Language Barrier

Akwansidze wɔ kasa mu yɛ kasafua bi a wɔdze kyerɛ dze dzaa osiw kwan wɔ kasa ahorow mu (linguistic barriers to communication), Iyi kyerɛ akwan a ɔma nkɔmɔ dzen mu yɛ dzen yie wɔ nyimpa mu anaa ekuw mu a wɔdze kasa ahorow dzi nkitahodzi, anaa kasa ahorow wɔ mpɛn pii mu.

Kasa mu akwansidze mma pɛpɛryɛ nkɔ do wɔ nyimpakuw hɔn nkitahodzi mu na otum ma nkorɔfo ntse hɔn ho ase ma ɔbɛyɛ akasa akasa(conflict) , ahomtsewsɛm(frustration),dwumadzi a odzi fɔ(offense), akodzi nsɛm(violence), ahokyirsɛm(distress), na dza ɔhwir mber( wasting time),mbɔdzenbɔ a wɔdze dzi dwuma( effort), sika(money), na nyimpa hɔn nkwa( human life).

 Nkitahodzi 
Ɔwɔ mu dɛ, nkɔmɔdzi kakra kɔ do wɔ nkɔmɔdzifo a wɔ ka kasa fofor hɔn ntsemu agye dɛ hɔn mu kor anaa ebien no nyinara sua kasa fofor, na iyi nso gye mber na mbɔdzenbɔ. Nkorɔfo a wotu kwan wɔ amanɔne hyia akwansidze wɔ kasa ahorow mu.

Nkorɔfo a wɔ kɔ ɔman fofor mu wɔ hɔn mpanyinfo mfe mu no anaa hɔn kasa mu nsɛmfua no nnyɛ beberee no( limited vocabulary), sɛ wɔresua kasa fofor a ɔyɛ dur anaa ɔyɛ dzen ma hɔn, wotum nya akwansidze tsitsir bi "wɔ akwan a wɔdze bɔko etsia kasa mu akwansidze nsɛm no ho" . Akwansidze a onye iyi yɛ pɛ kɔ do wɔ aman aman hɔn nhyiamu mu(multinational meetings), na hɔn a wɔ kyerɛkyerɛ nsɛm mu wɔ dɛm dwumadzi n'ase no gye akatua kɛse, na ɔyɛ dzen dɛ wɔbenya hɔn, na wobotum ayɛ nfodo bi.

