The Form and Function of English Loanwords in Akan

Abstract

This paper provides a linguistic analysis of English loanwords in Akan (Niger Congo, Kwa). Using data from the sporting, political and socio-economic domains, we consider phonological and morphological issues that pertain with English loanwords in Akan. Additionally, the paper investigates the specific semantic sub-domains of these words. Phonologically, we note that the loanwords comply with the vowel harmony rule in Akan. Also the English short neutral half-open vowel /ʌ/, the schwa vowel /ə/ and the back open rounded vowel /ɒ/ are replaced with more familiar Akan vowels. Furthermore, loanwords with consonant clusters are adjusted by either insertion or deletion. Morphologically, we observe that English stems are borrowed with various inflections from Akan. Semantically, we note that Akan has borrowed from the domains of security, soccer, health, governance, education and other specialized fields. Finally, we recognise that Akan speakers borrow to fill lexical and semantic gaps, for simplicity and for prestige.