RESEARCH REPORTS 

59-

PRE-SURVEY REPORT - INSTITUTE OF LINGUISTICS

by J.C. Callow*

The Institute of Linguistics is' currently consi-

dering an expansion of its research and translation work
in languages spoken in the North of Ghana.  Before any
definite decisions can be reached, surveys are planned
in areas where it seems likely that such an expansion
would be needed.  In preparation for these surveys, a
pre-survey report has been drawn up, summarising infor-
mation currently available.  In particular, I have drawn
heavily on C. Painter's  fLinguistic Field Notes from
Banda and Language Maps of the Guang Speaking Areas',
Collected Language Notes, No.7, Institute of African
Studies, 1966; J. Goody's  'The Ethnology of the Northern
Territories of the Gold Coast, West of the White Volta',
London  (mimeo), 195^; and information provided privately
by A.W.W. Wilson.  It was anticipated  that the surveys
would  take place in November and December of last year
(1969).

This pre-survey information is presented below,

together with four sketch maps (see page 65) indicating
the areas concerned.  The first map gives the approxi-
mate areas covered by the other three, which are drawn
to the same scale of approximately 35 miles to the
inch.  All figures are taken from the i960 Census
reports, but it should be remembered that as the annual
rate of growth is about 3 per cent, it is likely that
all such figures should be increased by one quarter to
one third.

WEST-CENTRAL GHANA
NB: The languages are listed alphabetically.

*  The Institute of Linguistics is affilated to the

I.A.S., Legon.
J.C. Callow works for the Inst. of Linguistics.

RESEARCH REPORTS

60.

2M^HMI^A  This language Is spoken In a small group

of villages to the East of Bole, on the Bamboi-Sawla
road.  The language is a member of the Guang language
group, and so is fairly closely related to Gonja.  There
are probably not more than 1,000 speakers, and the main
village appears to be Senyon  (474).

DUMPO.

Dumpo is another Guang language, spoken to

2.
the West of the Kintampo-Tamale  road, near New Buipe,
where the road cresses the Black: Volta.  It is  also eon-
fined to a small group of villages with a total popula-
tion of between 1,000 and 1,500.  The main villages are
Kadelso (the one village S_outh of the Volta) and. Jembito,

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Mo live in the Brong Ahafo Region,, but there are
speakers In the Northern Region as well.  The language
area stretches North of Barabol for about JO  miles,
and East from Bambol to the Kintarnpo road on both sides
of the Black Volta.  The Census of i960 gives the popu-
lation as about 9*000.  The language Is  most closely
related to Vagla, in which research Is currently being
undertaken.

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RESEARCH REPORTS 

6l.

5» 
PANTERA.  As might be expected from the name,
Pantera is closely related to Pantera  (see above) -
Painter indicates a cognacy of about 80.  The speak-
ers of Pantera are called Nafana, and occupy an area
between the Pantera and the Mo in the. Brong Ahafo
Region.  There are about 7,500 speakers, with two
main groupings round Kabrunu  (510) and Adadeem (6
The area is rather remote, and would almost certainly
have to be entered from the south, much as the Pantera
will.

SAFALIBA.  The Safaliba are found on the opposite

6« 
side of the road from the Choruba, to the South-west
of Bole. Again, the language is spoken in a small group
of villages, with a population of about 3*000, includ-
ing those that live in Bole itself.  Like the Vagla,
they have Gonja chiefs, but linguistically they are
closest to Wali and Dagaari.  The largest village is
Mandara  (1113).

NORTH-WEST GHANA

!•  CHAKALI.  The speakers of Chakali occupy an area
about 40 miles to the South-east of Wa, South of the
Sisala, Northeast of the Vagla, and Northwest of the
Tampulma, and they speak a Grusi language .similar to
all three of these, although current information would
indicate  that Wali is also widely understood as the
Chakali area falls within the area administered from
Wa.  They number about 1,500 to 2,000 and the biggest
village is Ducie  (529), though there are also Gonja
and Vagla speakers there.  They would have to be
reached by dry-season road from Wa.

2.  DAGAARI DIALECTS?  On tfre borders of the
Dagaari-Wali area, there are small groups of speakers
of what may prove, on further investigation, to be
dialects of Dagaari or Wali.  Three such are known,
and are listed below.

RESEARCH REPORTS

62.

