Mano language

The Mano language, also known as Maa, Mah, and Mawe, is a significant Mande language of Liberia and Guinea. It is spoken primarily in Nimba County in north-central Liberia and in Nzérékoré, Lola and Yomou Prefectures in Guinea.[1]

Mano
RegionLiberia, Guinea
Native speakers
390,000 (2012)[1]
Niger–Congo
  • Mande
    • Eastern Mande
      • Southeastern
        • Mano–Dan
          • Mano
Language codes
ISO 639-3mev
Glottologmann1248

Phonology

[2][3]

Vowels

Front/OralCentral/OralBack/OralFront/NasalCentral/NasalBack/Nasal
Closeiuĩũ
Close-mideo
Open-midɛɔɛ̃ɔ̃
Openaã

Consonants

LabialAlveolarPalatalVelarLabialized VelarVelar-Bilabial
Plosivesp bt dk gkʷ ɡʷk͡p ɡ͡b
Implosiveɓ
Fricativesf vs z
Oral Sonorantswlj
Nasal Sonorantsmnɲŋŋʷ

Where two symbols appear side-by-side, the one on the left is voiceless and the one on the right is voiced.

Tones

The language has three tones: high /˦/, mid /˧/, and low /˨/.

Sample Text

[4]

Mano

Kɛɛ pɛ séĩ é tĩã kɛɛ̀ ɓea, Wééa e ke ɓe. Wéé e kília e kɛ Wálà píé, ɛ̃ɛ̃ e kɛ Wálà ká. Wéé e kília e kɛ Wálà píé pɛ séĩ ga-gbɛ̃pìà. Wééa kolo làa lɛ́ Wálà e pɛ séĩ kɛɛ. Pɛ séĩ lɛ́ e ɓea dò wá ɓe kɛ à kɛɛ̀ é gɔ̃ kɛɛ̀á à kolo là. Kèɓe e kɛ Wééa yí. Kèɓe e kília e kɛ lɛ̀ fɔ̀nɔɔ̀ɔ ká mia lɛ̀ɛ. Lɛ̀ fɔ̀nɔɔ̀ɔ e kília, lɛ́ɛ̀ lɛ̀ fɔ̀nɔ bĩ tii bà, ɛ̃ɛ̃ bĩ tii e kília à kɔ̀ lɛ̀ɛ́ die do lɛ̀ fɔ̀nɔɔ̀ɔ là. Gɔ̃ doó lɛ́ ò si Zɔ̃ɔ̃ɔ e kɛ ɓe. Wálà lɛ́ e à vɔɔ.

English

In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. All things were made by him, and without him not any thing made that was made. In him was life, and the life was the light of men. And the light shineth in darkness, and the darkness comprehended it not. There was a man sent from God, whose name was John.

See also

References

  1. Mano at Ethnologue (18th ed., 2015)
  2. Christopher Green and Steven Moran. 2014. Mann sound inventory (GM). In: Moran, Steven & McCloy, Daniel & Wright, Richard (eds.) PHOIBLE Online. Leipzig: Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology. (Available online at http://phoible.org/inventories/view/1518, Accessed on 2016-11-12.)
  3. Khatchaturyan, Maria. 2015. Grammaire du mano. Mandenkan 54, 1-252.
  4. http://www.language-museum.com/encyclopedia/m/mano.php. Accessed on 2016-11-12.


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