← English for Akan (Twi) Speakers
Introduction: In this third lesson we study "and", the third most frequent word in English. "And" is a conjunction, a joining word. It puts two things together: two names (Kofi and Ama), two things (food and water), two actions or two whole sentences (Kofi called me, and I came). Very many English sentences have an "and" in them, so it is one of the first words a learner needs.
Akan has two words for this, where English has one. Between two nouns Akan says ne: Kofi ne Ama (Kofi and Ama), aduane ne nsuo (food and water). Between two whole sentences Akan says na: Kofi frɛɛ me, na mebaeɛ (Kofi called me, and I came). English "and" does both jobs. This is the first thing for an Akan speaker to notice: English does not ask you to choose between ne and na. It uses the same small word for a name, a noun, an adjective, a verb or a sentence.
There is a third case, and here Akan has no word at all. Akan can put two verbs side by side with nothing between them, as in Ama, fa nsuo no ne nwoma no bra (Ama, bring the water and the book), where fa ... bra is "take ... come". English has to say "and" ("Go and buy it", "Come and eat") or use one verb that holds both ("bring").
The lesson is mostly about the places where the two languages part:
- English "and" does the work of Akan ne and of Akan na. Part A shows ne in 3.1 to 3.10, na in 3.11 to 3.14, and both in 3.15. - Two subjects joined by "and" take a plural verb in English: "Kofi and Ama are here", never "Kofi and Ama is here". Akan wɔ and yɛ do not change. - English puts "I" last: "Ama and I", "you and I". Akan has one word, me, for both "I" and "me", so English "I" and "me" must be chosen: "Ama and I like you" (subject), "Mother likes Ama and me" (object). - Each English noun keeps its own small word: "the book and the dog". Akan also repeats no (nwoma no ne kraman no), so here the two languages agree. But where Akan has no small word at all, as in the Bible's ɔsoro ne asase, English still says "the heaven and the earth" (Lesson 1). - English writes a comma before "and" when "and" joins two whole sentences (Kofi called me, and I came), and no comma when it joins two nouns (Kofi and Ama). - Akan ne has other jobs: it is also "with" and "his" or "her", and na is also the word of focus and of the past (Lessons 1 and 2). English uses a different word for each: "and", "with", "his", "her", "was". - The sound is new. English "and" is weak and short in speech, /ənd/ or even /n/, and it ends in a cluster, /nd/, that Akan words do not have.
English uses "and":
- to join two or more names or nouns: "Kofi and Ama", "food and water", "mother and father" - to join two adjectives: "tall and beautiful" - to join two verbs with the same subject: "Come and eat" - to join two whole sentences, to add a second fact or a next event: "Kofi called me, and I came" - in fixed pairs: "brother and sister", "ladies and gentlemen", "black and white"
It does not use "and" to say "also" or "too". English says "Ama also likes the water", and Akan says Ama nso pɛ nsuo no. For "but" Akan has nanso, and English has its own word, "but".
Etymology: "and" comes from Old English and (also ond). It is related to German und and Dutch en. It is one of the oldest and shortest words in English, and in all that time its spelling has hardly changed. Akan ne is also a very short word, and so is na.
"And" has partners: "or" ("tea or coffee"; Akan anaa, Lesson 1) and "but" (Akan nanso). Each will have its own lesson later in the frequency list, and in this lesson they appear only in the notes.
What does "and" mean in Akan? It has two words. Between nouns it is ne; between sentences it is na. Between two verbs of one action Akan often has nothing.
Key Takeaways:
- "And" joins words, phrases and sentences. English has one word, where Akan has ne for nouns and na for sentences. - Two subjects joined by "and" take a plural verb: "Kofi and Ama are", "You and I are". Never "Kofi and Ama is". - Put "I" last, and choose "I" or "me" by its place in the sentence: "Ama and I like you", "Mother likes Ama and me". - Write a comma before "and" when it joins two whole sentences, and no comma when it joins two nouns. - Say "and" short and weak, /ənd/, with the vowel of "a" in "about". Not "end", not "an", and not "na".
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Pronunciation Guide:
and — in careful or stressed speech /ænd/; in ordinary speech, weak, /ənd/; after a word ending in a consonant often /ən/ or just /n/: bread and butter /ˈbrɛd n ˈbʌtə/, Kofi and Ama /ˈkɒfi ən ˈɑːmə/. Part A, line b, shows the weak form /ənd/ throughout, because that is what you hear.
The vowel of the strong form, /æ/, lies between Akan ɛ and a (Lesson 2). Open the mouth wider than for ɛ. If you say ɛ, the word sounds like "end" /ɛnd/, which is a different English word. Compare "and" /ænd/ and "end" /ɛnd/, "and" /ænd/ and "an" /æn/.
The weak vowel /ə/ is short and has no stress. Akan has full vowels (a, e, ɛ, i, o, ɔ, u) and nothing like it. Do not give the word a full vowel and a high tone as if it were Akan na. Let it be small and run into the next word: Kofi_and_Ama.
The ending /nd/ is hard because most Akan words end in a vowel. A learner may add a vowel and say "anda", or drop the d and say "an". Both are understood, but "an" is also the English word used before a vowel sound ("an egg", Lesson 1), and the d is what makes it "and". Put the tongue tip behind the upper teeth for n, then release it quickly for a light d. In fast speech the d is often not heard before a consonant, and "Kofi and Ama" sounds like "Kofi 'n' Ama". That is normal; a clearly said /ənd/ is never wrong.
