language family in Ghana includes a single language, Éwé (ewe). Éwé is widely spoken in the Volta Region of Ghana and shares close linguistic ties with other Gbe languages spoken in neighboring Togo and Benin.
The unspecified languages of Ghana include three languages: Bondoukou Kulango (kzc), Boro (xxb), and Dompo (doy). These languages have not been conclusively classified into any of the major language families. Some linguist say they may belong to the Gur languages whilst others also say they may belong to the Kwa language family. This calls for the need for further linguistic research to determine their affiliations.
Overall, the Gur languages lead the language groups in Ghana with 36 languages, making them the most prominent group. Following them are the Akan languages, which have 33 languages. The Gbe languages come next, with only one language, Éwé (ewe), representing the group. Lastly, there are three unspecified languages: Bondoukou Kulango (kzc), Boro (xxb), and Dompo (doy), which remain unclassified under the major language families.
Author: Ebenezer Kobinah Offen
Editor: Ama Gyesiwaa Quansah
