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Is The Twi Language Becoming A Dead Language?
If a people are raised in a culture and society that are taught to learn and appreciate their first language, their mother tongue, and are encouraged to speak their first language in their homes, in public settings, in their communities, in their school settings, in business interactions, in government and political settings, etc., then the language can grow, develop and evolve into a complex sophisticated language where new words are invented and added into the language and where old words can change its meaning or become obsolete and drifts out of the language to make room for new innovated words that fit into the time and place of its people.
This type of changes in a language is necessary to make room for languages to grow and evolve into a complex sophisticated language; where the language can be use in the fields of science, engineering, technology, mathematics, politics, economics, etc.
Once a language is not being taught as the first language, it’s not being used on a regular consistent basis, and it’s not being appreciated, nor promoted and is not being encouraged to be spoken among the people in the society, then the first language, the mother tongue language, can and will be “devoured” by a more developed, more evolved secondary foreign language. This stronger foreign language will be the new mother tongue the people in the society will use to communicate among themselves in community settings, public settings, business interactions, in school or academic settings, in government or political spaces, etc.
Once the first language, the mother tongue language, is “devoured” by a stronger more developed secondary foreign language, the mother tongue language is a DEAD LANGUAGE.
One of the most effective way in which a foreign secondary language can dominate and conquer a first language, the mother tongue language, is to make the indigenous native peoples be ashamed of their own language; let the natives be ashamed of their own mother tongue language that they have been speaking since birth.
If a people in a society is ashamed and are ridiculed for speaking their first language, their mother tongue, then the language is a DEAD LANGUAGE.
When a language is limited only to ritual practices or when a language is limited only to ceremonial practices and activities and is only limited to text, but the language is not being spoken or is not being encourage or promoted to be spoken among the people in public discourse, discussion, or debate, then the language don’t have the continuous changes it needs to grow, develop, and evolve into the complex sophisticated language that will benefit the peoples in the society to also grow and develop. When a language grows, the society grows. When a language develops, the society develops. When a language evolves, the society evolves. But when a people in a society are punished for speaking their first language, when they are punished for speaking their native indigenous mother tongue, then the society is going into a regression, the society is going backwards into a less developed state.
And at this point the language is DEAD. The language is a DEAD LANGUAGE.
GHANA IS NOT BUILDING THE TWI LANGUAGE AND THE TWI VOCABULARY.
SO
AT THIS POINT, IS THE TWI LANGUAGE BECOMING A DEAD LANGUAGE?
IS THE TWI LANGUAGE A DEAD LANGUAGE IN GHANA?
English has become the mode of communication throughout Ghana.
English is the official language in Ghana. If you want to engage in business interactions, participate in governmental or political aspirations, engage in academia discussions or debates, etc., you will have to learn how to speak English and you have to learn how to speak English very well.
In Ghana, the English language is the marker of intelligence and social hierarchy. The more your English sound like someone who had studied in Oxford, London, the higher your socioeconomic class in Ghana.
In Ghana, if a person only speaks Twi without knowing any English vocabulary words or have minimal English vocabulary words, local Ghanaians will ridicule him or her as someone who is backwards, uncivilized, uneducated, village boy, village girl.
In Ghana, the English language is the marker of intelligence.
If a people in a society is ashamed and are ridiculed for speaking their first language, their mother tongue, then the language is a DEAD LANGUAGE.
English is the mode of communication between students and teachers in all grade levels in Ghana, from kindergarten to Phd, Doctoral level.
In Akan communities, if you want to do business, participate in politics, engage in academia discourse, then you will have to know how to speak English, because that is what you will hear Akans speaking, English instead of Twi.
Akan parents and guardians are raising their children to speak English as their native mother tongue language instead of Twi.
Yes, you will come to Ghana and you might think you are hearing Ghanaians speaking Twi, but it is NOT Twi, it is TwiEnglish, where you will hear Ghanaians speak Twi but every other words that comes out of their mouths is English.
The average Ghanaian can not complete a whole discussion, discourse or debate in Twi without adding an English vocabulary word in between their speech. Rarely will you hear a Ghanaian speaking Twi without incorporating an English phonetic word into his or her speech.
The average Ghanaian cannot engage with you in a discussion, discourse or debate without incorporating an English phonetic word within their speech.
The average Ghanaian knows more English vocabulary words than Twi words.
