Anufo language

Anufo (Anufɔ), also known as Chakosi, is a Central Tano language spoken in northeast Ghana, northern Togo, northwest Benin and Ivory Coast by approximately 180,000 people.

Anufɔ
Chakosi
Anufɔ
Region	Ghana, Togo, Benin, Ivory Coast
Ethnicity	Anufo people
Native speakers	180,000 (2013)[1]
Language family	Niger–Congo? Atlantic–Congo Kwa Potou–Tano Tano Central Tano (Akan) Bia North Anufɔ
Official status
Recognised minority language in	Benin
Language codes
ISO 639-3	cko
Glottolog	anuf1239

According to the 2021 Population and Housing Census in Ghana, the Anufo in northeast Ghana, especially those in the Chereponi District numbered 87,176 with more females of (44,342) representing 50.9 percent than males being (42,834) constituting 49.1 percent.^[2] The district a land size of 1,374.7 km2 with a population density of 63 persons per square kilometre. The District shares boundaries with Gushegu District to the West, Bunkpurugu-Nakpanduri District to the North, Saboba Districts to the South and The Republic of Togo to the East bordered by the River Oti.^[2]

Phonology

Consonants^[3]

		Labial			Alveolar		Palatal		Velar		Labial-velar		Glottal
		plain	round	palatal	plain	palatal	plain	palatal	plain	round	plain	palatal
Nasal		m		mʲ	n		ɲ		ŋ		ŋm	ŋmʲ
Stop	voiceless	p	pʷ	pʲ	t	tʲ	c	cʲ	k	kʷ	kp	kpʲ
	voiced	b	bʷ	bʲ	d	dʲ	ɟ	ɟʲ	ɡ	ɡʷ	gb	gbʲ
Fricative	voiceless	f	fʷ	fʲ	s	ʃ		ɕᶣ					h
	voiced				z			ʑᶣ
Rhotic					r	rʲ
Approximant	voiceless			ɥ̥
	voiced			ɥ	l	lᶣ	j				w

Vowels

	Oral		Nasal
	Front	Back	Front	Back
Close	i	u	ĩ	ũ
Close-mid	e	o
Open-Mid	ɛ	ɔ	ɛ̃	ɔ̃
Open	a		ã

Writing

Anufo is written in the Latin alphabet, with the addition of the letters Ɛ ɛ, Ɱ ɱ, Ŋ ŋ and Ɔ ɔ.^[4]