Bambara Alphabet | Bambara Abida
The Bambara alphabet consists of 27 letters using the Latin script with special characters for Bambara sounds.
A a
A
a
B b
Be
b
C c
Ce
ch
D d
De
d
E e
E
e
Ɛ ɛ
Epsilon
eh
F f
Fe
f
G g
Ge
g
H h
He
h
I i
I
i
J j
Je
j
K k
Ke
k
L l
Le
l
M m
Me
m
N n
Ne
n
Ɲ ɲ
Nya
ny
Ŋ ŋ
Eng
ng
O o
O
o
Ɔ ɔ
Open O
aw
P p
Pe
p
R r
Re
r
S s
Se
s
T t
Te
t
U u
U
u
W w
We
w
Y y
Ye
y
Z z
Ze
z
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About the Bambara Alphabet
The Bambara alphabet uses the Latin script with 27 letters, including special characters ɛ, ɲ, ŋ, and ɔ. Bambara is a Mande language spoken primarily in Mali and is one of the most widely spoken languages in West Africa. The alphabet was standardized to represent Bambara phonology accurately.
History
The Bambara Latin alphabet was developed in the 20th century by linguists and missionaries. The current orthography was standardized in the 1960s-1970s with the addition of special characters for sounds unique to Bambara. The alphabet has been refined to promote literacy in Mali.
Key Features
- Written from left to right
- 27 letters
- Includes open vowels
- Based on Latin script
- Standardized in 1960s-70s
- Widely spoken in West Africa