Central Tano languages

Central Tano
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
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

^ 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
^ Stewart, John M. 1989. Kwa. In Bendor-Samuel, John (ed.), The Niger-Congo Languages, 216-245. University Press of America & SIL. p. 225.
^ Dolphyne, Florence Abena (1986) The languages of the Akan peoples. Research review. Vol. 2 No. 1, Pages 1-22[1] University of Ghana. p. 15.