Views from the Streets of Accra on Language Policy in Ghana

Abstract

Issues of national language are very complex in Africa because of the multi-lingual situation on the continent. The situation is even more severe when a country attempts to choose one of the indigenous languages as its national language. Most African nations have peacefully chosen foreign languages as their official languages but there is always a controversy over which language to use as a national language in Africa. The paper investigates the views of Ghanaians on national language. The paper discusses the responses to questionnaire that were administered to respondents who were randomly selected on the street of Accra. The paper finds out that majority of the Ghanaian population, representing 81% want Ghana to adopt a national language. The paper argues that even though Ghanaians want a national language, intensive education on national language must be carried out by the government before any action is taken

Keywords: language policy, notational language, mother tongue, multilingual.