Phonology and Alphabet
All syllables in Shona end in a vowel. Consonants always belong to the next syllable. For example, mangwanani ("morning") is separated like this: ma/ngwa/na/ni; Zimbabwe is Zi/mba/bwe.
All verbs end in -a:
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Shona's five vowels (a, e, i, o, u) are pronounced as in Spanish: . Each vowel is pronounced separately even if they fall in succession. For example, "Uno enda kupi?" (Where do you go?) is pronounced .
The letters of the alphabet are,
| Letter | IPA |
|---|---|
| a | /a/ |
| b | /ɓ/ |
| bh | /b/ |
| ch | /tʃ/ |
| d | /ɗ/ |
| dh | /d/ |
| dy | /dʒɡ/ |
| dzv | /dz͎/ |
| e | /e/ |
| f | /f/ |
| g | /ɡ/ |
| h | /h/ |
| i | /i/ |
| j | /dʒ/ |
| k | /k/ |
| m | /m/ |
| mh | /ʔ/ |
| n’ | /ŋ/ |
| n | /n/ |
| o | /o/ |
| p | /p/ |
| r | /r/ |
| sh | /ʃ/ |
| sv | /s͎ ~ sɸ/ |
| svw | /s͎w/ |
| sw | /sw ~ skw/ |
| t | /t/ |
| tsv | /ts͎/ |
| ty | /tʃk/ |
| u | /u/ |
| v | /ʋ/ |
| vh | /v/ |
| w | /w/ |
| y | /j/ |
| z | /z/ |
| zh | /ʒ/ |
| zv | /z͎ ~ zβ/ |
| zvw | /z͎w/ |
| zw | /zw ~ zɡw/ |
The digraphs ps and bz are pronounced /ps͎/ and /bz͎/, and mbw is /mbɡ/.
Read more about this topic: Shona Language
Famous quotes containing the word alphabet:
“I wonder, Mr. Bone man, what you’re thinking
of your fury now, gone sour as a sinking whale,
crawling up the alphabet on her own bones.”
—Anne Sexton (1928–1974)