Nemer notes "a new orthography was developed as part of the 'Literacy Programme for the Indigenous Languages' in 1980 by the Ministry of Education in Sierra Leone. This orthography has been used in three primary school readers, a word list and a number of health pamphlets as of this date." (Webbook) [update]

It is a Latin-based orthography that includes some extended characters..

Unicode fonts with extended Latin ranges would be necessary.

< Swazi | Major Languages | Teso, Turkana >

(:toc:)

Classification / Classification

Where Spoken / Localisation géographique

Number of Speakers / Nombre de locuteurs

Dialect Survey / Enquête de dialecte

Usage / Utilisation

Orthography / Orthographe

Status / Statut

Sample Alphabet / Alphabet exemple

Alphabet as reported by Hartell (1993) and presented in Systèmes alphabétiques: http://sumale.vjf.cnrs.fr/phono/AfficheTableauOrtho2N.php?choixLangue=themne

Use in ICT / Utilisation dans les TIC

Fonts / Polices

Unicode fonts with extended Latin ranges would be necessary.

Keyboard layouts / Dispositions de clavier

Content on computers & internet / Contenu en informatique et sur l'Internet

Localized software / Logiciels localisés

Language codes / Codes de langue

Other / Autre

Localisation resources / Ressources pour localisation

Individuals (experts) / Individuelles (experts)

Institutions / Institutions

On the internet / Sur la toile

Comments / Remarques

References / Références

Chanard, Christian (2006), Systèmes alphabétiques des langues africaines, LLACAN, CNRS, http://sumale.vjf.cnrs.fr/phono/

Hartell, Rhonda L., ed. (1993), The Alphabets of Africa. Dakar: UNESCO and SIL. (The French edition, published the same year, is entitled Alphabets de Langues Africaines).

A proposed orthography from a workshop in 1980 follows (UCC/UMC 1980) [NB- not clear on current status]:
http://www.PanAfriL10n.org/wikidoc/images/Themne-1980.GIF

UCC and UMC. 1980. "A Themne Orthography Workshop, Ministry of Education, Freetown, February 18-22, 1980 / sponsored by the U.C.C. Provincial Literature Bureau and the United Methodist Literacy Programme."

Some alternate spellings (from Ethnologue and Wikipedia): Themne, Timne, Timene, Timmannee, Temen

Temne

1 Classification / Classification

2 Where Spoken / Localisation géographique

3 Number of Speakers / Nombre de locuteurs

4 Dialect Survey / Enquête de dialecte

5 Usage / Utilisation

6 Orthography / Orthographe

6a Status / Statut

This is apparently an extended Latin script.

6b Sample Alphabet / Alphabet exemple

A sample text is shown on the "Language Museum" site: http://www.language-museum.com/t/themne.htm (this is an excerpt from the Universal Declaration of Human Rights [see below, 7c]; it is not clear if the diacritic shown is standard)

7 Use in ICT / Utilisation dans les TIC

7a Fonts / Polices

7b Keyboard layouts / Dispositions de clavier

7c Content on computers & internet / Contenu en informatique et sur l'Internet

7d Localized software / Logiciels localisés

7e Language codes / Codes de langue

7f Other / Autre

8 Localisation resources / Ressources pour localisation

8a Individuals (experts) / Individuelles (experts)

8b Institutions / Institutions

8c On the internet / Sur la toile

9 Comments / Remarques

10 References / Références

U.S. Library of Congress, "ISO 639.2: Codes for the Representation of Names of Languages: Alpha-3 codes arranged alphabetically by the English name of language," http://www.loc.gov/standards/iso639-2/php/English_list.php

Wikipedia, "Temne language," http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Temne_language

Ethnologue lists the classification as: Niger-Congo, Atlantic-Congo, Atlantic, Southern, Mel, Temne, Temne-Banta

According to Ethnologue:

• 1,200,000 (1989 J. Kaiser)
• 240,000 second-language speakers (1981 D. Cranmer)

Cranmer (1980) did a preliminary survey for the United Bible Societies, Magburka, Sierra Leone. Most available Temne materials are in either the Western or Bombali dialect. (Webbook)

Accoeding to Ethnologue:

• Banta
• Konike
• Yoni
• Bombali
• Western Temne (Pil)
• Sanda
• Ribia
• Kholifa
• Koya
• Masingbi
• Malal
• The people claim to understand all dialects
• Lexical similarity 74% between Masingbi and Malal, 70% between Konike and western varieties.