Wɔ afe 1995, nyimpa 24,000 a wɔyɛ esuafo afofor (freshmen ) wɔ California State University dwumadzi nhyehyɛe mu dze to gua dɛ brofo kasa yɛ kasa a ɔtɔ do ebien wɔ hɔn kasa mu; nanso hɔn mu 1,000 a wonnka dɛm brofo kasa yi kyerɛ dɛ wɔbɔ hɔn ho mbɔdzen wɔ college-gyinabew mu brofo kasa mu (Kahmi – Stein & Stein, 1999).Nkorɔfo beberee dɛm yi kyerɛ dɛ ohia dɛ akyerɛkyerɛfo a wodzi dwumadzi yi bɛgye akwansidze a kasa dze ba ato mu.Ɔda hɔ yie dɛ Brofo kasa a wɔdze kyerɛ adze yɛ kwan tsitsir a ɔhaw esuafo a wofri aman afofor do a wɔdze American university library dzi dwuma.Ma ɔyɛ dzen wɔ kasa mu nfa ɔhaw mbrɛ nsɛm a woboa ano nkotsee(only information-gathering skills) na ibom ɔsanso ka suban a wɔdze hwehwɛ mboa (help-seeking behaviors). Sɛ esuafo a wofri aman afofor do ntse Brofo kasa no a ɔdze ɔhaw kɛse brɛ hɔn wɔ hɔn bea wɔdze yɛ akenkan ho edwuma dɛ ma ɔfa akwan a wɔ bisa anaa wɔdze nya mboa.Lee (1991), nna ɔyɛ esuafo a ofri ɔman fofor do,ɔkyerɛ mu dɛ esuafo a wofri aman fofor do no gye biribiara a wɔdze hyɛ hɔn do to mu wɔ aber a wonnko ntsia na wɔ gyedzi dɛ sɛ wobenya sukuu mu adzekyerɛ dzaa nna ɔwɔ dɛ wɔ nya dɛm nwomasua no wɔ Brofo-Kasa ewiadze a wo nye obiara bedzi ako wɔ pɛpɛryɛ mu. Esuafo a wofri aman fofor do no tum gye ndzɛmba to mu na wɔ hyɛ hɔnho nkoran yie.Esuafo a wofri aman fofor do, wɔ dwen akwan a wɔbɛ hyehyɛ hɔn nsɛntɔw yie na akwan a wɔdze nsɛmfua apapa besiesie hɔn nsɛntɔw, dɛm nsɛmfua no ho nsesa na nhyehyɛe yi tum haw hɔn adwen kyen nkorɔfo a wɔka Brofo kasa no. Asɛmfua anaa asɛntɔw a wodzidzi dwuma a onye asɛm bi ne nkyerɛkyerɛ mu yɛ pɛr anaa nsesa kakrabi wɔ ho, no ho hia wɔ nsɛmfua a wɔhwehwɛ ho no mu, ɔyɛ dzen dɛ wɔdze bɔto hɔn tsir mu, ne tsitsir kɔ ma esuafo a hɔn ano nnto Brofo kasa no mu nsɛmfua no(F. Jacobson, 1988).Wɔ afe 2012, Rosetta Foundation dze April 19 too hɔ da ɔyɛ da bi a wɔfrɛ no "No Language Barrier Day". Adwenpɔw a ɔda dɛm da no do no kyerɛ aman aman dɛ onnyɛ kasa ahorow na ogyina hɔ dɛ kasa mu akwansidze:ɔwɔ dɛ woyi kasa ahorow fri hɔ, na wonnyɛ akwansidze – na wɔ akwan fofor do no, ɔwɔ dɛ wodzi ehuruwsi fa ho.Na ma ɔyɛ akwansidze yɛ akwan a wobenya nkyerɛase wɔ kasa ahorow mu na dɛm yi na ɔyɛ akwansidze a omma kwan ma nkurow nntum nnya na wonnkyɛ nsɛm wɔ kasa ahorow mu. Dɛm ehuruwsi dwumadzi yi a afe biara ɔkɔ do no bɔ dawur fa na akwan a wɔbɛma nkurow a wɔwɔ ewiadze afa nyinara hɔn mbɔdzenbɔ wɔ kasa ne nkyerɛase mu enyin(global community translation efforts).Kasa ne ho nkitahodzi botum ahyɛ kasa akwansidze no do. Akwan a wɔdze da dwumadzi edzi kɔ ekyir kyen akwansidze a ɔwɔ kasa mu.Kasa mu akwansidze nso tum dze dadwen brɛ nkorɔfo a wɔrehwehwɛ ayaresa dɛ hɔn a wɔrehwehwɛ ayarsa dze kɔ hɔn a wɔma ayarahwɛ hɔn nkɔmɔ twetwe mu no ɔwɔ dɛ wosi gyinae a ntsease wɔ mu.Nkorɔfo a wɔrehwehwɛ ayaresa nntum nnya ntsease   anaa wonntum nnye hɔn datser ndzi nkɔmɔ a ɔfa hɔn dadwen ho na mpɛn pii no datserfo no nnya apɔwmuhwɛ mu nsɛm papa a wɔrehwehwɛ fa hɔn dwumadzi mu.Dɛm nsesa ahorow yi bɔkɔ famu wɔ aber a wɔdzen nhyehyɛe bi tse dɛ kasa nkyerɛase ho dwumadzi anaa wɔbekyerɛ apɔwmudzen ho ahwɛfo no kasa ahorow.(Rand, 1998).   