Do not write or say Akan na for English "and". "Kofi na Ama" is Akan-looking English and will be misunderstood.
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Part A (English and Akan text, word by word):
How to read Part A. Each example has two lines. Line a gives every English word in bold, followed by its Akan equivalent in italics. Line b gives the same words with the pronunciation and the grammar in capital letters. Read the rules in Part D, rule 14, if a mark is new to you.
3.1a Kofi Kofi and ne Ama Ama
3.1b Kofi /ˈkɒfi/ Kofi.NAME and /ənd/ ne.AND(NP) Ama /ˈɑːmə/ Ama.NAME
3.2a Food aduane and ne water nsuo
3.2b Food /fuːd/ aduane.SG and /ənd/ ne.AND(NP) water /ˈwɔːtə/ nsuo.SG
3.3a Mother maame and ne father agya
3.3b Mother /ˈmʌðə/ maame.SG and /ənd/ ne.AND(NP) father /ˈfɑːðə/ agya.SG
3.4a You wo and ne I me
3.4b You /juː/ wo.2SG and /ənd/ ne.AND(NP) I /aɪ/ me.1SG
3.5a The no→ book nwoma and ne the no→ dog kraman
3.5b The /ðə/ no.DEF book /bʊk/ nwoma.SG and /ənd/ ne.AND(NP) the /ðə/ no.DEF dog /dɒɡ/ kraman.SG
3.6a I me- like -pɛ the no→ food aduane and ne the no→ water nsuo
3.6b I /aɪ/ me-.1SG like /laɪk/ -pɛ.PRES the /ðə/ no.DEF food /fuːd/ aduane.SG and /ənd/ ne.AND(NP) the /ðə/ no.DEF water /ˈwɔːtə/ nsuo.SG
3.7a Kofi Kofi and ne Ama Ama are wɔ in mu→ the no→ house dan
3.7b Kofi /ˈkɒfi/ Kofi.NAME and /ənd/ ne.AND(NP) Ama /ˈɑːmə/ Ama.NAME are /ɑː/ wɔ.BE.AT in /ɪn/ mu.IN the /ðə/ no.DEF house /haʊs/ dan.SG
3.8a You wo and ne I me are yɛ students asuafo
3.8b You /juː/ wo.2SG and /ənd/ ne.AND(NP) I /aɪ/ me.1SG are /ɑː/ yɛ.BE students /ˈstjuːdənts/ asuafo.PL
3.9a My me mother maame and ne father me-agya are yɛ teachers akyerɛkyerɛfo
3.9b My /maɪ/ me.1SG.POSS mother /ˈmʌðə/ maame.SG and /ənd/ ne.AND(NP) father /ˈfɑːðə/ me-agya.1SG.POSS.SG are /ɑː/ yɛ.BE teachers /ˈtiːtʃəz/ akyerɛkyerɛfo.PL
3.10a The no→ dog kraman and ne the no→ children mmofra are wɔ here ha
3.10b The /ðə/ no.DEF dog /dɒɡ/ kraman.SG and /ənd/ ne.AND(NP) the /ðə/ no.DEF children /ˈtʃɪldrən/ mmofra.PL are /ɑː/ wɔ.BE.AT here /hɪə/ ha.HERE
3.11a Kofi Kofi called frɛɛ me me and na I me- came -baeɛ
3.11b Kofi /ˈkɒfi/ Kofi.NAME called /kɔːld/ frɛɛ.PAST me /miː/ me.1SG.OBJ and /ənd/ na.AND(CL) I /aɪ/ me-.1SG.SUBJ came /keɪm/ -baeɛ.PAST
3.12a Ama Ama is ho-yɛ beautiful fɛ and na she ɔ- is - respectful -bu-adeɛ too nso
3.12b Ama /ˈɑːmə/ Ama.NAME is /ɪz/ ho-yɛ.BE beautiful /ˈbjuːtɪfəl/ fɛ.ADJ and /ənd/ na.AND(CL) she /ʃiː/ ɔ-.3SG.SUBJ is /ɪz/ - respectful /rɪˈspɛktfəl/ -bu-adeɛ.PRES too /tuː/ nso.ALSO
3.13a Kofi Kofi is yɛ a - teacher kyerɛkyerɛni and na Ama Ama is yɛ a - student osuani
3.13b Kofi /ˈkɒfi/ Kofi.NAME is /ɪz/ yɛ.BE a /ə/ - teacher /ˈtiːtʃə/ kyerɛkyerɛni.SG and /ənd/ na.AND(CL) Ama /ˈɑːmə/ Ama.NAME is /ɪz/ yɛ.BE a /ə/ - student /ˈstjuːdənt/ osuani.SG
3.14a I me- am -re- reading -kenkan the no→ book nwoma and na Kofi Kofi is re- playing -di-agorɔ
3.14b I /aɪ/ me-.1SG am /æm/ -re-.PROG reading /ˈriːdɪŋ/ -kenkan.READ the /ðə/ no.DEF book /bʊk/ nwoma.SG and /ənd/ na.AND(CL) Kofi /ˈkɒfi/ Kofi.NAME is /ɪz/ re-.PROG playing /ˈpleɪɪŋ/ -di-agorɔ.PLAY
3.15a Kofi Kofi and ne Ama Ama are yɛ brother anuanom and - sister - and na their wɔn mother maame is yɛ a - teacher kyerɛkyerɛni
3.15b Kofi /ˈkɒfi/ Kofi.NAME and /ənd/ ne.AND(NP) Ama /ˈɑːmə/ Ama.NAME are /ɑː/ yɛ.BE brother /ˈbrʌðə/ anuanom.SIBLINGS and /ənd/ - sister /ˈsɪstə/ - and /ənd/ na.AND(CL) their /ðeə/ wɔn.3PL.POSS mother /ˈmʌðə/ maame.SG is /ɪz/ yɛ.BE a /ə/ - teacher /ˈtiːtʃə/ kyerɛkyerɛni.SG
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Part B (Full English sentence followed by the Akan translation):
