The Linguist

@CIOL_Linguists WINTER 2023 The Linguist 17 FEATURES Ɔkasa ho adekyerɛ ne adesua yɛ adeɛ a ɛma m'ani gye pa ara wɔ me dwumadie mu. Mayɛ obi a mekyerɛ kasa ho adeɛ no, saa adeɛ yi a ɛka me dwumadie ho no aboa ama matumi akyerɛ nkurɔfoɔ a wɔn ani gye kasasua ho no adeɛ ma wɔanya nimdeɛ afa kasa ho. Mefiri Kumasi a ɛwɔ Ghana, baabi a agye din wɔ abakɔsɛm mu na ɛyɛ bea a Asanteman Manhyia Ahemfie no wɔ. Merenyini wɔ bea a amammerɛ agye nhini saa no, ɛma m'ani gyee ho sɛ mɛsua pii afa Asante amammerɛ no ho. Mede Asante Twi kasa no kaa m'adesuadeɛ ho wɔ Ntoasoɔ Sukuu mu sɛdeɛ ɛbɛyɛ na mɛnya nhunumu mapa wɔ sɛdeɛ kasa no teɛ mu. Saa berɛ no nyinaa na m'ani mmaa so sɛ mede kasa ho adeɛ bɛyɛ m'adwuma. M'abrabɔ sesae berɛ a mekɔsuaa Ghana Kasa (Twi) ho adeɛ wɔ Suapɔn mu. Berɛ a mewiee suapɔn no, mehunuu sɛ nnipa a wɔyɛ kasa ho dwumadie wɔ kasa a wɔde twaa me funuma mu no nnɔɔso. Wei hyɛɛ me nkuran ma meyɛɛ m'adwene sɛ mɛdi kasa no ho dwuma akɔ baabiara a mɛtumi aduru a na deɛ A life with languages In Asante Twi, Stephen Kwadwo Boateng MCIL discusses his dedication to centring African languages on the global arena and instilling linguistic pride African languages. This proved to be the most rewarding phase of my career. Today, I am the founder of iTranscribe Consult, a Ghanaian-based language firm primarily offering language services in African languages. My vision is to further the development and documentation of glossaries and terminologies in my native language. It is imperative that I assemble a team to contribute our collective knowledge to document the terms and glossaries employed in various domains. I am confident that this will leave a lasting legacy, serving as a reference point for aspiring professionals and anyone interested in deepening their understanding of the Akan (Asante Twi) language. Teaching and learning languages have been the most exhilarating aspects of my journey as a linguist. As a language educator, this facet of my work has given me the opportunity to share knowledge with individuals who are enthusiastic about language acquisition. I hail from Kumasi, Ghana, a place steeped in history and home to the palace of the Ashanti Kingdom. Growing up in this culturally rich environment ignited my passion for the culture of the Ashanti people. I included Asante Twi in my high school coursework with the aim of gaining deeper insights into its structure and variations. At that point, I had not yet envisioned a career in languages. My journey took an unexpected turn when I pursued a degree in Ghanaian Language Education. Post-graduation, I noticed a scarcity of professionals in my mother tongue. This inspired me to take the language as far as I could, driven by the belief that globalisation and internationalisation are pivotal for the development of African languages. I took on roles in language teaching and learning at both primary and high school. My mission was to instil in the next generation the importance of prioritising African language acquisition. I collaborated with a company to provide language consultancy services for Google Gboard and Image Description data collection projects, spanning approximately 40 ɛhyɛ me nkuran ne sɛ wiase nkabom a ɛrekɔ anim no yɛ adeɛ a ɛho hia ma Abibiman kasa ahodoɔ no ho mpontuo. Mekyerɛɛ adeɛ wɔ Mfitiaseɛ ne Ntoasoɔ Sukuu mu. Na me botaeɛ ne sɛ mede Abibiman kasa no ho buo bɛhyɛ asuafoɔ no ne wɔn awoɔ ntoatoasoɔ no mu. Me ne adwumakuo bi ka bɔɔ mu yɛɛ adwuma maa Google Gboard ne Mfonin kyerɛ ho nsɛm mmoano a na kasa ahodoɔ a ɛwɔ mu bɛyɛ Abibiman kasa 40. Wei ne adwuma a ɛboaa me pa ara wɔ m'adwumayɛ ahyɛaseɛ mu. Ɛnnɛ, me na meyɛ onipa a ɔde iTranscribe Consult, a ɛyɛ kasa adwumakuo a ɛwɔ Ghana na ɛyɛ adwuma wɔ Abibiman kasa ahodoɔ mu no baeɛ. Mfeɛ kakra a ɛdi m'anim no, m'anisoadehunu ne sɛ mɛhwɛ na mayɛ nsɛm asekyerɛ ne nsɛmfuayɛ ho adwuma wɔ me kasa mu. Ɛho hia sɛ meka me mfɛfoɔ a wɔn nso wɔ nimdeɛ wɔ kasa no mu bom ma yɛyɛ nwoma a ɛbɛkyerɛ nsɛm asekyerɛ ahodoɔ a ɛfa nneɛma ahodoɔ ho no ase. Megye di sɛ wei bɛyɛ nkaedum, na aboa wɔn a wɔpɛ sɛ wɔte Akan (Asante Twi) kasa no ase nyinaa.

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