NKo Combining Long Rising Tone

It makes a vowel long while its pitch rises.

߱ follows an N’Ko vowel in the spelling; it is a mark, not a word. N’Ko tone marks can encode vowel length and pitch together, and this one marks the long rising pattern. Alone, it has no vowel to modify.

Why was N’Ko made?

N’Ko was designed to write Manding in its own alphabet.

Solomana Kantè experimented with Arabic and Latin ways of writing Manding before unveiling N’Ko in 1949. The spelling system was designed for tone and vowel length, which is why ߱ combines the two.

N’Ko developed alongside Ajami, the use of Arabic script to write African languages; regional evidence of Ajami literacy reaches the seventeenth century. N’Ko is a distinct alphabet developed to support Manding literacy, including teaching, publishing, and religious writing.

How do I type ߱ correctly?

Type ߱ after its vowel; put ߲ before it when needed.

Enter the base vowel first, then ߱. N’Ko displays right to left, but the mark follows its vowel in stored text. If the vowel is nasalized, put ߲ between the vowel and ߱ to keep the mark order correct.

If ߱ appears away from its vowel, check the full character sequence and the font. A font without N’Ko-aware mark positioning can place a combining mark poorly.