Vai syllable nye

It marks the Vai syllable conventionally transcribed as “nye.”

In English, pronounce “nye” roughly as the “ny” in “canyon,” followed by the vowel in “bed.”

Vai speakers developed the script in Liberia in the early 1830s. The oldest known manuscript (1834) omits ꘊ; signs varied before standardization. Its note says the makers wanted to communicate in Vai after seeing Americans exchange letters. Vai writing served correspondence, records and cultural life; Arabic served religion, English official institutions. Its syllabic design inspired Mende, Loma and Kpelle and likely influenced Bamum, whose makers devised new signs; Latin, Arabic and Cherokee influence is debated.