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Kulango language

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Kulango
Nkuraeng
RegionIvory Coast, Ghana
EthnicityKulango people
Native speakers
470,000 (2021)[1]
Language codes
ISO 639-3Either:
nku – Bouna
kzc – Bondoukou
Glottologkula1277

Kulango is a Niger–Congo language spoken in Ivory Coast and across the border in Ghana. It is one of the Kulango languages, and it may be classified as a Gur language. There are two principal varieties distinct enough to be considered separate languages: the Kulango of Bondoukou (Bonduku), also known as Goutougo locally, and that of Bouna (Buna). Ethnologue reports that Bouna-dialect speakers understand Bondoukou, but not the reverse. Bouna, in addition, has the subdialects Sekwa and Nabanj. In Ghana, the principal towns in which the language is spoken are Badu and Seikwa, both in the Tain District, and Buni in the Jaman North district, all in the Bono region of Ghana. In addition, there are smaller towns and villages closer to Wenchi in the Bono region and Techiman in the Bono East region where this language is spoken. Among these are Asubingya (Asubinja) and Nkonsia. The Koulango are matrilineal like the Akans and possess similar cultural practices.

Writing by Francis Kofi Mensah from Badu Tain District Bono Region Ghana.

Variations of the name 'Kulango' include Koulango, Kolango, Kulange, Nkorang, Nkurange, Nkoramfo, Nkuraeng, and Kulamo; alternative names are Lorhon, Ngwela, and Babé.[2]

References

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  1. ^ Bouna at Ethnologue (25th ed., 2022) Closed access icon
    Bondoukou at Ethnologue (25th ed., 2022) Closed access icon
  2. ^ James Stuart Olsen, The Peoples of Africa: An Ethnohistorical Dictionary (Greenwood Publishing Group, 1996; ISBN 0313279187), p. 311.