UNIVERSITY OF CAPE COAST

COLLEGE OF HUMANITIES AND LEGAL STUDIES

DEPARTMENT OF GHANAIAN LANGUAGES AND

LINGUISTICS

LANGUAGES IN AFRICA (LIN 414)

AR/BAA/16/0077

AR/BAA/16/0060

AR/LGT/16/0004

AR/LGT/16/OOO3

QUESTION

DEFUNCT NOUN CLASS SYSTEM OF AKAN

 Akan being a member of the Kwa subgroup of Niger-congo spoken in Ghana, has a
nominal prefix system which has been recognized by those who have worked on the language. In
a noun class system all nouns are marked by an affix, usually one affix signals a singular noun
and another signals a plural form. All nouns have to be assigned to classes on the basis of their
singular and plural. Akan has a nominal prefix system which shows that the language once had a
noun class system. This observation is supported with genetic, morphological and
morphosyntactic evidence. From the current state of the language, it is argued that a new noun
classification system may be emerging which is built around the plural marking system. This
write up seeks to show that the existing nominal prefixes in Akan are a left-over of the noun
class system which have existed in Proto-Akan.

First and foremost, an evidence to show that Akan has a noun class system is the genetic
evidence. The genetic affiliation of the Akan Noun Class system is connected to the Niger-
Congo phyla. Niger-Congo is a language family noted for its noun class system. Williamson
(1989:30) stated that the best known grammatical feature of the Niger-Congo languages is
undoubtedly their system of noun classification which in a well preserved, reduced or purely
vestigial form, can be traced in every branch of the family and hence must be reconstructed for
proto Niger-Congo. In the past, with respect to the existence of the noun class system, the Kwa
sub branch to which Akan belongs was different from the Benue-Congo group where the Bantu
languages are located. In recent times, it has been shown that there are languages classified as
members of Kwa which have functioning noun class systems.

Secondly, morphology is also an evidence showing that Akan previously had a noun class
system. Prefixes were used to show singular and plural nouns. The prefix is either a homoganic
nasal or a vowel. Vowel harmony was the basis on what the vowel form was determined.
Examples of these vowels are / a, [, e, ], o /. In some subdialect of Fante [/i/ I] occur as noun
prefixes. All these vowels occur as singular prefixes. For instance:

Singular plural

}-b]fo ‘angel’ a- b]fo ‘angels’

a-bofra ‘child’ m-bofra ‘children’

i-dua ‘tree’ n-dua ‘trees’

Relating to the above, the third observation that adds to the claim that Akan once had a
noun class system is morphosyntactic evidence. Noun class systems are concordial that is there is
a subject- verb agreement. The morphosyntactic claim concerns itself with subject verb
agreement. According to Christaller (1875), there are markers on verbs to show that they agree
with their subject nouns as well as their subject pronouns. The concordial system arising out of a
noun class system is also reflected in agreement between noun and it modifier. Example

“O-wura no o-nim ade”

3SG/CL 1-man the know thing

The man is intelligent.

Also, in Akan, regarding the plural nouns, the adjective that follows modifies the noun
must be a plural adjective. Akan has adjectives that are marked for plural. Example below
illustrates the agreement that exists between nouns and adjectives. Structurally, adjectives follow
the nouns they modify.

Noun Adjective

n-nua n-ketewa 'small trees'

m-p]nk] n-tsiatsia 'short horses'

a-dan a-k[se 'big buildings’

Also, Akan has adjectives with a singular class marker. These adjectives are taken to be
remnants of the diachronic past where singular nouns agreed with their adjectives. The adjectives
are nominalized, with the causing noun used as a proper name. This process is limited to only a
few adjectives and only. Examples

}-k[see 'fat (person)'

a-gramo 'tall (person)’

In a sentence, me- hyiaa-a }k[se[ w] Kumasi.“ I met ( the ) fat one in kumasi”.

otumtum b3-ba }kyena. “the black one will come tomorrow”. This sentences can also be said as,
me-hyiaa-a Akwesi w] Kumasi.” I met Akwesi in Kumasi”.

Kofi b[ba }kyena. “Kofi will come tomorrow”. This two sentences in the first part are
comparable to the second sentences. Where instead of }k[se[ and otumtum there is Akwesi and
Kofi which both adjectives similar to proper names.

However, synchronically, Akan exhibits only the remnant of a once buoyant noun class
system. This is why the language appears to be developing a new classification of the nouns
along the lines of the plural marking system as far as plural marking system is concerned. Apart
from those nouns which do not have plural marking, all other nouns capable of being marked for
plural are also marked. With specific reference to the human nouns, there is a trend towards
double plural marking. Some human nouns are marked for plural by the use of the old prefixes as
well as certain suffixes.

