Bassa Vah alphabet
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Bassa Vah (Bassa: 𖫔𖫧𖫳𖫒𖫨𖫰𖫨𖫱 𖫣𖫧𖫱, romanized:ɓǎsɔ́ɔ̀ và), also known as simply Vah (𖫣𖫧𖫱), meaning 'throwing a sign' in Bassa, is an alphabetic script for writing the Bassa language of Liberia. As an old system nearing extinction in the 1900s, it was rediscovered among Bassa in Brazil and the West Indies, then revived in Liberia, by Thomas Flo Lewis. Type was cast for it, and an association for its promotion was formed in Liberia in 1959. It is not used today and has been classified as a failed script.
Letters
Vah is written from left to right. It is a true alphabet, with 23 consonant letters, 7 vowels, and 5 tone diacritics.
A full-stop/period is represented with 𖫵.
| 𖫐IPA: [n]n | 𖫑IPA: [k]k | 𖫒IPA: [s]s | 𖫓IPA: [f]f | 𖫔IPA: [ɓ/m]ɓ/m | 𖫕IPA: [dʲ]/[ɲ]dy/ny | 𖫖IPA: [g]g | 𖫗IPA: [d]d | 𖫘IPA: [k͡p]kp | 𖫙IPA: [ɟ]j |
| 𖫚IPA: [xʷ]/[ħʷ]xw | 𖫛IPA: [w]w | 𖫜IPA: [z]z | 𖫝IPA: [g͡b/ŋ͡m]gb/gm | 𖫞IPA: [ɗ/ɾ/ɺ]ɖ | 𖫟IPA: [c]c | 𖫠IPA: [hʷ]hw | 𖫡IPA: [t]t | 𖫢IPA: [b]b | 𖫣IPA: [v]v |
| 𖫤IPA: [h]h | 𖫥IPA: [p]p | 𖫦IPA: [ɾ]r | 𖫧IPA: [a]a | 𖫨IPA: [ɔ]ɔ | 𖫩IPA: [o]o | 𖫪IPA: [u]u | 𖫫IPA: [e]e | 𖫬IPA: [ɛ]ɛ | 𖫭IPA: [i]i |
The letter 𖫔 is pronounced as /ɓ/ <ɓ> when followed by an oral vowel, for example 𖫔𖫧𖫴 <ɓâ> (friend). However, it's pronounced as /m/ <m> when followed by a nasal vowel - 𖫔𖫨𖫰𖫐 mɔ̃ (to want, wish).
The letter 𖫕 is pronounced as /dʲ/ <dy> when followed by an oral vowel, for example 𖫕𖫪𖫰 <dyú> (child). However, it's pronounced as /ɲ/ <ny> when followed by a nasal vowel - 𖫤𖫭𖫲𖫐𖫕𖫫𖫲𖫐 <hĩnyɛ̃> (four).
The letter 𖫝 is pronounced as /ɡ͡b/ <gb> when followed by an oral vowel, for example 𖫝𖫧𖫳 <gbǎ> (to lock). However, it's pronounced as /ŋ͡m/ <gm> when followed by a nasal vowel - 𖫝𖫧𖫲𖫐 gmã (law).
The letter 𖫞 is pronounced as /ɾ/ when written after 𖫗 /d/ or 𖫡 /t/ - 𖫡𖫩𖫳𖫞𖫩𖫳 /to˧ɾo˧/ (mountain), and is pronounced as /ɺ/ when written after any other consonants - 𖫓𖫪𖫰𖫞𖫪𖫰 /fu˦ɺu˦/ (to float). This letter is never immediately followed by a nasal vowel.
The letter 𖫦 is rarely used. It represents the sound /ɾ/, which is an allophone of /ɗ/, and appears only after /t/ or /d/ in a syllable initial 'cluster'. But this is usually written with the letter 𖫞.
