Consonants — Character and Classes

§8–12. CHARACTER OF CONSONANTS f = as in English "father" h = always aspirated, as in "house" (never silent) k = as in "keep" — replaces c and q of other systems l = a liquid sound softer than English l, intermediate between l and r m = as in English — before b and p (nasal element of mb, mp) n = as in English — before d, j, g (nasal element of nd, nj, ng) s = always as in "see," never as in "zeal" t = as in English "top" v = as in English "very" w = as in English "wet" (semi-vowel before vowels) y = as in English "yet" (semi-vowel before vowels) §13–14. CLASSES OF CONSONANTS SIMPLE consonants: f, h, k, l, m, n, s, t, v NASAL (prenasalized) consonants — nasal + stop: mb (= b) mp (= p) nd (= d) nj (= j) ng (= g) — always hard and nasal: nge = "ngweh", ngi = "ngwee" COMPOUND consonants (digraphs): ng = nasal + g, always hard: never as in "sing" nj = nasal + j (= "ndj") §15. CONSONANTAL DIPHTHONGS The combinations lw, sw, tw, etc., where w follows a consonant before a vowel, occur in rapid speech creating consonant clusters, as in: okwami = okwami (from oku + ami)