• Words
  • Tone
  • Accent
  • Vowel length
• Vowels
  • General
  • Diphthong
  • Juxtaposed
• Consonants
  • General
  • Doubled
• introduction

Vowel length

Long vowel are indicated by a doubling of the vowel. Sometimes, there is a difference in meaning between a word with a long and one with a short vowel (a minimal pair).

Derivatives (words derived from another word by adding a suffix) do sometimes have a lengthening of the vowel. This lengthening is shown by a doubling of that vowel.

For pronunciation see here.

Some words have a vowel that is pronounced longer or shorter than normal, but this is not shown in spelling.

In the vocabulary lists of this Zarma course other long vowels, not shown by doubling, will be marked in the column 'pronunciation' with circumflex accent (^). Short vowels, that are shorter than regular (single) vowels, will be marked by an accent mark (`).