3.1 Kofi and Ama. Kofi ne Ama.
3.2 Food and water. Aduane ne nsuo.
3.3 Mother and father. Maame ne agya.
3.4 You and I. Wo ne me.
3.5 The book and the dog. Nwoma no ne kraman no.
3.6 I like the food and the water. Mepɛ aduane no ne nsuo no.
3.7 Kofi and Ama are in the house. Kofi ne Ama wɔ dan no mu.
3.8 You and I are students. Wo ne me yɛ asuafo.
3.9 My mother and father are teachers. Me maame ne me agya yɛ akyerɛkyerɛfo.
3.10 The dog and the children are here. Kraman no ne mmofra no wɔ ha.
3.11 Kofi called me, and I came. Kofi frɛɛ me, na mebaeɛ.
3.12 Ama is beautiful, and she is respectful, too. Ama ho yɛ fɛ, na ɔbu adeɛ nso.
3.13 Kofi is a teacher, and Ama is a student. Kofi yɛ kyerɛkyerɛni, na Ama yɛ osuani.
3.14 I am reading the book, and Kofi is playing. Merekenkan nwoma no, na Kofi redi agorɔ.
3.15 Kofi and Ama are brother and sister, and their mother is a teacher. Kofi ne Ama yɛ anuanom, na wɔn maame yɛ kyerɛkyerɛni.
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Part C (English text only):
3.1 Kofi and Ama.
3.2 Food and water.
3.3 Mother and father.
3.4 You and I.
3.5 The book and the dog.
3.6 I like the food and the water.
3.7 Kofi and Ama are in the house.
3.8 You and I are students.
3.9 My mother and father are teachers.
3.10 The dog and the children are here.
3.11 Kofi called me, and I came.
3.12 Ama is beautiful, and she is respectful, too.
3.13 Kofi is a teacher, and Ama is a student.
3.14 I am reading the book, and Kofi is playing.
3.15 Kofi and Ama are brother and sister, and their mother is a teacher.
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Part D (Grammar explanation):
These are the grammar rules for "and" in English:
1. English has one word where Akan has two. Between nouns Akan says ne: Kofi ne Ama (3.1), Aduane ne nsuo (3.2), Wo ne me (3.4). Between whole sentences Akan says na: Kofi frɛɛ me, na mebaeɛ (3.11), Kofi yɛ kyerɛkyerɛni, na Ama yɛ osuani (3.13). English says "and" every time, and it makes no difference whether it joins names, nouns, adjectives, verbs or sentences. Do not look for a second English word. In Part A the gloss under "and" is ne in 3.1 to 3.10, na in 3.11 to 3.14, and both in 3.15.
2. Each English noun keeps its own small word. In 3.5, 3.6 and 3.10 English says "the book and the dog", "the food and the water", "the dog and the children", with "the" before both nouns. Akan does the same with no (nwoma no ne kraman no), so this is a place where the two languages agree. English can leave out the second "the" only when the two nouns make one thing: "the bread and butter". For a learner it is safe to say "the" twice. Names and general ideas take no small word, as in Lesson 1: "Kofi and Ama" (3.1), "food and water" (3.2), "mother and father" (3.3). In 3.9 English says "my" once for both nouns, "my mother and father", where Akan says me twice: Me maame ne me agya.
3. Two subjects joined by "and" take a plural verb. "Kofi and Ama are in the house" (3.7), "You and I are students" (3.8), "My mother and father are teachers" (3.9), "The dog and the children are here" (3.10). One name takes "is" and two names joined by "and" take "are". Never say "Kofi and Ama is". Akan does not change: wɔ in 3.7 and 3.10, yɛ in 3.8 and 3.9. This is the "be" of Lesson 2, rule 1. The same holds for other verbs, but without the -s: "Kofi and Ama like the food", and "Kofi likes the food" (Lesson 1).
4. "I" comes last, and "I" or "me" must be chosen. English says "You and I" (3.4, 3.8) and "Ama and I" (3.17 and 3.29 in the Genre Section), not "I and you" or "I and Ama". The word order is a matter of politeness. Akan has one word, me, for both "I" and "me": Mepɛ nwoma (I like books), Kraman no kaa me (the dog bit me, Lesson 1). English has two. When the pair is the subject, use "I": "Ama and I like you." When the pair is the object, use "me": "Mother likes Ama and me", "She called Kofi and me". Never say "Ama and me like you".
5. A comma stands before "and" when it joins two whole sentences. "Kofi called me, and I came" (3.11): each side has its own subject and its own verb. Akan writes the comma before na in the same way (Kofi frɛɛ me, na mebaeɛ). When "and" joins only two nouns, no comma is used: "Kofi and Ama" (3.1), "the food and the water" (3.6). When it joins two verbs of one subject there is no comma either: "Come and eat the food". Do not put a comma after "and": not "Kofi called me and, I came".
