About GPN
Toponymy is the study of the meanings and origins of place names. Although a fascinating exercise in itself, it can also lead to an increased appreciation of a nation's culture and understanding of its history & social development. The challenge for the toponymist in an African country is the diversity of local languages; in Ghana there are over 80 distinct indigenous spoken languages or language groups (see Ethnologue).
Scope
Although it would be much easier to limit the task to a particular ethnic group in Ghana, it was decided to include place names from all regions of Ghana. Initially it was necessary for practical reasons to set a limit to the number of names, so the Survey of Ghana road maps, 1962 (1:500,000), & 1967 (1:400,000) were used to construct a database of about 3400 places. But information about any place name is welcome, and new names will be added to the database.
Sources
As there is at present no published work which has toponymy as its primary focus for Ghana, the first phase of the project consisted of searching the internet for relevant comments. These can occasionally be found on traditional state or culture websites, aid or tourist organisations websites, and volunteer or visitor blogs. In some cases straight and independent translations of names have been attempted, but these are often uncertain or impossible because place names become corrupted over time.
Participation
The project is open to anyone to take part. The help of individuals with either the interest to pursue local research, or the ability to contribute from their existing knowledge is greatly needed. Teachers and students in Ghana schools can make a big contribution because they are bound to have, or have access to, a wide range & depth of local information. Lists of place names and guidelines for research are available. Information can be sent to the project by normal mail, but email communication is much preferred. Submissions are posted on the project website for interest, and so that others may comment.
Acknowledgements
As information is collected, all sources are being recorded. This is so that it is possible to acknowledge all contributors. For this reason it is important that whenever possible those who send information to the project give not only their own names but also the names of people or documents from which the information was obtained. On request, original contributions can be posted anonymously.
Copyright
All material on the GPN website is copyright, either by GPN itself or by the contributors and sources of citations. For short extracts, as in references and citations, it is not necessary to ask for permission; all that is necessary is an acknowledgement of the source and/or link. For larger quotations permission will always be given to quote from GPN pages, provided the reason is legitimate, but should be sought first from GhanaPlaNa@gmail.com.
Affiliation
Ghana Place Names is an independent research project which is seeking affiliation with an academic department with compatible aims for mutual benefit. Contact the Project Manager if you are interested in discussing such an arrangement.
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