Kwa languages
Encyclopedia
The Kwa languages, often specified as New Kwa, are a proposed but as-yet-undemonstrated family of languages spoken in the south-eastern part of Côte d'Ivoire
, across southern Ghana
, and in central Togo
. The name was introduced 1885 by Krause, and derives from the word for 'people' (Kwa) in many of these languages, as illustrated by Akan names.
Stewart distinguished the following major branches, which historical-comparative analysis supports as valid groups:
The Lagoon languages of southern Ivory Coast are not particularly close to any of these, nor to each other, so they are left ungrouped:
Since Stewart, Ega has been tentatively removed, and the Gbe languages reassigned to Volta–Niger. Some of the Na-Togo and Ka-Togo languages have been placed into separate branches of Kwa. See the infobox at right for the resulting branches.
Ethnologue
divides the Kwa languages into two broad geographical groupings: Nyo and Left bank, but this is not a genealogical classification. The Nyo group collapses Stewart's Potou–Tano and Ga–Dangme branches and also includes the ungrouped languages of southern Côte d'Ivoire, while the Ka/Na Togo and Gbe languages are called Left bank because they are spoken on the eastern side of the Volta River
.
In 1952 Westermann
and Bryan expanded Kwa to the various Lagoon languages of southern Ivory Coast and to what are now called the Volta–Niger languages
of southern Nigeria. Greenberg
(1963) added the Kru languages
of Liberia, the Ghana–Togo Mountain languages which Westermann and Bryan had specifically excluded, and Ijaw
of the Niger delta; West Kwa included the languages from Liberia to Dahomey (Republic of Benin), and East Kwa the languages of Nigeria. Bennett & Sterk (1977) proposed that the Yoruboid
and Igboid languages
belonged in Benue–Congo rather than in Kwa. Stewart (1989) removed Kru, Ijaw, and Volta–Niger (East Kwa), but kept the Ghana–Togo Mountain and Lagoon languages, as well as adding a few obscure, newly described languages. Stewart's classification is the basis of more recent conceptions. In order to disambiguate this from Greenberg's influential classification, the reduced family is sometimes called "New Kwa".
Côte d'Ivoire
The Republic of Côte d'Ivoire or Ivory Coast is a country in West Africa. It has an area of , and borders the countries Liberia, Guinea, Mali, Burkina Faso and Ghana; its southern boundary is along the Gulf of Guinea. The country's population was 15,366,672 in 1998 and was estimated to be...
, across southern Ghana
Ghana
Ghana , officially the Republic of Ghana, is a country located in West Africa. It is bordered by Côte d'Ivoire to the west, Burkina Faso to the north, Togo to the east, and the Gulf of Guinea to the south...
, and in central Togo
Togo
Togo, officially the Togolese Republic , is a country in West Africa bordered by Ghana to the west, Benin to the east and Burkina Faso to the north. It extends south to the Gulf of Guinea, on which the capital Lomé is located. Togo covers an area of approximately with a population of approximately...
. The name was introduced 1885 by Krause, and derives from the word for 'people' (Kwa) in many of these languages, as illustrated by Akan names.
Languages
The various clusters of languages included in Kwa are at best distantly related, and it has not been demonstrated that they are closer to each other than to neighboring Niger–Congo languages.Stewart distinguished the following major branches, which historical-comparative analysis supports as valid groups:
- Potou–Tano (including e.g. GuangGuang languagesThe Guang languages are languages of the Kwa language family spoken by the Guang people in Ghana and Togo:*South Guang: Awutu, Cherepon, Gua, Larteh...
and AkanAkan languagesThe Central Tano or Akan languages are languages of the Kwa language family spoken in Ghana and Ivory Coast by the Akan people*Akan language *Bia**North Bia***Anyin***Baoulé***Chakosi ***Sefwi **South Bia***Nzema...
) - Ga–Dangme
- Na-Togo
- Ka-Togo
- [formerly] GbeGbe languagesThe Gbe languages form a cluster of about twenty related languages stretching across the area between eastern Ghana and western Nigeria. The total number of speakers of Gbe languages is between four and eight million. The most widely spoken Gbe language is Ewe , followed by Fon...
(dubious, as they show more features of Kwa the closer one moves to Akan)
The Lagoon languages of southern Ivory Coast are not particularly close to any of these, nor to each other, so they are left ungrouped:
- AvikamAvikam languageAvikam is one of the Lagoon languages of Ivory Coast, spoken in Grand Lahou Département, Avikam Canton, South Department. It is a Kwa language, closely related to Alladian, but other than that its position is unclear....
–AlladianAlladian languageAlladian is one of the Lagoon languages of Ivory Coast. It is a Kwa language, closely related to Avikam, but otherwise its position is unclear.... - AttiéAttié languageAttié is a language of uncertain classification within the Kwa branch of the Niger–Congo family. It is spoken by perhaps half a million people in Ivory Coast....
- AbéAbé languageAbé is a language of uncertain classification within the Kwa branch of the Niger–Congo family. It is spoken in Côte d'Ivoire.The dialects of Abé are Tioffo, Morie, Abbey-Ve, and Kos...
