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FSI integration

The syllable is the tone-bearing unit.

Tone docks on exactly one place — the vowel of each syllable. So you cannot represent tone without first decomposing the word into its syllables, and you cannot do that without the language's Full Syllable Inventory. BantuNomics has assembled 459 of them — the first complete collection in history.

Minimal pairs

Same syllables. Different tone. Different meaning.

Each card is one written word that the FSI decomposes into the same syllable sequence for every meaning. The spelling is identical; the tone — carried in the audio, on the syllable nuclei — is what separates the meanings. Play them back to back.

Libala 4 meanings
li·ba·la
Complexion
Libala lakhe linjengelala bamhlophe.
means his complexion is like that of a white person

Audio pending.

Delay or busy
Libala
means delay or busy

Audio pending.

Native pronunciation note: Li-ba-la, same tone for all syllables. It's not offensive when pronounced correctly.

Piece of land
Sonkhe sifuna libala dvutane nelidolobha.
means all of us want a piece of land nearer to town

Audio pending.

Stupidity
Libala njengenkhukhu, utotibonela.
means be stupid like a chicken, you will suffer the consequences

Audio pending.

Kulula 3 meanings
ku·lu·la
Easy
Kulula kunatsa lokunongotelako kunalokumunyu.
means it's easy to drink something sweet than that which is sour

Audio pending.

Light
Kulula
means light

Audio pending.

Native pronunciation note: u-lu-la, same tone for all syllables.

Stretch
Kulula tinyawo kudzingekile mawuvuka ekuseni.
means stretching ones feet is necessary when waking up in the morning

Audio pending.

Phatsa 3 meanings
pha·tsa
Carry
Phatsa onkhe emaswidi lakhona.
means carry all available sweets

Audio pending.

Rule
Phatsa kahle tisebenti takho.
means rule your employees well

Audio pending.

Touch
Phatsa tinyawo tami kuva kutsi kubandza kangakanani namuhla.
means touch my feet to feel how cold it is today

Audio pending.

Tsela 3 meanings
tse·la
Fruit
Atsela ehlobo emahhabhula.
means apples fruit in summer

Audio pending.

Pay tax
Kutsela umtselo wenhloko akusadzingeki.
means paying graded tax is no longer necessary

Audio pending.

Pour
Tsela ungayekeli ngoba kuyasha.
means pour without stopping because it's burning

Audio pending.

Babetala 2 meanings
ba·be·ta·la
Father in law
Babetala
means father in law

Audio pending.

Native pronunciation note: Ba-be-TA-la, stress the 3rd syllable

Plural past tense of giving birth
Babetala
means plural past tense of giving birth

Audio pending.

Native pronunciation note: BA-be-ta-la, drag and high tone the 1st syllable

Emabele 2 meanings
e·ma·be·le
Breasts
Emabele akhe awanako kugula tsite.
means her breasts don't have any defect

Audio pending.

Crops or food
Emabele
means crops or food

Audio pending.

Native pronunciation note: E-ma-BE-LE, drag and high tone a little the last two syllables.

Kunani 2 meanings
ku·na·ni
It is with you
Kunani kuthula kwaNkulunkulu.
means the peace of God is with you

Audio pending.

What?
Kunani uma ngidla ngendvwa?
means what is the problem if I eat alone?

Audio pending.

Kuphela 2 meanings
ku·phe·la
Only
Ngifuna sinkhwa kuphela.
means I want bread only

Audio pending.

Something getting finished
Kuphela kwemanti, kusho kutsi kutobanesomiso.
means if water gets finished, it means there will be famine

Audio pending.

Lapha 2 meanings
la·pha
Pointing at location
Lapha
means pointing at location

Audio pending.

Native pronunciation note: LA-pha, stress and high tone the 1st syllable.

Treat or heal
Lapha
means treat or heal

Audio pending.

Native pronunciation note: LA-pha, stress the 1st syllable.

Sicoco 2 meanings
si·co·co
Crown or Medal
Mercy watsatsa sicoco semdlali lohlabene.
means mercy took the crown of being the best player

Audio pending.

Frog
Sicoco siyawavala emanti ephayiphini.
means a frog blocks water from a pipe

Audio pending.

Sinye 2 meanings
si·nye
Bladder
Sinye sakhe sivuvukile.
means his bladder is swollen

Audio pending.

One
Sinye sikhulu endzaweni.
means there is only one chief in a community

Audio pending.

Tinini 2 meanings
ti·ni·ni
Friends
Tinini tenkhosi tetfule tipho Esibayeni sasEbukhosini.
means the king's friends delivered their gifts at the Royal Kraal

Audio pending.

When?
Tinini tindzaba kumabona kudze letilandzelako?
means when is the next news on television?

Audio pending.

Umcondvo 2 meanings
u
Thin legs
Umcondvo wamake lohwaywe lukhula usho kutsi usebenta kakhulu.
means my mom's thin legs that have been scratched by weeds are a sign of hard work

Audio pending.

Thought
Umcondvo
means thought

Audio pending.

Native pronunciation note: U-MCO-ndvo, stress the 2nd syllable at a high tone.

Uphile 2 meanings
u·phi·le
Lived
Uphile nesifo sashukela iminyaka leminengi.
means he lived with diabetes for many years

Audio pending.

Someone has given
Uphile
means someone has given

Audio pending.

Native pronunciation note: U-phi-le, drag and high tone the 1st syllable.

Utentile 2 meanings
u·te·nti·le
Doing something to oneself
Utentile
means doing something to oneself

Audio pending.

Native pronunciation note: U-TE-nti-le, high tone and cut the 2nd syllable.

Done something
Utentile tintfo letingadzingeki kulomhlangano.
means you have done unneeded things in this world

Audio pending.

Uyashelela 2 meanings
u·ya·she·le·la
It is catching or sticking
Uyashelela
means it is catching or sticking

Audio pending.

Native pronunciation note: u-YA-she-le-la, drag the 2nd syllable

It is slippery
Uyashelela
means it is slippery

Audio pending.

Native pronunciation note: U-ya-she-le-la, similar tone for all syllables.

Yati 2 meanings
ya·ti
Knew before an event
Yati
means knew before an event

Audio pending.

Native pronunciation note: YA-ti, drag and high tone the 1st syllable.

Know
Yati kutsi kufaka ticatfulo endlini kulicala eShayina.
means know that wearing shoes in the house is a crime in China

Audio pending.

Yetsa 2 meanings
ye·tsa
Fill
Yetsa lemoto ingakacishi.
means fill the car before it turns off

Audio pending.

Name something
Ngayetsa ligama lelihle lenja yami.
means I gave my dog a good name

Audio pending.

kadze 2 meanings
ka·dze
Extended period
Kunatsa emanti kwenta ube nemandla ekudlala kadze.
means drinking water makes one gain strength to play longer

Audio pending.

Long time ago
Kadze sagcina kuvakasha nebantfwana.
means it's been a long time since we last had a holiday with the children

Audio pending.

Why a model can't fake this

Generation is cheap. Certification against native ground truth is not.

A model can output a plausible syllable list; it cannot prove the list is complete, correct, or native, and it cannot produce the consented audio that carries the tone. The FSI plus this audio is the certified standard underneath alignment, ASR, and TTS.