Where Animals Talk; West African Folk Lore Tales/Pronunciation

by Robert Hamill Nassau

 

PRONUNCIATION

In all the dialects of the Bantu language, consonants are pronounced, as in English; except that g is always hard.

The vowels are pronounced as in the following English equivalent:—

a as in father e. g., Kabala
â as in awe e. g., Njâ.
e as in they e. g., Ekaga.
ĕ as in met e. g., Njĕgâ.
i as in machine e. g., Njina.
o as in note e. g., Kombe.
u as in rule e. g., Kuba.

A before y is pronounced ai as a diphthong, e. g., Asaya. Close every syllable with a vowel, e. g., Ko-ngo. Where two or more consonants begin a syllable, a slight vowel sound may be presupposed, e. g., Ngweya, as if iNgweya.

Ng has the nasal sound of ng in "finger," as if fing-nger, (not as in "singer,") e. g., Mpo-ngwe.