- AdjukruAdjukru languageAdjukru is a language of uncertain classification within the Kwa branch of the Niger–Congo family. It is spoken in Ivory Coast....
- AbidjiAbidji languageAbidji is a language of uncertain classification within the Kwa branch of the Niger–Congo family. It is spoken in Ivory Coast....
- [dubious] EgaEga languageEga, also known as Egwa and Diés, is a language of uncertain affiliation within the Niger–Congo language family spoken Ivory Coast. It does not appear to belong to any of the traditional branches of Niger–Congo...
Since Stewart, Ega has been tentatively removed, and the Gbe languages reassigned to Volta–Niger. Some of the Na-Togo and Ka-Togo languages have been placed into separate branches of Kwa. See the infobox at right for the resulting branches.
Ethnologue
Ethnologue
Ethnologue: Languages of the World is a web and print publication of SIL International , a Christian linguistic service organization, which studies lesser-known languages, to provide the speakers with Bibles in their native language and support their efforts in language development.The Ethnologue...
divides the Kwa languages into two broad geographical groupings: Nyo and Left bank, but this is not a genealogical classification. The Nyo group collapses Stewart's Potou–Tano and Ga–Dangme branches and also includes the ungrouped languages of southern Côte d'Ivoire, while the Ka/Na Togo and Gbe languages are called Left bank because they are spoken on the eastern side of the Volta River
Volta River
The Volta is a river in western Africa that drains into the Gulf of Guinea. It has three main tributaries—the Black Volta, White Volta and Red Volta...
.
History of the proposal
Kwa was proposed in the late 19th century for the Akan (or perhaps Tano), Gã, and Gbe languages, which have kwa or kua as their word for 'human being'. Since then the proposal has been dramatically expanded, only to be reverted to something approaching its initial conception.In 1952 Westermann
Diedrich Hermann Westermann
Diedrich Hermann Westermann was a German missionary, Africanist, and linguist. He substantially extended and revised the work of Carl Meinhof, his teacher, although he rejected some of Meinhof's theories only implicitly...
and Bryan expanded Kwa to the various Lagoon languages of southern Ivory Coast and to what are now called the Volta–Niger languages
Volta–Niger languages
The Volta–Niger family of languages, also known as West Benue–Congo or East Kwa, is one of the branches of the Niger–Congo language family, with perhaps 50 million speakers...
of southern Nigeria. Greenberg
Joseph Greenberg
Joseph Harold Greenberg was a prominent and controversial American linguist, principally known for his work in two areas, linguistic typology and the genetic classification of languages.- Early life and career :...
(1963) added the Kru languages
Kru languages
-References:* Westerman, Diedrich Hermann Languages of West Africa . London/New York/Toronto: Oxford University Press.-External links:* at Ethnologue*...
of Liberia, the Ghana–Togo Mountain languages which Westermann and Bryan had specifically excluded, and Ijaw
Ijoid languages
The Ijoid languages are spoken by the Ịjọ and Defaka peoples of the Niger Delta, who number about ten million. The most populous language by far is Izon, with about a million speakers, followed by Okrike-Kalabari with over a half million. The family is generally divided in two branches, Ịjọ and...
of the Niger delta; West Kwa included the languages from Liberia to Dahomey (Republic of Benin), and East Kwa the languages of Nigeria. Bennett & Sterk (1977) proposed that the Yoruboid
Defoid languages
The Defoid languages are a now-abandoned branch of the Benue–Congo language family. The name of the group derives from the fact that nearly all of the ethnic groups who speak member languages refer to the city of Ilé Ifè as their place of origin — Defoid = èdè + ifè + oid...
and Igboid languages
Igboid languages
Igboid languages constitute a branch of the Volta–Niger language family. It includes Ekpeye and the Igbo languages:*Ekpeye*Igbo: Igbo proper, Ikwerre, Ika, Izi , Ogba, and Ukwuani-Aboh-Ndoni,spoken mainly in southern Nigeria....
belonged in Benue–Congo rather than in Kwa. Stewart (1989) removed Kru, Ijaw, and Volta–Niger (East Kwa), but kept the Ghana–Togo Mountain and Lagoon languages, as well as adding a few obscure, newly described languages. Stewart's classification is the basis of more recent conceptions. In order to disambiguate this from Greenberg's influential classification, the reduced family is sometimes called "New Kwa".
Notations
- Bennett, Patrick R. & Sterk, Jan P. (1977) 'South Central Niger–Congo: A reclassification'. Studies in African Linguistics, 8, 241–273.
- Hintze, Ursula (1959) Bibliographie der Kwa-Sprachen und der Sprachen der Togo-Restvölker (mit 11 zweifarbigen Sprachenkarten). Berlin: Akademie-Verlag.
- Stewart, John M. (1989) 'Kwa'. In: Bendor-Samuel & Hartell (eds.) The Niger–Congo languages. Lanham, MD: The University Press of America.
- Westermann, Diedrich Hermann (1952) Languages of West Africa (Handbook of African Languages Part II). London/New York/Toronto: Oxford University Press.
- Williamson, Kay & Blench, Roger (2000) 'Niger–Congo', in Heine, Bernd and Nurse, Derek (eds) African Languages - An Introduction. Cambridge: Cambridge University press, pp. 11–42.