6. "And" shows what is added, or what comes next. In 3.11 the second event follows the first: Kofi called me, then I came. In 3.12 the second sentence adds a second fact: Ama is beautiful, and she is respectful. English often joins two sentences with "and" where a full stop would also be correct. A string of many "and" is possible in speech (He came and he ate and he slept) but in writing keep it for two or three. Do not join the sentences with a comma alone: "Kofi called me, I came" is not good English.
7. When the subject is the same, English does not need to say it again. In 3.24 (Genre Section) there is one command with two verbs: "Eat the food, Kofi, and go to school." The second verb needs no second subject. Akan Di aduane no, Kofi, na kɔ sukuu is the same. In statements, English can also say "Kofi went to school and read the book" with the subject once.
8. Akan sometimes has no word for "and", and English must say it. In 3.15 anuanom is one Akan word for "brothers and sisters", and English needs "brother and sister". In Akan fa nsuo no ne nwoma no bra (3.22 in the Genre Section) two verbs stand side by side: fa (take) and bra (come). English says "bring" (in effect, "take and come"), and when the two verbs are separate actions it must say "and": "Go and buy the book". Linguists call a row of verbs like this a serial verb construction. A serial verb in Akan has one subject, and nothing joins the verbs. An example from the studies of Akan is Kofi de pono no baae, "Kofi brought the table" (literally, "Kofi took the table came").
9. Akan ne has other jobs, and English has other words for them. Ne is "and" (3.1), but it is also "with": Me ne wo yɛ adwene is the usual way to say "I agree with you", and English must say "with", never "I agree and you". It is also "his" or "her" before a noun (ne ho in 3.27 of the Genre Section, "her self", and ne maame, "his mother", Lesson 2), and "is the one" (Lesson 2, rule 13). In the same way Akan na is "and" (3.11), the word that puts a name in focus (Hwan na ɔwɔ nwoma no? Lesson 1), and the sign of the past (Na Kofi yɛ kyerɛkyerɛni, Lesson 2). English "and" does none of these other jobs. It only joins.
10. "And" is not "also", and it is not "but". "Also" and "too" add something to a statement: Ama nso pɛ nsuo no, "Ama also likes the water". "And" joins two parts. In 3.12 the English has both: "and she is respectful, too", Akan na ... nso. In 3.23 and 3.29 (Genre Section) the Akan nso stands in the middle: "the book is also here", "Ama and I also like you". For "but" Akan has nanso: Mepɛ aduane no, nanso mempɛ nsuo no, "I like the food, but I do not like the water". Use "but" when the second part is the opposite of what you expect. Use "and" when it is not.
11. A list takes "and" before the last item only. English says "Kofi, Ama, and Kwame" or "Kofi, Ama and Kwame", never "Kofi and Ama and Kwame" in careful writing. Put commas between the first items and "and" before the last.
12. A sentence may begin with "And", but not often. The King James Bible does it again and again (Part F). In speech and in telling a story it is common. In school essays and in formal writing, avoid it and join the sentence to the one before.
13. "And" in numbers and in titles. In British English "and" stands in numbers over a hundred: "a hundred and five", "two hundred and fifty". American English often leaves it out. In a title, "and" is written with a small letter, unless it is the first word: "Pride and Prejudice". The sign & (the ampersand) is for names and signs, as in "Marks & Spencer". In an ordinary sentence write the word.
14. How Part A reads. A hyphen in the Akan gloss shows that the Akan word is one word with a prefix or a part that stands next to it: me- and -pɛ in 3.6 are written together as Mepɛ, me- -re- -kenkan in 3.14 as Merekenkan, ho-yɛ in 3.12 as ho yɛ, and -bu-adeɛ as bu adeɛ. An arrow after the Akan word (no→, mu→) shows that in real Akan it follows its noun: nwoma no is "book the", dan no mu is "house the in". Part B shows the true order. A single dash in italics marks an English word with no counterpart in Akan, as with "a" in 3.13, the second "is" in 3.12 and the "and" and "sister" of "brother and sister" in 3.15. In line b the capital letters give the grammar: NAME a name; SG one, PL many; DEF "the" (Akan no); 1SG, 2SG, 2PL, 3SG, 3PL first, second and third person, singular and plural; SUBJ and OBJ subject and object; POSS "my" or "their"; PRES and PAST the tense; PROG the -ing form with re-; BE the verb "be", and BE.AT "be at" (wɔ); AND(NP) the "and" of nouns (ne); AND(CL) the "and" of sentences (na); ALSO "also"; IMP a command; HORT "let it".
Common mistakes:
- ✗ Kofi and Ama is here. ✓ Kofi and Ama are here. - ✗ Ama and me like you. ✓ Ama and I like you. - ✗ Mother likes Ama and I. ✓ Mother likes Ama and me. - ✗ I and Ama are students. ✓ Ama and I are students. - ✗ The book, the dog are here. ✓ The book and the dog are here. - ✗ Kofi na Ama. ✓ Kofi and Ama. - ✗ Kofi called me and, I came. ✓ Kofi called me, and I came. - ✗ Kofi called me, I came. ✓ Kofi called me, and I came. - ✗ Brother sister. ✓ Brother and sister. - ✗ I agree and you. ✓ I agree with you. - ✗ Ama and Kofi likes the water. ✓ Ama and Kofi like the water. - ✗ I like the food, and I do not like the water. (when you mean the opposite) ✓ I like the food, but I do not like the water. - ✗ end /ɛnd/, an /æn/, anda ✓ and /ænd/, weak /ənd/
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Part E (Cultural context):
English has many fixed pairs joined by "and", and the order is usually fixed too: "ladies and gentlemen" (never "gentlemen and ladies"), "brother and sister", "mother and father", "black and white", "bread and butter", "back and forth". A learner who says them in the other order will be understood but will sound strange. Akan has pairs of the same kind. The word anuanom (3.15) is one of them, shut into one word: the brothers and sisters who share a family.
