Vendredi Française (French Friday); Vocabulary

 

The purpose of French Friday is to expand your language capabilities while in West Africa (specifically Senegal). Many Wolof speakers can also understand French and sometimes using French to get your point across is easier than using Wolof since it’s a language closer to our own.

 

  • attelage – coupling, hitch, team, harness, yoke
  • calandre – radiator grill, calendar, mangle
  • citadin/citadine – city dweller, town, city, urban
  • collectionner – to collect
  • crasse – grime, filth, crass
  • défaillance – blackout, weakness, fault, failure
  • enchère – bid
  • entendre – to hear, to understand, to mean
  • faune – wildlife, fauna, set, crowd
  • file – line

 

Source: Collins French Concise Dictionary 5th Edition. (www.collinslanguage.com)

 

Article 1 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights in Wolof w/Breakdown

 

Doomi aadama yépp danuy juddu, yam ci tawfeex ci sag ak sañ-sañ. Nekk na it ku xam dëgg te ànd na ak xelam, te war naa jëflante ak nawleen, te teg ko ci wàllu mbokk. (listen to audio)

All human beings are born free and equal in dignity and rights. They are endowed with reason and conscience and should act towards one another in a spirit of brotherhood.

 

doom – child, doll, fruit, tablet (of medicine), ashes
doom i aadama – human being; doom i Aadama yi – human beings
Aadama – Adam (Ar.), a name given to a twin the other being Hawa (Eve)
yépp/yéppa – all
danuy/dañu – they
juddu – to be born
yam – ?
ci – to, in, at, a bit, some
tawfeex – ?
sag – honor, personality, charm
ak (ag) – and, with (used with nouns and pronouns)
sañ-sañ – to be authorized, to dare, to stop up (note: the sources I used only had ‘sañ‘ as a single word, not doubled, so uncertain if that changes the definition)
nekk/nekka/neka – to be at a place; ku nekka – everyone
na – he/she has, sign of optative, like, how (naka)
it – also
ku – article, relative form, or interrogative
xam – to know
dëgg/dégga – to hear, understand
te – to be stubborn, and, (as a suffix indicates repition of action)
ànd – together?
xelam – (to have?) intelligence, mind (my source only has ‘xel‘. I’m guessing the suffix ‘-am‘ indicates possession)
war – to mount (a horse, etc.), ought to, to have to
naa – I have
jëflante/jeflante – reciprocal, relationship (jéf/jëf – action, act, deed)
nawleen – (closest I could find was ‘naw‘ which means ‘to esteem highly’ & ‘breath’/’nawle‘ – person of the same rank, rival – ‘leen‘ is a plural form of ‘you’ so I’m guessing this is a compound word)
teg/tek – saddle; tega – to put down; teggin – politeness, courtesy; tegoo – to support
ko – him, it
wàllu (walla?) – share, part; (wollu?) – to save, help
mbokk/mbokka – relative, to be related

 

Sources: Omniglot.com, David P. Gamble dictionary, Firicat.com

 

‘Lonely Planet Phrasebooks Africa’ Book Review

Africa Phrasebook

Africa Phrasebook

This book should be available at your local bookstore. Travel and outdoor stores also often carry Lonely Planet titles. If you prefer to do all your book shopping online then Amazon or the Lonely Planet website should be your best bets.

I’m a fan of Lonely Planet publications. In my opinion they are the best. Their products are visually appealing and packed with information in a very easy to find format. They use a very simple pronunciation key to aid in the pronunciation of every word in the book.

The only problems I have with this book is that the Wolof section is rather small (as are all the sections) but what they do have is very good. Much of the Wolof used is actually Wolofized French and not traditional Wolof…which is fine considering this is not a “lesson book” but a book designed for easy communication for travellers. The book also includes sections for French & Arabic among several other African languages.

 

Sample entry from book:

I need a doctor (who speaks English).   Dama soxla doktoor (bu dégg angale).   da•ma sokh•la dok•tohr (boo deg an•ga•le)

 

Contents:

  • Pronunciation
  • Introduction
  • Language Difficulties
  • Time, dates & numbers
  • Border Crossing
  • Tickets
  • Transport
  • Directions
  • Accommodation
  • Banking & Communications
  • Tours
  • Shopping
  • Making Conversation
  • Eating Out
  • Emergencies
  • Medical Needs
  • Dictionary

At the Restaurant (Ci Restoraan)

 

Wolof does not have a natural way to say “please”, but the phrases given here are all polite ways of asking for help or placing your order.

 

I am hungry – Da maa xiif [da maa - I am, xiif - hungry]
I am thirsty – Da maa mar [mar - thirsty]

Excuse me… – Baal ma
Where is the nearest restaurant? – Fan moo am restoraan? [fan - where, am - indefinite article]
Where is the toilet/restroom? – Fan mooy seen wanaag? [seen - your, wanag/wanok - washing place/toilet]

Thank you – Jërë-jëf

 

Phrases from ‘Say It In Wolof’ by A. Gueye, word definitions from dictionary by D.P. Gamble.