A. Singular Plural Gloss

bata-nyi a-bata-fo traders

gyedzi-nyi e-gyedzi-fo believers

B. Singular Plural Gloss

}-bayi-fo a-bayi-fo witches

O-kuna-fo e- kuna-fo widows

 C. Singular Plural Gloss

a-bonsam m-bonsam-(fo) devils

]-saman n-saman-(fo) ghost

]-banyin m- banyan-(fo) men

The suffix ‘–nyi/ -ni’ “one who” is serving as a derivational morpheme, deriving a noun from the
verb. Presently, it has the function of singular nouns. The same of the plural equivalent “–fo”.
The fact of the reanalysis of “–fo” as a plural marker is further seen in its occurrence.

Welmers refers to the system as 'vestigial'. There is enough basis to show that this system
is at the moment a decayed one, and evidence will be provided to support this view.
Morphologically, one aspect is the loss of singular noun prefixes. There are nouns which
currently have zero marking in the singular and this are inanimate nouns or non-human animates.
The short coming of this is that human nouns are more resistant to change that the non-human
ones.

Singular. Plural

T[tea ‘ant’ n-t[tea ’ants’

dzin ‘name’ e-dzin ‘names’

Kyen ‘drum’ a-kyen ‘drums’

Prako ‘pig’ m-prako ‘pigs’

Again, the loss of noun class system is further demonstrated by these nouns which has no
prefixes either in the singular or plural form. Due to the existence of such nouns in Akan.
Welmers (1971, 1973) argues that, we can establish another noun class which is marked by zero
prefix. For instance,

Singular. Plural

Ky[w ‘hat’ ky[w ‘hats’

Sundzi ‘pillow’ sundzi ‘pillows’

Kuntu ‘blanket’ kuntu ‘blankets’

Morphosyntatically, there is the loss of behaviour of nouns and the adjectives which
modify them.Apart from the inconsistent concordial relation between noun and adjective plural
prefixes, not all adjectives take plural marker. If the noun class system were functioning, there
will be the expectations of or at least most adjectives to be inflected for number. For instance,

Singular. Plural

atar hahar ‘light dress’ ntar hahar ‘light dresses’

dua dudur ‘heavy log’ ndua dudur ‘heavy logs’

Krataa takataka ‘jelly like paper’ nkrataa takataka ‘jelly like papers’

Again, the loss of the noun class system in Akan is also reflected in singular adjectives.
All adjectives have lost their prefixes in the singular and so there is no agreement between a
singular noun and the adjective that modify it. Examples are,

Noun Adjective

O-panyin. tsentsen ‘tall elderly man’

}-dan. K[se ‘big building’

O-dwan. Ketewa ‘small goat’

Furthermore, there is the loss of verbal concord, Akan noun class system is a non
concordial one. Unlike other Niger-Congo languages like Bantu where nouns control the choice
of agreement marker on the verb, it is not so in Akan. For example,

a-bowa no o-bowu. ‘The animal will die’.

a-bowa no bowu. ‘the animal will die’.

Besides the lack of verb agreement, there exist no concord between nouns and their determiners,
where the determiners have no prefix.
]b]dom no ‘the dog’

m-b]d]m no ‘the dogs’.

Interestingly, the noun class system of Proto-Akan appears to be giving way to a new
system. In the former system, the claqssification was based mainly on the prefixes on nouns.
Synchronically, on singular nouns as well as plural nouns, even though these nouns also have the
old singular and plural prefixes. There are instances where the ‘-fo’ is optional. Its optional
charadter indicates that for these words, the presence of ‘-fo’ as a plural marker is a new
phenomenon. Double plural marker is also found in words covering kingship and social
relations. Adding to the presence of the regular plural prefixes, such nouns take the suffix ‘-
nom’. This phenomenon affects only human nouns. Whereas human has developed double plural
marking, non-human nouns still use only the old marking system.

To concluded, this essay discussed the defunct noun class of Akan. It also brought to the
fore that Akan once had a diachronic noun class system which was supported with genetic,
morphological and morphosyntactic evidence. The write up provides some loss noun class
system: morphological decay under which there are first complete loss of nominal prefixes,
second morphosyntactic decay which comprises frozen form of adjectival prefixes, loss of plural
adjective prefixes, loss of singular adjective and verbal concord. Again, this shows the new noun
class system of Proto-Akan.
References
Balmcr, W.T, Grant, F.C.F. (1929). Grammar of the Fante-Akan language. London: Atlantis
Press.

Christaller.J. (1875). Grammar of the Asante and Fante Language called Twi. Basel: Basel
Evangelical Missionary Society.

Dolphyne, F. (1988). The Akan (Twi-Fante) language: its sound systems and tonal structure.
Accra: Ghana Universities Press.

Greenhcrg, J. H. (1977). Niger-Congo noun class markers: prefixes, suffixes, both or neither?
Studies in African Linguistics, Supplement 7, 97-104.

Gyekye, K. (1987). An essay on African philosophical thought the Akan conceptual scheme.
Cam bridge; Cambridge University Press.

Welmers, W. (1973). African Language Structures. Berkeley. University of Califonia Press

Williamson. K. (1989). Niger-Congo Overview. In J. Bendor-Samuel (Ed), The Niger-Congo
Languages(pp. 3-45). Laham: The University Press of America.