‘Bra, Sɛn, Yɛnkↄ... That is All I Know in Akan’: How Female Migrants From Rural North Survive with Minimum Bilingualism in Urban Markets in Ghana

Ansah, Gladys Nyarko; Anderson, Jemima Asabea; Anamzoya, Suleman Alhassan; Ohemeng, Fidelia

doi:10.4314/gjl.v6i1.69

Cited by 4 publications

(13 citation statements)

References 20 publications

(7 reference statements)

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“…Interestingly, 57 (48%), 30 (25%) and 31 (26%) of the migrants reported as living in residences in and around Agbogbloshie, Madina and Dome markets respectively. This suggests that the Kayayei appear to form linguistic islands (typically, in groupings along ethnolinguistic lines) in their host communities (Ansah et al, 2017), i.e. they appear not to intermingle with the other members of their host communities, thereby limiting their contact with Akan to the domain of business.…”

Section: The Level Of Acculturation and Akan Acquisition And Usementioning

confidence: 99%

“…It is important to mention that while many of these migrants claimed to speak Akan, it was found out that neophyte migrants (who had lived in their host communities for 1-12 months) who were the least acculturated knew only formulaic Akan for the purposes of transacting business in the markets. They could not hold any meaningful conversation outside their line of business ( Ansah et al, 2017). Indeed, in certain instances, they would resort to code-switching or even the use of gestures in order to ease communication between them and their clients.…”

Section: The Level Of Acculturation and Akan Acquisition And Usementioning

confidence: 99%

“…The relationship between language and identities (e.g. ethnic identity, social class, gender) is well documented in ethnolinguistics and sociolinguistics (Ansah & et al, 2017;Omoniyi & White, 2006;Antaki &Widdicombe, 1998).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…The interviews were conducted largely (but not solely) in the Twi dialect of Akan and Mole-Dagbani languages. This is because whereas the Twi dialect of Akan appears to be the dominant language of these markets (Ansah et al 2017), majority of the Kayayei were from the Mole-Dagbani ethnolinguistic groups e.g. Dagomba, Mamprusi and Nanumba.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Acculturation and integration: Language dynamics in the rural north-urban south mobility situation in Ghana

Ansah

2018

Legon J. Hum.

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This paper examines the role acculturation plays in the acquisition of Akan as L2 among young female migrants of northern Ghana origin (Kayayei), in their host communities in the south. While the literature is replete with studies on the migration of Kayayei to urban markets in the south, many of these studies are concerned with either sociological factors or economic ones or even health. Very little research has focused on the linguistic dimension of rural-urban migration in Ghana. Under the basic assumptions of Schumann's Acculturation Model, a socio-psychological model of L2 learning, this paper employs mixed methods (structured interviews, participant observation) to investigate Akan as L2 acquisition among Kayayei in three highly multilingual urban markets in Ghana. The analysis of the data revealed that whereas social dominance patterns do not seem to aff ect acculturation among Kayayei in Akan acquisition and use in the selected urban markets, other social and psychological factors, e.g. size of immigrant group, residence, and length of period of stay/hope of return to home origin which tend to result in limited/full integration, do. The fi ndings of this paper resonate with Hammer's (2017) fi nding about the relationship between sociocultural integration of migrants and the extent of their use of L2, i.e., that L2 learners with higher levels of acculturation tend to have higher levels of profi ciency in the L2.

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Section: The Level Of Acculturation and Akan Acquisition And Usementioning

confidence: 99%

Section: The Level Of Acculturation and Akan Acquisition And Usementioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Acculturation and integration: Language dynamics in the rural north-urban south mobility situation in Ghana

Ansah

2018

Legon J. Hum.

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“…, According to Blommaert and Rampton (2011, 3), “there are distinctive communicative processes and outcomes involved in migration,” which are important to our understanding of the nature and structure of super‐diversification. Following Ansah et al’s (2017) findings, which point to Agbogbloshie as a potential site for exploring broad sociolinguistic phenomena, this article investigates how communicative practices of migrants in urban markets may contribute to the nature and structure of super‐diversification in urban Ghana. The article describes the communicative practices in migrant homes and preschool/childcare centers in Agbogbloshie and discusses how such practices structure and shape the linguistic repertoires and language practices of child migrants in the space.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Negotiating Linguistic Disruptions and Connections in Migratory Contexts: Language Practices among Child Migrants in an Urban Market in Ghana

Ansah

2021

J Linguistic Anthropol

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This article employs ethnographic methods to investigate communicative practices that shape the linguistic repertoires of child migrants in Agbogbloshie, an urban market in Ghana. Similar studies discuss the relationship between language and migration by focusing on language shift and loss among migrants; this article argues that migrants in complex linguistically diverse spaces-motivated by both social and economic dynamics of their space -make linguistic choices while negotiating their daily lives that lead to the development of complex, heterogeneous linguistic repertoires and practices. Data were gathered from interactions at childcare centers, where child migrants spend the day with peers and caregivers, and migrant homes, where child migrants spend the evenings and weekends with their families. The data reveal that while migrant parents negotiate their own multilingual practices with their migrant children, child migrants expand their linguistic repertoires through relationships and interactions with caregivers and peers in childcare centers and neighborhoods, leading to the development of heterogeneous language practices that neither their parents nor caregivers necessarily possess. The article concludes that migration may lead to complex linguistic diversity. The study contributes to Indigenous perspectives on linguistic diversity and our understanding of the structure and nature of superdiversification. [migration, child migrant, multilingualism, Agbogbloshie Kayayei, language contact]

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Language choice in churches in indigenous Gã towns: a multilingual balancing act

Campbell

Anderson

2021

Multilingua

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This paper examines the determinant factors motivating language choice in churches in coastal Accra, an area characterized by a high degree of urbanization and multilingualism. As this region is also ethnically Gã, we survey the attitudes of Gã congregants to the use of other languages in their churches, bearing in mind the pressure faced by Gã from the more dominant vehicular languages, Akan and English. Data was obtained via participant observation, questionnaires and interviews. Using domain analysis, we show that language choice in the church domain is guided by the diametric principles of inclusiveness and church expansion on the one hand, and the conservation of a homogeneous socio-cultural identity on the other. Multilingual churches espouse the former while monolingual churches prize the latter. Gã congregants in churches that make extensive use of Akan and English report feeling satisfied with the language choices in their churches as they see these lingua francas as necessary for reaching out to the wider community. Although in other spheres of life there is irritation among Gã natives about the diminishing role of their language, in the church domain, this is readily tolerated for the greater good of advancing the church’s work.

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‘Bra, Sɛn, Yɛnkↄ... That is All I Know in Akan’: How Female Migrants From Rural North Survive with Minimum Bilingualism in Urban Markets in Ghana

Abstract: In this paper, we explore the language-migration nexus among female mi-

Cited by 4 publications

References 20 publications

Acculturation and integration: Language dynamics in the rural north-urban south mobility situation in Ghana

Acculturation and integration: Language dynamics in the rural north-urban south mobility situation in Ghana

Negotiating Linguistic Disruptions and Connections in Migratory Contexts: Language Practices among Child Migrants in an Urban Market in Ghana

Language choice in churches in indigenous Gã towns: a multilingual balancing act

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