Research Project
An Investigation of the Vitality and Perception Of the Ga language in the Ghanaian-American Community
- Start Date
- 2021-08-16
- End Date
- 2022-05-16
- Research Area(s)
- multilingualism
- Sociolinguistics
- Funding Source
- LAS Undergraduate Research Initiative
Abstract
Principal Investigator: Eli Nukunya (English Major, Linguistics Minor) | Advisor: Dr . Xuehua Xiang The Ga language is a Ghanaian language most commonly spoken by the Ga-Adangbe ethnic group in Ghana that has become spoken in the Ghanaian diaspora in recent history. As Ghanaians have created more immigrant communities in the diaspora, it is possible that the Ga language may suffer the same fate of many immigrant languages and lose its influence and importance within the Ghanaian-American community, especially among the younger generation. This possibility is explored in both surveys and interviews within which Ghanaian-Americans answer questions about their connection to the Ga language along with how they view the Ga language and its importance in comparison to others. The findings demonstrated that Ga speakers have an interest in and an appreciation for the Ga language but have a difficulty in maintaining their use of the language. This is mainly a result of the Ga language’s lack of prominence in the USA. This reflects that it is possible for the Ga language to lose its vitality among Ghanaian-Americans because of its low speaker population, rather than it being directly because of an avoidance of discrimination or a desire to assimilate, which may be similar to other languages with a comparatively small population of speakers. The study is approved by the UIC Internal Review Board Protocol # 2022-0067.