Browsing by Author "Agyeman, N.A."

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Ghana language-in-education policy: The survival of two South Guan minority dialects
(2015) Ansah, A.M.; Agyeman, N.A.
The paper investigates the survival of two South-Guan minority dialects, Leteh and Efutu, in the context of the Ghana language-in-education policy. The study is done from the perspective of the UNESCO Universal Declaration on Linguistic Rights (1996). In every multilingual state, the formulation of policies concerning language use has always presented challenges. The government has to decide which of the languages need to be promoted and for what purposes. In Ghana, since the introduction of formal education, English has indubitably been the language of education, trade, law, media, government and administration. However, there has always been a debate surrounding the language-in-education policy, especially at the basic level of education. The argument has always been whether English should be emphasised or Ghanaian languages. For purposes of formal education, the government of Ghana has promoted nine languages known as government-sponsored languages. These are languages which have literary tradition and can be used as media of instruction in schools. This decision was to the detriment of some Ghanaian languages; languages which are often described as minority languages, and which are not government-sponsored. The paper argues that, if language and culture are intertwined, and the culture of a people must be preserved, then language policymakers need to consider the linguistic rights of speakers of the so-called minority languages. Data for the study were sourced from language surveys and observation.
"Music, A Tool for Language Revitalization"
(2017-03-09) Ansah, M.A.; Adjei, G.; Agyeman, N.A.
This is a preliminary study which seeks to investigate ways in which music can be used to revitalize less-studied or minority languages. The study focuses on three South Guan languages in Ghana: Leteh, Kyerepong and Efutu. The relationship between language and music has been a subject of interest to a number of interdisciplinary scholars. Studies done in this area have observed that in notable respects, language and music are systematically comparable. For instance, the two are similarly constructed of functional and meaningful units; both possess phonemic and morphemic properties. Furthermore, the phonemic and morphemic units/properties are used to produce utterances by rules of sequencing and re-combination (Faudree 2013; Grant 2014; Kropp-Dakubu 2015; Lerdahl and Jackendoff 1983; Minks 2013). The observation that music and language have noteworthy parallels is therefore significant to this study. This study draws on the Affective Filter Hypothesis (Krashen 1982) which emphasizes the importance of positive emotions in language acquisition. Language surveys were conducted in Winneba, Larteh and Adukrom where the three languages are spoken. The study concludes that the theory behind the use of songs in teaching a second language can be extended to the teaching and learning of less-studied languages/minority languages and ultimately, their revitalization.
Revitalizing minority languages using music: Three South-Guan languages of Ghana in focus
(Research Journal in Advanced Humanities, 2022) Ansah, M.A.; Agyeman, N.A.; Adjei, G.
Several interdisciplinary researchers have been interested in the relationship between language and music, thus producing several works in quest of this interdisciplinary connection. This study, on the other hand, attempted to examine how music may be utilized to reinvigorate the understudied minority languages. It focuses on three South Guan languages: Leteh, Kyerepong and Efutu. Studies done in this area have observed that, in notable respects, language and music are systematically comparable. For instance, the two are similarly constructed of functional and meaningful units; both possess phonemic and morphemic properties. Furthermore, the phonemic and Morphological units/properties are used to produce utterances by rules of sequencing and re-combination. This study draws on on the Affective Filter Hypothesis (Krashen, 1982), which emphasizes the importance of positive emotions in language acquisition. Language surveys were conducted in Winneba, Larteh and Adukrom are where the three languages are spoken. The study concludes that the principle behind the use of songs in teaching a second language, it can be extended to the teaching of learning of less-studied languages/minority languages and ultimately, their revitalization.