Some Phonological Processes in Ahanta.

Ahanta is a Ghanaian language of the Kwa group of languages of the Volt-Comoe family with a relatively minority indigenes and minority second language users. Some of its related languages are Nzema and Esahie. Due to its location between Mfantse and Nzema, it is interspersed with both Mfantse and Nzema. It was unwritten and understudied, until the recent publication of the Ahanta Bible, there have been pockets of studies which are gradually attracting researchers. As part of the documentation of Ahanta in the area of phonology, this paper looks at some of the its phonological processes. Data was collected through spontaneous speeches, recordings and notetaking. The data was transcribed and analyzed. Being a qualitative study, the discussion on the phonological processes was preceded by one on the Ahanta sound inventory. The findings show that Ahanta has seven orthographic vowels and ten phonemic vowels. Out of these ten vowels, three can attain nasality, independent of nasal consonants in their environments while all can be nasalized when found in the environment of nasal consonants. Ahanta was also found to have advanced and unadvanced vowels as Akan. Concerning consonants, only the alveola nasal could occur at word final, even that, it was found in a borrowed word from Mfantse when some nasals including the alveola nasal end words. The study proved that vowel harmony, consonant mutation, palatalization and homorganic nasal assimilation occur in Ahanta.