N'Ko script: Difference between revisions

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'''Nko''' (ߒߞߏ), also spelled '''N'Ko''',<ref>{{cite book|author1=Moussa Koulako Bala Doumbouya|author2=Baba Mamadi Diané|author3=Solo Farabado Cissé|author4=Djibrila Diané|author5=Abdoulaye Sow|author6=Séré Moussa Doumbouya|author7=Daouda Bangoura|author8=Fodé Moriba Bayo|author9=Ibrahima Sory 2. Condé|author10=Kalo Mory Diané|author11=Chris Piech|author12=Christopher Manning|title=Proceedings of the Eighth Conference on Machine Translation (WMT), December 6–7, 2023|chapter=Machine Translation for Nko: Tools, Corpora and Baseline Results|pages=312–343|year=2023|publisher=Association for Computational Linguistics|url=https://www2.statmt.org/wmt23/pdf/2023.wmt-1.34.pdf|quote=Also spelled N’Ko, but speakers prefer the name Nko.}}</ref>, is an [[alphabetic script]] devised by [[Solomana Kante|Solomana Kanté]] in 1949, as a modern [[writing system]] for the [[Manding languages]] of West Africa.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.ethnologue.com/language/nqo|title=N'ko|date=2019|editor-last=Eberhard|editor-first=David|editor2-last=Simons|editor2-first=Gary|website=Ethnoloque|access-date=June 12, 2019|editor3-last=Fennig|editor3-first=Charles}}</ref><ref>{{Cite journal|last=Oyler|first=Dianne|date=Spring 2002|title=Re-Inventing Oral Tradition: The Modern Epic of Souleymane Kanté|journal=Research in African Literatures|volume=33|issue=1|pages=75–93 |doi=10.1353/ral.2002.0034|jstor=3820930|s2cid=162339606|oclc=57936283}}</ref> The term ''Nko'', which means ''I say'' in all Manding languages, is also used for the [[N'Ko language|Manding literary standard]] written in the Nko script.

The script has a few similarities to the [[Arabic script]], notably its direction ([[right-to-left]]) and the letters that are connected at the base. Unlike Arabic, it is obligatory to mark both [[Tone (linguistics)|tone]] and [[vowel]]s. Nko tones are marked as [[diacritic]]s.

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{{Anchor|Literary language}}As of 2005, it was used mainly in [[Guinea]] and the [[Ivory Coast]] (respectively by [[Maninka language|Maninka]] and [[Dyula language|Dyula]] speakers), with an active user community in [[Mali]] (by [[Bambara language|Bambara]] speakers). Publications include a translation of the [[Quran]], a variety of textbooks on subjects such as [[physics]] and [[geography]], poetic and philosophical works, descriptions of traditional medicine, a dictionary, and several local newspapers. Though taught mostly informally through Nko literacy promotion associations, Nko has also been introduced more recently into formal education through private primary schools in Upper Guinea.{{sfn|Wyrod|2008}} It has been classed as the most successful of the West African scripts.<ref>Unseth, Peter. 2011. Invention of Scripts in West Africa for Ethnic Revitalization. In {{cite book|last1=Fishman|first1=Joshua|author-link1=Joshua Fishman|last2=Garcia|first2=Ofelia|author-link2=Ofelia García (educator)|title=Handbook of Language and Ethnic Identity: The Success-Failure Continuum in Language and Ethnic Identity Efforts (Volume 2)|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=oUydX_3rG0AC|year=2011|publisher=Oxford University Press|isbn=978-0-19-983799-1}}</ref>

Nko literature generally uses a [[literary language]] register, termed ''kangbe'' (literally, 'clear language'), that is seen as a potential [[compromise dialect]] across [[Manding languages|Mandé languages]].<ref>[{{Cite web |url=http://www.fakoli.net/nko/tutorial/intro.html |title=N'Ko Language Tutorial: Introduction] |access-date=2006-11-29 |archive-date=2021-06-10 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210610124342/http://www.fakoli.net/nko/tutorial/intro.html |url-status=dead }}</ref> For example, the word for 'name' in Bamanan is ''tɔgɔ'' and in Maninka it is ''tɔɔ''. Nko has only one written word for 'name', but individuals read and pronounce the word in their own language. This literary register is thus intended as a [[koiné language]] blending elements of the principal [[Manding languages]], which are [[mutually intelligible]], but has a very strong Maninka influence.

