Language/Bambara/Pronunciation/Alphabet-and-pronunciation
< Language | Bambara | Pronunciation
Jump to navigation
Jump to search
Rate this lesson:
Consonants[edit | edit source]
Consonants | ||||
---|---|---|---|---|
Latin | N’ko | English approximation | Example | Gloss |
b | ߓ | bad | bón | ‘house’ |
c | ߗ | Chad | cɛ̌ | ‘man’ |
d | ߘ | dog | dɔ̀lɔ́ | ‘alcohol’ |
f | ߝ | film | fɔ́lɔ | ‘first’ |
g | - | good | gàribú | ‘Quranic student seeking alms’ |
gb | ߜ | *A labio-velar double occlusive—in essence, an English /g/ and /b/ at the same time | gbò | ‘bad’ |
h | ߤ | hello | hákili | ‘idea’ |
j | ߖ | jump | jàn | ‘long’ |
k | ߞ | call | kélen | ‘one’ |
l | ߟ | lamp | lòkó | ‘plantain’ |
m | ߡ | might | mɔ̀gɔ́ | ‘person’ |
n | ߣ | never | náani | ‘four |
ɲ | ߢ | *Palatal nasal—like enseñar in Spanish | ɲì | ‘good’ |
ŋ | - | king | ŋɔ̀mí | ‘fritter’ |
p | ߔ | power | pán | ‘jump’ |
r | ߙ / ߚ | *a tapped /r/ like pero in Spanish | báara | ‘work’ |
s | ߛ | soup | sàyá | ‘death’ |
t | ߕ | tomato | tìlé | ‘sun’ |
w | ߥ | west | wári | ‘money’ |
y | ߦ | yogurt | yɛ́lɛ | ‘laugh’ |
z | - | zebra | zùwɛ́n | ‘June’ |
Vowels[edit | edit source]
Vowels | ||||
---|---|---|---|---|
Latin | N’ko | English approximation | Example | Gloss |
a | ߊ | wasp | bàbá | ‘dad’ |
e | ߋ | *like manger in French | bèsé | ‘machette’ |
ɛ | ߍ | met | sɛ̀nɛ́ | ‘farming’ |
i | ߌ | happy | fili | ‘throw’ |
u | ߎ | goose | dùgú | ‘earth’ |
o | ߏ | *like beau in French | bǒ | ‘excrement’ |
ɔ | ߐ | bought | bɔ̀gɔ́ | ‘mud, clay’ |
Syllabic Nasal | ||||
---|---|---|---|---|
Latin | N’ko | English approximation | Example | Gloss |
n | ߒ | *Syllabic nasal | ń | ‘I’ |
Pronunciation with a VIDEO[edit | edit source]
Videos[edit | edit source]
Learn Bambara's Latin alphabet | Basic Bambara 6 - YouTube[edit | edit source]
Learn the N'ko Alphabet (ߒߞߏ) | Basic Bambara 7 - YouTube[edit | edit source]