Language/Amharic/Grammar/Pronunciation-and-Phonetics
Amharic Alphabet
The Amharic alphabet is known as “Fidel” and consists of 33 letters. The script is written from left to right, and vowels are represented by standalone letters. In this lesson, we will focus on the pronunciation and phonetics of the Amharic alphabet.
Consonants
Amharic has 27 consonants, which are divided into three groups:
- Voiceless plosive (6 consonants): p, t, ተወ (ch), ተቅ (k), ንትር (q), ጸ (ts) - Voiced plosive (7 consonants): b, d, ድ (j), ጭ (ch'), ጵ (p'), ጽ (ts') - Fricative (8 consonants): f, s, ስ (sh), h, ህ (kh), ሽ (s'), ኸ (h'), ወር (w)
Consonants in Amharic have their own unique pronunciation, and they can be distinguished from similar sounding consonants based on their phonetic properties.
Voiceless Plosives
Voiceless plosives in Amharic are pronounced by stopping the airflow using the lips, tongue, or vocal cords, followed by a sudden release of the air.
| Amharic | Pronunciation | English |
|---|---|---|
| ፕ | p | pot |
| ት | t | time |
| ተወ | ch | chew |
| ተቅ | k | keep |
| ንትር | q | queen |
| ጸ | ts | fits |
Voiced Plosives
Voiced plosives in Amharic are pronounced in the same way as voiceless plosives, but with the addition of vocal cord vibration.
| Amharic | Pronunciation | English |
|---|---|---|
| ብ | b | bee |
| ድ | d | day |
| ጭ | ch' | church |
| ጵ | p' | spin |
| ጽ | ts' | cats |
Fricative Consonants
Fricative consonants in Amharic are pronounced by restricting the airflow and causing friction or vibration through a narrow opening.
| Amharic | Pronunciation | English |
|---|---|---|
| ፈ | f | fun |
| ሰ | s | sit |
| ስ | sh | shout |
| ህ | kh | Bach |
| ሽ | s' | sing |
| ኸ | h' | happy |
| ወር | w | win |
| ከፍል | h | heart |
Vowels
Amharic has seven vowels, which can be short or long. Long vowels are marked with a horizontal line above the vowel letter.
| Short Vowels | Long Vowels | Pronunciation |
|---|---|---|
| አ | ኣ | a (father) |
| ኢ | ኤ | i (bit) |
| እ | ኦ | e (bed) |
| ከ | ክ | o (note) |
| የ | ይ | ey (they) |
| ዩ | ዮ | u (flute) |
| ኩ | ኮ | uu (food) |
In Amharic, vowels have a strong influence on the surrounding consonants, and some consonants may change their pronunciation depending on which vowel is used.
For example, the pronunciation of the letter ከ (k) can vary depending on which vowel follows it:
- With the short vowel ከ, it is pronounced as "ka". - With the long vowel ክ, it is pronounced as "ko".
Another example is the letter ስ (s), which also changes its pronunciation depending on the following vowel:
- With the short vowel ስ, it is pronounced as "sa". - With the long vowel ሥ, it is pronounced as "see".
Syllable Structure
Amharic syllables are composed of a consonant and a vowel, or a vowel alone. There are no syllables in Amharic that end in a consonant.
When two consonants are adjacent, they form a syllable if the first consonant is a liquid (ር, ል, ክ, ጭ), or if the second consonant is a voiceless plosive (ፕ, ት, ንትር, ጸ), with the exception of the consonant ስ (s), which always forms a separate syllable.
For example:
- ማስተርያም (ma-stri-yam) - Meaning "teacher" - ከርስቶስ (ke-ri-si-tos) - Meaning "Christ"
Pronunciation Tips
Here are some tips for improving your Amharic pronunciation:
- Practice speaking slowly and clearly. - Listen to native speakers and try to mimic their intonation and pronunciation. - Pay attention to the tone of your voice, as Amharic has a tonal system that can change the meaning of a word. - Focus on mastering the basic sounds and syllable structure before moving on to more advanced topics.
Conclusion
In this lesson, you have learned about the pronunciation and phonetics of the Amharic alphabet. Understanding the sounds of Amharic consonants and vowels is an essential step towards mastering the language. In the next lesson, we will explore Amharic greetings and introductions.
Related Lessons
- Simple Sentence
- Stem verbs
- Negation
- Nouns and Pronouns
- Adjectives
- Time Adverbs
- How to Use Have
- Using Prepositional Phrases
- Negation and Questions
- “to be” and “to have”