^ The Languages of Liberia 



Some of these ideas, in a different form, it is true, appear in 

 Fula, but in a less recognisable way. 



The GoRA language is somewhat of a problem. It is one 

 of those West African languages that are comparatively isolated^ 

 offering no distinct relationship in its roots with adjoining forms 

 of African speech. No doubt it is an old descendant of the 

 original mother-tongue of West Africa, which was the basis 

 of all the other West African groups alluded to. There is, 

 perhaps, most resemblance in word-roots and grammatical con- 

 struction to the Kru group, Kpwesi, and Mandingo, with an 

 occasional suggestion of tar-off^ affinity in numerals and some 

 word-roots to Fula and even to Bulom. 



The Kpwesi dialects are less isolated in their structure 

 than the Gora. They show a decided affinity to the Mandingo 

 group, while at the same time ofi^ering slight resemblances in 

 some of their roots to Wolof, Fula, and Bulom. These re- 

 semblances, it they are real, are undoubtedly due to the Kpwesi,. 

 in common with all the other families mentioned, bein^ derived 

 from an ancient — a very ancient — West African mother-speech. 



The Kru languages cover much of the eastern half of 

 Liberia, beginning in the west with D^, which Is spoken on both 

 banks of the Lower St. Paul's River, chiefly, however, to the 

 west of that stream. De links on with Mamha^ and Mamba is 

 little else than a dialect of the Basa-Gibi language which occupies 

 much of South Central Liberia. The lO'u speech in many 

 dialects begins on the coast about the River Sanguin, and extends 

 eastward to Garawe, where it merges into Grebo. The speech 

 of Sikofi and Putu has a considerable resemblance to the Kru 

 language between the River Sanguin and the coast, but with a 

 trifle more affinity to Mandingo and Kpwesi. Padebu represents 

 the type of language of the interior of Eastern I>iberia behind 

 Grebo. The Grebo group is a relatively large one, and its range 



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