Legon Journal of the Humanities, 25
(2014)
P a g e
| 37
DOI:
http://dx.doi.org/10.4314/ljh.v25i1.3
Language Choice in Multilingual Communities: The Case of Larteh, Ghana
1
Mercy Akrofi Ansah
Research Fellow, Institute of African Studies,
University of Ghana, Legon
Abstract
In a multilingual community, the multilingual speaker needs to make the right language
choice which principally depends on the domain of usage and the linguistic repertoire of
speech participants. This paper investigates factors that govern language choices that
multilingual speakers make in Larteh, a multilingual community. The study is informed
by insights
from the Markedness Model, developed by Myers-Scotton (1993, 1998).
Larteh is a non-reciprocal bilingual community,
where the people speak Leteh
2
and
Akuapem Twi (Johnson, 1973, p. i). English is the third language for those who have had
formal education. In this paper, three domains of language use are examined: education,
tradition, and religion. Data from an interview survey on language use and participant
observations are employed. The paper notes that due to changes in various spheres of life
in Larteh, current language use patterns in the community
differ from what pertained
about three decades ago (Johnson, 1973, 1975). Subsequently,
factors that determine
language choice are gradually undergoing some modification.
Keywords:
language choice, multilingualism, education, tradition, Christianity
This paper explores factors that inform language
choices that are made by
multilingual speakers in Larteh. People who speak more than two languages are often
confronted with making the right language choice within a particular domain. Language
choice is informed by the kind of participants in a communication situation, the topic,
social distance, and also location. Studies on language use in multilingual communities
in Africa abound (see Yakubu et al 2012; Kamwangamalu, 2000; Ncoko et al 2000;
