Ligbi Alphabet

Q: Which Ligbi variety and spelling does this page teach?

The chart follows the GILLBT 2016 Jogo column reproduced in Williams’s thesis. Jogo is used in the Banda area of Ghana. [1] This is a documented project inventory . It is not presented as a verified current official alphabet for every Ligbi variety.

Q: How many entries are in the complete Ligbi alphabet?

The selected inventory has thirty written units . Seven are vowel letters and twenty-three are consonant units. [1] The final chart pairs capitals and lowercase forms. A pair such as Aa still represents one entry, and a digraph stays intact.

Q: Why use ch rather than ky?

The source’s GILLBT column uses ch . Williams proposes ky in a separate column, together with other spelling changes. [1] This page keeps the GILLBT column internally consistent. It does not combine the author’s proposed letters with a different project inventory.

Q: How should I read ɛ, ɔ and ŋ?

Keep ɛ and ɔ distinct from e and o. The hints eh and aw are approximate English comparisons. [1] The letter ŋ represents a nasal sound like ng in sing. Do not add another hard g after it.

Q: Are gb and kp ordinary letter sequences?

In the selected chart, gb and kp are complete consonant units. Their mouth descriptions explain simultaneous closures at the lips and the back of the tongue. [1] Keep both written letters when you copy a unit. The paired overview shows GBgb and KPkp without increasing the alphabet count.

Q: Are Ligbi and Ligby different languages?

Ligby is an alternative name for Ligbi . The university language record lists it under the same code, lig. [2] Use the same documented inventory for the alternate name. The name alone does not establish another alphabet or a separate set of letter sounds.

Q: Where do the number words come from?

The words for one to nine come from Joshua Asegebo Adongo’s Wenchi Ligbi dataset. They are reproduced with approximate reading hints. [3] Zero is labelled English because a native form was not verified. This fallback is disclosed rather than presented as a native number word.

Q: Are the pronunciation hints native letter names?

The hints are approximate sound guides . Native letter names were not verified for this selected spelling convention. Use the written chart as the spelling reference. Practise sounds and words with a fluent speaker, especially where the English comparison is only approximate.

Ligbi Alphabet at a Glance

30 written units: 7 vowels and 23 consonants appear in the cited GILLBT column. ^[1]
This guide uses the 2016 Jogo inventory reproduced in Williams’s 2018 thesis. ^[1]
Jogo is a Ligbi variety spoken in the Banda area of Ghana. ^[1]
Ligby is another name for Ligbi, sharing the same language and this chart. ^[2]
The chart retains ch, sh and ny instead of merging distinct source conventions.
The complete overview preserves the source table’s grouped order, with paired cases.
Wenchi number words follow Adongo’s dataset; zero remains an explicit English fallback. ^[3]
This documented project inventory is not presented as a verified current official standard.

Uppercase Ligbi vowels:

[ee]

[eh]

[ay]

[ah]

[oh]

[aw]

[oo]

[ee]

Sounds like ee in see, with the tongue high at the front of the mouth. This is an approximate sound guide, not a verified native letter name.

[eh]

Sounds like e in bed. Keep it distinct from the closer vowel e. This is an approximate sound guide, not a verified native letter name.

[ay]

Keep a steady vowel like the first part of ay in say, without a final glide. This is an approximate sound guide, not a verified native letter name.

[ah]

Sounds like a in father, with the mouth open. This is an approximate sound guide, not a verified native letter name.

[oh]

Round the lips for a steady o, like the first part of English go without the glide. This is an approximate sound guide, not a verified native letter name.

[aw]

Use a more open rounded vowel than o, roughly like aw in saw in many English accents. This is an approximate sound guide, not a verified native letter name.

[oo]

Sounds like oo in food, with rounded lips. This is an approximate sound guide, not a verified native letter name.

Lowercase Ligbi vowels:

[ee]

[eh]

[ay]

[ah]

[oh]

[aw]

[oo]

[ee]

Sounds like ee in see, with the tongue high at the front of the mouth. This is an approximate sound guide, not a verified native letter name.

