The following announcement was posted on H-West-Africa. The search window permits use of two extended Latin characters when the Akan keyboard checkbox is ticked in the online search window: q=>Ɛ and x=>Ɔ

Don Osborn
Bisharat.net

kasahorow
ONLINE dictionary of standard written Akan

The kasahorow dictionary is a popular dictionary of the Akan language group. It is meant to help improve the accessibility of written material meant for oral communication to all who can comprehend any of the Twi/Fante varieties of Akan.

The public may contribute entries via the internet to the dictionary. All contributions are verified by the Kasahorow Editor.

1. http://www.yale.edu/akan
This version contains all verified entries of the dictionary. It is updated every five minutes with the latest verified entries.

2. http://kasa.ghanathink.org/akan
This version contains all entries, verified and unverified. Entries are accepted from all visitors to the page. Contributors willing to be listed on the project page may sign up and contribute as members of the online GhanaConscious community.

Dictionary Features :
• Multi-lingual entries
   o Standard Akan
   o Twi
   o Fante
   o English Synonyms
• Uniform Spelling Rules
• Single Orthography
• Multi-lingual search
   o Simple Search
   o Advanced Search

The dictionary has been designed to be as flexible for the user as possible. There is no need for any special software apart from a modern browser. The dictionary works best in Mozilla Firefox 1.0 or Internet Explorer 6.

Simple Search: To look up a word, type into the search box whatever information about the word that comes to mind, in Akan, Twi, Fante, or English.

How to use the dictionary

To look up a word, you search for it by typing in the search box on the web page. There are two ways of searching the dictionary:

1. Simple Search: This is a multilingual search of the dictionary. Your search term could be the Standard Akan spelling; the Twi spelling; the Fante spelling; the English synonym; a phrase in the entry's meaning, example or notes; or the general subject area of the term.

2. Advanced Search: To narrow down the search results results significantly by selecting specific values for the various fields of an entry. The searchable fields are as follows:
a. Standard Akan (AK)
b. Twi
c. Fante
d. English Synonym (EN)
e. Part of Speech - A K, EN
f. Definition - AK
g. Example - AK
h. Terminology - AK, EN
i. Notes - AK, EN

This is an example of an entry search by an English user.

kilomita, n- [General]

[Twi: kilomita] [Fante: kilomita]

SI nsusuho a ?kyer? b?y? kwansin ?ha-mu-eduesia-ebien

[English Synonyms: kilometer, kilometer]

Kofi nantew kilomita anan anapa biara de k? skuul.

Notes: SI: Système Internationale d'Unités

Users can toggle between the Akan keyboard layout ( '?' replaces 'Q' and '?' replaces 'J') and their own language layout by toggling the Keyboard Layout checkbox.
 
Default (checked): Akan keyboard layout

Nea onnim no sua a, ohu
 
kasahorow
Yale University Council on African Studies
34 Hillhouse Avenue
P O Box 208206
New Haven, CT 06520-8206
USA

The Dictionaries Project
The GhanaThink Foundation Tsooboi Projects
P O Box 397197
Cambridge, MA 02139
USA
c/o P O Box MC1904
Takoradi
Ghana

http://kasa.ghanathink.org/akan
kasa@ghanathink.org


The kasahorow Akan dictionary is supported by the Yale University African Studies Council. It is supervised by Dr. Ann Biersteker <ann.biersteker(at)yale.edu> Director of the African Languages Program at Yale.

It is a part of the Dictionaries Project of GhanaThink Tsooboi http://tsooboi.ghanathink.org/ . The current editor of the dictionary is Paa Kwesi Imbeah imbeah(at)ghanathink.org

Edited by author 04-30-2005 08:27 AM
The Ghana Localization Project seeks to translate Open Office into Akan. See http://kasa.ghanathink.org/localization/index.php?idx=0 (With thanks to Guido Sohne for his help in finding this information.)

Don Osborn
Bisharat.net

Hi Don,
Thanks for introducing me to this list. I'm one of the collaborators on the GhanaThink projects mentioned below. Anyone is invited to collaborate--private person or for-profit entity. The more ideas thrown in the better the resulting work we believe.

