On the Status of Dompo, a Critically Endangered Language in Ghana

Abstract

Dompo, spoken in the northwestern corner of the Bono Region in Ghana, is critically endangered. For several decades, the speakers of Dompo have not actively transmitted it to the next generation, but rather have adopted Nafaanra (believed to be originally from Kakala, Ivory Coast). As a result, there are only about six fluent speakers of Dompo, between the ages of forty-eight and ninety-six. Dompo history and their annual festival are also discussed in this article, which concludes with a discussion of why the language is now in a moribund state.