 

Languages of Senegal: Hassaniyya

 

Hassaniyya (Klem El Bithan) is the variety of Arabic originally spoken by the Beni Hassan Bedouin tribes, who extend their authority over most of Mauritania and the Western Sahara between the fifteenth and seventeenth centuries. It has almost completely replaced the Berber languages spoken in this region. Though clearly a western dialect, Hassaniya is relatively distant from other North African variants of Arabic. Its geographical location exposed it to influence from Zenaga and Wolof. There are several dialects of Hassaniya. The primary differences among them are phonetic. Today Hassaniya is spoken by inhabitants of Algeria, Morocco, Mauritania, Mali, Niger, Senegal and the Western Sahara. – Wikipedia

 

Greetings:

Some of these terms may be familiar to some of us as many of these are also used by Wolof speakers but perhaps pronounced a bit differently.

 

Is-selaamu aleykum – Peace be upon you
- We aleykum is-selaam – And on you, too
Ish haal is-sbaah – Good morning
Ish haal li-mgiil – Good afternoon
Ish haal li-mbaat – Good evening
Eyaak il-khayr? – Are you in peace?
- Il-khayr il-hamdulillaah – Peace only
Ish haalak? – How are you?
- Lebaas meshaallaah – I am fine
Ish haal usrtak? – How is the family?
- Lebaas liihum – They are fine
Ish haal ish-shaqle? – How is the work?
- Lebaas meshaallaah – It is fine
Ish haalak ma il-vetre? – How are you with tiredness?
- Lebaas meshaallaah – I am fine
Ish haal Soukeyna? – How is Soukeyna?
- Soukeyna lebaas liihe – Soukeyna is fine
Ish haal ishaashrtak? – How are your children?
- Lebaas liihum – They are fine
Merhbe! – Welcome!
Shukran! – Thank you!

 

From the Peace Corps. Go to: Hassaniya_Language_Lessons.pdf for more (PDF).

 

Moom It Dina Ñow (Phrase Breakdown)

moom it dina ñowhe also will come

moom – in this sence means ‘he/she‘ (emphatic form) but can also mean ‘to own‘.
it/itamalso (as a suffix ‘-it‘ indicates ‘again‘; it can also be a suffix for the result of an action – added to a verb root. Ex. dammato break‘. dammitpieces‘).
dina – (di + na); di indicates a future action “he will“; di + noun makes a positive statement (he is, etc.); di as a prefix to -oon (doon) = past completed, -aan (daan) = past habitual
ñowto come/arrive; can also mean ‘to be sharp‘ (sometimes written as ñaw)

Definitions from David P. Gamble’s Gambian Wolof-English Dictionary 1990. I don’t think this book has ever been professionally published. My copy is a typed (typwriter NOT computer) photocopy with hand-written diacritical marks in a three-ringed binder. You may be able to find a copy at your local university.

Ferry Transportation – Phrases & Breakdown

 

Ferries cross every day from Banjul to Barra, and to Dakar, the capital of Senegal. The accomodations range from basic to luxury. Schedules vary, but the ferries are quick and reliable. – Nyima Kantorek

Note that the source for these use an unusual orthography

 

Where is the ferry going? – Fern la ferry be de dem?
fern/fan = where (also: day/date), ferry = ferry (chalupe in Senegal), be/bi = the, dem = go

I want to go to… – Dama buga dem
dama = I would like, buga/bëgg = desire/like/need/want/intend/intent

How long would it take to get to…? – Fe behnyarta wahhtu lar jaile?
fe/fi = here, beh = until, nyarta/ñaata = amount/cost/many/much, wahhtu/waxtu = hour/time, jaile = take

How many passengers does the ferry take? – Ferry be nyarta nitt lar ebb?
nitt = person/people, ebb = load/pack

How long does the ferry stay in…? – Ferry be de na yarga…?
na/naka = how, yarga = last

What time is it returning? – Bern wahhtu lar lay dealusy?
bern/ban = which/what, dealusy = come back

 

Phrases and definitons from the Wolof Dictionary & Phrasebook by Nyima Kantorek, published by Hippocrene. The only Wolof/English dictionary in mass publication as far as I can tell; For that alone it makes the book a worthwhile purchase, however the book uses a very non-standard orthography that, although specially designed for English speakers, makes it more difficult to learn the language. Every Wolof speaker that I’ve shown it to, whether native or as a second language, did not recognize it as Wolof and even they had a hard time with it. The book is primarily Gambian dialect.

