Reference: Möhlig, Wilhelm J. G. 2008. Reference Grammar of Herero (Otjiherero): Bantu Language of Namibia ; with a Glossary Otjiherero - English - Otjiherero. Southern African Languages and Cultures, v. 3. Köln: Rüdiger Köppe.
DOI: (none)
Transcribed by: Vilike
Reviewed by:
Ordering: ★★☆
Exhaustivity: ★★★
Detail: ★★☆
Consensus: ★★★
Transcription: ★★☆
Transcription conventions: (where different to IPA)
| Symbol | Likely IPA | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| *i̧ | [i̝~i̘] | (unclear from source) Is described as a ‘high tense vowel’ |
| *i | [i̞~i̙] | (unclear from source) Contrasts with a ‘high tense vowel’ *i̧ |
| *u̧ | [u̝~u̘] | (unclear from source) Is described as a ‘high tense vowel’ |
| *u | [u̞~u̙] | (unclear from source) Contrasts with a ‘high tense vowel’ *u̧ |
| e | [ɛ] | |
| o | [ɔ] | |
| *p̱ | [p͉] | (unclear from source) Alternates with Common Bantu *p in the transcription of sound changes ‘The bilabial *p had a lenis closure … This assumption is in so far plausible as many sound systems of Eastern Savannah Bantu are structured in this way.’ |
| *ḇ | [β̞] | (unclear from source) Alternates with Common Bantu *b in the transcription of sound changes ‘In Otjiherero, the earliest stage that can be reconstructed for this major sound class has in common the features [-stop] and [-fricative], thus *ḇ *ḏ *g̱.’ |
| *ḏ | [l~ɹ] | (unclear from source) Alternates with Common Bantu *d in the transcription of sound changes ‘In Otjiherero, the earliest stage that can be reconstructed for this major sound class has in common the features [-stop] and [-fricative], thus *ḇ *ḏ *g̱.’ |
| *g̱ | [j~ɰ] | (unclear from source) Alternates with Common Bantu *g in the transcription of sound changes ‘In Otjiherero, the earliest stage that can be reconstructed for this major sound class has in common the features [-stop] and [-fricative], thus *ḇ *ḏ *g̱.’ |
| *c | [tʃ] | ‘the alveo-palatal *c had already changed from a former stop with delayed release …’ |
| *ⁿc | [ⁿtʃ] | ‘the alveo-palatal *c had already changed from a former stop with delayed release into a plain fricative … as a voiceless fricative it could no longer be pre-nasalized.’ |
| *j | [dʒ] | ‘Before the merger took place, *j was most probably an affricate **dʒ and not yet an approximant.’ |
| *ⁿj | [ⁿdʒ] | ‘Before the merger took place, *j was most probably an affricate **dʒ and not yet an approximant.’ |
| v | [β̞~β] | (unclear from source) Listed alongside other voiced fricatives ‘The difference between v and w is lip rounding, whereas the bilabial articulation is the same. v is articulated with spread lips …’ |
| y | [j] | (unclear from source) Although listed alongside other voiced fricatives on p.24, it's described on p.27 as a palatal glide and its symbol is used to write non-syllabic /i/ |
| s̪ | [θ] | |
| z̪ | [ð] |
Source: [mohlig_reference_2008]
Consonant inventory:
| *p | *t | *c | *k |
| *b | *d | *j | *g |
| *m | *n | *ɲ | |
| *ᵐp | *ⁿt | *ⁿc | *ᵑk |
| *ᵐb | *ⁿd | *ⁿj | *ᵑg |
Vowel inventory:
| *i̧ | *u̧ | |
| *i | *u | |
| *e | *o | |
| *a |
Suprasegmentals:
| Features | Notes |
|---|---|
| high low | ‘Four tone patterns in combination with dissyllabic stems’ |
Source: [mohlig_reference_2008]
Source: [mohlig_reference_2008]
Consonant inventory:
| *p̱ | *t | *k | |
| *ʃ | |||
| *dʒ | |||
| *ḇ | *ḏ | *g̱ | |
| *m | *n | *ɲ | |
| *ᵐp | *ⁿt | *ᵑk | |
| *ᵐb | *ⁿd | *ⁿdʒ | *ᵑg |
Vowel inventory:
| *i̧ | *u̧ | |
| *i | *u | |
| *e | *o | |
| *a |
Suprasegmentals:
| Features | Notes |
|---|---|
| high low | ‘Four tone patterns in combination with dissyllabic stems’ |
| [±stressed] | ‘Respiratory accent on the first syllable of word stems’ |
Source: [mohlig_reference_2008]
Source: [mohlig_reference_2008]
Consonant inventory:
| p | t̪ | *t | k | |||
| (f) | s̪ | (s) | h | |||
| v | z̪ | y | ||||
| tʃ | ||||||
| w | ||||||
| r | ||||||
| (l) | ||||||
| m | n̪ | *n | *ɲ | |||
| ᵐb | ⁿd̪ | *ⁿd | *ⁿdʒ | *ᵑg |
Vowel inventory:
| *i | *u | |
| *e | *o | |
| *a |
Suprasegmentals:
| Features | Notes |
|---|---|
| high low falling | ‘three contrastive tone patterns’ on dissyllabic stems, namely H-H, H-L and L-L |
| [±stressed] | ‘Words usually bear a main accent on the penultimate syllable’ |