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PROJECT  REPORTS

AFRICAN  LANGUAGES

Perhaps  the  basic  function  of  the  Languages  Section  of  the  Institute  is,

by  Its  research,  to  help  to  provide  the  material  urgently  required  for  the
preparation  of  teaching  courses  in  Ghanaian  languages,  and  accordingly  its
research  has so far  been  devoted  chiefly  to  the  analysis  of  a  number  of  the  more
important  of  these  languages: Akan  (Twi-Fante),  Ewe,  Dogbane,  and  G a. 
is proposed  to  describe  different  aspects  of  this  work,  as well  as other  research
undertakings,  in  subsequent  issues.

It

The  analysis  of  several  of  the  numerically  less  important  of  the  languages

spoken  in  Ghana  is being  carried  out  by  the  Summer  Institute  of  Linguistics
under  a  Co-operative  Agreement  with  the  Institute  of  African  Studies.  A  report
contributed  by  the  Summer  Institute  follows.

LANGUAGE  RESEARCH  BY  THE  SUMMER  INSTITUTE  OF  LINGUISTICS

The  .Summer  Institute  of  Linguistics  is at  present  engaged  in  a study of  some  of

the  languages  of  Northern  Ghana.  This  programme,  begun  in  October,  1962,
is being  carried  on  in  co-operation  with  the  Institute  of  African  Studies. 
It
complements,  in  certain  respects,  the  work  of  the  members of  the  Institute's
staff  in  the  linguistic  field  (an  account  of  which  will  be  included  In  a  subsequent
issue  of  this  Review). 
It  aims to  make  an  intensive  study  of  some of  the  Northern
languages,  including  a  full  analysis of  their  phonological  and  grammatical
structure  and  a  comprehensive  collection  of  their  vocabulary. 
In  addition,
comparative  studies  will  be  made,  and  it  is hoped  to  collect  a  variety  of  textual
material, 

including  oral  history,  songs,  and  all  types of  folklore.

So  far  linguistic  work  has started  in  Kusal  (October,  1962),  Kasem  (November,
1962),  Basare  (November,  1962),  Kokomba  (November,  1962),  Vagala  (December,
1962),  Sisala  (December,  1962),  Bimoba  (November,  1963),  and  Dagaare
(November,  1963).

In  each  language-area  a  team  of  two  members of  the  Institute  is  learning
to  speak  the  particular  language  as well  as attempting  an  analysis  of  it.  The
teams are  living  in  villages  chosen  for  their  suitability  as representative  of  the
language  concerned  and  as having  certain  minimum  necessities  such as an  all—