Introduction

 

The Gurenɛ language is spoken by over 600,000 people living in the Ghana.

This language is classified as: Niger-Congo, Atlantic-Congo, Volta-Congo, North, Gur, Central, Northern, Oti-Volta, Western, Northwest.

Although Gurenɛ has been relatively little studied, the dictionary builds on several earlier works by the present editors and others. These include both analytical efforts and lexical collections. Notable among them are Rapp’s grammar (written in German), which contains a lengthy wordlist collected by the late Rev. Eichholzer; an unpublished grammar by the late Fr. Ken Haškew; several works of Nancy and Bob Schaefer; and several works by the editors both published and unpublished.

The sources for the lexicon include the spelling list that was devised to illustrate the orthography adopted for schools by the Bolga and Bongo District Assemblies, published in 2001 as Gurenɛ Guleseyiŋɔ Sɔa Ia Guleseyiŋɔ Yelebɛa. That work previously drew upon a lexicon compiled by Robert and Nancy Schaefer, as well as another one independently compiled by S. A. Atintono. We also relied on texts, both recordings of interviews and published writings. This lexicon was also greatly extended by a workshop held in Bolgatanga in 2003, with participation by more than twenty-five members of the Gurene-speaking community. However, the dictionary presented here is by no means complete; these materials have by no means been exhausted, and we hope that a second, revised, and expanded edition will be possible within a few years.

This is principally a dictionary of the Gurenɛ dialect of the Farefari language, that is, of the language that is spoken in the Bolga and most of the Bongo districts. However, we have taken into account other dialectal forms, particularly Bongo and Nankani, whenever we were aware of them. A few words from Nabt and Talni are also included.

Alternate Names: Frafra, Gurene, Gurenne, Gurune. Autonym: Farefare, Gurenɛ. Dialects: Gurenne (Gudeni, Gudenne, Gurune, Zuadeni), Nankani (Naani, Nankanse, Ninkare), Booni, Talni (Taleni, Talensi), Nabt (Nabdam, Nabde, Nabdem, Nabdug, Nabit, Nabnam, Nabrug, Nabte, Namnam, Nangodi); those represent five major dialects and many minor ones.