The /ɛ/ sound in Nkwen Language

/ɛ/ is one of the vowel sounds in Nkwen Language. It is an open mid sound different from the /e/ which is a close mid sound. It mostly surfaced at the medial and final positions in words. Here are some of the words and a short reading exercise below.

Є  ε

M̀bὲrә      → black berries

m̀bὲrә̂      → a lazy one

m̀benә̀     → a fight

fὲrә̀          → wind

fὲtә̂           → separate a fight

ǝ̀lὲrә̀         → a twine

bὲ’ὲtә̀        → flash light

àbεrә̀        →  a traditional chair

bεtә           → to quench

àkwε̌          → a bone

àkwὲˀὲ  →upper part of the leg (thigh)

nǝ̀kùwɛ̀ – a pilar

Toŋtә nә̀

    Àmbε  bǝ̌ m̀bὲrә̂. À koŋә tyә mbenә susu. A ghә ǹtsὲˀε mbὲrә̀ ma fὲrә̀ chya ǹkùtә̂. À bә bεntә bu su jyә. À koŋә àfàˀà bәbὲrә susu. Nǝ̀kùwɛ̀ nǝ ndyâ zhi zǝtsǝ bǝ’ǝnǝ, a kakǝ nyesǝ̀.

Free Translation

    Ambe is a lazy one. He likes to fight a lot. He has picked up some black berries plucked by wind to prepare and eat. He likes being lazy. One of the pillars of his house is broken and he has not mended it.