[eh]

Sounds like e in bed. Keep it distinct from the closer vowel e. This is an approximate sound guide, not a verified native letter name.

[ay]

Keep a steady vowel like the first part of ay in say, without a final glide. This is an approximate sound guide, not a verified native letter name.

[ah]

Sounds like a in father, with the mouth open. This is an approximate sound guide, not a verified native letter name.

[oh]

Round the lips for a steady o, like the first part of English go without the glide. This is an approximate sound guide, not a verified native letter name.

[aw]

Use a more open rounded vowel than o, roughly like aw in saw in many English accents. This is an approximate sound guide, not a verified native letter name.

[oo]

Sounds like oo in food, with rounded lips. This is an approximate sound guide, not a verified native letter name.

Uppercase Ligbi consonants:

[p]

[b]

[m]

[f]

[t]

[d]

[n]

[s]

[sh]

[z]

[ch]

[j]

[ny]

[ng]

[k]

[g]

[kp]

[gb]

[l]

[tapped r]

[y]

[w]

[h]

[p]

Sounds like p in spin, with a brief closure of both lips. This is an approximate sound guide, not a verified native letter name.

[b]

Sounds like b in book, closing both lips and using the voice. This is an approximate sound guide, not a verified native letter name.

[m]

Sounds like m in moon, with both lips closed and air flowing through the nose. This is an approximate sound guide, not a verified native letter name.

[f]

Sounds like f in fish, passing air between the lower lip and upper teeth. This is an approximate sound guide, not a verified native letter name.

[t]

Sounds like t in stop, with the tongue at the upper teeth or the ridge just behind them. This is an approximate sound guide, not a verified native letter name.

[d]

Sounds like d in day, touching the tongue near the upper teeth. This is an approximate sound guide, not a verified native letter name.

[n]

Sounds like n in nose, with the tongue touching behind the upper teeth. This is an approximate sound guide, not a verified native letter name.

[s]

Sounds like s in sun, letting air pass through a narrow groove along the tongue. This is an approximate sound guide, not a verified native letter name.

[sh]

Sounds like sh in ship. The two written letters represent one sound here. This is an approximate sound guide, not a verified native letter name.

[z]

Sounds like z in zoo, with the voice engaged while air passes along the tongue. This is an approximate sound guide, not a verified native letter name.

[ch]

Sounds roughly like ch in church. The two written letters represent one sound here. This is an approximate sound guide, not a verified native letter name.

[j]

Sounds roughly like j in jam, with the tongue raised towards the hard palate. This is an approximate sound guide, not a verified native letter name.

[ny]

Sounds roughly like ny in canyon, with the tongue raised towards the hard palate. This is an approximate sound guide, not a verified native letter name.

[ng]

Sounds like ng at the end of sing. Do not add a separate hard g after it. This is an approximate sound guide, not a verified native letter name.

[k]

Sounds like k in skin, made by closing the back of the tongue against the soft palate. This is an approximate sound guide, not a verified native letter name.

[g]

Sounds like the hard g in get, rather than the g in giant. This is an approximate sound guide, not a verified native letter name.

[kp]

Close the lips and the back of the tongue together, then release both closures without voicing. This is an approximate sound guide, not a verified native letter name.

[gb]

Close the lips and the back of the tongue together, then release both closures as one voiced sound. This is an approximate sound guide, not a verified native letter name.

[l]

Sounds like l in leaf, with air passing around the sides of the tongue. This is an approximate sound guide, not a verified native letter name.

[tapped r]

Tap the tongue briefly near the ridge behind the upper teeth, rather than using a long English r. This is an approximate sound guide, not a verified native letter name.

[y]

Sounds like y in yes. It represents a consonant glide rather than the vowel in English my. This is an approximate sound guide, not a verified native letter name.

