Alphabet Key To History Of Mankind

Author(s): David Diringer
Publisher: Hutchinsons Scientific and Technical Publications

Page 563

562
THE ALPHABET
APPENDIX TO CHAPTER X
Specimens of Adaptations of Latin Script to African Languages
Nyanja
"Nyanja" is a Bantu term; the word is variously spelt ("Nyanza," "Nyasa," "Nyassa, etc.). The Nyanja are a Bantu negroid people of eastern central Africa, living mainly in the Nyasaland Protectorate, lying between northern Rhodesia, Portuguese East Africa, Tanganyika Territory and the Lake Nyasa. The Nyanja dialects, spoken by over 1,500,000 people, are the most interesting group of the whole Bantu family of languages. According to Sir Harry H. Johnston, there are "two hundred and twenty-six distinct Bantu languages of present times." These are spoken in nearly the whole of the southern third of Africa, and constitute a very distinct type of speech "which, as contrasted with others amongst the groups of negro tongues, is remarkable as a rule for the Italian melodiousness, simplicity and frequency of its vowel sounds, and the comparative ease with which its exemplars can be acquired and spoken by Europeans" (Johnston).
"1
Tamvelani Bwana Diringer,
Ndikondwera ndi kulola kuti kalatai ifalitsidwe m'bukhu wanu wa ABC, monga cisanzo ca malembedwe a Cinyanja, ndíganiza cifuno canu cidzakwanila. Ndine wanu,
Bennett E. Malekebu.
Twi
This language is known by many terms: Twi (originally Kwi or Ekwi, Okwi), Oji or Odshi, Tyi, Chwee or Tshi, Amina, Ashanti, etc. It is a Sudanese form of speech, belonging to the great prefix-pronominal group, and is spoken by about 1,000,000 people living in the Gold Coast Colony and in part of the French colony of the Ivory Coast. Twi, like most African languages, is divided into a number of dialects. Indeed, "Akuapem, Asante, Akyem and Fante as well as other closely related dialects form the Akan group of languages," but "the name Twi has been used for the whole of this group excluding Fante." "It would be wise now to adopt Twi as the general name, and in making reference to special forms of the language, to call them Akuapem Twi, Asante Twi, Akyem Twi, etc." (I.C. Ward). Twi has been written for over 100 years.
Odafo Dr. Diringer,
Eye me Thomas Boatin a meboa wo Asante Kasa kyere mu w "School of Oriental and African Studies" to London na merekyere wo.
103
Meda wo ase wo wo krataa a woakyere me no ho.
Woabisa me nsa and krataa sin vi a tope se zoude ya Troti-nkyre nhtsesoy του too woma a efa nkyere-Nsenkyerence ho no mu. Mede anigye reys wo adesredee. na mew) andisasoj se eyi bekyere dee wohwehwe.
Mekyia του.