Twi

Twi refers to a group of mutually intelligible Central Tano dialects of the Akan language, spoken primarily in southern Ghana and parts of Ivory Coast. The most prominent varieties are Asante Twi and Akuapem Twi, with Bono Twi often included in the broader Twi category. Twi functions as a regional lingua franca among Akan communities and neighboring groups, and the largest Twi-speaking populations are the Ashanti (Asante) and Akyem peoples.

The Twi languages are written in the Latin alphabet and use standard Akan orthography, including vowels such as ɛ and ɔ. In everyday writing, tone is not always marked, but Twi is a tonal language in which pitch can distinguish meaning. Twi has a subject–verb–object word order and makes use of serial verb constructions, rich in proverbs and contextual expressions.

Culturally, Twi plays a central role in Ghanaian life. It is widely used in radio, television, and print media, in education as a subject, and in daily conversation, commerce, and family life. Twi literature ranges from traditional folktales and proverbs to contemporary novels, poetry, and music, contributing to a robust oral and written tradition. The language continues to evolve, with standardization efforts and varying degrees of mutual intelligibility between its major dialects.