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AUTHOR Bird, Charles; Kante, Naaadou TITLE An Ka Bamanankan Kalan: Intermediate Bambara. INSTITUTION Indiana Univ., Bloomington. Linguistics Club. SPONS AGENCY Bureau of Postsecondary Education (DHEN/OE), Washington, D.C. Div. of International Education. PUB DATE Nov 76 CONTRACT 300-75-0200 NOTE 282p.
EDRS PRICE MF-S0.83 HC-$15.39 Plus Postage. DESCRIPTORS *African Languages; Grammar; *Instructional Materials; *Language Instruction; Language Proficiency; Language Skills; Oral Communication; Reading Instruction; *Second-Language Learning; *Textbooks; Uncommonly Taught Languages; /Ocabulary IDENTIFIERS *Bambara; National Defense Education Act Title VI; NDEA Title VI
ABSTRACT This textbook follows the third edition of ',Introductory Bambara: An Ka Basanankan KalanN, and is designed so that Bambara can be used almost exclusively in the classroom. Each of the twenty lessons has a culturally oriented topic and consists of a reading selection, drills on grammar and vocabulary list. The grammar notes are not intended for classroom use, but rather as aids to teachers and students for the understanding of the grammatical structures. The emphasis is on oral proficiency in Bambara, and the fore of the language used is Standard Bambara, also the language used by the literacy service in Mali. (CLX)
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U.S. DEPARTMENT OF NEALTN. EDUCATION A WELFARE NATIONAL INSTITUTE OF EDUCATION THIS DOCUMENT HAS SEEN REPRO- DUCED EXACTLY AS RECEIVED FROM THE PERSON OR ORGANIZATION OR,GIN- ATiNG IT POINTS OF VIEW OR OPINIONS STATED 00 NOT NECESSARILY REPRE SENT OFFICIAL NATIONAL INSTITUTE OF EDUCATION POSITION OR POLICY
//I ,
Charles Bird Indiana University Mamadou Kante Linguistics Club 2 1976 AN KA BAMANANKAN KALAN:
INTERMEDIATE BAMBARA
Charles Bird
Mamadou Kant
Reproduced by the Indiana University Linguistics Club November, 1976
Write for our latest publications list IU Linguistics Club 310 Lindley Hall Bloomington, Indiana47401
3 The research reported herein was performed pursuant to a Contract with the U.S. Office of Education, Department of Health, Education and Jelfare, under the provisions of Title VI, Section b02, NDEA, as amended. Intermediate Bambara iii
INTRODUCTION
This textbook has been designed to follow the third edition of Introductory Bambara: An ka Bamanankan Kalan (John Hutchison, Mamadou Kante and Charles Bird, Indiana University Linguistics Club, 1976). Each lesson consists of I a reading selection IIdrills on grammar and vocabulary IIIa dialogue IV notes and vocabulary The book is designed so that Bambara can be used almost exclusively in the classroom. The notes are not intended for classroom use, but rather as aids to teachers and students for the understanding of the grammatical structures. The explanations of the grammatical points are often technical and may prove difficult for those without linguistic training. We again however reiterate that our purpose is not to teach people how:to talk about Bambara. Our purpose is rather to get people to talk Bambara.. This book is not particularly designed for the novice teacher. We assume, for example, that the teacher is trained anorgl-aural,methodology, or has at leastworked-through-the-methods-Outlineffin the inttdauCtory course. As you will note, each lesson has a culturally oriented topic, e.g. major life ceremonies such as births, deaths, marriages, etc. Our presen- tation of these is highly generalized.One may expect to find differences from region to region. Our primary point of orientation is the Bambara-Maninka culture around Bamako and to the southwest. Similarly, the particular form of language that we have chosen Standard Bambara, that is, the Bambara used by the literacy service in Mali. This is the form of Bambara that I have referred to elsewhere as Town Bambara. It is very widely understood throughout the Bambara-Maninka-Dyula (henceforth B-M-D) world. Where we deem it important, we introduce information in the notes re- garding similarities and differences in other dialects. The authors are particularly grateful to the Indiana University African Studies Center for providing considerable support over the years and to the United States Office of Education, Department of Health, Education and Wel- fare for invaluable support in helping put this work together. Obviously, 1iny errors of fact or omission are entirely the authors'.
C. B.
1:1
5 iv Intermediate Bambara
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
The cover design comes from a piece of hunter's cloth (b6gOlanfini) produced in the' Beledugu region of Mali. This cloth appeared in a Museum of Modern Art African textile show.
Except as otherwise noted, the illustrations are taken from Kibaru, the Bambara language newspaper published by the Ministere de l'Information, Departmement de Kibaru, in Bamako, Mali, and used with their permission.
The illustration on page 240 of a donso-nkOnijhunter's lute-harp) is by Joan Bird.
Thanks also go to Joanne Ortman for typing the manuscript.
6 Intermediate Bambara v
TABLE OFCONTENTS
Introduction . iii
Acknowledgments iv .
