There are words in spoken and written Twi that bear resemblance, at least phonetically, to English words. This is not surprising granted that English, the national language of Ghana, is for most Ghanaians second or third after native languages. Many currently living in Ghana probably share living space, the most likely setting for the handing down of native languages to younger generations, with a family member that saw the end of British colonial rule halfway through the 20th century. Furthermore, Twi learning materials available today, the media that bring said words to print, were authored either by Ghanaians that also lived through the end of colonial rule or foreign linguists.
The selection of English words that function as Twi vocabulary have either prevailed in use over their Twi equivalents, take for example "tikyani(from the English 'teacher')" having replaced "okyerekyereni" meaning "one who often shows/directs," or were not met by one, for example "kaset(from the English 'cassette')." This adoption is a reflection of how aspects of western culture have either replaced or developed alongside aspects of west African culture. I've made a list of Twi words I've come across that are freebies to me, an English speaker learning Twi. Items in the list are in the format "Twi:English." If nothing else, I hope that on a sensory level, you get a kick out of seeing the spellings of English words butchered at costs to preserve how they sound to people of a distinctly different culture. ('ε' is pronounced as in "let" and 'כ' is pronounced as in "ought")
- Engiresi:English
- sotככ:store
- laibri:library
- nכma:number
- disko:disco
- sini:cinema
- kasεt:cassette
- steedium:stadium
- sכka:soccer
- baskεt bככl:basketball
- bכs:bus
- dכkta:doctor
- kaa:car
- taksi:taxi
- posuכfese:post office
- sukuu:school
- tikyani:teacher
- patroo:petrol
- bכgyεte:budget
- nεεseni:nurse
- kapentani:carpenter
- bia:beer
- lεtε:letter
- tii:tea
- baebae oo:bye-bye
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