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 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)
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