|Geographical spread and Genetic classification|
Dagaare is the major language of the north-western parts of Ghana and adjoining areas of Burkina Faso. The area being delineated is between latitudes 9o N and 11o
|Geographical spread and Genetic classification|
Dagaare is the major language of the north-western parts of Ghana and adjoining areas of Burkina Faso. The area being delineated is between latitudes 9o N and 11o N and longitudes 2o W and 3o W. This area covers the Upper-West Region and parts of the Northern Region of Ghana. Other speech forms closely related to Dagaare are Waale; and Birifor. In fact, they constitute a dialect continuum of varying degrees of mutual intelligibility.The Dagaare-Waale-Birifor linguistic continuum is sometimes lumped together as one language in this part of the country. This group is bordered to the east by the Sisaala language and to the South by Gonja, Vagla, and Safaliba. To the west and north, this dialect continuum extends across the Black Volta and the international boundary into Burkina Faso where variants of this linguistic group are spoken in and around towns like Dano, Diebougou, Dissin, and Gaoua. The major towns covered by the linguistic group in Ghana are Wa, Lawra, Jirapa, Nandom, Hamile, Nadawli, Kaleo, Daffiama, and Tuna. It must be realised, however, that Dagaare is not limited to this traditional homeland as has been described above. The language has spread to many parts of Ghana because of the high degree of social and geographical mobility of the people who speak Dagaare as a native language, among other reasons. Today, there are important Dagaare speaking communities in Accra, Kumasi and most major towns and villages throughout Ghana. Genetically, Dagaare has been classified as a member of the Oti-Volta group of the Gur branch of the Niger-Congo language family (Swadesh 1966, Bendor-Samuel1971:144, Naden 1989). Dagaare's immediate geographical neighbours are not its immediate genetic relatives, for most of the languages very much related to it like Moore, Gurenne (Frafra), and Dagbane are found in the Upper-East and Northern Regions. Accurate and up-to-date census figures are hardly readily available but the number of native speakers of Dagaare in both Ghana and Burkina Faso may be put at more than one million speakers. In terms of native speakers, Dagaare may be the fourth largest indigenous language of Ghana after Akan, Ewe, and Dagbane. It has been the principal language of evangelisation in north-western Ghana since the advent of the missionaries in the colonial era. In present-day language policy, Dagaare occupies a considerably important position. It is one of the nine official literacy languages of Ghana. As a result the Bureau of Ghana languages publishes educational material in it. Dagaare is taught and offered for degree courses in the country's hi