The Scientific Alphabet for the Languages of Gabon ( Fr. Alphabet scientifique des langues du Gabon ) is a consolidated alphabet for writing Gabon languages . It was developed in 1989 [1] , and in 1999 it was radically reformed [2] .
Content
1932 Alphabet
The predecessor of the scientific alphabet for the languages of Gabon was the scientific transcription for the languages of Gabon, developed by Andre Raponda-Walker in 1932 [3] . This alphabet included the following characters:
- for vowels a, e, è, i, o, ȯ, u, ü
- for consonants b, c, ĉ, ꞓ, d, f, g,, h, j, k, l, m, m̃, ñ, ṅ, p, q, r,, s, t, w,, x, y, z
1989 Alphabet
| Uppercase | |||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| A | B | C | D | Ð | Ǝ | E | Ɛ | F | G | Ɣ | H | I | Ʒ | J | K | Ɂ | L | M | N |
| Lowercase | |||||||||||||||||||
| a | b | c | d | ð | ǝ | e | ɛ | f | g | ɣ | h | i | ʒ | j | k | ʔ | l | m | n |
| phonetic meaning | |||||||||||||||||||
| / a / | / b / | / tʃ / | / d / | / ð / | / ə / | / e / | / ɛ / | / f / | / ɡ / | / ɣ / | / h / | / i / | / ʒ / | / dʒ / | / k / | / ʔ / | / l / | / m / | / n / |
| Uppercase | |||||||||||||||||||
| Ŋ | Ɔ | O | P | R | Ɍ | S | Σ | T | U | Ṳ | V | Ꞵ | W | W̤ | X | Y | Z | ||
| Lowercase | |||||||||||||||||||
| ŋ | ɔ | o | p | r | ɍ | s | ʃ | t | u | ṳ | v | ꞵ | w | w̤ | x | y | z | ||
| phonetic meaning | |||||||||||||||||||
| / ŋ / | / ɔ / | / o / | / p / | / r / | / ɾ / | / s / | / ʃ / | / t / | / u / | / y / | / v / | / β / | / w / | / ɥ / | / x / | / j / | / z / | ||
Signs for middle vowels are not included in the alphabet. On the letter they are denoted by striking the letter (Ɨ ɨ, Ʉ). Palatalization is indicated by the letter y after the consonant (ny, ty, dy). Labial-velar consonants are designated by digraphs kp, gb, and affricates - digraphs pf, bv, ts, dz. Nasalization is transmitted by a subscript tilde (a̰), vowel length by doubling a letter (aa, ǝǝ, ee), and shortness by a subscript short (a̮, ǝ̮, e̮).
Tones are indicated by accented characters :
- very low - double gravis (ȁ, ǝ̏, ȅ, ɛ̏, ȉ, ɔ̏, ȍ, ȕ, ɨ̏, ʉ̏)
- low - by gravis (à, ǝ̀, è, ɛ̀, ì,, ò, ù, ɨ̀, ʉ̀)
- medium - macron (ā, ǝ̄, ē, ɛ̄, ī,, ō, ū, ɨ̄, ʉ̄)
- high - acute (á, ǝ́, é, ɛ́, í, ɔ́, ó, ú, ɨ́, ʉ́)
- very high - double acute (a̋, ǝ̋, e̋, ɛ̋, i̋, ɔ̋, ő, ű, ɨ̋, ʉ̋)
- high descending - vertical line on top (a̍, ǝ̍, e̍, ɛ̍, i̍, ɔ̍, o̍, u̍, ɨ̍, ʉ̍)
- descending - circumflex (â, ǝ̂, ê, ɛ̂, î, ɔ̂, ô, û, ɨ̂, ʉ̂)
- ascending - a hachek (ǎ, ǝ̌, ě, ɛ̌, ǐ, ɔ̌, ǒ, ǔ, ɨ̌, ʉ̌)
1999 Alphabet
| Vowels | ||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| i | u̲ | e | e̲ | ǝ | a | o | o̲ | u |
| phonetic meaning | ||||||||
| / i / | / y / | / e / | / ɛ / | / ə / | / a / | / o / | / ɔ / | / u / |
| Consonants | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| b | c | d | d̲ | f | g | gh | h | j | jh | k | l | m | n | ny | n̲ | p | r | s | sh | t | v | vh | w | y | z |
| phonetic meaning | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
| / b / | / c / | / d / | / ɗ / | / f / | / g / | / ɣ / | / h / | / ɟ / | / ʒ / | / k / | / l / | / m / | / n / | / ɲ / | / ŋ / | / p / | / r / | / s / | / ʃ / | / t / | / v / | / β / | / w / | / j / | / z / |
High tone is indicated by acute, medium - by macron, low - by gravel, ascending - by gachek, descending - by circumflex.
Notes
- ↑ Jean-Marie Hombert. Présentation de l'Alphabet scientifique (ASG) des langues du Gabon (Fr.) // Revue gabonaise des sciences de l'Homme. - 1990. - N o 2 "Actes du séminaire des experts, Alphabet scientifique des langues du Gabon (20/24 February 1989)" . - P. 105-112 . Archived February 2, 2014.
- Ug Hugues Steve Ndinga-Koumba-Binza , “Politique linguistique et éducation au Gabon: Un état des lieux”, Journal of Education, Mauritius Institute of Education, vol. 4, no 1, 2005, p. 65-78
- ↑ Raponda Walker, André . 1932. L'alphabet des idiomes gabonais, Journal de la Société des Africanistes 2 (2), pp. 139–146