| Kɔnɔ | |
|---|---|
| Native to | Sierra Leone |
| Region | East |
| Ethnicity | Kono people |
Native speakers | 320,000 (2019)[1] |
Mande
| |
| Language codes | |
| ISO 639-3 | kno |
| Glottolog | kono1268 |
The Kono language (Kɔnɔ) is a language spoken in Sierra Leone by the Kono people. The Kono District is situated in the Eastern Province of Sierra Leone and contains 14 chiefdoms, each headed by a Paramount Chief. The language varies slightly between chiefdoms.
Kono distinguishes high tone and low tone on syllables:[2][3]
| tone | word | meaning |
|---|---|---|
| high | /kɔ́ɔ́/ | 'to mature' |
| low | /kɔ̀ɔ̀/ | 'rice' |
- ^ Kɔnɔ at Ethnologue (25th ed., 2022)
- ^ Roach, Peter (2001). Phonetics. Oxford. p. 25. ISBN 978-0-19-437239-8.
- ^ Manyeh, Morie Komba (1983). Aspects of Kono Phonology (PhD). University of Leeds. p. 152.
