Where Animals Talk

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.