Sotho Alphabet
Sesotho orthography is based on the following alphabet:
| Orthography | IPA | Notes | Example |
|---|---|---|---|
| a | /ɑ/ | Like English spa | ho abela to distribute |
| b | /b/ | this consonant is fully voiced | lebese milk |
| bj | /bʒ/ | ho bjarana to break apart like a clay pot | |
| /bj/ | ? | ||
| d | an allophone of /l/ only occurring before the close vowels (/i/ and /u/) | Modimo God | |
| e | /ɪ/ | Like English pit | ho leka to attempt |
| /e/ | Like English cafe | ho jwetsa to tell | |
| /ɛ/ | Like English bed | ho sheba to look | |
| f | /f/ | ho fumiana to find | |
| fj | /fʃ/ | only found in short passives of verbs ending with fa; alternative sh | ho bofjwa to be tied |
| h | /h/ or /ɦ/ | these two sounds are allophones | ho aha to build |
| hl | /ɬ/ | ho hlahloba to examine | |
| i | /i/ | As in English beet | tho bitsa to call |
| j | /ʒ/ | mo jlefa heir | |
| /d͡ʒ/ | this is an alternative to the fricative /ʒ/ | ho ja to eat | |
| k | /kʼ/ | unaspirated: skill | boikarabelo responsibility |
| kh | /kʰ/ | fully aspirated: kill; occurring mostly in old loanwords from Nguni languages and in ideophones | lekhokho the part of the pap that remains baked to the pot after cooking |
| kg | /x/ | sekgo spider | |
| /k͡xʰ/ | alternative to the velar fricative | kgale a long time ago | |
| l | /l/ | never occurs before close vowels (/i/ or /u/), where it becomes /d/ | selepe axe |
| m | /m/ | ho mamaretsa to glue | |
| n | /n/ | lenaneo | |
| ng | /ŋ/ | can occur initially | lengolo letter |
| ny | /ɲ/ | as in Spanish el niño | ho nyala to marry |
| o | /ʊ/ | like English put | potso query |
| /o/ | As in French oiseau | pontsho proof | |
| /ɔ/ | English: board | mongolo writing | |
| p | /pʼ/ | unaspirated: spit | pitsa cooking pot |
| ph | /pʰ/ | aspirated: pin | phuputso investigation |
| pj | /pʃʼ/ | alternative tj | ho pjatla to cook well |
| pjh | /pʃʰ/ | aspirated version of the above; alternative tjh | mpjhe ostrich |
| q | /ǃ/ | radical (tenuis) | ho qoqa to chat |
| qh | /ǃʰ/ | aspirated | leqheku an elderly person |
| nq | /ᵑǃ/ | nasal; this is often simply pronounced as a radical click | ho nqosa to accuse |
| r | /ʀ/ | soft Parisian-type r | moriri hair |
| s | /s/ | Sesotho | |
| sh | /ʃ/ | Moshweshwe Moshoeshoe I | |
| t | /tʼ/ | unaspirated: stalk | botala greenness |
| th | /tʰ/ | tharollo solution | |
| tj | /t͡ʃʼ/ | ntja dog | |
| tjh | /t͡ʃʰ/ | ho ntjhafatsa to renew | |
| tl | /t͡ɬʼ/ | ho tlatsa to fill | |
| tlh | /t͡ɬʰ/ | occurs only as a nasalized form of hl or as an alternative to it | tlhaho nature |
| ts | /t͡sʼ/ | ho tsokotsa to rinse | |
| tsh | /t͡sʰ/ | aspirated | ho tshoha to become frightened |
| u | /u/ | As in English boot | tumo fame |
| w | /w/ | sewa epidemic | |
| y | /j/ | ho tsamaya to walk |
Read more about this topic: Sotho Orthography
Famous quotes containing the word alphabet:
“I believe the alphabet is no longer considered an essential piece of equipment for traveling through life. In my day it was the keystone to knowledge. You learned the alphabet as you learned to count to ten, as you learned “Now I lay me” and the Lord’s Prayer and your father’s and mother’s name and address and telephone number, all in case you were lost.”
—Eudora Welty (b. 1909)