The paper investigates the survival of two South-Guan minority dialects, Leteh and Efutu,

In a multilingual community, the multilingual speaker needs to make the right language choice which principally depends on the domain of usage and the linguistic repertoire of speech participants. This paper investigates factors that govern language choices that multilingual speakers make in Larteh, a multilingual community. The study is informed by insights from the Markedness Model, developed by Myers-Scotton (1993, 1998). Larteh is a non-reciprocal bilingual community, where the people speak Leteh 2 and Akuapem Twi (Johnson, 1973, p. i). English is the third language for those who have had formal education. In this paper, three domains of language use are examined: education, tradition, and religion. Data from an interview survey on language use and participant observations are employed. The paper notes that due to changes in various spheres of life in Larteh, current language use patterns in the community differ from what pertained about three decades ago (Johnson, 1973, 1975). Subsequently, factors that determine language choice are gradually undergoing some modification.

The relevance of language for quality healthcare delivery cannot be overemphasised. Within the framework of communication accommodation theory, this paper discusses language barriers in expatriate doctor–patient communication in three state-owned hospitals in Ghana, and the strategies employed by the medical personnel to bridge communication gaps. The study design is qualitative and the data were obtained through semi-structured interviews with 16 expatriate doctors, three nurses and three patients. Furthermore, observation of five patient–doctor interactions was undertaken and notes taken. Both datasets were then analysed using the qualitative conventional content analysis approach. The findings revealed that the expatriate doctors employed convergence strategies such as ad hoc interpreters, gestures, picture charts and electronic dictionaries to deal with language barriers. The study is expected to stimulate further research into innovative ways of dealing with language barriers in expatriate doctor–patient interactions.

The object of this paper is to evoke the life and contribution of the late C. A. Akrofi, a Ghanaian linguist, to the development of Twi, and to reflect on the relevance of his works to contemporary Akan linguistics studies. The study draws on tenets of the Rhetorical Narrative Theory (Herman et al 2012), an approach embedded in the Narrative Tradition, propounded by Epston and White (1990). Literature on the development of indigenous languages of Ghana attest that it is the preliminary work of Basel and Scottish Missionaries which formed the bedrock of the study and documentation of the languages (Bediako 1995; Debrunner 1967; Kpobi 2008). The paper is an account of the life of an individual who was undaunted by his physical incapacities, but with the foundation laid by the Basel and Scottish Missionaries, strove to leave a legacy in the study of Akan linguistics. Information for this study was partly acquired from narratives recorded from semi-structured interviews, and secondary sources from the library and archives of the Akrofi-Christaller Institute of Theology, Mission and Culture at Akropong Akuapem; the Akrofi family archives at Apirede-Akuapem and his personal records. The paper contributes to literature in interdisciplinary biographical research.

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 morphemic units/properties are used to produce utterances by rules of sequencing and re-combination. 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 principle behind the use of songs in teaching a second language can be extended to the teaching/learning of less-studied languages/minority languages and ultimately, their revitalization.