Sound Changes After the Negative
After the negative nasal, b becomes m and d becomes n: ba → mma, dɔ → nnɔ.
How It Works
When the negative nasal comes before a verb that starts with b or d, that consonant changes too:
- b → m: ba (come) → Kofi mma ha. (Kofi does not come here.) boa (help) → Ɔmmoa me. (He does not help me.)
- d → n: dɔ (love) → Ɔnnɔ me. (She does not love me.) da (sleep) → Kofi nna ha. (Kofi does not sleep here.)
The voiced spellings gy and dw change in the same way: gyae (stop) → nnyae, dwene (think) → nnwene.
Sounds that stay the same. Voiceless sounds keep their shape, and only the nasal is added: Menkɔ (I do not go), Mempɛ (I do not want), Ɔnsere (She does not laugh). Y and w do not change either: Menyɛ (I am not). See the negative prefix.
Look-alike words. The change can make two verbs look the same. The negative of di (eat) is nni, spelled like nni (not have). So Menni nam can mean I do not eat meat or I do not have meat. The rest of the conversation tells you which.
Where else it happens. The same change follows other nasal prefixes too. You see it in nasal plurals (abofra → mmofra, children), in negative commands (Mma ha! Don't come here!) and in the negative past (Kofi amma, Kofi did not come).
Fante. Asante and Akuapem make the full change. Fante keeps the b and d after the nasal, as mb and nd, and you may also meet spellings like mbɔ for Asante mmɔ in informal writing.
Examples (6)
- Kofi mma ha.
Kofi does not come here.
Word by Word: Kofi not-come here.
Ba (come) becomes mma after the negative nasal.
- Ɔnnɔ me.
She does not love me.
Word by Word: She-not-love me.
Dɔ (love) becomes nnɔ.
- Ɔmmoa me.
He does not help me.
Word by Word: He-not-help me.
Boa (help) becomes mmoa.
- Kofi nna ha.
Kofi does not sleep here.
Word by Word: Kofi not-sleep here.
Da (sleep) becomes nna.
- Menni nam.
I do not eat meat. / I do not have meat.
Word by Word: I-not-eat/have meat.
Nni can be the negative of di (eat) or of wɔ (have); context decides.
- Menkɔ.
I do not go.
Word by Word: I-not-go.
K does not change; only the nasal is added.
Common Mistakes
Keeping n before b.
Ɔnba ha.Ɔmma ha.Before b the nasal is m, and in Asante the b itself turns into m.
Writing only one consonant.
Ɔnɔ me.Ɔnnɔ me.The nasal is a sound of its own, so write both letters: one n for the negative and one for the changed d.
Forgetting the change in the negative past.
Kofi anba.Kofi amma.The negative past also has the nasal, so ba becomes mma there too.
How It Connects
Learn This First
The mutation follows the negative prefix.
Related Patterns
- M and N as Syllables
The nasal counts as a syllable of its own, which is why it is written as its own letter before the changed consonant.
Level 1 - N- (Plural)Plurals with a Nasal Prefix
The same b to m change makes abofra into mmofra.
Level 1 - N- (Negative Command)Don't: Negative Commands
Negative commands show the same change: Mma ha! (Don't come here!).
Level 2 - a-N- (Negative Past)Did Not: A- + N-
The negative past shows it too: Kofi amma (Kofi did not come).
Level 2 - nni (Not Have)Not Have: Nni
The negative of di (eat) is spelled like nni (not have).
Level 1
Learn Next
Patterns that build on this one.
Words in This Pattern
Practice Sound Changes After the Negative in Bubblegum
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