The National Language Question In Ghana; Prospects And Challenges

Abstract

This thesis looks at the possibility of having a national language in Ghana. Development is said to have a direct correlation with language; therefore, if a nation wants to fast track its pace of development, there is a need to carefully plan the use of its languages. However, being a nation with about 50 languages brings its own challenges in choosing one of them to be the national language. Currently, 9 out of 50 have been sponsored by the government for development and use in certain public domains. The thesis begins with the background of languages in Ghana and further looks at the correlation between language and development. I further take a look at the national language debate that has taken place on various platforms at various stages of the country. Chapter three talks about the use of languages in Ghana, while chapter four discusses the attitudes to languages in Ghana. Chapter five finally brings out the findings and concludes the thesis.