Baoulé is a language of the Akan group (Kwa family), spoken mainly in central Côte d'Ivoire, notably in Bouaké, Yamoussoukro and Dimbokro. It is a tonal language. It is written in the Latin alphabet plus the letters Ɛ and Ɔ and the digraphs gb and kp; nasal vowels are written an, ɛn, in, ɔn, un. Its practical orthography follows the standards set in 1979 for Ivorian languages.
Counting from One to Ten
| Number | Baoulé | Asante Twi |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | kun | baako |
| 2 | nnyɔn | mmienu |
| 3 | nsan | mmiɛnsa |
| 4 | nnan | nnan |
| 5 | nnun | nnum |
| 6 | nsiɛn | nsia |
| 7 | nso | nson |
| 8 | mɔcuɛ | nwɔtwe |
| 9 | ngwlan | nkron |
| 10 | blu | edu |
The table shows both the kinship (nnan for "four", similar sounds for "five" or "seven") and the differences: Baoulé and Twi are related Akan languages, but not identical. See the Twi page on ashanti.wiki.
A Shared Word: "Akwaba"
Akwaba, "welcome", is an Akan word heard across the country, well beyond the Baoulé.
Names, Proverbs and Tales
Baoulé names tell the day of birth. For the dictionary, grammar, tales and expressions, see the resources on baoule.ci:
baoule.ciLanguage, expressions, dictionary, grammar and Baoulé tales →