The kasashorow online dictionary is based on work done by CASAS (that's where the "Standard Akan" entry comes from). The long-range idea is to provide standardized dictionaries (based on work that CASAS has already done) for as many dialects as possible, or at least provide a model for doing so.

The localization project is pretty much engaged with providing tools to make this work easier. So it is also trying to arrive at what might be considered a standard keyboard layout. Current thinking is to define these layouts around language groups based on alphabet similarity. An interesting observation that comes up when working with the existing language orthorgraphies is that they are a very literal. Thus all the hue and cry about diacritics support may sometimes not be necessary. For example, CASAS concluded that indicating vowel nasalization in Akan wasn't necessary because the word could always be inferred from context. I agree with their reasons.

It is important to distinguish between linguistic needs for the representation of a language (such as is required for linguistic PhD work for example) and what the native speaker really needs. Such work as by Prof Nakuma (/m27) instinctively strikes me as a step in the right direction.

And oh, I forgot to mention that for example, in Akan, the keyboard solution I use for working on the dictionary addresses the regular needs/linguistic needs problem by using a key combo (ALT-GR + Key) to generate letters with diacritics to please the linguists. The regular user never ends up worrying about remembering special key combinations as everything that is needed is directly represented on the layout.

I'll be interested to find out what Mr Kyekyeku's solution ends up being like.

On the topic of locales:

Paa Kwesi and GhanaThink have an OpenOffice locale filed and also listed at http://kasa.ghanathink.org/locales/akan

I understand from Dwayne Bailey, co-facilitator (with Simos Xenitelis) of the localization track at Africa Source 2 http://wiki.africasource2.tacticaltech.org...in/02byGhqKUCvtkqTo that one of the Ghanaian participants there was also working on a locale for Twi.

Interfacing these two wold seem logical, but the issue of wider or more narrow locales (that is wider for an interintelligible language group such as Akan, or more specific such as separate ones for Twi, Fante, etc.) is one that will be faced by a number of languages in Africa.

Don Osborn
Bisharat.net

Would there be any interest in organizing a Ghanaian localization meeting/workshop in 2006 (which is the Year of African Languages, by the way)? The focus would be FOSS and ongoing or potential translations into Ghanaian languages. Naturally such an event would be at the initiative of one or more groups within Ghana, but if there is need for technical support, facilitators, or (dare I mention it) funding, then I'd be willing to help source those.