WILL THE TWI LANGUAGE BECOME A DEAD LANGUAGE WITHIN A GENERATION OR TWO?
IS THE TWI LANGUAGE EVOLVING INTO TWINGLISH?
IS THE TWI LANGUAGE A DEAD LANGUAGE IN GHANA?
I am using the Twi language as a case study since Twi is my mother tongue.
You can substitute the Twi language with the many indigenous Afrikan=Abibiman languages and you will get the same phenomenon that is going on with the Twi language in Ghana.
Kwabena and NonMwenSe21 Comments-
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Yup. Most if not all Black Languages by my estimation are at the very least “endangered” Languages if not effectively “dead” at this point. If a language is not being used then it’s dead. And as you have said, we are not, for the most part, truly using our Languages.
In about twenty years, if this trend that we been on continues, most of our Languages will at best be relics of the past. In a museum and or library somewhere. Maybe a library in Europe.The solution? The same that it’s always been.
But this is beyond frustrating. A lot of times I just want to not say anything.-
I definitely agree 💯
Most Afrikan languages are endangered languages and are becoming dead languages by each passing generations.
In almost every educational system in Afrika=Abibiman, the curriculum is in either English, French or Arabic (besides maybe KiSwahili).
In most Afrikan school systems you will get punished if you are heard speaking your first language, your mother tongue.
You are teased and made to feel ashamed if you only speak Afrikan languages.
Today most Afrikan languages have incorporated soo much colonial vocabulary words into their languages and has lost soo many indigenous Afrikan vocabulary words.
Yup, you are right, most Afrikan languages are on the endangered languages and if we don’t do something about it within a generation or two most of the people in Afrikan are going to be speaking English, Pidgin English, French, French Kreole, Arabic.
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I’m from Ayiti. We don’t have a Black Language but we have a “Creole”(Creole means mixed). Our Language is called Kréyol.
And that too is losing ground and becoming more “European”.
That’s always been the case with Kréyol however. That’s arguably how Kréyol came to be.
The only difference now is rather than becoming more “French”, it’s becoming more “English”. A trend that seems to be happening in other “Francophone Colonies” as well from what I hear.
Before I knew about Black Languages, before I began really learning about what’s really going on, I took pride in Kréyol. It’s ours. That’s how I saw it.
And although the French influence was obvious, Kréyol was still its own thing. And the best Kréyol to me was always the Kréyol with the least invader influence.
But the instant I really started to think about a few things, I was like, naw, this not it.
The things I like about Kréyol, it has a source. We need to go back to that.
It’s cool that we didn’t completely lose everything but if we really talking about Liberation, if we really talking about respecting ourselves etc etc, we need to fully restore ourselves.-
Yes. I will consider Ayitian Kreyol as an Afrikan Black language, because it is a language created by Afrikan people.
Even though it has French influence, it still is an Afrikan language that was created and developed by Afrikans. Ayitian Kreyol is unique to the Afrikan people in Ayiti. I hope it is not lost with all the American English influence in Ayiti.
I will rather learn Ayitian Kreyol than French or any other European languages.
Most Ayitians migrate to America and Canada, two English speaking countries, so I guess when Ayitians return back to Ayiti they bring with them the English vernacular words they learned in the Snakkkes and KKKanada.
I hope Ayitian Kreyol does not become a dead language with all the oppressive influences of Amerikkka.
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There was once a discussion about Black power and Kréyol that took place and I bought up learning a Black Language. It was met with mostly silence. They weren’t silent before that, though.
Those kind of things happen all the time by the way. That’s even happened on this website. Everybody always wanna talk until it’s actually time to be for real.
Anyway, the few that had decided to say something disagreed with my suggestion that we learn a Black Language but tried to act like they didn’t.
There is such a thing as “too Black” among us and that is just an absolute disgrace.-
There is a lot, and I mean a lot, of Black=Afrikan who shouts out loud, “Afrikan people should do for self, Afrikan sovereignty, everything we do should be Afrikan, we should do this, we should do that…”
But when it’s time to actually put in the work, the same Black=Afrikan people who shouted out “we should do for selves, everything we do should be Afrikan centered, we should speak only in Afrikan languages”, in conferences, meetings, think tanks, debates, etc., the same Black=Afrikan people are nowhere to be found. It’s silence.