[w]

Sounds like w in wet, briefly rounding the lips before the following vowel. This is an approximate sound guide, not a verified native letter name.

[h]

Sounds like h in hat, with a gentle breath through the open throat. This is an approximate sound guide, not a verified native letter name.

Lowercase Ligbi consonants:

[p]

[b]

[m]

[f]

[t]

[d]

[n]

[s]

[sh]

[z]

[ch]

[j]

[ny]

[ng]

[k]

[g]

[kp]

[gb]

[l]

[tapped r]

[y]

[w]

[h]

[p]

Sounds like p in spin, with a brief closure of both lips. This is an approximate sound guide, not a verified native letter name.

[b]

Sounds like b in book, closing both lips and using the voice. This is an approximate sound guide, not a verified native letter name.

[m]

Sounds like m in moon, with both lips closed and air flowing through the nose. This is an approximate sound guide, not a verified native letter name.

[f]

Sounds like f in fish, passing air between the lower lip and upper teeth. This is an approximate sound guide, not a verified native letter name.

[t]

Sounds like t in stop, with the tongue at the upper teeth or the ridge just behind them. This is an approximate sound guide, not a verified native letter name.

[d]

Sounds like d in day, touching the tongue near the upper teeth. This is an approximate sound guide, not a verified native letter name.

[n]

Sounds like n in nose, with the tongue touching behind the upper teeth. This is an approximate sound guide, not a verified native letter name.

[s]

Sounds like s in sun, letting air pass through a narrow groove along the tongue. This is an approximate sound guide, not a verified native letter name.

[sh]

Sounds like sh in ship. The two written letters represent one sound here. This is an approximate sound guide, not a verified native letter name.

[z]

Sounds like z in zoo, with the voice engaged while air passes along the tongue. This is an approximate sound guide, not a verified native letter name.

[ch]

Sounds roughly like ch in church. The two written letters represent one sound here. This is an approximate sound guide, not a verified native letter name.

[j]

Sounds roughly like j in jam, with the tongue raised towards the hard palate. This is an approximate sound guide, not a verified native letter name.

[ny]

Sounds roughly like ny in canyon, with the tongue raised towards the hard palate. This is an approximate sound guide, not a verified native letter name.

[ng]

Sounds like ng at the end of sing. Do not add a separate hard g after it. This is an approximate sound guide, not a verified native letter name.

[k]

Sounds like k in skin, made by closing the back of the tongue against the soft palate. This is an approximate sound guide, not a verified native letter name.

[g]

Sounds like the hard g in get, rather than the g in giant. This is an approximate sound guide, not a verified native letter name.

[kp]

Close the lips and the back of the tongue together, then release both closures without voicing. This is an approximate sound guide, not a verified native letter name.

[gb]

Close the lips and the back of the tongue together, then release both closures as one voiced sound. This is an approximate sound guide, not a verified native letter name.

[l]

Sounds like l in leaf, with air passing around the sides of the tongue. This is an approximate sound guide, not a verified native letter name.

[tapped r]

Tap the tongue briefly near the ridge behind the upper teeth, rather than using a long English r. This is an approximate sound guide, not a verified native letter name.

[y]

Sounds like y in yes. It represents a consonant glide rather than the vowel in English my. This is an approximate sound guide, not a verified native letter name.

[w]

Sounds like w in wet, briefly rounding the lips before the following vowel. This is an approximate sound guide, not a verified native letter name.

[h]

Sounds like h in hat, with a gentle breath through the open throat. This is an approximate sound guide, not a verified native letter name.

[ch]

[sh]

[ny]

[ng]

[kp]

[gb]

[eh]

[aw]

[ch]

Sounds roughly like ch in church. The two written letters represent one sound here. This is an approximate sound guide, not a verified native letter name.

[sh]

Sounds like sh in ship. The two written letters represent one sound here. This is an approximate sound guide, not a verified native letter name.

[ny]

Sounds roughly like ny in canyon, with the tongue raised towards the hard palate. This is an approximate sound guide, not a verified native letter name.

