User:KarinaD311/Ahanta language

Ahanta, also called Anrindha, is an endangered language spoken primarily in the southwest region of Ghana. The speakers are sometimes referred to as Ahantans, but mainly go by the term Nzema, which is also a language spoken in this area. As of 2013, Ahanta had 175,000 speakers, and remains classified as endangered. Ahanta’s written alphabet is very similar to English in shape, though it is not taught frequently in schools. Only about 11 of Ghana’s approximate 50 indigenous languages are taught in schools.

History

Origins

Ahanta, meaning ‘the land of twins’, is one of many members of the Kwa division of the Niger–Congo language family. It is a Central Tano language, though it is giving way to more widely-used languages such as Fante and Nzema. Ahanta speakers, with their Fante neighbors, migrated from the Akan kingdom to southern Ghana, where they reside in modern times. Despite the relationship built during this exodus, Ahanta has fallen to widespread use of Fante, which is the primary language used in schools.

Ahanta Heritage

In the annals of Ahanta, there are notable historical figures. One such figure is called John Canoe, though he had many names given to him by Europeans. He was known to be a chief of an Ahanta tribe in modern-day Ghana; there are no records of his birth available. From 1708-1724, John Canoe took over and controlled Fort Fredericksburg against the Dutch, due to his alliance with Brandenburg-Prussia. He is recognized in Ahanta history for capturing slave ships and freeing the captives. John Canoe disappeared in history when he abdicated Fort Fredericksburg, but he is held in regard among modern-day Ahantans. Another historical standout in Ahanta culture is Badu Bonsu II, an Ahanta leader who was executed by the Dutch in 1838. He is regarded for rebelling against the Dutch, despite the rebellion ending in his execution. His head was rediscovered in a Dutch medical center in 2005, and sent back to the Ahanta leader’s homeland for a proper burial in 2009. The status of the leader, Asante v. Ahanta, has caused some controversy among modern descendants of those tribes.

Modern Culture

Between August and November every year, the Kundum Festival is celebrated by the Nzema/Ahanta people. The festival is a religious celebration to give thanks for a plentiful harvest, which is why the start of the festival is determined by the fruit of a specific tree becoming ripe. The festival is celebrated at intervals depending on the start date, marked by three stages: preparation, public performance, and purification. There are also three main components of the festival: dancing, drumming, and feasting. The dancing is associated with banishing evil from the town. There is significant ritual interaction between humans and objects such as wine, leaves, and drums. The wine is poured onto the ground at the town shrines as an offering; this kicks off the festival. Festival attire is generally colorful, sometimes involving masks and special shoes. There are about 70 major annual festivals in Ghana, but the Kundum festival is specific to the Ahanta/Nzema people.

Status

Ahanta is considered an endangered language, meaning that it will most likely reach extinction in the near future. The use of Ahanta with the younger generation has declined, and the language is now mainly spoken by older age groups. Fante is the main language used to teach in schools, as well as being the dominant language of the east area of the Ahanta. Nzema is spoken in the west area. Ahanta is still spoken in the western domain on the southwest coast, between the Fante and Nzema regions.

Reasons for Decline

Speakers of Ahanta have decreased immensely since the heyday of the language. Part of the reason for this is cessation of teaching the language in schools, in favor of Fante or Nzema. This means that the younger generations only know small parts of the language from their elders, which is not enough to constitute a fluency in the language and therefore cannot count such a younger person as a speaker. Globally, languages are dying, and more often than not they are being replaced. The survey conducted in Accra, Ghana is an excellent example of this: native speakers in their native country voted English as the most popular choice for a national language. Additionally, English may already be making a mark on the language of Ahanta. In the Ahanta alphabet table, the name of the language seems to be pronounced with a ‘j’ sound. As anyone who Googles the language knows it, Ayιnda is pronounced in a way that would be easier to say for a native English speaker. In Ahantan culture, they say Ayιnda or Ahanta- rarely Anrindha. If the native speakers do not pronounce their language the way English speakers do, yet the instant result of a Google search is Anrindha, then English seems to already be taking the place of Ahanta.

Usage

Alphabet

Ahanta alphabet

Ahanta’s alphabet is similar to English, though it does possess some letters than combine to make one sound. The Ahanta alphabet is recommended by the Akan Orthography Committee, which created a standard dialect for Akan now used in primary schools. Videos exist on YouTube that teach the basics of Ahanta.

In the Ahanta alphabet table to the right, the word Ayιnda is over Ahanta. According to the pronunciation guide, this would be pronounced “ajinda’, which sounds very similar to another name for Ahanta: Andrinha. Many of these letters are a constant in other Akan languages such as Twi, though the popular language Fante possesses many additional letters. In some Akan languages, J and V are only used in Loanwords, which are foreign words with little to no change.

Popular Opinion

A survey was conducted among randomly chosen passersby in Accra, Ghana. The survey measured gender, education level, ethnic group, and whether the participant thought Ghana should have a national language. 81.8% of participants thought Ghana should have a national language, about 60 people. Of these 60, 23 people thought Akan should be the national language. English was in the lead of this survey with 29 votes. Akan is the larger language group that Ahanta belongs to; while this is not necessarily a vote for Ahanta, the language may become more popular if Akan became a national language. Dagaare, Dagbani, Ewe, and Ga were the other languages listed in the survey, but English and Akan were two of the highest voted.

Modern Use

Sadly, Ahanta is not accessible to many. It is not an option on Google Translate, nor are any of the languages in the area such as Nzema or even Akan. Books are not available in Ahanta, besides seemingly the Bible (available on Amazon). Resources on the language are limited, even on the history of the people; the loss of Ahanta culture is mourned by current descendants. Though almost anything can be found on social media, very few posts exist under the #ahanta tags, and the only mentions of the language are in names of tourist spots. The younger generation that mainly uses social media is reflecting the decline of the language in their posts, or lack thereof.

Bibliography

1. Ayiglo, Abigail (2017). "Views from the Streets of Accra on Language Policy in Ghana" (PDF).{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
2. "Ahantas and acts of bravery and heroism - The story of John Canoe". www.ghanaweb.com. 2018-02-19. Retrieved 2021-03-10.
3. "The Kundum Festival in Ghana: Ritual Interaction with the Nonhuman among the Akan • The Cultural Encyclopaedia". culturalencyclopaedia.org. Retrieved 2021-03-10.
4. Christensen, James (1958). The Role of Proverbs in Fante Culture. Cambridge University Press.
5. Valseechi, Pierluigi (1999). Calendar and the Annual Festival in Nzema.
6. Woodbury, Anthony. “What is an Endangered Language”. https://www.linguisticsociety.org/content/what-endangered-language
7. Badu Bonsu II Was Not an Asante King https://www.ghanaweb.com/GhanaHomePage/NewsArchive/Badu-Bonsu-II-was-not-an-Asante-King-Manhyia-159558 2009-03-24. Retrieved 2021-05-01.
8. “Ahanta”. Oxford Reference. https://www.oxfordreference.com/view/10.1093/oi/authority.20110803095356971 Retrieved 2021-05-01.