THE SENUFO SPEAKERS OF GHANA

 The Senufo ethnic group comprises of a group of people that are originally from the Ivory Coast, a neighbouring country of Ghana to the western border. They migrated to Ghana and they form a continuum of the Senufo ethnic group from Ivory Coast into Ghana.

These languages are related to each other in the Ivory Coast and they represent the widely spoken languages in the Ivory Coast. Those spoken in Ghana relate each other but not so much except they have close relations with certain languages in the Ivory Coast. This is to say that if you should learn a Senufo language in Ghana, when you get to Ivory Coast, you would have less trouble communicating with natives although French may come in handy.

Senufo languages are a branch of the wider Mande languages spoken in the Senegal and Mali areas. The Senufo are descendants of the Mande so they mostly practice the Islamic Region. Thus, the Senufo in Ghana, Nafaana, Ndwera (Ligbi) and Badu are mostly Muslims with quite a few being Christians.

The Senufo languages spoken in Ghana use the Akan accent in speaking at least to some point: this is exhibited by Badu also called Kulango. For Nafaanra and Ndwera, they also tend to apply the Akan accent but not at every point of speech. They are all located within the Bono-Ahafo region. For more insight into this group of people is to read on their oral historical accounts in further chapters in this book. Refer to contents and read on The Badu People and The Banda People.

Ligbi is the third Senufo language spoken in Ghana within the Tain areas.  The Ligbi are called the Banda people likewise the Nafaana who are also called Banda. But then the Badu are known as the Kulange and they speak the Kulango or Badu language.

Senufo languages have lots of Akan borrowings as well especially from the Bono-Twi language. Those in the Ivory Coast are surrounded by different languages thus the differences would be due to linguistic borrowings. We would at this juncture look at their numerical systems as well

NAFAANRA

KULANGO

LIGBI (NDWERA)

NUMBER

Nunu

Taa

Kele

1

Shin

Ela

Fila

2

Taarɛ

Taabi

Sawa

3

Jijɛ

Na

Naani

4

kunɔ

Tɔ

Loru

5

Kɔɔ-na-nu

Tɔ-rɛ-ta

Wɔrɔ

6

Kɔɔ-na-shin

Tɔ-rɛ-fisã

Wɔrɔ-fila

7

Kɔɔ-na-tarɛ

Tɔ-rɛ-funa

Shiegi

8

Kɔɔ-na-nyɛ

Tɔ-rɛ-funu

Krɔnɔ

9

Kɛɛ

Nuuŋ

Taŋ

10

 

Bisa spoken by the Bisa people popularly known in Ghana as the Busangas are located in the Upper East Region of Ghana. The Bisas are also Mande but then they form a very different branch of the Mande languages and it is not so close to the Senufo languages. Languages related to Bisa are found in Burkina Faso as they have their own branch.

You can think of it as Ga being a Kwa language and Twi being a Kwa language but then Twi is within the Akan branch of Kwa and Ga being under the Ga-Dangme branch of Kwa hence, Ga and Twi are related to themselves but not too much.

I am Huniah Tetteh, born 10th October 1995 and a lover of languages and ethnicity studies. I love animals and traveling and ready to do everything to push the study of languages to the world

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