This article includes a list of general
references, but it lacks sufficient corresponding
inline citations. (August 2015) |
Dangbe | |
---|---|
Dangbe | |
Region | South-eastern Ghana, east of Accra |
Ethnicity | Dangbe |
Native speakers | 1,020,000 (2013) [1] |
Latin (Dangbe alphabet) | |
Official status | |
Official language in | Ghana |
Language codes | |
ISO 639-2 |
ada |
ISO 639-3 |
ada |
Glottolog |
adan1247 |
The Dangme language, also Dangme or Adaŋgbi, is a Kwa language spoken in south-eastern Ghana by the Dangme People (Dangmeli). The Dangmeli are part of the larger Ga-Dangme ethnic group. Klogbi is a variant, spoken by the Kloli (Klo or Krobo People). Kropp Dakubu (1987) is the most thorough grammar of the language.
Dangme is a Kwa language, part of the Niger–Congo family. It is closely related to Ga, and together they form the Ga–Dangme branch within Kwa.
Dangme is spoken in Ghana by over 800,000 people as of 2004.
It is the aboriginal language spoken in Ghana, Togo, Benin by the people of Ada, Osudoku, Manya Krobo, Yilo Krobo, Shai, Ningo, Prampram and Kpone. Dangme is partly mutually intelligible with Ga, and, to a lesser extent, Ewe. Nevertheless, many Dangme people also speak or understand at least one of these languages, painting the relationship as asymmetric. Dangme as a school subject is taught in the Dangme areas.
The land of these related tribes stretched from the Greater Accra Region to the Eastern Region of Ghana, northward to the Akwapim hills and has all the Dangmeland on the east and the Ga to the west of it. Bawaleshi, which is about 4.8 kilometers southwest of Dodowa, is the last Dangme town which is close to the Akwapim and the Ga boundaries. There are six main dialects which coincide with political units. The coastal dialects are Ada, Ningo and Prampram (Gbugbla). The inland dialects are Shai (Sɛ), Krobo (Klo) and Osudoku.
Labial | Alveolar | Palatal | Velar | Labial-velar | ||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Nasal | m | n | ɲ | ŋ | ŋ͡m | |
Plosive/ Affricate |
voiceless | p | t | t͡ʃ | k | k͡p |
voiced | b | d | d͡ʒ | ɡ | ɡ͡b | |
Fricative | voiceless | f | s | |||
voiced | v | z | ||||
Approximant | l | j | w |
Adangme has 7 oral vowels and 5 nasal vowels. [3]
Front | Back | |||
---|---|---|---|---|
oral | nasal | oral | nasal | |
Close | i | ĩ | u | ũ |
Close-mid | e | o | ||
Open-mid | ɛ | ɛ̃ | ɔ | ɔ̃ |
Open | a | ã |
Adangme has three tones: high, mid and low. Like many West African languages, it has tone terracing.
The possible syllable structures are V, CV, or CCV where the second consonant is /l/.
Adangme is written in the Latin script, with the addition of the letters ɛ, ɔ, and ŋ. Tones are not normally written. [4]
Orthographic and phonemic correspondences include the following:
The following text is Article 1 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights.
Adesahi tsuo ɔ, a bɔ mɛ nɛ nɔ fɛɛ nɔ e ye e he, nɛ nɔ tsuaa nɔsɔ ngɛ odehe si himi kɛ he blɔhi a blɔ fa mi. A bɔ mɛ kɛ nɔ́ se kɔmi kɛ he nule juɛmi, nɛ e hia kaa nɔ fɛɛ nɔ nɛ e na nyɛmi suɔmi kɛ ha nɔ tsuaa nɔ. [5]