Central Tano languages

Central Tano
Akan
Geographic distribution	Ghana, Ivory Coast
Linguistic classification	Niger–Congo? Atlantic–Congo Volta–Congo Kwa Potou–Tano Tano Central Tano
Subdivisions	Bia Akan
Language codes
ISO 639-3	–
Glottolog	cent2262

The Central Tano or Akan languages are a pair of dialect clusters of the Niger-Congo family (or perhaps the theorised Kwa languages ^[1] ) spoken in Ghana and Ivory Coast by the Akan people.

There are two or three languages, each with dialects that are sometimes treated as languages themselves: ^{[2] [3]}

• Akanic (primarily in Ghana)
  • core Akan (Asante, Akuapem and Fante dialects)
  • Bono
  • Wasa
• Bia (primarily in Ivory Coast and Western Ghana)
  • Northern Bia language
    • Anyin dialect
    • Baoulé dialect
    • Chakosi (Anufo) dialect
    • Sefwi (Sehwi) dialect
  • Southern Bia language
    • Nzema dialect
    • Ahanta dialect
    • Jwira–Pepesa dialect

All have written forms in the Latin script.

References

1. Ameka, Felix K.; Dakubu, Mary Esther Kropp (2008). Aspect and Modality in Kwa Languages. John Benjamins Publishing. ISBN   978-90-272-0567-4., p. 4
2. Stewart, John M. 1989. Kwa. In Bendor-Samuel, John (ed.), The Niger-Congo Languages, 216-245. University Press of America & SIL. p. 225.
3. Dolphyne, Florence Abena (1986) The languages of the Akan peoples. Research review. Vol. 2 No. 1, Pages 1-22 University of Ghana. p. 15.