I also believe the reason why many Afrikan=Black people don’t put in the work for Abibitumi Abibifahodie is because they are afraid of what white people will think about them and what white people will say about them. They are waiting on white validation.
And is not just what white people would think or say about them, there is also fear of what their family members and friends will say about them.
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TOO BLACK=TOO AFRIKAN=UGLY, UNCIVILIZED, UNEDUCATED, BACKWARDS, SETANIC=DEVIL WORSHIP
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I’ve been learning about many Black Languages. And due to the lack of power that we have. Due to the lack of pride that we exhibit as a collective, I already know that everywhere I look is a potential mine field. Is this really a Black word? Is this really a Black concept? Has this really been preserved authentically? Is this really Black history? How can I who have lost my Languages even answer many of those questions? Those are the kind of obstacles that I see.
And often I ask, is this even worth it at this point? We are not on the same page as a collective and we are not really trying to liberate ourselves. Almost all of us, it seems, at best, just want a bigger piece of the pie of our enemies.
We stay fighting for the “rights” to “assimilate”. “Economic freedom” is one of those terms. Not real Cultural Liberation, none of that.
And it looks like we dropped the ball a long time ago, too, to boot. I often wonder about how we lost writing. Even the Great Chancellor Williams wasn’t able to answer that question (as far as I know. Haven’t read a few of his other books). -
If you don’t use your language, your mother tongue language, you are bound to loose it.
Many of the Afrikan languages are not being used, are not being spoken. It is only being spoken during cultural activities and once the cultural activity is done, the Afrikan language is relegated to the back sit of a foreign European language.
Afrikan language has now become just like Afrikan spirituality. In the Black community=Kmt=Abibiman, Afrikan spirituality is only used when we are in an emergency, when we are in a crisis, when we are on the brink of death, when all the foreign religious cults, practices, ideologies have failed, that is when we run to Afrikan spirituality for assistance. A crisis solving ritual practice-Afrikan spirituality.
The same is true for Afrikan language. Afrikan language is only used (in public) for cultural rituals. We only used Afrikan language when we want to show off culture to white tourists. After all that cultural stuff is done we toss our Afrikan mother tongue language by the wayside and only pick it up again when we want to show off Afrikan cultural practices again.
Many of our Afrikan languages are becoming or are endangered languages thus leading to many of our Afrikan languages becoming dead languages.
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When I was a child in Ayiti I ended up seeing some of my friends from that time being punished by their father for speaking Kréyol and not French. Didn’t think much of it at the time, I suppose. It was just not really any of my business I guess.
Never forgot that though. And the more I grew up the more I was able to make some sense of what I saw that day. As a kid, when I saw that I was unphased. That’s how I remember it at least. It was just a parent telling off their children for whatever reason cause that’s what parents do I guess. But once I reached a certain age it was like yo, that actually happened. This is really what life is like for a lot of us on a day to day basis. Just sad and heartbreaking.
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Naturally, a child instinctively thoughts that a parent will never do any harm.
So probably seeing a father telling his children not speak their mother tongue, you probably thought the father was doing that to care, provide, and protect his children, because naturally that is what a father is supposed to do for his children.
And unfortunately the same children that was told not speak their mother tongue language and are punished for speaking their mother tongue language, will pass on the same destructive thinking and behavior unto their children. This is how Afrikan languages are becoming endangered l and dead languages in Afrika=Kmt=Abibiman. -
He was scolding them. I know I disagreed with what I saw. Just didn’t think about the gravity of the situation. Thought it was just another parent trippin’ for no reason. We shrugged it off and then left to play.
That’s similar to when I was told something like I shouldn’t play in the sun too much. That I may mess up my color. Those words just went in one ear and out the other. I didn’t address them and don’t think I ever thought to at that time. I just wanted to play outside.
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Respect. And thank you for the kind words but I have to disagree.
I guess one can argue that Kréyol is a Black Language in much the same way one can argue that African-American Vernacular English (AAVE) is a Black Language. But with all due respect, I think that may be a very low bar to set as far as what we think should be considered a Black Language. Certainly a slippery slope. Additionally, I think that perspective may be overlooking the problem.
We have not even established our authority over Kréyol.
I wouldn’t say we created it either. Though it is a reflection of us in a lot of ways.
For example, there are sayings/definitions in Kréyol that I think can only have come from a Black worldview.
Really, though, I’d say it’s a Language of circumstance.A creole, in this case, at least, means that our Languages are being taken from us. Gradually if not instantly.
