Yenware Vai

• The Vai language is a Mande language spoken by the Vai people in Liberia and Sierra Leone.
• The Vai syllabary was devised by Momolu Duwalu Bukele and was first documented in the 1830s.

Table of Phonemes

POA	labial				dental			alveolar			palatal			glottal		nasal1				vowels
IPA	/φ/	/β/	/w/		/l/	/t/		/ɾ/	/s/		/k/	/j/		/h/		/m/	/n/	/ŋ/		/ä/	/e/	/o/	/u/	/i/
Latin	f	v	w		l	t		r	s		k	y		h		m	n	ń		a	e	o	u	i

Note

• ¹ The nasals are grouped together because only they can be found as syllable codas.

Syllabary

	a		e		o		u		i
	ꕉ		ꔀ		ꕱ		ꖕ		ꔤ
f	ꕘ		ꔌ		ꕽ		ꖢ		ꔱ
v	ꕙ		ꔍ		ꕾ		ꖣ		ꔲ
w	ꕎ		ꔃ		ꕴ		ꖙ		ꔨ
l	ꕞ		ꔒ		ꔷ		ꖨ		ꖃ
t	ꕚ		ꔎ		ꕿ		ꖤ		ꔳ
r	ꕟ		ꔓ		ꖄ		ꖩ		ꔸ
s	ꕢ		ꔖ		ꖇ		ꖬ		ꔻ
k	ꕪ		ꔞ		ꖏ		ꖴ		ꕃ
y 1	ꕏ		ꔄ		ꕵ		ꖚ		ꔩ
h	ꕌ		ꔂ		ꕳ		ꖗ		ꔦ
m	ꕮ		ꔡ		ꖒ		ꖷ		ꕆ
n	ꕯ		ꔢ		ꖓ		ꖸ		ꕇ
ń	ꕬ		ꔟ		ꖐ		ꖵ		ꕄ

Note

• ¹ The <w̃-> syllables are assigned to the <y-> syllables.

Codas

codas	-m		-n		-ń			ań 1
	ꘈ 2		ꘉ 2		ꘋ			ꕊ

Notes

• ¹ Because of its frequency, the definite article has its own syllable. It is /ã/ reassigned. It is used even when the <a> is elided:
  • ꔢꔄ ꕊ, neye ań, the girl
  • ꕏꕯ ꕊ, yana 'ń, the lake
• ² <-m> and <-n> are taken from the <ɛ> row of the syllabary.

Example

• All human beings are born free and equal in dignity and rights.
• Win nuńwu wolo rile o otu usa ve sańo yuń o sati yi.
• ꔨꘉ ꖸꘉꖙ ꕴꖃ ꔸꔒ ꕱ ꕱꖤ ꖕꕢ ꕉꕱ ꔍ ꕢꖐ ꖚꘋ ꖕ ꕢꔳ ꔩ.

• They are endowed with reason and conscience
• Etu yuń o fuwi yuń ye sa yi
• ꔀꖤ ꖚꘋ ꕱ ꖢꔨ ꖚꘋ ꔄ ꕢ ꔩ

• and should act towards one another in a spirit of brotherhood.
• o wa sońa weńwa wiva ve wasi ńom wila ve ńohita wafa.
• ꕱ ꕎ ꖇꕬ ꔃꘋꕎ ꔨꕙ ꔍ ꕎꔻ ꖐꘈ ꔨꕞ ꔍ ꖐꔦꕚ ꕎꕘ.

• Universal Declaration of Human Rights, Article 1