Basic 7 · Ghanaian Language · The Clan System
The Clan System, Long Vowels and Translating Short Texts
In this topic you will describe the clan system and name some clans in your ethnic community, identify and produce long vowels in your Ghanaian language, and translate short texts.
By the end of these notes you should be able to:
- Describe the clan system and state some clans and their totems
- Identify and pronounce long vowels and explain how they affect meaning
- Translate a short text accurately and naturally
What you already know
- Birth-order names and family
- Vowels of the language and translating sentences
Copy everything that has a blue line on its left into your notebook. The other parts are for reading.
Lesson 1
- Strand
- Customs & Institutions
- Sub-strand
- The Clan System
- Indicator
- B7.1.3.1.1 – Describe the clan system and state some clans in their ethnic community
Introduction
A clan is a large family group whose members believe they share a common ancestor. In many Ghanaian communities, your clan tells others who your relatives are, where you belong and how you should behave.
1. What Is a Clan?
Clan: A group of families who trace their descent from a common ancestor.
Among the Akan, the clan (abusua) is traced through the mother, so a child belongs to the mother's clan. This is called matrilineal descent. Among the Ewe, Ga, Dagomba and many other groups, descent is mainly traced through the father, which is patrilineal descent.
2. Akan Clans and Their Totems
| Clan | Totem (symbol) |
|---|---|
| Aduana | dog |
| Agona | parrot |
| Asakyiri | vulture |
| Asenee | bat |
| Asona | crow |
| Bretuo | leopard |
| Ekuona | buffalo |
| Oyoko | hawk |
A totem is an animal or object that represents a clan. Members of a clan respect their totem and in many cases do not kill or eat it.
3. Functions of the Clan
- It gives members identity and a sense of belonging.
- It controls marriage; in many communities people do not marry within their own clan.
- It helps members in times of need, such as funerals, sickness and poverty.
- It decides inheritance and succession to stools and property.
- It settles disputes among members.
- It keeps family history and traditions alive.
4. Clans and Chieftaincy
In Akan towns, particular clans own particular stools. For example, the Golden Stool of Asante belongs to the Oyoko clan, so the Asantehene comes from the Oyoko royal family. Elders of the royal clan, especially the queen mother, nominate a new chief when the stool becomes vacant.
New words
- clan
- Families descended from a common ancestor.
- totem
- An animal or object that represents a clan.
- matrilineal
- Tracing descent through the mother.
- patrilineal
- Tracing descent through the father.
Summary
- A clan is a group of families who share a common ancestor.
- The Akan have eight matrilineal clans, each with a totem, such as Oyoko (hawk) and Bretuo (leopard).
- Clans give identity, control marriage, support members and decide succession.
Class activity: Clan Research
- Ask elders at home about your clan and its totem.
- Present your findings to the class.
- Make a class chart of clans and totems.
You need: Printed photographs of local clan symbols, Printed family-tree cards, Traditional cloth sample
Exercises
Answer in your exercise book first, then check your answers.
1. Among the Akan, a child belongs to the clan of the…
- A. mother
- B. father
- C. chief
- D. teacher
Show answer
Answer: motherMatrilineal.2. The totem of the Bretuo clan is the…
- A. leopard
- B. dog
- C. parrot
- D. bat
Show answer
Answer: leopardAkan clans.3. Many communities do not allow marriage within the same clan.
- A. True
- B. False
Show answer
Answer: TrueClan rules.4. An animal or object that represents a clan is a ______.
Show answer
Answer: totemClan symbol.5. State three functions of the clan.
Show answer
Answer: Gives identity, controls marriage, helps members in need (or settles disputes, decides succession).Any three.6. Explain the difference between matrilineal and patrilineal descent with examples.
Show answer
Answer: Matrilineal traces descent through the mother (Akan); patrilineal traces it through the father (Ewe, Ga, Dagomba).With examples.
Lesson 2
- Strand
- Listening & Speaking
- Sub-strand
- Speech Sounds (long Vowels)
- Indicator
- B7.2.3.1.1 – Identify and produce the vowels in the language of study
Introduction
In many Ghanaian languages, holding a vowel for longer can change a word's meaning or its tense. Learning to hear and write long vowels is an important skill.
1. What Is a Long Vowel?
Long vowel: A vowel sound held for a longer time than a short vowel. In many Ghanaian languages, it is written by doubling the vowel letter.
2. Long Vowels in Twi
| Short | Meaning | Long | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| ba | come | baa | came |
| di | eat | dii | ate |
| kɔ | go | kɔɔ | went |
| to | throw | too | threw |
| tɔ | buy | tɔɔ | bought |
In Twi, the simple past of many verbs is formed by lengthening the final vowel: "Mekɔ" (I go) becomes "Mekɔɔ" (I went). If the long vowel is not pronounced or written, the meaning changes.
3. Long Vowels in Other Languages
Other Ghanaian languages also use long vowels. In Ga, Dagbani and Ewe, long vowels are written with double letters in many words, and the length can separate one word from another. Listen to fluent speakers, and look at how words are written in your Ghanaian-language reader.
4. Practising Long Vowels
- Listen to the teacher say a word with a short vowel and one with a long vowel.
- Repeat both, holding the long vowel for about twice as long.