 Migration 
Kasa mu akwansidze nso dzi akotsen wɔ akwantu mu nsɛm ho. Akwantufo a wofri hɔn ɔman mu kɔ aman fofor mu no mpɛn pii no wotu kwan kɔ mbea bi a ɔman no nkorɔfo no ka akwantufo no hɔn kasa kor noara.Dɛm yi ntsi, British akwantufo beberee etu kwan efri hɔn ɔman mu dze akɔ Australia, Canada, United States, anaa New Zealand, Spanish akwantufo beberee akɔ Latin America mpɛn bi mu, na Portuguese akwantufo nso akɔ Brazil. Mpo sɛ akwantufo no hɔn ɔman a worutu kwan akɔ mu no nka akwantufo no hɔn kasa a, akwanya wɔ ho dɛ wobenya akwantu ho kwan sɛ ɔka kasa bi a onye akwantufo no hɔn kasa dzi nsɛ.Mfatoho a ɔda nsiw nye akwantu nhyehyɛe ma Europefo dze kɔ America.United States, na ne kasae w'agye bebiara nye Germanic English language, ɔfrɛ frɛ akwantufo fri Northern Europe, bea bi a wɔka Germanic kasa anaa dzaa onye no dzi nsɛ.Mbea ahorow a w'agye dzin yie  wɔ United States yɛ German, Irish, na English, na akwantufo dodow n'ara a wɔyɛ Scandinavian nyimpa a wotu kwan sanso fri United States (anaa English-speaking Canada). Southern Europefo, ibi nye hɔn a wɔfri Italy, mpɛn beberee no wotu kwan kɔ Latin America aman mu; ndɛ, nkorɔfo a hɔn ekyir fri Italy yɛ ebusuakuw a wɔyɛ kɛse yie na wɔtɔ do ebien wɔ Argentina, Uruguay, na Brazil, Spanish n'ekyir na (wɔ Brazil) Portuguese, nanso wɔtɔ do anan wɔ United States a ɔka Europefo hɔn kuw no.Wɔ afe du a w'asin kɔ no, nkorɔfo a wɔfri Romania wodzi kan pɛ Italy na Spain dɛ hɔn akwantu nhyehyɛe bea, wɔnye Germany, Western Europe ɔman a ɔyɛ kɛse yie, ne gyinabea wɔ ekyir a ɔtɔ do ebiasa.  

 Auxiliary languages as a solution 
Wɔ afe 1800 n'ekyir no, kasa a nkorɔfo a wofri aman ahorow mu wɔdze dzi nkitahodzi, na ɔyɛ kasa a onnyɛ ma nkorɔfo no dzi kan ka wɔ hɔn aman mu (auxiliary languages) na wɔdze dɛm kasa yi ato gua ama wɔdze ako etsia kasa mu akwansidze.Nyimpa bi anaa nyimpakuw bi na wɔ kyerɛw no wɔ tsetsee amanbrɛ mu anaa nhyehyɛe mu.Dadaadaw no, na adwenpɔw no nye dɛ nkorɔfo ebien a na wɔpɛ dɛ wodzi nkɔmɔ botum esua auxiliary language a no mu dzen kakra na wobotum dze kasa yi edzi nkɔmɔ anaa wɔdze akyerɛw ama hɔn ho.

Wɔ 20th century ne fa a odzi kan mu no, wɔdze nhyehyɛe a ɔtɔ ebien fa auxiliary kasahorow bɔtoo gua: dɛ na no ho nhia dɛ wobɛhyehyɛ auxiliary language, osiandɛ kasa a nkorɔfo ka no paa no wɔ nsɛmfua a ɔyɛ pɛr wɔ hɔ. Dɛm nsɛmfua yi wotum dze a yɛ kasa a no mu da hɔ.Nyimpa a wɔwɔ aman ahorow mu tse dɛm kasa yi ase wɔ aber a wɔ kenkan anaa wɔ tse, osiandɛ ɔyɛ nsɛmfua a ɔda no ho edzi wɔ hɔn kasa ahorow mu. 

Dɛm nhyehyɛe yi kasatia dza wɔ dwen dɛ ɔhyɛ auxiliary kasa ahorow no do: ohia dɛ wonye nkorɔfo bɛkasa ma w'esua kasa no ansaana w'edzi nkɔmo ho nkitahodzi biara. Auxiliary kasa afofor no nso wobotum dze esua ebusuakuw hɔn kasa ahorow(ethnic languages) no ntsɛm na oboboa ma w'atse hɔn ara hɔn kasa ase. 

Mfatoho ma traditional auxiliary languages, mpɛn bi no wɔfrɛ no schematic languages, ɔyɛ Esperanto, Ido, na Volapük. Mfatoho ma nhyehyɛe fofor no yɛ, wɔ mpɛn bi no wɔfrɛ no naturalistic languages, ɔyɛ Interlingua, Interlingue na Latino Sine Flexione.  Esperanto nko na Interlingua na wɔdze dzi dwuma kɛse n'ara ndɛ, ibom wɔdze Ido sanso dzi dwuma. 

