Abstract
This paper deals with formal language at the chiefly palaces of the Akan people of Ghana. The Akan language is spoken in six regions in the southern parts of Ghana. These areas are inhabited by native Akans and by Ghanaian immigrants representing other ethnic groups. The approaches used in this study are formality (Irvine 2001) and register, as outlined by Agha (2007). The paper looks at Akan palace language from the point of view of the norms and values of Akan culture and shows the rich use of language in sociocultural communicative events at the Akan palace. I focus on the following questions: How different is royal oratory from ordinary language? What is the place of formality and politeness in palace language? How do children acquire competence in palace language? What is required of participants? What are the functions of palace language? What is the current state of the palace language? And, have there been any dramatic changes in the palace language from urbanization, modernization, and the influence of Western cultures and religion?
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