Nso (Lamnsɔ’)

Nso is a member of the Grassfields branch of the Southern Bantoid language family. It is spoken by about 240,000 people in western Cameroon, in particular in the Jakiri and Kumbo subdivisions of the Bui division in the North West region.

Nso is also known as Bansaw, Banso, Banso’, Lamnsok, Lamso, Nsaw, Nsho’, Nso, Nso’, Nsɔ or Panso.

Nso was first written in the 1940s using a spelling system developed by school teachers who wanted to teach the language in primary schools. It is now written with a version of the Latin alphabet based on the General Alphabet of Cameroon Languages, or L’Alphabet général des langues camerounaises (AGLC), which was created in the late 1970s by Maurice Tadadjeu, Etienne Sadembouo and others.

Nso alphabet and pronunciation

Nso alphabet and pronunciation

Notes

Download an alphabet chart for Nso (Excel)

Sample text in Nso

Á dzə̀ə́ wir dzə̀m réŋréŋ fó ghvəm wùn à fó ghày, á yo’ dzə̀ə́ wir msòŋ ji kwàn. Wìr dzə̀m k̀m k fómo woo fó kwà’tì wùn à fó vifii, a wù kér fó a yiì e wùmò’ woo wír moo fə́r və.

Translation

All human beings are born free and equal in dignity and rights. They are endowed with reason and conscience and should act towards one another in a spirit of brotherhood.
(Article 1 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights)

Sample videos in Nso

Links

Information about Nso
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nso_language
https://www.ethnologue.com/language/lns
https://archive.org/details/rosettaproject_lns_ortho-1/mode/1up
http://www.language-archives.org/language/lns
https://www.koeppe.de/titel_lamnso-english-dictionary

Bantoid languages

Awing, Bafanji, Bamum, Bamunka, Feʼfeʼ, Ghomalaʼ, Kenswei Nsei, Limbum, Medumba, Mmen, Nso, Oku, Pinyin, Tiv, Vengo

Languages written with the Latin alphabet

Page created: 24.02.22. Last modified: 24.02.22

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