Ewe (local spelling: Eʋegbe) is not an official language, but is one of several national languages in both Ghana and Togo. It is spoken almost exclusively on the south coast of West Africa.
With a total of only 6.6 million speakers, its distribution is relatively small. In percentage terms, it is most widely spoken in Togo with 23%.
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Today, Ewe is spoken almost exclusively in Togo and Ghana. The distribution area of the Ewe language stretches from the coast of Ghana to the central regions of Togo. Within these regions, the language varies in different dialects, which can differ from village to village. However, the dialects are mutually understandable.
Origin and development
Ewe is a Gbe language and belongs to the Niger-Congo language family, one of the largest language families in the world, which is known for its diversity of languages south of the Sahara. The origins of the Ewe language can be traced back to the first millennium AD. The origins of the Ewe language can be traced back to the first millennium AD, when peoples with similar languages settled in south-eastern Ghana and southern Togo. Historical migratory movements and cultural influences have shaped the language over the centuries.
The development of the Ewe language was strongly influenced by historical events, including colonization by European powers. During the German and later British colonial period in Togo and eastern Ghana, attempts were made to standardize the language in order to unify education and administration. This led to the development of a written form and a standardized grammar, which facilitated communication across regional dialect boundaries.
Unless otherwise described in the text, this page is about native speakers, not the total number of speakers. How many people understand or speak Ewe as a subsequently learned language is not the subject of this page. Countries where native speakers make up only a few thousand, or even a few hundred people, or countries with a percentage well below 1% are unlikely to be listed here.
