https://www.reddit.com/r/SierraLeone/comments/1icys35/thoughts_on_migeods_mende_language_book/
created by redditis4bitches on 29/01/2025 at 17:08 UTC
3 upvotes, 1 top-level comments (showing 1)
I'm using this book to self-study the Mende language, and I supplement my study by practicing with my mother. Is anyone familiar with this book and what are our thoughts on it?
It seems very comprehensive insofar as covering the basic and fundamental structures of the language go (mentions how pronouns work, grammar/conjugation, important verbs like "to be"), etc...
One issue I have with it is its age. It was published in 1908 (decades before IPA) so I have difficulty in ascertaining how to pronounce certain words, because the orthography is very different from the orthography used to write Mende today. Also, when describing pronunciation, Migeod compares it to English words, which is problematic because he likely spoke with an early 20th Century British accent, which I as an American born in the 21st century obviously will not have.
Another unrelated question, how do I learn/pick up the distinctions between tones in Mende? I've heard that Mende is a tonal language yet when I practice with my mother she doesn't make any important distinction between tones (keep in mind she isn't fluent in Mende.) Another Mende language resource I found doesn't yet mention tones in any of their videos either.
Are there examples of words where tones make an important distinctions? Maybe (kee vs kee) (but vs. father)
Comment by LetTimCook at 30/01/2025 at 20:15 UTC
1 upvotes, 1 direct replies
where’d you find the book?