Kusaal

The Kusaal language, like its neighbours Nabit and Talni, in most circumstances drops the word-final short vowels which are still preserved in the other related 'Western Oti-Volta' languages like Mampruli, Dagbani, Mooré, Gurenne and Dagaare. Thus, while in Mampruli 'mahogany tree' is kukka, the same word in Kusaal normally appears as kuk.

However, the place names seen on maps or used in speaking English do not reflect this loss of final vowels. The explanation is thought to be that the British invaders were first introduced to the region through Mamprussi guides and interpreters; Kusaasi place (and personal) names thus typically appear in English-speaking contexts in a Mampruli guise. Because the languages are in any case closely related, the forms usually remain easily recognisable. Thus a man called Awin who comes from Widinya'ang will actually introduce himself in English as Awini from Woriyanga.

Many Kusaasi place names are compound nouns, where the first element is reduced to a bare stem by dropping its final singular- or plural-marking noun class suffix. This explains why the forms differ from those seen when the corresponding noun is used alone. Thus the first element, wid-, of Widana (Kusaal, Widdaan) is the combining form corresponding to the singular wief meaning 'horse'. Similarly, the first element of Kultamse (Kusaal, Kolta'amis), is the stem form kol- of kolig meaning 'river'.

Kusaasi place names are not always comprehensible in Kusaal; some are probably derived from other languages such as Hausa or Bisa. Most, however, do have recognisable Kusaal meanings. Names of trees figure commonly: these characteristically end in -ga /-ka /-nga for singular forms (like kukka above) and -si or -se for plural, because tree names belong to a single noun class, which shows these endings. Beside Kuka (The Mahogany Tree), other examples include Sapeliga (White Broom Grass), Pusiga (The Tamarind Tree) and Kultamse (River Shea Trees).

Another recognisable common feature not only in Kusaal, but in the related languages too, is the ending -gu /-ku /-ngu or -go /-ko /-ngo, from a different noun class many of whose members describe places. Words like this can be constructed quite freely from ethnic group names, so that Kusaago (Kusaug in Kusaal itself) is 'Kusaasiland', and Moogo is 'the kingdom of the Mossi'. Denugu and Bawku (The Valley) are examples of this ending - as is Ouagadougou in Burkina Faso.

Some places are named after people, presumably the original residents or founders; examples include Binaba (Prince, Chief's Child), and Widana (Chief's Master of Horse).

A number of somewhat mystifying names is probably to be explained by the fact that the name is not used in its ordinary sense but to describe a bugri (Kusaal, bugur), the physical place of residence of a spirit; this may be a stone or a tree or even a piece of metal, for example. An obvious example of such a place name is of course Bugri (The Shrine) itself.