Nhyehyɛe a ɔtɔ do ebien no hɔn a wɔfrɛ hɔn zonal languages no pia kɔɔ ekyir, kasa ahorow a wɔhyehyɛ ma hɔn a wɔbɛka no a hɔn kasae dzi nsɛ kakrabi. Kasa ahorow a wofri ebusua kor mu ma hɔn nkorɔfo nya ntsease wɔ hɔn kasae mu w'aber a w'ennsua kasa no osiandɛ hɔn kasa no dzi nsɛ.Ɔtse dɛ ma wɔwɔ kasa kor osian dza wohu dɛ ɔyɛ pɛr ma hɔn. Mfatoho nye dɛ, Interslavic yɛ kasa a Slavic nkorɔfo dze dzi dwuma osiandɛ wohyehyɛ fri kasa onye hɔn kasae sɛ na ono na wɔdze dzi dwuma yie paa. 

 Language barrier for international students in the United States 
Dɛm aber yi, esuafo hɔn dodow n'ara pɛ dɛ wɔ nya hɔn nwomasua wɔ amanɔne. Akwansidze a ɔkekaho amanɔne akwantu nsɛm ho, kasa mu akwansidze  abɛyɛ ɔhaw tsitsir ma esuafo a wɔfrɛ aman fofor do, ne tsitsir wɔ United States.Nhwehwɛmu pii wɔ hɔ a ɔkyerɛ ɔhaw beberee a kasahorow mu akwansidze dze brɛ esuafo a wɔfrɛ aman ahorow mu, ibi nye ahokyɛr a wonya na atsetsee pii a wɔ fa mu. Selvadurai kasa fa ɔhaw a kasahorow mu akwansidze dze ba, wɔ ne nhwehwɛmu  no esuafo akwantufo no nnya ahotɔ wɔ sukuu dan mu a ɔma akwan a wɔdze sua adze no mu yɛ dzen.Na ɔtse dɛ ma hɔn ho ngye hɔn tsena bea fofor mu, wɔ hyehyɛ iyi wɔ afe 1998. Wɔ nhyehyɛe ahorow nyinara mu no,ɔkaa dɛ kasa yɛ“akwansidze a esuafo akwantu dzi kan nya” (154).[5] Chen kyerɛ mu dɛ, ɔkyerɛkyerɛnyi a ɔma afotu wɔ University of British Columbia no, onnyɛ kasahorow mu akwansidze nkotsee na ɔbɛma esuafo akwantufo no ehyia atsetsee nsɛm —kasa mu ɔhaw a ɔtɔ do ebien nye, nwomasua no mu ɔhaw, na nkurow fofor no mu amanbrɛ ne haw (sociocultural stressors ) na Chen daa no edzi dɛ ɔyɛ ndzɛmba ebiasa a ɔyɛ akwansidze na esuafo akwantufo(51-56).Dza ɔka ho nye, esuafo no sanso nya ɔhaw a ɔma wɔyɛ ankonam(social isolation ), wɔ yɛ nyiyimu(prejudice), na wɔyɛ nkorɔfo basabasa(discrimination), "esuafo akwantufo kyerɛ mu dɛ US hɔn nkorɔfo no da suban bɔne edzi kyerɛ hɔn na wonye tsema biara fa amanbrɛ nsɛm ho na dɛm yi yɛ akwansidze kɛse ma nkorɔfo a wofri ewiadze afa nyinara dɛ wɔbɛka hɔnho abɔ mu."6] Dɛm esuafo yi hyia nyiyim mpɛn pii,  wɔyɛ ankonam na wɔyɛ hɔn basabasa osiandɛ wonntse kasa fofor no yie, na iyinom tum ma adwen mu yarba beberee wɔ dɛ nkorɔfo yi mu. Esuafo akwantufo yi kyerɛ dza wɔ fa mu a onnyɛ dɛ ibi yɛ, "hɔnho ntsin hɔn(awkwardness, aber biara na wɔredwen dza obotum esi ho(anxiousness),hɔn ho tsetsee hɔn (uneasiness),self-consciousness, aber biara na w'ayɛ krado dɛ wɔbɔko ama hɔn ho(defensiveness),wɔ dwendwen dɛ biribi bɔne botum esi (suspicion),nkorɔfo ntsew hɔn enyim mma hɔn (hostility), na wɔhyɛ hɔn do(superiority)" na ndzɛmba papa nso tum fri mu ba na ibi nye, "wɔkyerɛ dɛ wɔpɛ hɔn asɛm(admiration), wɔkyerɛ dɛ wobu hɔn(respectfulness), enigye(happiness), ahotɔ(comfortableness),akokodur( confidence), ɔpɛ(interest), wɔhwehwɛ ndzɛmba mu(curiosity) na wonya adwenpɔw ahorow (inspiration)." Afotu bi wɔ hɔ a scholars akasa afa ho, dɛ wɔdze bɔboa esuafo akwantufo ama w'enya asetsena a no mu yie wɔ bea fofor a wɔdze hɔnho bɛhyɛ mu biara.Ma wɔdze eyi ɔhaw biara esuafo no nya no efri hɔ, scholar binom aka atɔ hɔ dɛ wobɛsiesie ɔhaw wɔ akwan papa mu, wɔ aber a wɔ sanso ma esuafo afotu dɛ wɔbɛhwehwɛ ndzɛmba a wɔdze besiesie hɔn haw (problem-solving resources), ne tsitsir wɔ aber a wɔdze ma hɔn sukuu no mu nkyerɛkyerɛ ahyɛse no (Olivas and Li 219-220). Dɛ Ɔkyerɛkyerɛnyi panyin S.G. Nelson kaa no wɔ afe 1991 wɔ no buukuu mu,"How Language is Life", "Kasa ne nhyehyɛe bore nsɛmfua ahorow a ɔwɔ hɔ no. Kasahorow yɛ akwan a nkorɔfo da akwan a wɔ fa mu edzi na akwan a wɔkyerɛ hɔn nyimpasu, na wɔ aber a nkorɔfo a wɔwɔ mfe ahorow hyia mu a,  of nkorɔfo a wɔwɔ mfe ahorow hyia mu a ɔwɔ dɛ wosua akwan a wɔdze  bɛda hɔn nyimpasu edzi wɔ nyimpakuw ahorow mu."  

