A structured lesson plan for diaspora members learning to speak Mende. Start with greetings and vowels, then progress through grammar, dialogues, and vocabulary at your own pace.
Course Outline
22 lessons — click any card to start that lesson.
The Mende Sound System
Mende has seven vowels and several consonant clusters that are single sounds, not two or three distinct sounds as their spelling may suggest.
7Vowels
aa in English cattle
ea in English hay
ɛe in English let
iea in English meat
ɔoa in English boat
oo in English both
uu in English choose
CConsonant Clusters
gbgbua — broom
kpkpakpa — work
ndndopo — rice
ngngenge — child
njnjai — come out
mbmbei — water
Consonant mutation: a word does not always begin with the same consonant. For example, 'pele' (house) becomes 'wee' with the possessive 'nya wee' (my house).