Names in a greeting or a list are joined with "and". The names Kofi and Ama in this lesson are day-names (Lessons 1 and 2): Kofi is a boy born on a Friday and Ama a girl born on a Saturday. In the family of the Genre Section the two names stand together, "Kofi and Ama", as a brother and sister who are spoken to together by their mother. In English, when you speak to two people, you say both names with "and": "Good morning, Kofi and Ama!" (3.16).
English puts oneself last when speaking of two people: "Ama and I", "my sister and I", "the teacher and I". It is a sign of politeness, like giving a seat to the other person first. A learner who says "I and Ama" will be understood, but the English order is "Ama and I". The same care is taken for "you and I" (3.4) and in "Mother, Father and I".
In English, starting a sentence with "And" belongs to storytelling and to speech, and to the Bible. In the King James Version most verses of the story of the creation begin with "And", as Part F shows. Some English teachers dislike it in school essays, and a Ghanaian learner who has been taught to avoid it is quite right to avoid it in formal writing. In a story or a conversation it is perfectly good English.
This course teaches Asante Twi. The two joining words ne and na are the same in Asante Twi and Akuapem Twi: both Bibles have ɔsoro ne asase in Genesis 1:1 and na in Genesis 1:3 (Part F). Past forms differ in spelling among the dialects, and 3.11 uses mebaeɛ ("I came"), while the spelling mebaa is also heard. In Fante the joining of two nouns is said with nye ("with") or na, according to the studies of Akan connectives, so a learner from the Fante area may know ne and na in a slightly different way. English "and" is the same for everyone.
A last note on the sentence Me ne wo yɛ adwene ("I agree with you"). It is a very common Twi phrase, and it shows how close "and" and "with" are in Akan: it says something like "I and you are of one mind". English uses "with" for it. When you speak English, say "I agree with you".
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Part F (Literary citation):
Genesis 1:3, in the English King James Version (1611); Akan text from the New Revised Asante Twi Bible (ASW), Gyenesis 1:3. The Akuapem Twi Bible (AKNA), 1 Mose 1:3, has the same sentence in a slightly different form: Onyankopɔn hyɛe se, "Ɛnyɛ hann," na ɛyɛɛ hann.
F-A (English and Akan text, word by word):
F-A.1a And Na God Onyankopɔn said kaa-sɛ Let ɛn- there - be -yɛ light hann and na there ɛ- was -yɛɛ light hann
F-A.1b And /ənd/ Na.AND(CL) God /ɡɒd/ Onyankopɔn.NAME said /sɛd/ kaa-sɛ.PAST.QUOTE Let /lɛt/ ɛn-.3SG.HORT there /ðeə/ - be /biː/ -yɛ.BECOME light /laɪt/ hann.SG and /ənd/ na.AND(CL) there /ðeə/ ɛ-.3SG.SUBJ was /wɒz/ -yɛɛ.PAST.BECOME light /laɪt/ hann.SG
F-B (Original text followed by the Akan translation):
"And God said, Let there be light: and there was light."
"Na Onyankopɔn kaa sɛ: Ɛnyɛ hann! Na ɛyɛɛ hann."
F-C (English text only):
"And God said, Let there be light: and there was light."
F-D (Grammar and literary commentary):
This is the third verse of the Bible in the King James Version, and perhaps the best-known use of "and" in English. It has the plain plan of a story told aloud: a sentence, then another sentence, each started with "And". The first "and" joins the verse to the one before; the second joins an act of speech to what happens because of it.
Look at the Akan.
- And ↔ Na: the first "And" (the start of the verse) is Akan Na, the word of sentences (Part D, rule 1). The second "and", after the colon, is na as well. There is no ne here, because nothing is a pair of nouns. The sentences are joined, and na is the word for that. The Akuapem Bible has only the second na (Onyankopɔn hyɛe se ..., na ɛyɛɛ hann) and begins without one, so even the Bibles do not agree about the first "And". - said ↔ kaa sɛ: kaa is the past of ka, which means "say" and "speak" (ka Borɔfo, "speak English", Lesson 1) and also "bite" (Kraman no kaa me, "The dog bit me", Lesson 1). Here sɛ follows it and opens what was said, like the colon in English. English has one word "said", and Akan has two. - Let there be light ↔ Ɛnyɛ hann: the English has four words, and Akan has two. There is no word for "there" in Akan, and "let" is carried by the n- in front of the verb, which gives the sense "let it become". The word Ɛnyɛ looks like the Ɛnyɛ of Lesson 2 (Ɛnyɛ foforo, "It is not new"), but here it is not the negative: the sentence shows which. English must say "Let there be light", with "there" as the empty subject, as it did in Lesson 2 with "it". - and there was light ↔ na ɛyɛɛ hann: yɛɛ is the past of yɛ, "become", and ɛ- is "it". The English "there was" has two words, and Akan has the one verb ɛyɛɛ. - light ↔ hann: no "a" and no "the" in either language. "Light" is a mass noun, like "water" and "food" in 3.2, and takes no small word.
