Myene (Omyènè)

Myene is a Bantu language spoken by about 46,000 people in western Gabon, particularly in the provinces of Moyen-Ogooué (Middle-Ogooue) and Ogooué-Maritime. Myene is also described as a cluster of closely-related varieties of Bantu known individually as Adyumba, Enenga, Mpongwe, Orungu, Galwa and Nkomi.

Myene was first documented in 1602 by Pieter de Marées, a Dutch trader and explorer. Since then, quite a few other people have written about the language. An orthography was devised by André Raponda Walker (1871-1968), a Gabonese author, ethnography, priest and missiony, who published adictionary and grammar of the Mpongwe variety of the language in 1934. Other orthographies are available. Myene is used to some extent in the media and in education in Myene-speaking areas.

Myene alphabet and pronunciation

Myene alphabet and pronunciation (André Raponda Walker's alphabet)

Download alphabet charts for Myene (Excel)
Details of Myene alphabet and pronunciation provided by Wolfram Siegel (PDF)

Sample phrases

Mi kamb'Omyènè = I speak Myene
E dyógó myè = He understands me
Azwè pon'ióni = We look at the birds
Wi kènda g'olówi = They go to the river

Source:Parler l'Omyènè (langue du Gabon) : phrases affirmatives et négatives au présent

Sample videos

Links

Information about Myene
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Myene_language
https://fr.wikipedia.org/wiki/Myènè_(langue)
https://worldschoolbooks.com/the-languages-of-gabon/
https://hub.localazy.com/en/languages/mye-myene
http://www.language-archives.org/language/mye
https://glottolog.org/resource/languoid/id/myen1241
https://inongo-ayile.com/apprendre-a-lire-et-ecrire-lomyene

Bantu languages

Aka,Aushi,Bafaw-Balong,Bangi,Bangubangu,Basaa,Bemba,Bembe,Bena,Benga,Bhaca,Bila,Bube,Budu,Bujeba,Bukusu,Bulu,Bushong,Central Kilimanjaro,Central Teke,Chichewa,Chokwe,Chopi,Chuwabu,Comorian,Dciriku,Digo,Duala,Eton,Ewondo,Fang,Fuliiru,Fwe,Ganda/Luganda,Giryama,Gogo,Gungu,Gusii,Gwere,Gyele,Ha,Haya,Hehe,Herero,Ibinda,Idaxo-Isuxa-Tiriki,Ikizu,Ikoma,Jita,Kabwa,Kako,Kalanga,Kamba,Kanyok,Kgalagadi,Kiga,Kikuyu,Kimbundu,Kinyarwanda,Kirundi,Kisi,Kobo,Kogo,Komo,Kongo,Konjo,Koti,Kuhane,Kukuya,Kunda,Kuria,Kwambi,Kwangali,Kwasio,Lambya,Lega,Lengola,Lingala,Loma,Lomwe,Lozi,Luba-Katanga,Luchazi,Lunda,Luvale,Luyana,Makaa,Makonde,Makhuwa,Mandekan,Maore,Masaaba,Mbama,Mbere,Mbosi,Mbugu,Mbukushu,Mbunda,Mbuun,Mende,Mongo,Mpiemo,Mushungulu,Mwani,Myene,Nambya,Nande,Ndau,Ndonga,Ngoni,Ngwii,Njebi,Nkore,North Teke,Northern Ndebele (South Africa),Northern Ndebele (Zimbabwe),Northern Sotho,Nyamwezi,Nyakyusa,Nyemba,Nyole,Nyoro,Nyungwe,Nzadi,Oroko,OshiWambo,Pagibete,Pare,Phuthi,Punu,Rangi,Ronga,Safwa,Seki,Sena,Sengele,Shambala,Shona,Soga,Songe,Southern Ndebele,Southern Sotho,Suba,Sukuma,Swahili,Swati,Taita,Talinga,Tanga,Tembo,Tetela,Tonga,Tongwe,Tooro,Tshiluba,Tsonga,Tswa,Tswana,Tumbuka,Turu,Umbundu,Venda,Vili,Vwanji,Wanzi,West Teke,Xhosa,Yakam,Yansi,Yao,Yasa,Yeyi,Zigula,Zinza,Zulu

Languages written with the Latin alphabet

Page created: 28.04.25. Last modified: 28.04.25

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