There has also been documented use of Nko, with additional diacritics, for traditional religious publications in the [[Yoruba language|Yoruba]] and [[Fon language|Fon]] languages of [[Benin]] and southwestern [[Nigeria]].<ref>{{cite web |author1=Agelogbagan Agbovi |title=Gànhúmehàn Vodún - Living Sacred Text (completely in Fongbe and N'ko) |url=http://www.restorationhealing.com/ganhumehan-vodun-book |website=Kilombo Restoration & Healing |publisher=Kilombo Restoration and Healing |language=en |access-date=2017-07-19 |archive-date=2020-11-28 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201128041832/http://www.restorationhealing.com/ganhumehan-vodun-book |url-status=dead }}</ref>

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===Tones===

Nko uses 7seven [[diacritic]]al marks to denote [[tone (linguistics)|tonality]] and [[vowel length]]. Together with plain vowels, Nko distinguishes four tones: high, low, ascending, and descending; and two vowel lengths: long and short. Unmarked signs designate short, descending vowels. One dot below a vowel marks that vowel as nasal.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Chapter 19 – Unicode 16.0.0 |url=https://www.unicode.org/versions/Unicode16.0.0/core-spec/chapter-19/ |access-date=2025-03-26 |website=www.unicode.org |quote=When applied to a vowel, U+07F2 NKO COMBINING NASALIZATION MARK indicates the nasalization of that vowel. }}</ref>

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{{Further|NKo (Unicode block)}}

The Nko script was added to the [[Unicode]] Standard in July 2006 with the release of version 5.0. Additional characters were added in 2018. While the script is spelled "N’Ko" in the relevant chapter of Unicode, the alias for the script is "Nko" (because the apostrophe is not allowed in block names)<ref>{{cite web|title=ISO 15924 Code Lists: Codes for the representation of names of scripts|url=https://www.unicode.org/iso15924/iso15924-codes.html}}</ref> and the Unicode block name is "NKo" (because the apostrophe is not allowed in block names).<ref>{{cite book|author=Unicode, Inc.|chapter=Africa|title=The Unicode Standard, Version 16.0|year=2024|url=https://www.unicode.org/versions/Unicode16.0.0/core-spec/chapter-19/#G56584|quote=Although the traditional name of the N’Ko language and script includes an apostrophe, apostrophes are disallowed in Unicode character and block names. Because of this, the formal block name is “NKo” and the script portion of the Unicode character names is “{{Smallcaps all|nko}}”.}}</ref>

[[UNESCO]]'s Programme Initiative B@bel supported preparing a proposal to encode Nko in [[Unicode]]. In 2004, the proposal, presented by three professors of Nko (Baba Mamadi Diané, Mamady Doumbouya, and Karamo Kaba Jammeh) working with [[Michael Everson]], was approved for balloting by the ISO working group WG2. In 2006, Nko was approved for Unicode 5.0. The Unicode block for Nko is U+07C0–U+07FF:

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*[https://www.ankataa.com/ An Ka Taa]: "Learn '''Manding'''—commonly referred to as Bambara, Dioula, Malinké or Mandingo!"

*[https://web.archive.org/web/20130516204859/http://www.panafril10n.org/wikidoc/pmwiki.php/PanAfrLoc/Manding Information about Manding languages]

*[http://www.fakoli.net/nko/tutorial/intro.html An introduction to N'Ko] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210610124342/http://www.fakoli.net/nko/tutorial/intro.html |date=2021-06-10 }}

*[https://web.archive.org/web/20070625154007/http://www.panafril10n.org/panafrloc/Casa-NKO.pdf "Casablanca Statement"] (on localization of ICT) translated & written in N'Ko

*[http://www.panafril10n.org/wikidoc/pmwiki.php/PanAfrLoc/Nko PanAfriL10n page on N'Ko]