Notes from Ethnologue:

• Trade language
• The primary language of central Sierra Leone
• Taught as an elective from primary to college level
• Literacy rate (according to Ethnologue):
  • L1: ?
  • L2: 6% (25% use Krio, 5% use English as second language)

Nemer notes "a new orthography was developed as part of the 'Literacy Programme for the Indigenous Languages' in 1980 by the Ministry of Education in Sierra Leone. This orthography has been used in three primary school readers, a word list and a number of health pamphlets as of this date." (Webbook) [update]

SIL International, Ethnologue: Languages of the World, "Themne," http://www.ethnologue.com/show_language.asp?code=tem

U.S. Library of Congress, "ISO 639.2," http://www.loc.gov/standards/iso639-2/englangn.html

9 Comments / Remarques

10 References / Références

7e Language codes / Codes de langue

• ISO 639-1: -
• ISO 639-2: tem
• ISO/DIS 639-3: tem
• SIL:

7f Other / Autre

SIL International, "ISO 639 Code Tables," http://www.sil.org/iso639-3/codes.asp

U.S. Library of Congress, "ISO 639.2," http://www.loc.gov/standards/iso639-2/englangn.html

Universal Declaration of Human Rights: http://www.unhchr.ch/udhr/lang/tej.htm

Not aware of any localisation efforts.

Temne is a Mel language (southern branch of the West Atlantic branch of Niger Congo). (Webbook)

It is spoken in the northern half of Sierra Leone. (Webbook)

No detailed dialect survey is available at this time. Cranmer (1980) did a preliminary survey for the United Bible Societies, Magburka, Sierra Leone. Most available Temne materials are in either the Western or Bombali dialect. (Webbook) [update]

Temne is one of the four official languages of Sierra Leone. It is also used as a lingua franca in predominantly Temne-speaking areas. Radio broadcasts are heard daily in Temne in Sierra Leone. (Webbook)

Nemer notes "a new orthography was developed as part of the `Literacy Programme for the Indigenous Languages' in 1980 by the Ministry of Education in Sierra Leone. This orthography has been used in three primary school readers, a word list and a number of health pamphlets as of this date." (Webbook) [update]

Dwyer, David (1997), Webbook of African Languages, http://www.isp.msu.edu/AfrLang/hiermenu.html (page on "Temne," http://www.isp.msu.edu/AfrLang/Temne_root.html )

1 Classification / Classification

2 Where Spoken / Localisation géographique

3 Number of Speakers / Nombre de locuteurs

4 Dialect Survey / Enquête de dialecte

5 Usage / Utilisation

6 Orthography / Orthographe

6a Status / Statut

6b Sample Alphabet / Alphabet exemple

7 Use in ICT / Utilisation dans les TIC

7a Fonts / Polices

7b Keyboard layouts / Dispositions de clavier

7c Content on computers & internet / Contenu en informatique et sur l'Internet

7d Localized software / Logiciels localisés

7e Other / Autre

8 Localisation resources / Ressources pour localisation

8a Individuals (experts) / Individuelles (experts)

8b Institutions / Institutions

8c On the internet / Sur la toile

9 References / Références

Webbook of African Languages, http://www.isp.msu.edu/AfrLang/hiermenu.html (page on "Temne," http://www.isp.msu.edu/AfrLang/Temne_root.html )