GRAPHIC AND PHONETIC ANALYSIS OF THE KUNAMA LANGUAGE.- Pietros A. Hummad 2000-2001
Dear my
fellow-Kunama and all those interested in Kunama language,
I have a B.Ed.
Degree in English language, with specialization in Linguistics and Stylistics.
As such, I
thought I could attempt to study, analyse and deepen the knowledge of my mother
tongue Kunama.
My
study and analysis of the Kunama language is based on the graphic and the
phonetic systems of the three European languages that I master: English, German
and Italian.
My
main area of this analysis of the Kunama language is restricted to:
a) how
Kunama words are and should be spelled, using the Latin or European alphabets;
b) how
each Kunama word is and should be pronounced, based on the internationally
recognised and used phonetic symbols or alphabets (IPA).
My
objective is to make, my fellow-Kunama, aware that we all could be adopting
one
and the
same system to write, read and pronounce the Kunama words.
This would
enable us to eliminate all those unnecessary letters and signs that have been
and are being used, by writers and learners of the Kunama language, in order to
identify certain Kunama words and their pronunciation.
The folowing
is the table of the international phonetic symbols or alphabets required for
Kunama language:
Vowels:
IPA transcript: Kunama: IPA transcript: English:
a a a: anda gada
anda ga:da big to go
e e e: ela
eta ela e:ta tree eagle
i i i: ita
isa ita i:sa house fish
o o o: orka oda
orka o:da mirror play
u u u: ula uda
ula u:da body wood
Consonants: IPA transcript: Kunama: IPA
transcript: English:
b
b biba
bi:ba red
d d
dora do:ra chicken
f
f fala
fa:la news/story
g g gila
gi:la horn
h h hama
hama sweet
j j jiba
jiba debt
k k kasa
kasa answer
l l laga
laga earth/world
m m
ma ma tooth
n n na
na to drink
*r r ara
ara new/white
NB.
There are no Kunama words beginning with an " R ".
This
letter is to be found only in the middle of a word:
eg.- garma =
sheep
orka = mirror.
s s
sada sa:da medicine
t t
ta ta dog
The following
combined consonants are used for particular sounds of Kunama words.
The graphic
and the phonetics of such words are similar to those of the English, German and
the Italian languages.
The same
phonetic symbols are, therefore, used to write and transcribe such Kunama words.
Combined
Consonants: IPA transcript: Kunama: English: German: Italian:
ch
tS chuga change tschüß
cinque
gn
gn gna ---- ----
gnocchi
ng n ngada
feeling angeln ingoiare
ngk
nk ngka monk
Dank mancare
nn
nn nna ---- ----
sh
S shoda shop schon
sciogliere
The following
Latin or European alphabets are to be dropped altogether because of their
redundancy, both as letters as well as sounds, in Kunama language.
C is
replaced, as in IPA , with "K" like in: ca = ka;
P, V, X, Z
do not exist in Kunama language;
W is
replaced, like in IPA, with "U" like in: kwya = kuia;
y is
replaced, like in IPA, with "I" like in : yida = ida.
The following
Latin or European alphabets are needed and, therefore, are accepted as the:
"STANDARD
ALPHABETS FOR THE KUNAMA LANGUAGE".
Vowels: Kunama: English:
a
A aa..... A form of question; the English
equivalent of asking
for something
said to be repeated,
eg.- aa----
aienno Excuse me/pardon, what did you say?
e
E ee...... affirming/confirming,
saying "yes";
eg. ee...... maida yes, OK;
i
I ii....... stating that one is
listening/paying attention to what is being said;
eg. ii ...... udaka yes, I'm listening,
contiue to talk.
o
O oo ..... responding/reacting to when
one is called by name;
eg. oo... akidabe here I am; did you call
me?
u
U uu the imperative form of the
verb "ua = to enter";
eg uu ... itata come in/into the
house; please, enter.
Consonants: Kunama: English:
b
B
ba plough
eg. isha
ba to plough the field.
d
D da
to return/come back;
eg. gada
kide go and come back.
f
F
fa
cover
eg. tirmoa
kifo cover the pot;
g
G
ga to roll/swaddle
eg. kira
kige roll a rope;
h
H hada
collect/gather
eg. garmoae
hada collect/gather the sheep;
j
J
jagaba clay
eg. jagaba
ita mud house;
k
K
ka man/huma being
eg: ka kodea
kidadi help your fellow-man;
l L
la beauty/look beautiful
eg. la Annam asoma
beauty is God's given;
m
M
ma to love
eg. amfura
kisha kimena a young man loves a young girl;
n N na
to drink
eg. bia kino
drink some water;
s S sa
to close/shut
eg. udoa kisa
shut that door;
t T ta
to put in/into
eg. sholde jebeala kutu
put the money in your pocket.
Combined
consonants: Kunama: English:
ch
Ch chocha
to grill
eg. gnoa kicho
grill that piece of meat;
gn
Gn gna
meat
eg. garma gna nameke
I like mutton;
ng
Ng ngora
rain
eg. laga ngora
kogoshake the earth needs the rain;
ngk
Ngk ngka
which/one
eg. ita tabila ngkano
which is the way home?
nn
Nn nna
this/one
eg. nna sanena kaso
give me this job;
sh
Sh sha
to give birth/bear fruit;
eg. bishanga kina arta kishike
our field produced a lot of grain. |