[ng]

Sounds like ng at the end of sing. Do not add a separate hard g after it. This is an approximate sound guide, not a verified native letter name.

[kp]

Close the lips and the back of the tongue together, then release both closures without voicing. This is an approximate sound guide, not a verified native letter name.

[gb]

Close the lips and the back of the tongue together, then release both closures as one voiced sound. This is an approximate sound guide, not a verified native letter name.

[eh]

Sounds like e in bed. Keep it distinct from the closer vowel e. This is an approximate sound guide, not a verified native letter name.

[aw]

Use a more open rounded vowel than o, roughly like aw in saw in many English accents. This is an approximate sound guide, not a verified native letter name.

[zero]

[dee-yeh]

[fah-lah]

[see-gbah]

[naa-nee]

[soo-loh]

[moo-roh]

[mah-fah-lah]

[mah-see-gbah]

[mah-rah-nee]

[zero]

The English word zero is an explicit fallback because a native zero form was not verified.

[dee-yeh]

The documented Ligbi word for 1. The pronunciation hint is approximate. Source tones are retained, with ordinary g used in place of phonetic script g.

[fah-lah]

The documented Ligbi word for 2. The pronunciation hint is approximate. Source tones are retained, with ordinary g used in place of phonetic script g.

[see-gbah]

The documented Ligbi word for 3. The pronunciation hint is approximate. Source tones are retained, with ordinary g used in place of phonetic script g.

[naa-nee]

The documented Ligbi word for 4. The pronunciation hint is approximate. Source tones are retained, with ordinary g used in place of phonetic script g.

[soo-loh]

The documented Ligbi word for 5. The pronunciation hint is approximate. Source tones are retained, with ordinary g used in place of phonetic script g.

[moo-roh]

The documented Ligbi word for 6. The pronunciation hint is approximate. Source tones are retained, with ordinary g used in place of phonetic script g.

[mah-fah-lah]

The documented Ligbi word for 7. The pronunciation hint is approximate. Source tones are retained, with ordinary g used in place of phonetic script g.

[mah-see-gbah]

The documented Ligbi word for 8. The pronunciation hint is approximate. Source tones are retained, with ordinary g used in place of phonetic script g.

[mah-rah-nee]

The documented Ligbi word for 9. The pronunciation hint is approximate. Source tones are retained, with ordinary g used in place of phonetic script g.

[p]

[b]

[m]

[f]

[t]

[d]

[n]

[s]

SHsh

[sh]

[z]

CHch

[ch]

[j]

NYny

[ny]

Ŋŋ

[ng]

[k]

[g]

KPkp

[kp]

GBgb

[gb]

[l]

[tapped r]

[y]

[w]

[h]

[ee]

Ɛɛ

[eh]

[ay]

[ah]

[oh]

Ɔɔ

[aw]

[oo]

[p]

Sounds like p in spin, with a brief closure of both lips. This is an approximate sound guide, not a verified native letter name.

[b]

Sounds like b in book, closing both lips and using the voice. This is an approximate sound guide, not a verified native letter name.

[m]

Sounds like m in moon, with both lips closed and air flowing through the nose. This is an approximate sound guide, not a verified native letter name.

[f]

Sounds like f in fish, passing air between the lower lip and upper teeth. This is an approximate sound guide, not a verified native letter name.

[t]

Sounds like t in stop, with the tongue at the upper teeth or the ridge just behind them. This is an approximate sound guide, not a verified native letter name.

[d]

Sounds like d in day, touching the tongue near the upper teeth. This is an approximate sound guide, not a verified native letter name.

[n]

Sounds like n in nose, with the tongue touching behind the upper teeth. This is an approximate sound guide, not a verified native letter name.

[s]

Sounds like s in sun, letting air pass through a narrow groove along the tongue. This is an approximate sound guide, not a verified native letter name.

