40 local languages in Ghana nearing extinction

Mr. Ziblim Alhassan Betintiche, who is the Executive Director of the Ghana Library Authority (GhLA), has made it clear that at least 40 Ghanaian languages are of the risk of extinction. This is a warning that is very urgent and due to that deliberate measures are required to protect the country’s linguistic heritage.

He drew to attention that language was not just a tool for communication but the foundation of identity, culture and collective memory.

Mr. Ziblim Alhassan Betintiche stated that “Language is the vessel of our memory and the architecture of our worldview. When a language disappears, an entire system of knowledge, oral history, proverbs and indigenous wisdom vanishes with it.”

The disclosure was made by Mr. Ziblim Alhassan Betintiche at the maiden of the authority commemoration of the International Mother Language Day in Accra. Itb was held on the national theme: “Languages Preserved on Page”.

He said that 70 African languages, including the Boro language in Ghana, was no longer spoken.

In addition, Dompo, which was once spoken by a hunter-gatherer group in Bono East, is now confirmed extinct, with speakers having shifted largely to Akan.

A lot of other Ghanaian languages are facing an extremely high risk of extinction, including  Tuwuli (or Bowiri) in the Oti Region, Chala (Tshala) in eastern Ghana, Nawuri in Northern Ghana, and certain dialects of Anufo (Chakosi) in the north.

Mr. Ziblim Alhassan Betintiche said all those language were under pressure from widely spoken languages, with younger generations increasingly abandoning them.
The International Mother Language Day is a worldwide yearly observance under UNESCO which was held on February 21. The main reason for this International Mother Language Day was to promote awareness of linguistic and cultural diversity and multilingualism.

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