 Language dominance after colonisation 
Nigeria yɛ ɔman bi a British amanbu hyɛ hɔn do na wɔhyɛɛ hɔn dɛ hom nka Brofo. Nigeriafo ka Brofo kasa kyen hɔn ara hɔn kasa ahorow no, na Brofo kasa a wɔdze dzi dwuma afa Nigeria nkurow pii mu.Brofo kasa ne dwumadzi no ho hia yie wɔ nwomasua mu, na brofo kasa hyɛɛ dza ɔwɔ nyinara do. Ibom nwomasua a wonnya nfri sukuu dan mu wɔ Nigeria dze Nigeria kasa ahorow dzi dwuma, Nigeriafo beberee nyim akenken wɔ Brofo mu.

Wɔdze no sanso yɛ mfatoho ma dza ɔka ho wɔ  British Commonwealth anaa aman a wonyaa ɔhyɛ amanbu frii abrofo no hɔn hɔ no. Mfatoho a ɔwɔ hɔ ka English ho nye Portuguese wɔ Angola na French wɔ Mauritius.

 Other uses of term 
• SIL kasa fa "kasa a ɔyɛ akwansidze wɔ akenkan mu" sɛ nyimpa a ɔrekasa no ne kasae nnyi nkyerɛwee biara.

 Misconceptions 
Mpɛn bi mu no wɔgye dzi dɛ sɛ wɔdze kasahorow dze nkitahodzi wɔ bea bi mu a, kasa mu akwansidze dzi akotsen wɔ dɛm bia no. Multilingual nkurow a ɔyɛ bea a wɔdze kasahorow dzi dwuma no wɔ lingua francas na tsetsee nhyehyɛe a ɔma ne nkorɔfo sua kasa dodow, na wogye to mu; wɔ aber a wonnyi akwansidze wɔ ntseasee mu ne nyinara nfri, okotsia adwen a ɔkyerɛ dɛ worenntum nko ntsia kasa mu akwansidze.

Mfatoho nye, wosusu dɛ kasahorow bɛyɛ 250 na wɔdze dzi dwuma wɔ London nko, na ibom hɔn nkorɔfo a wɔwɔ ebusuakuw biara mu no tum nya nteasee wɔ British nkurow mu na wotum dzi dwuma a mfaso wɔ ho.

 Consequences 
Kasa mu akwansidze to dze ɔhaw brɛ hɔn a wɔrehwehwɛ ayaresa. Mfatoho nyi, nhwehwɛmu a ɔkyerɛ dɛ British-Pakistani mbasiafo a wonyaa ɔhaw wɔ amanbrɛ fofor mu na kasa akwansidze mu no w'ennya ɔpɛ dɛ wɔbɔkɔ akɔyɛ enufo mu nhwehwɛmu (breast screening) osiandɛ na wonnyim dɛ wɔyɛ dɛm nhwehwɛmu dwumadzi no wɔ bea bi a mbasiafo nkotsee dzi dwuma wɔ hɔ.

 See also 

 References 

 External links