SHsh

[sh]

Sounds like sh in ship. The two written letters represent one sound here. This is an approximate sound guide, not a verified native letter name.

[z]

Sounds like z in zoo, with the voice engaged while air passes along the tongue. This is an approximate sound guide, not a verified native letter name.

CHch

[ch]

Sounds roughly like ch in church. The two written letters represent one sound here. This is an approximate sound guide, not a verified native letter name.

[j]

Sounds roughly like j in jam, with the tongue raised towards the hard palate. This is an approximate sound guide, not a verified native letter name.

NYny

[ny]

Sounds roughly like ny in canyon, with the tongue raised towards the hard palate. This is an approximate sound guide, not a verified native letter name.

Ŋŋ

[ng]

Sounds like ng at the end of sing. Do not add a separate hard g after it. This is an approximate sound guide, not a verified native letter name.

[k]

Sounds like k in skin, made by closing the back of the tongue against the soft palate. This is an approximate sound guide, not a verified native letter name.

[g]

Sounds like the hard g in get, rather than the g in giant. This is an approximate sound guide, not a verified native letter name.

KPkp

[kp]

Close the lips and the back of the tongue together, then release both closures without voicing. This is an approximate sound guide, not a verified native letter name.

GBgb

[gb]

Close the lips and the back of the tongue together, then release both closures as one voiced sound. This is an approximate sound guide, not a verified native letter name.

[l]

Sounds like l in leaf, with air passing around the sides of the tongue. This is an approximate sound guide, not a verified native letter name.

[tapped r]

Tap the tongue briefly near the ridge behind the upper teeth, rather than using a long English r. This is an approximate sound guide, not a verified native letter name.

[y]

Sounds like y in yes. It represents a consonant glide rather than the vowel in English my. This is an approximate sound guide, not a verified native letter name.

[w]

Sounds like w in wet, briefly rounding the lips before the following vowel. This is an approximate sound guide, not a verified native letter name.

[h]

Sounds like h in hat, with a gentle breath through the open throat. This is an approximate sound guide, not a verified native letter name.

[ee]

Sounds like ee in see, with the tongue high at the front of the mouth. This is an approximate sound guide, not a verified native letter name.

Ɛɛ

[eh]

Sounds like e in bed. Keep it distinct from the closer vowel e. This is an approximate sound guide, not a verified native letter name.

[ay]

Keep a steady vowel like the first part of ay in say, without a final glide. This is an approximate sound guide, not a verified native letter name.

[ah]

Sounds like a in father, with the mouth open. This is an approximate sound guide, not a verified native letter name.

[oh]

Round the lips for a steady o, like the first part of English go without the glide. This is an approximate sound guide, not a verified native letter name.

Ɔɔ

[aw]

Use a more open rounded vowel than o, roughly like aw in saw in many English accents. This is an approximate sound guide, not a verified native letter name.

[oo]

Sounds like oo in food, with rounded lips. This is an approximate sound guide, not a verified native letter name.

Expand All Collapse All

Which Ligbi variety and spelling does this page teach?

How many entries are in the complete Ligbi alphabet?

Why use ch rather than ky?

How should I read ɛ, ɔ and ŋ?

Are gb and kp ordinary letter sequences?

Are Ligbi and Ligby different languages?

Where do the number words come from?

Are the pronunciation hints native letter names?

References:

[1] Elias Williams. Aspects of Jogo Phonology. University of Ghana MPhil thesis (2018), Appendix C, pp. 102–106. GILLBT’s 2016 inventory and a separate author proposal. Retrieved from University of Ghana thesis record.
[2] Budapest University of Technology and Economics. Digital Language Vitality: Ligbi. Language record listing Ligby among alternative names and the shared code lig. Retrieved from Ligbi alternative-name record.
[3] Joshua Asegebo Adongo, GILLBT (2021). Ligbi numerals, Wenchi variety, in Eugene Chan’s Numeral Systems of the World’s Languages. Retrieved from Researcher-supplied Ligbi numbers.