It is yet another sign that our minds are being constricted and being surrounded by foreign elements. We may survive, we may go on but we lost/we are losing something.
And that something is: what is actually ours.-
Great analysis on the language of Ayitian Kreyol.
I agree that the Ayitian Kreyol land was created out of a stressful circumstances.
And even though it was created around the French phonetic language , the foundation of Ayiti Kreyol is fundamentally Afrikan.I will say the same thing for Afrikan-American Vernacular English (AAVE). Even though AAVE was created around the English language, the foundation of AAVE is fundamentally Afrikan.
That is why when you hear a white person use AAVE in speech pattern, in the back of Black people, we are asking, “why is this white boy trying to sound Black.”
Or
Let say you are talking on a phone with an anonymous person and you hear AAVE coming from his mouth, you will automatically think the person on the other line on the phone with you is Black.
Ayitian Kreyol and to a lesser extent, AAVE, might not be cloaked in Afrikan phonetic words, but fundamentally it is Afrikan.
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I have found a few words in Kréyol that are from our Languages.
One of the most common ones is Mun.
Mun means Person/People. My research says it comes from Muntu and/or Mundu.
Most of the words used in Kréyol however are from European Languages – mostly French.
I can’t even speak of the etymology for most of the words in Kréyol without referencing Europe.
And actually, Kréyol is not that unique to us in Ayiti. There are other places that speak a French-based Creole and a lot of times we can communicate with one another without much of an issue. Most of the words that are used in those places are from French as well after all. With a common vocabulary etc etc, the differences that exist aren’t much of a hurdle.
As for the recent English influence on Kréyol, I think that is mostly due to a combination of most Ayisyen living outside of Ayiti living in the USA as well as the influence of the popular media that is from the US. Black music and the Black Culture that comes from the USA period being a very significant factor.
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Then the question is, do you think Kréyol (or AAVE or Patwa etc etc) would be an acceptable Language to recommend as a “Lingua Franca” for the Black world?
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Should Ayitian (AAVE, Patwa, etc.) be the official language or an official language in the Black world or in an Afrikan country?
Great question.
I would say no.
I say no, because Ayitian Kreyol (AAVE, Patwa, etc.) is a language that was not created naturally. Ayitian Kreyol was created in a hostile, stressful, survival mode
Ayitian Kreyol because it was not created in a natural way. Ayitian Kreyol was created in a hostile, stressful, survival mode circumstance and situation.
Even though Ayitian Kreyol was created by Afrikan people using European vocabulary words, I don’t believe it should be an official language in a Black world or in an Afrikan country.
Just the mere fact that Ayitian Kreyol (AAVE, Patwa, etc.) is rooted within the English phonetic colonial language disqualifies it from an official language in the Black world or in an Afrikan country.
But, if someone says that Ayitian Kreyol should be the official language in Ayiti, I would have no issues with that suggestion.
If someone says that Patwa should be the official language in Jamaica, I would have no issues with it.
Even if someone suggests for AAVE should be the official language of the United States I wouldn’t object to it.
But for it to be the official language of the Black world or in an Afrikan country, I would reject it.
The language was created out of trauma, stressful, fight or flight, hostile environment and circumstances.
Plus the foundation of the language is rooted in a colonial language, French (English for AAVE and Patwa). -
That’s basically what I’m saying. It wouldn’t qualify. That’s cause at the end of the day it’s not really a Black Language. Just as you wouldn’t consider TwiEnglish a Black Language.
And Ayiti is a Black Country. That’s the idea at least though we haven’t truly established that. And as a Black Country, we, as Black People of course, should speak a Black Language.
Ideally, it could go something like this. The official Languages of Ayiti be, let’s say, FonGbe along with Kréyol. With FonGbe being mandatory to learn. And then just like that, we back.
It could really be that simple but, aye. It is what it is, I guess.
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Got you.
Yes. I would definitely not consider TwiEnglish as an Afrikan language.
I will put TwiEnglish in the same category as Ayitian Kreyol, French Kreyol, Patwa, AAVE, Pidgin English, Broken English.
They have sprinkles of Afrikan influence, but 95-99% of the language make up is a colonial European language.
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78,058
Abibisika (Black Gold) Points
I’ll just leave this right here: https://www.abibitumi.com/product-category/afrikanlanguagecourses/
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