ABSTRACT

In this paper, we investigate the choice of English as a home language in Ghana, a multilingual nation where 81 languages are spoken by a population of about 27 million people. In the past, while English was reserved as the de facto language of official domains, e.g., government business and education, Ghanaian languages were used in informal domains such as homes, markets and churches. Recent research and observations show a gradual shift from the use of indigenous languages in some informal domains to the use of the English language, especially in urban centres. This study uses audio-recordings, questionnaires and observations to gather data from 20 homes from 2 geographically and socio-economically distinct urban communities in Accra. The findings of the study show that economic status, age, inter-ethnic marriages and educational background are the main factors influencing the choice of English as a home language in urban Ghana. Other factors, such as the media, the language in education policies and the use of the internet, also play a role in the use of English in Ghanaian homes.

摘要

在本文中，我们研究了加纳这个多语种国家/地区的英语选择，该国是多语言国家，约有2700万人使用81种语言。过去，英语被保留为官方领域（例如政府业务和教育）的实际语言，而加纳语言则被用于非正式领域，例如房屋，市场和教堂。最近的研究和观察表明，从在一些非正式领域中使用土著语言逐渐过渡到英语的使用，特别是在城市中心。这项研究使用音频记录，问卷调查和观察来收集来自阿克拉2个地理和社会经济不同的城市社区的20个房屋的数据。研究结果表明，经济状况，年龄，民族间的婚姻和受教育的背景是影响在加纳城市选择英语作为家庭语言的主要因素。其他因素，例如媒体，教育政策中的语言以及互联网的使用，也在加纳家庭中使用英语方面也发挥了作用。