- Write each word correctly, doubling the vowel where needed.
- Use each word in a sentence to show its meaning.
New words
- long vowel
- A vowel held for a longer time.
- double vowel
- Two identical vowel letters written together, such as aa.
- vowel length
- How long a vowel is held.
- simple past
- A tense showing a completed action in the past.
Summary
- Long vowels are held longer and are often written as double letters.
- In Twi, lengthening the final vowel often forms the past tense, as in kɔ and kɔɔ.
- Correct pronunciation and spelling of long vowels prevents changes in meaning.
Class activity: Vowel Length Game
- Your partner says a word with a short or long vowel.
- Hold up one finger for short and two for long.
- Swap roles and write the words correctly.
You need: Printed vowel-and-word cards, Printed pictures of familiar local objects, Chalkboard, Chalk
Exercises
Answer in your exercise book first, then check your answers.
1. In Twi, "kɔɔ" means…
- A. went
- B. go
- C. going
- D. will go
Show answer
Answer: wentPast tense.2. Long vowels in many Ghanaian languages are written by…
- A. doubling the vowel letter
- B. using capital letters
- C. adding a dot
- D. leaving them out
Show answer
Answer: doubling the vowel lettere.g. aa.3. Changing vowel length can change meaning.
- A. True
- B. False
Show answer
Answer: Trueba and baa.4. A vowel held longer than a short vowel is a ______ vowel.
Show answer
Answer: longDoubled.5. Write the past forms of "di" and "tɔ" in Twi.
Show answer
Answer: dii (ate) and tɔɔ (bought).Lengthening.6. Why is vowel length important in writing your Ghanaian language?
Show answer
Answer: Writing the wrong length changes the word or tense, so the reader may misunderstand.Meaning.
Lesson 3
- Strand
- Reading
- Sub-strand
- Translation
- Indicator
- B7.3.2.1.1 – Translate words and phrases in his/her language
Introduction
Translating a whole paragraph or short text needs all the skills you have learned: knowing words, phrases, sentence structure, tense, idioms and culture.
1. Steps in Translating a Short Text
- Read the whole text to understand its main idea and purpose.
- Note difficult words, idioms and names.
- Translate sentence by sentence, keeping the meaning.
- Use natural word order and expressions of the target language.
- Keep names of people and places unchanged.
- Read the whole translation again to check it flows and keeps the meaning.
2. Sample Text (English)
"Every Saturday, my family goes to the farm. My father clears the weeds while my mother harvests cassava and plantain. My brothers and I fetch water from the stream. In the afternoon, we rest under a big tree and eat roasted plantain with groundnuts. We return home tired but happy."
3. Sample Translation (Twi)
"Memeneda biara, me abusua kɔ afuo. Me papa dɔ afuo no, na me maame tu bankye ne brɔdeɛ. Me ne me nuabarimanom kɔsa nsuo firi asuo ho. Awiaberɛ mu, yɛhome wɔ dua kɛseɛ bi ase na yɛdi brɔdeɛ a yɛatoto ne nkateɛ. Yɛsan kɔ fie a yɛabrɛ nanso yɛn ani agye."
Notice that the translation follows Twi word order, keeps the meaning of every sentence and uses natural expressions such as "yɛn ani agye" (we are happy).
4. Checking a Translation
| Question | Yes or no |
|---|---|
| Is the meaning of every sentence kept? | |
| Does it sound natural to a native speaker? | |
| Are tenses correct? | |
| Are special letters and long vowels written correctly? | |
| Are names unchanged? |
New words
- short text
- A paragraph or short passage.
- flow
- The smooth connection of sentences.
- native speaker
- A person who learned a language from birth.
- accuracy
- Being correct and exact.
Summary
- Translate short texts by understanding the whole text and then working sentence by sentence.
- Keep the meaning, use natural expressions and correct tense and spelling.
- Check your translation for accuracy and flow.
Class activity: Translation Workshop
- Translate a short English paragraph into your Ghanaian language.
- Exchange with another group and check using the checklist.
- Discuss differences and agree on the best translation.
You need: Ghanaian-language storybook, Printed bilingual word cards, Exercise books, Pencils
Exercises
Answer in your exercise book first, then check your answers.
1. What should you do first when translating a text?
- A. Read the whole text
- B. Translate the first word
- C. Change the names
- D. Write the title
Show answer
Answer: Read the whole textUnderstand first.2. When translating, names of people and places should be…
- A. kept unchanged
- B. translated
- C. removed
- D. written in capitals only
Show answer
Answer: kept unchangedNames stay.3. A good translation should sound natural to a native speaker.
- A. True
- B. False
Show answer
Answer: TrueNatural expression.4. A person who learned a language from birth is a ______ speaker.
Show answer
Answer: nativeFirst language.5. Translate into your language: "We return home tired but happy."
Show answer
Answer: e.g. Twi: Yɛsan kɔ fie a yɛabrɛ nanso yɛn ani agye.Natural translation.6. Why should a translator read the whole text before starting?
Show answer
Answer: To understand the main idea and context so each sentence is translated correctly.Context.
Homework
- Ask an elder about your clan, its totem and its history, and write a paragraph.
- Translate a short paragraph from your English reader into your Ghanaian language.