Sa language

Introduction · Alphabet · Word list

Sa is a relatively difficult language to write down, and the various people who have tried over the past century have done so in varying ways. However, an orthography was developed by Catriona Hyslop of USP during a visit to Wanur in 2001 is on its way to becoming a standard, having been adopted by primary school teachers and by those translating the Gospels into Sa language. Murray Garde and I, together with the Sa Language Committee (whose members declared themselves generally satisfied with the orthography), have since made informal efforts to adapt the orthography to Sa's more extreme dialects. However, more work in this area is needed.

The letters of Sa (as recorded by Catriona Hyslop), with their approximate IPA equivalents, are given below...

Sounds of Sa

The letter d or t is realised as an r-like flap in certain positions. (Many locals like to write rr here.) This has led to endless spelling issues, some of which are not yet resolved.

The j sound has been written ts by some authors, particularly Francophones (who associate j with a different sound). However, at meetings of the Sa Language Committee, the Francophones present agreed to the use of j.

Murray Garde reports an extra 'a' sound in Bunlap dialect, which has been provisionally written â. More investigation into this sound is needed.

Some locals writing in Sa also use the letter y (for example writing the word "sun" as yal or yêl), though this is not in the official alphabet (which uses i instead).

The northernmost dialect of Sa ("F dialect") is characterised by the presence of an f sound, which is not found in other dialects. In F dialect appears to lack distinct labiovelarised consonants (bw, mw, pw), and s may be pronounced like English sh in this dialect.

Ha, the southernmost dialect, appears to lack the j sound found in other Sa dialects.