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Languages of Ghana

Ghana is a multilingual country in which about 80 languages are spoken. Of these, English, which was inherited from the colonial era, is the official language and lingua franca. Of the languages indigenous to Ghana, Akan is the most widely spoken in the south. Dagbani, Dagare, Sisaala, Waale, and Gonja are among the most widely spoken in the northern part of the country.

Government-sponsored languages
The number of government-sponsored languages is either eleven or nine, depending on whether or not Akuapem Twi, Asante Twi, and Fante are considered a single language. but with regard to official status, only a few out of the many varieties of Akan are recognised: Fante, Asante Twi, Akuapem Twi. Taken as a whole, Akan is the most-widely spoken language in Ghana. Ewe Ewe is a Gbe language, part of the Volta–Niger branch of the Niger–Congo family. The Ewe Language is spoken in Ghana, Togo and Benin with a trace of the language in West Nigeria. Out of the many dialects of Ewe spoken in Ghana, the major ones are Anlo, Tongu, Vedome, Gbi, and Krepi. Dagbani Dagbani is one of the Gur languages. It is the most spoken language in Northern Ghana. The number of native speakers numbers more than three million, this number will reach six million if dialects such as Nanumba, Mamprusi and Kamara are added. It belongs to the larger Mole–Dagbani ethnic group found in Ghana and makes up about 18.5% of the population. It is spoken by Dagombas in the Northern Region of Ghana. Dangme Dangme is one of the Ga–Dangme languages within the Kwa branch. It is spoken in Greater Accra, in south-east Ghana and Togo. Dangme is a West African Kwa language spoken in Ghana, and it has been gaining popularity among Ghana residents. Dagaare Dagaare is another of the Gur languages. It is spoken in the Upper West Region of Ghana. It is also spoken in Burkina Faso. Waali, spoken by the Wala people, and the Dagaare language are languages that can be understood by each other's speakers. Ga Ga is the other Ga–Dangme language within the Kwa branch. Ga is spoken in south-eastern Ghana, in and around the capital Accra. It is a Niger-Congo language in the Kwa branch, spoken by around 600,000 people in Ghana. Six separate towns comprised the Ga-speaking peoples: Accra, Osu, Labadi, Teshi, Nungua, and Tema. Each town had a central stool of importance in Ga traditions. Accra, among these towns, rose to prominence and now serves as Ghana's capital. Nzema Nzema is one of the Bia languages, closely related to Akan. It is spoken by the Nzema people in the Western Region of Ghana. It is also spoken in the Ivory Coast. Nzema, also known as Appolo, is mainly spoken in Ghana's Jomoro district and Ivory Coast's Comoé district. In 2004, it had around 330,000 speakers. The Nzema language utilizes a Latin-based script and comprises a total of twenty-four alphabetic characters. Kasem Kasem is a Gurunsi language, in the Gur branch. It is spoken in the Upper Eastern Region of Ghana. It is also spoken in Burkina Faso. By 1998, Kasem had around 250,000 speakers, divided between Ghana (130,000) and Burkina Faso (120,000). It's alternatively known as Kasena, Kasim, Kassem, Kasɩm, or Kassena. Gonja Gonja is one of the Guang languages, part of the Tano languages within the Kwa branch along with Akan and Bia. It is spoken in the Northern Region of Ghana and Wa. "Gonja" comes from "Kada Goro-Jaa" in Hausa, signifying "land of Red Cola." Ghana has over 285,000 Gonja people. == Languages spoken in Ghana by number of speakers ==
Languages spoken in Ghana by number of speakers
This chart reflects data provided by Ethnologue. ==Language classification==
Language classification
The language of Ghana belong to the following branches within the Niger–Congo language family: • Kwa languages (Akan, Bia, Guang in Tano; Ga and Adangme) • Gbe languages (Ewe) • Gur languages (Gurunsi, Dagbani, Mossi, Dagaare, and Frafra in Oti–Volta) • Senufo languages (Nafaanra) • Kulango languagesMande languages (Wangara, Ligbi) Older classifications may instead group them as Kwa, Gur, and Mande. ==See also==
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