Language/Southern-sotho/Grammar/The-Alphabet-and-Pronunciation
Introduction
In this lesson, we will be exploring the Southern Sotho alphabet and its pronunciation. The Southern Sotho language is the language spoken by the Basotho people in Lesotho and South Africa. It has interesting and unique sounds that make it distinct from other Bantu languages. Learning the alphabet is fundamental to mastering the language.
The Alphabet
The Southern Sotho alphabet consists of 29 letters, which are listed below:
| Letter | Name |
|---|---|
| A | a |
| B | ba |
| D | da |
| E | e |
| F | fa |
| G | ga |
| H | ha |
| I | i |
| J | ja |
| K | ka |
| L | la |
| M | ma |
| N | na |
| NG | nga |
| O | o |
| P | pa |
| Q | qha |
| R | ra |
| S | sa |
| T | ta |
| U | u |
| V | va |
| W | wa |
| X | xa |
| Y | ya |
| Z | za |
| ' | puncuations: comma, full stop, question mark, exclamation mark |
The Southern Sotho alphabet consists of five vowels: A, E, I, O, U.
There are also some unique sounds in the Southern Sotho language that can be difficult to pronounce at first. One of these unique sounds is the the click sound made by the letter Q.
Pronunciation
Now that we have covered the letters of the Southern Sotho alphabet, let's look at their pronunciations.
Vowels
The Southern Sotho language has five vowels. Each vowel has a short and a long pronunciation:
- A: pronounced as "a" in "father". The long form of A is pronounced as "aa" in "car".
- E: pronounced as "e" in "bed". The long form of E is pronounced as "ee" in "meet".
- I: pronounced as "i" in "bit". The long form of I is pronounced as "ii" in "feet".
- O: pronounced as "o" in "dog". The long form of O is pronounced as "oo" in "pool".
- U: pronounced as "u" in "put". The long form of U is pronounced as "uu" in "boot".
Consonants
The pronunciation of consonants in Southern Sotho can vary depending on their position in the word or the letters that surround them. Below is a table of consonants and their respective sounds.
| Consonant | Pronunciation |
|---|---|
| B | pronounced as in English |
| D | pronounced as in English when it is at the beginning of the word (e.g. "da"), but pronounced as "t" when it comes after another consonant (e.g. "nto") |
| F | pronounced as in English |
| G | pronounced as in English when it is at the beginning of the word (e.g. "ga"), but pronounced as "k" when it comes after another consonant (e.g. "nk") |
| H | pronounced as in English, but it is a little more breathy |
| J | pronounced as in English |
| K | pronounced as in English when it is at the beginning of the word (e.g. "ka"), but pronounced as "g" when it comes after another consonant (e.g. "nk") |
| L | pronounced as in English, but the tongue touches the upper teeth |
| M | pronounced as in English, but it is hummed a little longer |
| N | pronounced as in English, but it is hummed a little longer |
| NG | pronounced as the "ng" sound in "song" |
| P | pronounced as in English |
| Q | a unique sound made by clicking the tongue against the roof of the mouth. It is similar to the sound in the Xhosa language. |
| R | pronounced by rolling the tongue, like in Spanish |
| S | pronounced as in English |
| T | pronounced as in English when it is at the beginning of the word (e.g. "ta"), but pronounced as "d" when it comes after another consonant (e.g. "nt") |
| V | pronounced as in English |
| W | pronounced as in English, but it is hummed a little longer |
| X | pronounced as "ks", like in English |
| Y | pronounced as in English |
| Z | pronounced as in English, but hummed a little longer |
Some consonants, like D, G, K, and T, change their pronunciation depending on whether they come at the beginning or the end of a word.
Unique Sounds
Southern Sotho has three unique sounds, which are represented by the letters Q, HL, and KH. These sounds can be difficult to master, but with time and practice, they become easier.
- Q: as mentioned earlier, the letter Q makes a clicking sound with the tongue against the roof of the mouth.
- HL: the HL sound is a voiceless lateral fricative. This sound is made by breathing out while making a "clucking" sound with the tongue against the roof of the mouth.
- KH: the KH sound is a voiceless uvular fricative. This sound is made by breathing out while making a "raspy" sound at the back of the throat.
Summary
In this lesson, we've learned about the Southern Sotho alphabet and its pronunciation. We learned about the five vowels and 24 consonants, as well as the unique sounds represented by the letters Q, HL, and KH. It is important to practice these sounds to develop a natural flow in speaking the language.