Mossi language
Mossi | |
---|---|
Mooré | |
Native to | Burkina Faso, Benin, Ivory Coast, Ghana, Mali, Togo |
Ethnicity | Mossi |
Native speakers | 7.83 million (2009–2013)[1] |
Writing system | Latin |
Official status | |
Recognised minority language in | Burkina Faso |
Language codes | |
ISO 639-2 | mos |
ISO 639-3 | mos |
Glottolog | moss1236 |
Majority areas of Mossi speakers, in pink, on a map of Burkina Faso |
Person | Moaaga |
---|---|
People | Moose |
Language | Mòoré |
The Mossi language (known in the language as Mooré; also Mòoré, Mõõré, Moré, Moshi, Moore, More) is a Gur language of the Oti–Volta branch and one of two official regional languages of Burkina Faso, closely related to the Frafra language spoken just across the border in the northern half of Ghana and less-closely to Dagbani and Mampruli farther south. It is the language of the Mossi people, spoken by approximately 5 million people in Burkina Faso, plus another 60,000+ in Mali and Togo.
Phonology[]
The Mossi language consists of the following sounds:[3]
Consonants[]
Labial | Alveolar | Postalveolar / palatal |
Velar | Glottal | ||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Nasal | m | n | ɲ | |||
Stop | voiceless | p | t | k | ʔ | |
voiced | b | d | ɡ | |||
Fricative | voiceless | f | s | h | ||
voiced | v | z | ||||
Liquid | r, l | |||||
Approximant | j | w |
Remark:
- The semivowel /j/ y is pronounced [ɲ] (palatal nasal) in front of nasal vowels.
Vowels[]
Front | Central | Back | ||
---|---|---|---|---|
Close | close | i | u | |
near-close | ɪ | ʊ | ||
Close-mid | e | o | ||
Open | a |
Notes:
- All vowels (other than /e/ and /o/) are pronounced like their nasal counterparts.
- All vowels (oral and nasal) are pronounced like their lengthened counterparts.
- Other linguists include the vowels /ɛ/ and /ɔ/; here, they are analysed as diphthongs, (/ɛ/ is considered to be ea and /ɔ/ is considered to be oa).
Orthography[]
In Burkina Faso, the Mossi alphabet uses the letters specified in the national Burkinabé alphabet.
Burkinabé Mossi alphabet | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
A | ʼ | B | D | E | Ɛ | F | G | H | I | Ɩ | K | L | M | N | O | P | R | S | T | U | Ʋ | V | W | Y | Z |
a | ʼ | b | d | e | ɛ | f | g | h | i | ɩ | k | l | m | n | o | p | r | s | t | u | ʋ | v | w | y | z |
Phonetic values | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
a | ʔ | b | d | e | ɛ | f | ɡ | h | i | ɪ | k | l | m | n | o | p | r | s | t | u | ʊ | v | w | j | z |
See also[]
References[]
External links[]
Learning materials[]
Wikivoyage has a phrasebook for Mooré. |
- Protestant Mission, Assemblies of God. More (Language of the Mossi Tribe) Phrase Book. Ouagadougou, Upper Volta: World Digital Library.
Categories:
- Oti–Volta languages
- Languages of Burkina Faso
- Languages of Benin
- Languages of Ivory Coast
- Languages of Ghana
- Languages of Mali
- Languages of Togo
- Mossi people
- Burkina Faso stubs
- Gur language stubs