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A Sociolinguistic Survey of the Gbe Language Communities of Benin and Togo Volume 10 Gbesi Language Area

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A Sociolinguistic Survey of the Gbe Language Communities of Benin and Togo Volume 10 Gbesi Language Area DigitalResources Electronic Survey Report 2011-022 ® A sociolinguistic survey of the Gbe language communities of Benin and Togo Volume 10 Gbesi language area Gabi Schoch A sociolinguistic survey of the Gbe language communities of Benin and Togo Volume 10 Gbesi language area Gabi Schoch SIL International® 2011 SIL Electronic Survey Report 2011-022, March 2011 Copyright © 2011 Gabi Schoch and SIL International® All rights reserved A SOCIOLINGUISTIC SURVEY OF THE GBE LANGUAGE COMMUNITIES OF BENIN AND TOGO Series editor: Angela Kluge Gbe language family overview (by Angela Kluge) Volume 1: Kpési language area (by Evelin I. K. Durieux-Boon, Jude A. Durieux, Deborah H. Hatfield, and Bonnie J. Henson) Volume 2: Ayizo language area (by Deborah H. Hatfield and Michael M. McHenry) Volume 3: Kotafon language area (by Deborah H. Hatfield, Bonnie J. Henson, and Michael M. McHenry) Volume 4: Xwela language area (by Bonnie J. Henson, Eric C. Johnson, Angela Kluge) Volume 5: Xwla language area (by Bonnie J. Henson and Angela Kluge) Volume 6: Ci language area (by Bonnie J. Henson) Volume 7: Defi language area (by Eric C. Johnson) Volume 8: Saxwe, Daxe and Se language area (by Eric C. Johnson) Volume 9: Tofin language area (by Gabi Schoch) Volume 10: Gbesi language area (by Gabi Schoch) ii Contents Abstract 1. Introduction 2. Background 2.1. Language name and classification 2.2. Language area 2.3. Population 2.4. History of migration 2.5. Presence of other ethnic groups 2.6. Regional language use 2.7. Non-formal education 2.8. Religious situation 3. Previous linguistic research 4. Research questions 5. Methodology 5.1. Assessment techniques 5.2. Implementation 5.3. Terminology and presentation 6. Results 6.1. Gbesi dialect situation 6.2. Gbesi and related Gbe varieties 6.3. Tested comprehension of Fon, Gen and Gun 6.4. Language vitality 6.5. Literacy situation 6.6. Religious situation 7. Summary and conclusions 7.1. Comprehension and attitudes with regard to Fon, Gen and Gun 7.2. Gbesi language vitality 7.3. Attitudes towards Gbesi language development 7.4. Gbesi language situation 7.5. Gbesi and other related Gbe varieties 7.6. Conclusions Appendices Appendix A. Map of the Gbesi language area Appendix B. Population Appendix C. Lexical similarity Appendix D. Community questionnaire Appendix E. Non-formal education questionnaire Appendix F. Church questionnaire Appendix G. RA-RTT narratives Appendix H. RA-RTT results References iii Introduction 1 Abstract This paper presents a sociolinguistic survey conducted in the Gbesi language communities (Kwa language family) of Benin. The Gbe languages continuum is situated in the southeastern part of West Africa. Expanding westwards from southwestern Nigeria, the Gbe communities occupy large areas in southern Benin, Togo, and southeastern Ghana. To date in Benin, as far as Gbe varieties are concerned, Aja, Fon, Gen, and Gun have undergone language development on a larger scale. A survey of the Gbesi communities was conducted to assess whether and to what extent existing literature and literacy efforts in Fon, Gen, and Gun could extend to the Gbesi communities and to determine the nature and extent of SIL’s possible involvement among these communities. After a general overview of the taxonomic and geographic language situation, test results are reported. Survey interview and group test results are presented on comprehension of Fon, Gen, and Gun. Results are given on language attitudes toward both written and oral forms of Fon, Gen, and Gun and toward the development of Gbesi. In addition, the following topics were investigated: language vitality and the relationship of Gbesi to related Gbe varieties in terms of comprehension and language attitudes. Also, information by local leaders on the literacy and religious situations and on migration history is given. The group comprehension test results show, at least preliminarily, that the Gbesi have good comprehension of Fon and either Gun or Gen, depending on the region. Though the preference everywhere is for literacy in Gbesi, literacy programs in either Fon or Gun are acceptable to most people. Therefore, Fon or Gun literacy appears to be a workable solution for literacy needs in the Gbesi speech communities provided that there is adequate institutional support. As regards Gbesi language vitality, there are no indications of language shift. 