2 a*  BATIGE.  Only the anthropologist Goody has mentioned
this language, and he identifies only three villages, Kun-
fosi, Kalba  (part only), and Tantama.  They are in an
area due West of Tuna, not too far from the Black Volta,
with Tantama across the border in Upper Volta.  Goody
says that they are very similar to the Nome  (q.v. below)
and are under Gonja chiefs in Ghana.  Kalba is the.
biggest village  (7^0)* but there are Gonjas and others
resident there.  The total number of Batige is unlikely
to exceed 1,000.

2b.  NOME.  This dialect of Dagaari is called  'Mara'
by Painter on his maps, and is closer in to the road
to Wa and nearer the Southern boundary of the Wa
Administrative District.  According  to a Wall speaker,
the Nome understand Wall, but not vice-versa.  They,
too, have Gonja chiefs.  The biggest village appears
to be Kulmasa  (65^), but as this is on the Wa road, it
probably includes Wala, Dagaaba and Birifor.  Off the
road, the biggest village is Nahari  (301).  The Nome
probably number between 1,000 and 1,500 altogether.

2c.  NU.RA*  The Nura are more commonly known as the
'Lawra Lobi!, as they occupy the area between Lawra
and the Black Volta, and are closely related to Birifor,
often called  'Lobi' in Ghana.  Cognacy figures would
indicate that Nura is probably a dialect between Biri-
for and Dagaari, and mutual intelligibility would have
to be carefully checked.  There appear  to' be about
4,000 speakers, with Birifor  (Burufu on maps) and
dependent villages, as the main centre.

3.  HANGA.  The Hanga occupy the villages found in
the area between the Damongo-Tamale road and the
Tampulrna area, i.e. the  'back-route' into the Tampul-
ma area to the West of the White Volta.  Their biggest
village  appears to be Murugu  (821), and it is known
that there are boys from Murugu at middle school in
Damongo, where there is said to be a Hanga community
of about 1,000,  They number about 3,000 altogether,
and are most closely related  to the Eastern Mole-
Dagbani languages' such as Kusal and Mampruli.

RESEARCH REPORTS 

63.

**••  KOMA.  The existence of the Koma (named after one
of their villages) has only recently come to light,
probably because they occupy a small area  (4 villages
on the map) in a remote part of Ghana, with not even a
dry-season road marked to any of the villages.  They
occupy a sort of  'no man's land' to the South-east of
the Sisala and to the West of the Mamprusi.  Andre*.
Wilson says that the language is most closely related
to the Mole-Dagbani  languages but not closely enough
to assign to them, so he gives it a separate sub-group.
I have figures for only two of the four villages, but
this would  indicate a population of somewhat over 1000,
with Nangurima at 563.

5*  MARA,  Very little is known about this group at
all, who occupy a couple of villages  (Larabanga and
Nabori) some miles along the road North of Damongo,
and who are also found in Dokrupe, a village shared
with Choruba speakers near Bole,  They are said to be
very similar to the Hanga, but no details are available,
Most of the speakers appear to live in Larabanga itself
(822).

CENTRAL UPPER REGION

!•  GURENNE.  This is the proper name for, a language
more commonly known by the names of its Eastern and
Western dialects, Frafra and Nankani  (ib and la on
the map).  The Frafra are found mainly North and East
of Bolgatanga, and the Nankani South and Northeast of
Navrongo.  The two dialects are about as close as
Mampruli and Dagbani, i.e. mutually intelligible.
They-also closely resemble the other Mole-Dagbani langu-
ages in the area.  The total population is a large one,
the i960 Census figure being nearly 200,000, about two-
thirds Frafra and one-third Nankani.

RESEARCH REPORTS

64,

2» 
NABIT.  Speakers of Nabit, called Nabnam or Nam-
nam, are found along the Western border of the Kusal
area, bounded by the Prafra and the Talensi.  The
language  Is closest to Kusal, Mampruli and Dagbani,
and was spoken by 16,500 speakers in I960,  Many of
the Namnam appear to live in the two major centres
of Nangodi  (3564) and Sekoti  (3337).

TALNI,  Speakers of Talni are known as Talensi,

3» 
and occupy an area to the East of the Tarnale-Bolga-
tanga road, North of the White Volta and South of the
Prafra area.  The language is closely related to Kusal
and Mamprull and was spoken by 32#780 people in i960.
These seem to be concentrated  in major centres such as
Winkogo  (c.6000), Balungu  (c.45OO), Tongo (c.^QOQ) and
Shiega  (c.2000).

RESEARCH  REPORTS

65.

M AP 

if.

Tuna
VAGLA
Sawla