Contemporary Use of Proverbs as a Tool for Directing Everyday Communication with Young Akan Speakers

Use of Proverbs as a Tool for Directing Everyday Communication with Young Akan Speakers

Abstract

The use of language among the human race is an endowed gift from God. It is the means of communication through which humans interact to express all facets of human and psychological feelings. This study is situated within the purview of Sociolinguistics and Ethnolinguistics. One of the major languages used in Ghana is Akan. The use of Akan in Ghana is widespread; its widespread use goes beyond the native-speaker boundaries. It is expected that a native speaker of a language must know the language, understand its structure and meaning, and use it appropriately in given situations. This study focuses attention on the use of proverbs of the Akan speaking people of Ghana, with particular attention on the young speakers whose near-neglect of the use of local proverbs leaves a gap in their everyday use of language. Relevant data on the concept of proverbs and their use was obtained from primary sources, from experienced informants such as traditional rulers, folklorists, the elderly and my teachers, and secondary sources like the internet, newspapers, and books articles and storybooks on Akan culture. The expressions used in this paper are based on the Akan orthography and phonemic method. The study reveals that the youth of Akan speech communities do not attach much attention to the use of proverbs. They are to some extent unfamiliar with proverbs and their use, and this inadequate knowledge makes them communicatively incompetent in their mother tongue. To ameliorate this situation, the Akan youth needs to be conscientized on the importance of proverbs, which forms part of the linguistic repertoire of a people’s language.