Dagaare language

Dagaare is the maternal language of the Dagaaba people in Ghana and Burkina Faso. It has been described as a dialect continuum that also includes Waale and Birifor.

Dagaare
Native toGhana, Burkina Faso
EthnicityDagaaba people
Native speakers
1.1 million (2001–2003)[1]
Niger–Congo?
Latin (Dagaare alphabet)
Dagaare Braille
Language codes
ISO 639-3Variously:
dga – Southern Dagaare
dgd – Dagaari Dioula
dgi – Northern Dagara
Glottologsout2789  Central Dagaare
daga1272  Dagaari Dioula
nort2780  Northern Dagara
Majority areas of Northern Dagara speakers, in red, on a map of Burkina Faso.

Ethnologue divides Dagaare into three languages:

  • Southern/Central Dagaare language, which is spoken mainly in Ghana
  • Northern Dagara language, which is spoken mainly in Burkina Faso
  • Dagaari Dioula, which is spoken mainly in Burkina Faso, and has significant influence from the genetically unrelated Dioula language

Phonology

The consonant and vowel sounds in the Dagaare languages:[2]

Vowels
Front Central Back
Close i u
ɪ ʊ
Close-mid e o
Open-mid ɛ ɔ
Open a

Consonants
Labial Alveolar Post-
Alveolar		 Palatal Labio-
velar		 Velar Glottal
Plosive/
Affricate		 voiceless p t t͡ɕ k͡p k ʔ
voiced b d d͡ʑ ɡ͡b ɡ
Fricative voiceless f s h
voiced v z
implosive ʼh
Nasal plain m n ɲ ŋ͡m ŋ
implosive ʼm
Lateral plain l
implosive ʼl
Approximant j w

Allophones of /d, ɡ/ include [r, ɣ].[3]

References
  1. Southern Dagaare at Ethnologue (18th ed., 2015)
    Dagaari Dioula at Ethnologue (18th ed., 2015)
    Northern Dagara at Ethnologue (18th ed., 2015)
  2. Ali M, Grimm S, Ali M (2021). A dictionary and grammatical sketch of Dagaare (pdf). Berlin: Language Science Press. doi:10.5281/zenodo.5154710. ISBN 978-3-98554-002-0.
  3. Bodomo, Adams (1997). The Structure of Dagaare. Stanford University.


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