An analysis of Ghanaianisms in selected business letters in Ghana

Abstract

This qualitative study examined Ghanaianisms in selected business letters in Ghana with the aim of uncovering their communicative effectiveness. The study hinged on the Sociolinguistic theoretical framework, and content analytical design was employed for the analysis of the data. Through the purposive sampling technigue, 40 business letters from four local companies in the Bawku West District of Ghana were sampled for this study. The data were collected using the business letters from the four local companies. Distinctive features of Ghanaianisms were identified and their impact on communication clarity, effectiveness, and cultural appropriateness were assessed..The findings revealed different categories of Ghanaianisms which were based on their linguistic features such as omision of articles, spelling variation, borrowed local lexical items, loan words, the use of proverbs and idioms. The study concludes that Ghanaianisms are an integral part of Ghanaian business communication, with lexical, syntactic, and semantic features all playing significant roles in shaping the the language used in business correspondence. Based on these findings, the study recommends that the distinctive features identified in the selected business letters should be regularized and studied in the educational institutions in Ghana to enhance effective communication among local and international business players. It further suggests a comparative study of Ghanaianisms across different business sectors, and longitudinal study on the evolution of Ghanaianisms in business communication. This study contributes to the broader understanding of world Englishes, and it underscores the need for greater recognition and codification of Ghanaian English as a legitimate variety within the academic and profesional circles.