Nasal vowels are written with the letter 𖫐 (n) after a corresponding vowel letter.
| 𖫧𖫐IPA: [ã]ã | 𖫨𖫐IPA: [ɔ̃]ɔ̃ | 𖫪𖫐IPA: [ũ]ũ | 𖫬𖫐IPA: [ɛ̃]ɛ̃ | 𖫭𖫐IPA: [ĩ]ĩ |
Tones
Vah uses five diacritical marks to denote tonality of its vowels. It distinguishes five tones: high, low, mid, mid-rising, and falling.
| high◌𖫰IPA: ˦ | low◌𖫱IPA: ˨ | mid◌𖫲IPA: ˧ | mid-rising◌𖫳IPA: ˨˧ | falling◌𖫴IPA: ˥˩ |
| 𖫧𖫰á | 𖫧𖫱à | 𖫧𖫲a | 𖫧𖫳ǎ | 𖫧𖫴â |
| 𖫨𖫰ɔ́ | 𖫨𖫱ɔ̀ | 𖫨𖫲ɔ | 𖫨𖫳ɔ̌ | 𖫨𖫴ɔ̂ |
| 𖫩𖫰ó | 𖫩𖫱ò | 𖫩𖫲o | 𖫩𖫳ǒ | 𖫩𖫴ô |
| 𖫪𖫰ú | 𖫪𖫱ù | 𖫪𖫲u | 𖫪𖫳ǔ | 𖫪𖫴û |
| 𖫫𖫰é | 𖫫𖫱è | 𖫫𖫲e | 𖫫𖫳ě | 𖫫𖫴ê |
| 𖫬𖫰ɛ́ | 𖫬𖫱ɛ̀ | 𖫬𖫲ɛ | 𖫬𖫳ɛ̌ | 𖫬𖫴ɛ̂ |
| 𖫭𖫰í | 𖫭𖫱ì | 𖫭𖫲i | 𖫭𖫳ǐ | 𖫭𖫴î |
The letters table shows the alphabetic order of the script. The tones above reflect the order they appear in the alphabet order as well. A vowel with tones are ordered before the subsequent vowel. For example, the vowel 𖫧 <a> is followed by 𖫧𖫰 𖫧𖫱 𖫧𖫲 𖫧𖫳 𖫧𖫴 and then the next vowel, 𖫨 <ɔ>, is ordered.
Sample texts
Article 1 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights: 𖫞𖫫𖫰 𖫐𖫭𖫱𖫐-𖫗𖫭𖫰𖫞𖫭𖫰 𖫑𖫫𖫱 𖫔𖫬𖫱𖫞𖫬𖫱𖫭𖫱𖫐-𖫕𖫭𖫰 𖫔𖫪𖫰𖫬𖫲, 𖫞𖫫𖫰𖫬𖫱 𖫕𖫨𖫲𖫐-𖫕𖫪𖫱 𖫒𖫫𖫰𖫭𖫰𖫐 𖫛𖫩𖫰𖫞𖫩𖫰𖫬𖫲 𖫔𖫬𖫰𖫭𖫱𖫐 𖫛𖫨𖫐𖫵 𖫑𖫫𖫰 𖫛𖫧𖫲 𖫔𖫫𖫰𖫞𖫫𖫰 𖫠𖫭𖫱𖫞𖫭𖫱𖫭𖫲-𖫥𖫩𖫲𖫭𖫱𖫐 𖫠𖫩𖫱𖫞𖫩𖫱-𖫕𖫪𖫱𖫧𖫱 𖫑𖫫𖫱 𖫞𖫬𖫲 𖫔𖫪𖫱𖫐𖫭𖫲𖫐 𖫛𖫨𖫰𖫐-𖫛𖫨𖫰𖫐 𖫒𖫨𖫱𖫫𖫱𖫭𖫱𖫐 𖫞𖫫𖫰 𖫕𖫨𖫲𖫪𖫰𖫐, 𖫑𖫫𖫰 𖫛𖫧𖫲 𖫔𖫫𖫰𖫞𖫫𖫰 𖫔𖫬𖫰 𖫛𖫧𖫲𖫧𖫱 𖫕𖫪𖫲𖫐-𖫞𖫬𖫱 𖫑𖫫𖫰 𖫝𖫩𖫲 𖫔𖫪𖫲𖫐𖫭𖫱𖫐 𖫔𖫩𖫰 𖫞𖫭𖫰𖫭𖫰 𖫑𖫧𖫱𖫵
| 𖫐IPA: [n]𖫐𖫧𖫰𖫐 (to drink) | 𖫑IPA: [k]𖫑𖫧𖫰 (to cut open) | 𖫒IPA: [s]𖫒𖫧𖫲 (to be tired) | 𖫓IPA: [f]𖫓𖫧𖫰 (to rip) | 𖫔IPA: [ɓ/m]𖫔𖫧𖫰𖫐𖫧𖫲𖫐 (night) | 𖫕IPA: [dʲ]/[ɲ]𖫕𖫧𖫰 (to climb up) | 𖫖IPA: [g]𖫖𖫧𖫲𖫐 (to choose) | 𖫗IPA: [d]𖫗𖫧𖫲 (somewhere) | 𖫘IPA: [k͡p]𖫘𖫧𖫰 (to happen) | 𖫙IPA: [ɟ]𖫙𖫧𖫳𖫧𖫱 (truth) |
