English (Ghana)

Ghanaian English (commonly tagged en-GH) is an institutionalized variety of English used as Ghana’s official language and as a nationwide lingua franca in a highly multilingual society. It is central to government, law, education, and national media and is generally learned alongside one or more Ghanaian languages such as Akan, Ewe, Ga, or Dagbani. Developed historically from British English, it has stable local features in pronunciation, vocabulary, grammar, and discourse. Educated Ghanaian English is typically non-rhotic, lacks linking and intrusive r, and often realizes vowel length and some consonantal contrasts differently from Received Pronunciation; outcomes vary with speakers’ first languages. It should not be confused with Ghanaian Pidgin English, a separate English-lexified pidgin with its own grammar and social distribution.