Punctuation differs between versions. The King James Version writes "said, Let there be light: and there was light", and many modern English versions write: "God said, 'Let there be light,' and there was light." The Akuapem Bible also puts the words that were spoken in quotation marks.
The Akan text is quoted as it is printed in the New Revised Asante Twi Bible, as given on the Bible.com page for Gyenesis 1, and the Akuapem text as printed on the page for 1 Mose 1 (AKNA).
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Kofi and Ama are brother and sister, and their mother speaks to them before school. Mother speaks in 3.16, 3.18, 3.21, 3.22, 3.24, 3.28 and 3.30; Kofi in 3.17, 3.19, 3.25 and 3.29; Ama in 3.20, 3.23, 3.26 and 3.27.
Part A (English and Akan text, word by word):
3.16a Mother Maame: "Good-morning Maakye Kofi Kofi and ne Ama Ama"
3.16b Mother /ˈmʌðə/ Maame.SG: "Good-morning /ɡʊd ˈmɔːnɪŋ/ Maakye.GREETING Kofi /ˈkɒfi/ Kofi.NAME and /ənd/ ne.AND(NP) Ama /ˈɑːmə/ Ama.NAME"
3.17a Kofi Kofi: "Good-morning Maakye Mother Maame Ama Ama and ne I me are wɔ here ha"
3.17b Kofi /ˈkɒfi/ Kofi.NAME: "Good-morning /ɡʊd ˈmɔːnɪŋ/ Maakye.GREETING Mother /ˈmʌðə/ Maame.SG Ama /ˈɑːmə/ Ama.NAME and /ənd/ ne.AND(NP) I /aɪ/ me.1SG are /ɑː/ wɔ.BE.AT here /hɪə/ ha.HERE"
3.18a Mother Maame: "The no→ food aduane and ne the no→ water nsuo are wɔ in mu→ the no→ house dan"
3.18b Mother /ˈmʌðə/ Maame.SG: "The /ðə/ no.DEF food /fuːd/ aduane.SG and /ənd/ ne.AND(NP) the /ðə/ no.DEF water /ˈwɔːtə/ nsuo.SG are /ɑː/ wɔ.BE.AT in /ɪn/ mu.IN the /ðə/ no.DEF house /haʊs/ dan.SG"
3.19a Kofi Kofi: "I me- like -pɛ the no→ food aduane and na Ama Ama likes pɛ the no→ water nsuo"
3.19b Kofi /ˈkɒfi/ Kofi.NAME: "I /aɪ/ me-.1SG like /laɪk/ -pɛ.PRES the /ðə/ no.DEF food /fuːd/ aduane.SG and /ənd/ na.AND(CL) Ama /ˈɑːmə/ Ama.NAME likes /laɪks/ pɛ.PRES.3SG the /ðə/ no.DEF water /ˈwɔːtə/ nsuo.SG"
3.20a Ama Ama: "Mother Maame where he→ are wɔ the no→ book nwoma and ne the no→ dog kraman"
3.20b Ama /ˈɑːmə/ Ama.NAME: "Mother /ˈmʌðə/ Maame.SG where /wɛə/ he.WHERE are /ɑː/ wɔ.BE.AT the /ðə/ no.DEF book /bʊk/ nwoma.SG and /ənd/ ne.AND(NP) the /ðə/ no.DEF dog /dɒɡ/ kraman.SG"
3.21a Mother Maame: "The no→ book nwoma is wɔ here ha and na the no→ dog kraman is-asleep ada"
3.21b Mother /ˈmʌðə/ Maame.SG: "The /ðə/ no.DEF book /bʊk/ nwoma.SG is /ɪz/ wɔ.BE.AT here /hɪə/ ha.HERE and /ənd/ na.AND(CL) the /ðə/ no.DEF dog /dɒɡ/ kraman.SG is-asleep /ɪz əˈsliːp/ ada.ASLEEP"
3.22a Mother Maame: "Ama Ama bring fa…bra the no→ water nsuo and ne the no→ book nwoma"
3.22b Mother /ˈmʌðə/ Maame.SG: "Ama /ˈɑːmə/ Ama.NAME bring /brɪŋ/ fa…bra.TAKE…COME the /ðə/ no.DEF water /ˈwɔːtə/ nsuo.SG and /ənd/ ne.AND(NP) the /ðə/ no.DEF book /bʊk/ nwoma.SG"
3.23a Ama Ama: "Yes Aane Mother Maame the no→ water nsuo is wɔ here ha and na the no→ book nwoma is-also nso-wɔ here ha"
