Gur Languages
Most of the languages in the north of Ghana are part of a family known as Gur, and most of these, as listed in Ethnologue, are in the Central branch (the exceptions being Kulango & Nafaanra). This divides into Northern and Southern branches, which further subdivide into 3 and 5 branches, respectively. Of these, the only branches which include languages spoken in Ghana are the Oti-Volta (N) and Grusi (S) which contain 17 & 13 languages spoken in Ghana, respectively.
Most of the languages in the north of Ghana are part of a family known as Gur, and most of these, as listed in Ethnologue, are in the Central branch (the exceptions being Kulango & Nafaanra). This divides into Northern and Southern branches, which further subdivide into 3 and 5 branches, respectively. Of these, the only branches which include languages spoken in Ghana are the Oti-Volta (N) and Grusi (S) which contain 17 & 13 languages spoken in Ghana, respectively.
It is questionable whether these can all be regarded as single languages, and there is still debate about whether some of the 'dialects' are classified as the correct language. For example, Ethnologue gives Nabit (spoken around Nangodi, east of Bolgatanga) and Talni (spoken around Tongo, south of Bolgatanga) as dialects (or 'Alternate Names') of Farefare, but some linguists consider them to be languages in their own right, and to be more closely related to Mampruli.
It is questionable whether these can all be regarded as single languages, and there is still debate about whether some of the 'dialects' are classified as the correct language. For example, Ethnologue gives Nabit (spoken around Nangodi, east of Bolgatanga) and Talni (spoken around Tongo, south of Bolgatanga) as dialects (or 'Alternate Names') of Farefare, but some linguists consider them to be languages in their own right, and to be more closely related to Mampruli.
Despite the multiplicity of distinct languages, within each group there is a common core of similar vocabulary and structure, particularly within the sub-group Western Oti-Volta (in older literature sometimes called Mole-Dagbani), as was shown by the anthropologist R.S.Rattray in his work, “The Tribes of the Ashanti Hinterland” (1932).
Despite the multiplicity of distinct languages, within each group there is a common core of similar vocabulary and structure, particularly within the sub-group Western Oti-Volta (in older literature sometimes called Mole-Dagbani), as was shown by the anthropologist R.S.Rattray in his work, “The Tribes of the Ashanti Hinterland” (1932).
Note
Use is made of language families solely to facilitate toponymic comparisons, and not to imply cultural or ethnic uniformity.