| 𖫚IPA: [xʷ]/[ħʷ]𖫚𖫧𖫲 (hand) | 𖫛IPA: [w]𖫛𖫧𖫲 (they/them) | 𖫜IPA: [z]𖫜𖫧𖫱 (to remove) | 𖫝IPA: [g͡b/ŋ͡m]𖫝𖫧𖫲 (on (a road)) | 𖫞IPA: [ɗ/ɾ/ɺ]𖫞𖫧𖫰 (to call) | 𖫟IPA: [c]𖫟𖫧𖫰 (to deceive) | 𖫠IPA: [hʷ]𖫠𖫧𖫲𖫞𖫧𖫲 (to vomit) | 𖫡IPA: [t]𖫡𖫧𖫲𖫐 (three) | 𖫢IPA: [b]𖫢𖫧𖫲𖫐 (to be rich, plentiful) | 𖫣IPA: [v]𖫣𖫧𖫱𖫧𖫳 (green leaf) |
| 𖫤IPA: [h]𖫤𖫨𖫲𖫐𖫞𖫬𖫱𖫞𖫬𖫱 (hundred) | 𖫥IPA: [p]𖫥𖫧𖫰 (to drink) | 𖫦IPA: [ɾ]𖫦𖫧𖫰 (to plant) | 𖫧IPA: [a]𖫧𖫱 (we) | 𖫨IPA: [ɔ]𖫨𖫲 (he, she, it, his, hers, its, him, her) | 𖫩IPA: [o]𖫩𖫰𖫩𖫱-𖫟𖫪𖫱 (oak tree) | 𖫪IPA: [u]𖫓𖫪𖫰𖫞𖫪𖫰 (to float) | 𖫫IPA: [e]𖫟𖫫𖫰𖫞𖫬𖫱 (book) | 𖫬IPA: [ɛ]𖫞𖫬𖫲 (thing) | 𖫭IPA: [i]𖫭𖫰𖫐𖫙𖫧𖫱 (angel) |
Unicode
Bassa Vah was added to the Unicode Standard in June 2014 with the release of version 7.0.
The Unicode block for Bassa Vah is U+16AD0–U+16AFF:
| Bassa Vah[1][2] (PDF) | ||||||||||||||||
| 0 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | A | B | C | D | E | F | |
| U+16ADx | 𖫐 | 𖫑 | 𖫒 | 𖫓 | 𖫔 | 𖫕 | 𖫖 | 𖫗 | 𖫘 | 𖫙 | 𖫚 | 𖫛 | 𖫜 | 𖫝 | 𖫞 | 𖫟 |
| U+16AEx | 𖫠 | 𖫡 | 𖫢 | 𖫣 | 𖫤 | 𖫥 | 𖫦 | 𖫧 | 𖫨 | 𖫩 | 𖫪 | 𖫫 | 𖫬 | 𖫭 | ||
| U+16AFx | 𖫰 | 𖫱 | 𖫲 | 𖫳 | 𖫴 | 𖫵 | ||||||||||
| Notes 1.^ As of Unicode version 17.0 2.^ Grey areas indicate non-assigned code points |
External links
- , and , at Omniglot
- From the Bassa Vah Association (all links archived):