3.23b Ama /ˈɑːmə/ Ama.NAME: "Yes /jɛs/ Aane.YES Mother /ˈmʌðə/ Maame.SG the /ðə/ no.DEF water /ˈwɔːtə/ nsuo.SG is /ɪz/ wɔ.BE.AT here /hɪə/ ha.HERE and /ənd/ na.AND(CL) the /ðə/ no.DEF book /bʊk/ nwoma.SG is-also /ɪz ˈɔːlsəʊ/ nso-wɔ.ALSO-BE.AT here /hɪə/ ha.HERE"
3.24a Mother Maame: "Eat di the no→ food aduane Kofi Kofi and na go kɔ to - school sukuu"
3.24b Mother /ˈmʌðə/ Maame.SG: "Eat /iːt/ di.EAT.IMP the /ðə/ no.DEF food /fuːd/ aduane.SG Kofi /ˈkɒfi/ Kofi.NAME and /ənd/ na.AND(CL) go /ɡəʊ/ kɔ.GO.IMP to /tə/ - school /skuːl/ sukuu.SG"
3.25a Kofi Kofi: "You wo and ne I me go kɔ to - school sukuu Ama Ama"
3.25b Kofi /ˈkɒfi/ Kofi.NAME: "You /juː/ wo.2SG and /ənd/ ne.AND(NP) I /aɪ/ me.1SG go /ɡəʊ/ kɔ.GO.PRES to /tə/ - school /skuːl/ sukuu.SG Ama /ˈɑːmə/ Ama.NAME"
3.26a Ama Ama: "The no→ children mmofra and ne the no→ teacher kyerɛkyerɛni are wɔ at - school sukuu"
3.26b Ama /ˈɑːmə/ Ama.NAME: "The /ðə/ no.DEF children /ˈtʃɪldrən/ mmofra.PL and /ənd/ ne.AND(NP) the /ðə/ no.DEF teacher /ˈtiːtʃə/ kyerɛkyerɛni.SG are /ɑː/ wɔ.BE.AT at /æt/ - school /skuːl/ sukuu.SG"
3.27a Ama Ama: "The no→ teacher kyerɛkyerɛni is yɛ tall tenten and na she ne-ho is yɛ beautiful fɛ"
3.27b Ama /ˈɑːmə/ Ama.NAME: "The /ðə/ no.DEF teacher /ˈtiːtʃə/ kyerɛkyerɛni.SG is /ɪz/ yɛ.BE tall /tɔːl/ tenten.ADJ and /ənd/ na.AND(CL) she /ʃiː/ ne-ho.3SG.POSS-SELF is /ɪz/ yɛ.BE beautiful /ˈbjuːtɪfəl/ fɛ.ADJ"
3.28a Mother Maame: "You mo are yɛ good pa→ children mmofra and na I me- like -pɛ you mo"
3.28b Mother /ˈmʌðə/ Maame.SG: "You /juː/ mo.2PL are /ɑː/ yɛ.BE good /ɡʊd/ pa.GOOD children /ˈtʃɪldrən/ mmofra.PL and /ənd/ na.AND(CL) I /aɪ/ me-.1SG like /laɪk/ -pɛ.PRES you /juː/ mo.2PL.OBJ"
3.29a Kofi Kofi: "Thank-you Medaase Mother Maame Ama Ama and ne I me also nso like pɛ you wo"
3.29b Kofi /ˈkɒfi/ Kofi.NAME: "Thank-you /ˈθæŋk juː/ Medaase.THANKS Mother /ˈmʌðə/ Maame.SG Ama /ˈɑːmə/ Ama.NAME and /ənd/ ne.AND(NP) I /aɪ/ me.1SG also /ˈɔːlsəʊ/ nso.ALSO like /laɪk/ pɛ.PRES you /juː/ wo.2SG.OBJ"
3.30a Mother Maame: "Go monkɔ well yie Kofi Kofi and ne Ama Ama"
3.30b Mother /ˈmʌðə/ Maame.SG: "Go /ɡəʊ/ monkɔ.GO.IMP.2PL well /wɛl/ yie.WELL Kofi /ˈkɒfi/ Kofi.NAME and /ənd/ ne.AND(NP) Ama /ˈɑːmə/ Ama.NAME"
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Part B (Full English sentence followed by the Akan translation):
3.16 Mother: "Good morning, Kofi and Ama!" Maame: "Maakye, Kofi ne Ama!"
3.17 Kofi: "Good morning, Mother! Ama and I are here." Kofi: "Maakye, Maame! Ama ne me wɔ ha."
3.18 Mother: "The food and the water are in the house." Maame: "Aduane no ne nsuo no wɔ dan no mu."
3.19 Kofi: "I like the food, and Ama likes the water." Kofi: "Mepɛ aduane no, na Ama pɛ nsuo no."
3.20 Ama: "Mother, where are the book and the dog?" Ama: "Maame, nwoma no ne kraman no wɔ he?"
3.21 Mother: "The book is here, and the dog is asleep." Maame: "Nwoma no wɔ ha, na kraman no ada."
3.22 Mother: "Ama, bring the water and the book." Maame: "Ama, fa nsuo no ne nwoma no bra."
3.23 Ama: "Yes, Mother. The water is here, and the book is also here." Ama: "Aane, Maame. Nsuo no wɔ ha, na nwoma no nso wɔ ha."