1. Introduction This paper 1 reports on a sociolinguistic survey conducted in the Gbesi speech communities of Benin. The Gbesi speech variety belongs to the Gbe language continuum (Kwa language group) which is situated in the southeastern part of West Africa. Expanding westwards from southwestern Nigeria, the Gbe communities occupy large areas in southern Benin, Togo, and southeastern Ghana. Among the Gbe varieties, five have thus far undergone language development on a larger scale: Fon, Gen, and Gun in Benin, and Ewe in Togo. To assess whether and to what extent existing literature and literacy efforts in these Gbe speech varieties could extend to the remaining Gbe communities, or whether additional language-based development programs in some of the remaining communities would be beneficial and to determine the nature and extent of SIL’s possible involvement among these communities, a sociolinguistic study of the Gbe communities of Benin and Togo was launched in the late 1980s. The sociolinguistics survey reported here is part of this larger study and was carried out in July 1999 by E.C. Johnson and G.Schoch, researchers of SIL. The survey data reported here result from community interviews administered in the villages of Amoukonou in the sous-préfecture of Kpomasse (Atlantique département) and Ouokomé (Possotomé) in the sous-préfecture of Bopa (Mono département), as well as Rapid Appraisal Recorded Text Tests (RA-RTTs) conducted in Fon and Gen in Amoukonou, and in Fon and Gun in Ouokomé. 1The author wishes to thank S. Friesen, D. Hatfield and T. Marmor for their assistance with this report. 2 A sociolinguistic survey of the Gbesi language area In Section 2, pertinent background information on the Gbesi speech variety is presented. Some of these data were gathered during the field interviews with members of the Gbesi language community. This section is followed by information on previous linguistic research (Section 3), a presentation of the research questions (Section 4) and a description of the methodology as applied during this survey (Section 5). In Section 6, the findings are discussed, followed by a set of conclusions (Section 7). The report closes with a set of appendices and a list of references. 2. Background 2.1. Language name and classification In Renaissance du gbe Capo (1986:13, Carte 1b) lists Gbesi 2 as a Gbe variety and classifies it as a variety of the Phla-Phera group which, based on phonological and morpho-phonological characteristics, is one of five clusters of Gbe varieties, i.e. Aja, Ewe, Fon, Gen and Phla-Phera. The Phla-Phera group also includes Alada, 3 Ayizo, Kotafon, 4 Saxwe, Se, Tofin, Toli, Xwela and Xwla (see Capo 1986:101). Alternative spellings are: − Gbesi, Gbessi (Capo 1986:13) − Gbési (Capo 1986: Cartes 1a,b) − Gbèsì (Pazzi 1979:124) Neither the language map of Benin by CENALA (1990), the Atlas Sociolinguistique du Bénin (CNL du Bénin 1983) nor the Ethnologue (Grimes 1996) mention Gbesi. However, following Capo (1986) and the Ethnologue ’s classification of other Gbe varieties, Gbesi 5 can be classified as follows: − Niger-Congo, Atlantic-Congo, Volta-Congo, Kwa, Left Bank, Gbe 2.2. Language area The Gbesi language area is located in south-central Benin, in the Atlantique and Mono départements, 6 specifically in the sous-préfectures of Allada, Kpomassè and Tori-Bossito (Atlantique département) and in the sous-préfecture of Bopa (Mono département). 7 (See Appendix A for a map of the area.) 2As Gbesi is not listed by CENALA (1990), the primary spelling proposed by Capo in his “Inventory of Gbe dialects” (1986:13), “Gbesi,” will be used in this report. 3Not listed by CENALA (1990). 4CENALA (1990) lists Kotafon as Ko. However, during a survey of this speech community it was established that the speakers of this variety refer to their own language as “Kotafon.” (See Volume:3.) 5[Editor: The current version of the Ethnologue (Lewis 2009) includes an entry and an ISO code (gbs) for Gbesi.] 6Benin is divided into twelve governmental provinces called “départements,” each of which is composed of a varying number of “sous-préfectures” which encompass various rural communes and urban circumscriptions. All town names are spelled according to the general map of Benin (IGN France and IGN Bénin 1992) or the sous-préfecture maps of the 1992 Benin census data (Ministère du Plan 1994b). 7In addition, one village (Bèdjèwa) is located in the northwest of the sous-préfecture of Come, across the border of the sous- préfecture of Bopa (near Ouocomé). Background 3 According to information obtained during the survey, the Gbesi language area, including villages which are only partially Gbesi-speaking, is bordered: − To the west by the western shore of Lake Ahémè 8 − To the north by the northern borders of the Bopa and Allada sous-préfectures − To the north-east by the Cotonou-Parakou railroad line (in the Tori-Bossito sous-préfecture) − to the east by the RN 1 from Tori-Bossito to Allada − The village the furthest south is Houndogba, east of Lake Ahémé, in the sous-préfecture of Kpomasse. There are some discrepancies in information obtained during the survey versus that of previously published sociolinguistic research: − Pazzi cites Dékanmè (in the sous-préfecture of Kpomasse) as the focus point of Gbesi settlement. (1979:124). However, this information was not confirmed during the survey. 9 − According to a sociolinguistic survey of the Ayizo language area (Volume 2), the rural communities of Lon-Agamey, Tokpa-Dome, Ayou and Avakpa (in the sous-préfecture of Allada) are Ayizo-Ko villages.
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