Don Osborn
Bisharat.net
PanAfrican Localisation Project

QXllISAoYXMgaW4gSSBzdXBwb3J0IHRoaXMgaWRlYS4KCk9uIDE3IEphbiAyMDA2 DA0OjQxOjA1 IC0wMDAwLCBRVCAtIEJpc2hhcmF0TmV0CjxxdG9waWMrMTYtOXhmZkFYaTd3aG52 HF1aWNrdG9w aWMuY29tPiB3cm90ZToKPiAtLVFULS0tLS0tLS0tLS0tLS0tLS0tLS0tLS0tLS0t S0tLS0tLS0t LS0tLS0tLS0tLS0tLS0tLS0tLS0tLS0tLQo+ICAgICAgIFJlcGx5IGJ5IGVtYWlsIG9yIHZpc2l0 Cj4gICAgICAgaHR0cDovL3d3dy5xdWlja3RvcGljLmNvbS8xNi9ILzl4ZmZBWGk3 2hudi9tNTYK PiAtLS0tLS0tLS0tLS0tLS0tLS0tLS0tLS0tLS0tLS0tLS0tLS0tLS0tLS0tLS0t S0tLS0tLS0t LS0tLS0tLS0tLQo+Cj4gV291bGQgdGhlcmUgYmUgYW55IGludGVyZXN0IGluIG9yZ2FuaXppbmcg YSBHaGFuYWlhbgo+IGxvY2FsaXphdGlvbiBtZWV0aW5nL3dvcmtzaG9wIGluIDIwMDYgKHdoaWNo IGlzIHRoZSBZZWFyIG9mCj4gQWZyaWNhbiBMYW5ndWFnZXMsIGJ5IHRoZSB3YXkp yBUaGUgZm9j dXMgd291bGQgYmUgRk9TUyBhbmQKPiBvbmdvaW5nIG9yIHBvdGVudGlhbCB0cmFu 2xhdGlvbnMg aW50byBHaGFuYWlhbiBsYW5ndWFnZXMuCj4gTmF0dXJhbGx5IHN1Y2ggYW4gZXZl nQgd291bGQg YmUgYXQgdGhlIGluaXRpYXRpdmUgb2Ygb25lIG9yCj4gbW9yZSBncm91cHMgd2l0 GluIEdoYW5h LCBidXQgaWYgdGhlcmUgaXMgbmVlZCBmb3IgdGVjaG5pY2FsCj4gc3VwcG9ydCwg mFjaWxpdGF0 b3JzLCBvciAoZGFyZSBJIG1lbnRpb24gaXQpIGZ1bmRpbmcsIHRoZW4gSSdkCj4g mUgd2lsbGlu ZyB0byBoZWxwIHNvdXJjZSB0aG9zZS4KPgo+IERvbiBPc2Jvcm4KPiBCaXNoYXJhdC5uZXQKPiBQ YW5BZnJpY2FuIExvY2FsaXNhdGlvbiBQcm9qZWN0Cj4gX19fX19fX19fX19fX19f 19fX19fX19f X19fX19fX19fX19fX19fX19fX19fX19fX19fX19fX19fX19fX19fX18KPiBUbyB1 nN1YnNjcmli ZTogaHR0cDovL3d3dy5xdWlja3RvcGljLmNvbS8xNi9YLzl4ZmZBWGk3d2hudgo+IFN0YXJ0IHlv dXIgb3duIHRvcGljIGluIDIwIHNlY29uZHM6IGh0dHA6Ly93d3cucXVpY2t0b3Bp y5jb20gfFFU Cj4KCgotLQpOZWEgb25uaW0gbm8gc3VhIGEsIG9odS4KQXNoZXNpOiBwa2ltYmVh EBhc2hlc2ku ZWR1LmdoCkdoYW5hVGhpbms6IGltYmVhaEBnaGFuYXRoaW5rLm9yZwpZYWxlOiBw 2lAYXlhLnlh bGUuZWR1ClN1dWNoLCBEaXhjb3ZlOiBpbWJlYWhAc3V1Y2guY29tCg==

Me kyia mo nyina!

I am an African American and an AVID student of the Twi language and Akan culture. Thank you for leading me to the online Twi dictionary at Kasahorow. I'm interested in learning anything I can about Twi and the Akan people.

Meda mo ase.

Dear Esi Akoto, Sorry for the lack of reply until now. Aside from what you might find on the web, there is a Yahoogroup dedicated to Twi instruction, and although it is not very active you might ask there for information to see what they provide: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/yahoo-cls-Twi-classes/

Don Osborn
Bisharat.net

Wikipedia has pages for

• Akan http://ak.wikipedia.org/
• Ewe http://ee.wikipedia.org/
• Twi http://tw.wikipedia.org/
  

Of the three only the Twi one has much content. At some point I imagine someone will want to discuss consolidating content, or at least the structure for content (for sharing or harmonizing certain parts), for the Akan languages (including the Twis and Fante).

It will be interesting to see the evolution of content for crossborder languages like Ewe.

Don Osborn
Bisharat.net

Noting just now on the page http://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/List_of_Wikipedias this item:

Deprecated, moved and other
...
   5. Akan – ak – statistics – all articles – deprecated: Akan is now considered a family of languages. There is a Twi Wikipedia; if you'd like to write articles in another Akan language you can request a new Wikipedia.

I pass this on in case those knowledgeable on the language situation would disagree. (This is the sort of situation one will encounter with a number of African languages - how to treat languages with variant forms, or different languages that are interintelligible.)

Don Osborn
Bisharat.net