3.24 Mother: "Eat the food, Kofi, and go to school." Maame: "Di aduane no, Kofi, na kɔ sukuu."
3.25 Kofi: "You and I go to school, Ama." Kofi: "Wo ne me kɔ sukuu, Ama."
3.26 Ama: "The children and the teacher are at school." Ama: "Mmofra no ne kyerɛkyerɛni no wɔ sukuu."
3.27 Ama: "The teacher is tall, and she is beautiful." Ama: "Kyerɛkyerɛni no yɛ tenten, na ne ho yɛ fɛ."
3.28 Mother: "You are good children, and I like you." Maame: "Mo yɛ mmofra pa, na mepɛ mo."
3.29 Kofi: "Thank you, Mother. Ama and I also like you." Kofi: "Medaase, Maame. Ama ne me nso pɛ wo."
3.30 Mother: "Go well, Kofi and Ama!" Maame: "Monkɔ yie, Kofi ne Ama!"
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Part C (English text only):
3.16 Mother: "Good morning, Kofi and Ama!"
3.17 Kofi: "Good morning, Mother! Ama and I are here."
3.18 Mother: "The food and the water are in the house."
3.19 Kofi: "I like the food, and Ama likes the water."
3.20 Ama: "Mother, where are the book and the dog?"
3.21 Mother: "The book is here, and the dog is asleep."
3.22 Mother: "Ama, bring the water and the book."
3.23 Ama: "Yes, Mother. The water is here, and the book is also here."
3.24 Mother: "Eat the food, Kofi, and go to school."
3.25 Kofi: "You and I go to school, Ama."
3.26 Ama: "The children and the teacher are at school."
3.27 Ama: "The teacher is tall, and she is beautiful."
3.28 Mother: "You are good children, and I like you."
3.29 Kofi: "Thank you, Mother. Ama and I also like you."
3.30 Mother: "Go well, Kofi and Ama!"
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Part D (Grammar explanation):
The dialogue is in the simple present, with commands and questions. Its grammatical thread is "and" as it joins names (3.16, 3.17, 3.30), nouns (3.18, 3.20, 3.22, 3.26) and whole sentences (3.19, 3.21, 3.23, 3.24, 3.27, 3.28), and the verb that follows a pair.
- "Good morning, Kofi and Ama!" (3.16): the two names are spoken to, so they stand after the greeting, with a comma and "and" between the names, no comma before "and". Akan Maakye, Kofi ne Ama! is the same, with ne between the names. - "Ama and I are here." (3.17): "Ama and I" is the subject, so "I" is the form to use, and it comes last. The verb is "are", because the subject is two. Akan wɔ does not change. Akan me is both "I" and "me". - "The food and the water are in the house." (3.18): "the" is said twice, and "are" is plural. Akan repeats no: aduane no ne nsuo no. - "I like the food, and Ama likes the water." (3.19): "and" joins two whole sentences, so a comma stands before it. The verb after "I" is "like", and the verb after "Ama" has -s: "likes". Akan pɛ is the same in both. Na is the Akan word here, because what follows is a new sentence with its own subject. - "Where are the book and the dog?" (3.20): the question word comes first, and the verb "are" is before the subject, which is two nouns. Akan puts he, "where", at the end: nwoma no ne kraman no wɔ he? The arrow in he→ shows this. - "The book is here, and the dog is asleep." (3.21): two sentences, and each has its own "is". "Asleep" is an adjective, and it needs "is". Akan ada has no separate "is". - "Ama, bring the water and the book." (3.22): the name stands first and is separated by a comma, because Ama is spoken to. In Akan fa ... bra, "take ... come", is two verbs side by side with nothing between them (Part D, rule 8, above); English has the one verb "bring". - "The water is here, and the book is also here." (3.23): "also" stands after "is". It is nso in Akan, and it is not "and". The two sentences are joined by "and"; the second adds a fact. - "Eat the food, Kofi, and go to school." (3.24): one speaker, one subject, two commands. English leaves out "you". "Go to school" has no "the" (Lesson 2). Akan di ... na kɔ is the same, with na between the commands. - "You and I go to school, Ama." (3.25): "you and I" is a plural subject. In the present the verb is "go" with no -s. English puts "I" last, and so "you" comes first; Akan Wo ne me is written in the same order here. - "The children and the teacher are at school." (3.26): "at school" has no "the", as in Lesson 2. The verb is "are", because the subject is two. - "The teacher is tall, and she is beautiful." (3.27): English uses "she" to point back to the teacher. Akan has ne ho, "her self", where ne is the "her" of ne maame, "his mother" (Lesson 2): this is another job of ne, and in the sentence it does not mean "and". - "You are good children, and I like you." (3.28): "good" comes before "children" in English, and after the noun in Akan (mmofra pa). The arrow in pa→ shows it. "You" is both the subject (you are) and the object (like you). - "Ama and I also like you." (3.29): "also" stands after the subject and before the verb. In Akan it is the single word nso, in the same place. "Ama and I" is the subject of "like", so "I" is the right form. Akan Ama ne me nso pɛ wo has the same order. - "Go well, Kofi and Ama!" (3.30): a farewell, with the verb first. In Akan monkɔ is the form for more than one person, and English "go" does not change for one or many.
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Pronunciation and Orthography Notes:
- and — /ænd/ when stressed, /ənd/ in ordinary speech, /ən/ or /n/ in fast speech. Short, unstressed, and joined to the next word. - Keep /æ/ apart from /ɛ/: and /ænd/, end /ɛnd/. Keep the final d: and /ænd/, an /æn/. - Spelling: a-n-d, always the same. Do not write "an" (the word before a vowel sound), "en", "n" or Akan "na" for it. The short "'n'" of "rock 'n' roll" and "fish 'n' chips" is for signs and titles only. - A comma stands before "and" when it joins two whole sentences, and none when it joins two nouns or two verbs of the same subject. - Capital letters: "And" has a capital only at the start of a sentence or as the first word of a title. In the middle of a title it is small: Pride and Prejudice. - Akan letters to watch when you compare: Akan ɛ and ɔ appear in the words aduane ne nsuo, nwoma, frɛɛ, fɛ, ɔ-, kyerɛkyerɛni and Onyankopɔn, and English writes the sounds with e and o. The Akan tones are not written, and neither is English stress. - Do not write the Akan words ne and na in English sentences. English writes "and" for both.
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