 

Online Collaborative Dictionary

Firicat.com is different from other Wolof dictionaries because it’s not built by ‘experts’; instead it’s created by everyday users of the Wolof language (yes, including you). Firicat is an attempt to create a living lexicon of this beautiful language. (from the website)

firicat.com screenshot

firicat.com

Wolof Question Words w/Audio Pronunciation

 

Wolof / English / French 


Kan?   Who?   Qui?
Lan?   What?   Quoi?
Ban?   Which?   Quel?
Nan? Naka?   How?   Comment?
Ñaata?   How much?   Combien?
Fan? Ana?   Where?   ?
Kañ?   When?   Quand?
Mbaa…?   …?   Est-ce que…?
Lutax?   Why?   Pourquoi?
Mootax, Ndaxte…   Because…   Parce que

 

I got busted for not giving credit to the YouTuber’s whose videos I post (my bad, I thought since the videos are basically links that it’s all good?) So to be a good citizen of the blogosphere and of the Internet at large I will do my civic duty and give credit to Languages1001 for posting this on YouTube.

 

#WolofWednesday

Today is “Wolof Wednesday” on Twitter! The idea is for all of your tweets to be in Wolof to help promote the language and to help those of us who are still learning the language to get practice speaking (or typing) only Wolof. If you have an account come on over and join in…just don’t forget to use the hashtag ‘WolofWednesday’ (#WolofWednesday) on all of your Wolof tweets!

Vendredi Française (French Friday); Essential Phrases

Hello.   Bonjour/Salut. pol/inf   bon-zhoor/sa-lew
Goodbye.   Au revoir.   o-rer-vwar (literally “To see again.”)
Please.   S’il vous plaît. seel voo play (literally “If you please.”)
Thank you.   Merci.   mair-see
You’re welcome.   Je vous en prie.   zher voo zom pree
Yes.   Oui.   wee
No.   Non.   non
Excuse me.   Excusez-moi.   ek-skew-zay-mwa
Sorry.   Pardon.   par-don
I understand.   Je comprends.   zher kom-pron
I don’t understand.   Je ne comprends pas.   zher ner kom-pron pa
One moment, please.   Un moment, s’il vous plaît.   um mo-mon seel voo play
Help!   Au secours!   o-skoor

From Lonely Planet’s French Phrasebook (which I highly recommend) available at Lonelyplanet.com

Languages of Senegal: Pulaar

Pulaar is a dialect of Fula, a major African language both in its geographical distribution and number of speakers. Fula is spoken in Western, Eastern and Central Africa by over 25 million speakers. In addition to Africa, major concentrations of Fula speakers can be found in Europe and America. At the African Language Conference held in 1979 in Michigan, Fula was not only ranked high following the priority criteria utilized (i.e. -number of speakers; -political, cultural and social importance; -importance for US national interests) but it was also included in Group A Languages (Highest Priority). – Dr. Mamadou Niang

The Pulaar dialect is not uniform and some sources cite three different subvarieties; Fuutankoore, Jeerinkoore & Southern Pulaar.

  • fanaa – midday
  • liggude – hang up; hang. Liggu wutte maa. Hang your gown.
  • naafki – armpit. Naafki ma ina sicci. Your underarm smells badly. naafde pl.
  • sayeede – be rabid. rawaandu sayaandu a rabid dog
  • talde – cut a big piece of raw meat (v.)/big piece of raw meat (n.)
Definitions from Hippocrene Standard Pulaar-English Dictionary by Dr. Mamadou Niang. Available at HippocreneBooks.com A very nicely laid out dictionary however as far as I can tell the specific subvariety of Pulaar is not specified.

‘Say It In Wolof!’ Phrasebook Review

Say It In Wolof!‘ by Ababacar Gueye. Translated by Sue Hall.

BSDA No. 8531150404 3rd Edition (English) – Also available in French. ©2005

As far as I know it is not available online or anywhere outside of Senegal. It might be possible to special order it from the contact info below:

Lakki Reew Mi Project 1
568 Av. Abebe Bikila Grd Dakar. SN.
Mobile phone: 571.59.92
Email: lakkireewmib@yahoo.fr

My review:

It’s a very short book but has a lot of useful phrases for everyday life in Dakar. The one minor flaw of this book is that there are a few typos. There is even an omission of a letter in the pronunciation section – there’s a description of how to pronounce the letter but where the letter should be is blank.

Sample phrase from book:

Three. How much is that? Ñett. Ñaata la?

Book contents:

  • Introduction
  • Pronouncing and writing certain sounds
  • Greetings and basic chit-chat
  • Numbers
  • Money
  • Negotiating prices
  • Taxis
  • Restaurant
  • Family
  • Times of day
  • Telling the time
  • Remarks
  • Thanks
Wolof Phrasebook

Say It In Wolof! by Ababacar Gueye