3 Languages to die out in Northern Ghana

Chala – Kantosi – Chakali are three languages reported on the brink of extinction. According to Ghanalingo’s report, the number of speakers of these three languages is decreasing. In such a scenario, we must make efforts to preserve these languages.

Who Speaks the three languages, Chala – Kantosi – Chakali?

The Oti Region’s Nkwanta District and the Northern Region‘s Kpandai District both speak Chala. The Upper East region also speaks Kantosi. Sandema, Navrongo, Bolgatanga, and Wa in the Upper West Region, along with other towns, speak it. Chakali is spoken in seven villages in the Upper East Region’s Wa East District. The number of people who speak Chala is not readily available. However, an estimated 4,100 people currently speak Kantosi. Meanwhile, Chakali has approximately 3,500 speakers across the villages. 

Language is a crucial, diverse element that defines every ethnic group. Thus, preserving and passing it on is an extension of cultural uniqueness. It is, therefore, problematic to hear news about entire ethnicities losing their language completely. Unlike other aspects of culture that go extinct due to proven adverse effects, language bears the brunt of acculturation and migration. What, then, is unique about people when they lose their language?

What leads to language extinction?

Language extinction occurs when natives cease to speak it. It happens for a variety of reasons. These reasons include speakers not passing on the language to the next generation. A dominant culture pressures speakers into adopting other languages. When speakers adopt a new culture, leading to a reduction in language usage, intermarriages can also lead to language loss. Several other factors contribute to language extinction, yet early detection can reverse the situation.

Losing languages such as Chala, Kantosi, and Chakali will have an impact on the native shapers’ cultural identity and heritage. If the trend persists, we will also lose traditional knowledge and wisdom.

How do we preserve Chala – Kantosi – Chakali languages?

While increasing the number of speakers is the best way to preserve languages, technology has proven to be equally effective. Artificial intelligence apps like Khaya AI, which prioritizes the digitalization of African languages for text-to-speech and speech-to-text recognition, are an opportunity for this purpose. We may want to model all these languages with AI to ensure they never fade while we work to preserve the natives’ culture.

You can read the entire publication, “Ghana’s Most Endangered Linguistic Group and the Urgency for Preservation,” HERE.

A rapidly declining number of speakers poses a threat to Chala, Kantosi, and Chakali.