Lesson 1 Topic: Names of the language and where it is spoken/ Kan t8gOw n'a f8-yOraw Grammar: min as subject Three demonstrative forms X be Y kan From X to Y K'a to fo Ka ba fo K'a damine ka t'a bila Directions X-yan-fan fe X kan be Y ma X bila X no la
Lesson 2 Topic: Good behavidr/ Magaya Grammar: min with subject noun X ba Y fe/X ni Y balen bC tab. 'X k6 nail nali ni ni X to -ntan/-ntanya foyi to X ba X to foyi ke Y Ica nye 65 ma/cogo do la
Lesson 3 29 Topic: Some ways of good behavior/ MagOya_sira dow Grammar: min as object nyini X fe + subordinate X deli + subordinate clause/infinitive it's (duration) since/that
Adjectives: A review Comparative constructions adjective X ye V-len X ye adjective ka X 1)5 ko, i n'a fo, kami k'a d'a kan/bawo/bari, etc. do X bila + infinitive vi Intermediate Bambara
Lesson 4 45 Topic: Kinds of people/Siyaw Grammar: min in time, place, and manner clauses fo ni nyagOn nyagan fe u ni nyagOn ce nyogon na Sentence final ani X Past participial clauses: V-len ka ni in appositional clauses
Lesson 5 59 Topic: The Family/Denbaya Grammar: nyagan a nye bee ma a la c'a la dun cogo X temenen X temenen ka
Lesson 6 671 Topic: How eating is done/Dumuni-ke-cogo Grammar: ni x-tuma sera sani fo ka taa ka X to Y la X dan na Comparative X ye/ni X ye tila X la
Lesson 7 79 Topic: Baptism/Den-kun-di Grammar: H-to V-tO V-ta yaasa/walasa yere mako - X fiyenya Y kan
Lesson 8 93 Topic: Initiation/Bolokoli Grammar: min in appositional relatives o b'a sOra sugu hami X la X wajibiya ka Y si/san: talking about age mana: review drills walaka X ket6 ye ka Y pre-auxiliary particles nisan/nisiin-diya nison-goya Intermediate Bambara vii-
Lesson 9 107 Topic: Marriage/Furu Grammar: min sentence final X koli ka Y X sababu ke Y ye X mine Y ye/X ,fate Y fe X don Y bolo o kara ye ko X X ben Y la/kan Time expressions su rO, su fe, sibiri su
Lesson 10 121 Topic: Improving marriage expenses/Furu musakaw nagayali Grammar: (event) ke X deli ka Y X be Y kan X be nyini ka Y X man kan ka Y Review of relative clauses
Lesson 11 133 Topic: Death/Saya Grammar: Euphemisims for death Time expressions: nye-tugun ni nye-yelen ce o tuma kelen na o y'a sOrO (days, weeks, months) after X Dama_( do) X kan (the sound of X) Verbs: fa: X fa Y la 1)6: saraka 1)6 X ye don: X don (to bury 'someone) X don furu-ja la (X enter widowhood, become a widow) Verbs of motion:English and Bambara
Lesson 12 145 Topic: Soccer/Ntola-tan Grammar: kabini damine tuma daw X aa la cogo bee la X-yara ba n'a si k'a to Negative Implicative Verbs: X ball ka Y X ye y la X dese ka Y
9 viii intermediate Bambara
Lesson 12 (cont.) Mankan 4 Ni... min .... X ke Y ye (have X for dinner, breakfast, eta.)
Lesson 13 159 Topic: Leatherworker/Garanke Grammar: tun lakolon/rOkolon Bala/jun Nye kOrO/nyena/nyana Predicates and arguments X yelema ka ke Y ye JO-yOra don/V-len be
Lesson 14 171 Topic: Bardship and Music/Jeliya nifOli Grammar: na ni X ye to ni X ye X fe Infinitive clauses Infinitives as subjects X ke ka Y Review of coordination X ani Y X ni Y X ani fana Y X ka Y X dan na X-ko (the matter of X)
Lesson 15 191 Topic: Thread and Weavers/Gese ni gese-dala Grammar: i be t'a soro min X, ni Y X V-to, Y Sama: X sama Y la Y sama X la Wajibiya X wajibiyalen Y kan ka X ke Y ye (benefactives)
10 Intermediate Bambara ix
,Lesson 16 205 Topic: ThQ Farmer/Ci-kela Grammar: X ni Y don je X ma ko Y X soli-ka Y u d8w X sago la beh X ma danma-X na a ye k'a fa ko
Lesson 17 217 Topic: The Blacksmith/Numu_ Grammar: fo X, ni Y X ka jan/surun Y la X ka dagan/ca, min Y Dialect variants of auxiliaries bila bila X la taa X bila Y X bolo Y soro
Lesson 18 229 Topic: Hunting/Donsoya Grammar: X-ma i bila X ka men X la tigi X ko diya Y ye X daga-da
Lesson 19 2h] Topic: The Holyman/Mori Grammar: Benefactive ye X da-n-kan X ke Y kun X fara Y kan X labila jigin
Lesson 20 2/19 Topic: Let's not neglect our work/An kana'baara bila bolo kOfe Grammar: Reading and Review X bila bolo 16' fe men X la X-ko Relative clauses nye-sin X ma ka nye Past participial phrases X ka fisa Y ye fo ka
Glossary 255
11 Intermediate Bambara 1
KALAN 1
Kan tOew n'a fil-yarOw
Nsiirin: MOO be mine i kuma-kan de ma.
min as subject Three demonstrative forms X be Y kan From X to Y K'a to fo Ka be fo K'a damine ka t'a bila Directions X-yan-fan fe 'X kan be Y ma X bila Y 116 la
12 2 Intermediate Bambara
KAN
An ka nin kitabu b4 kan min kan, tag8 caman b4 fa o ma. Dam' b'a vele ko bananan-kan; b'a fa a ma ko maninka-kan, dOw fans ko a ma ko jula-kan. A ker'a f4n o fen ye, a be ye kan kelen in de ye.A b4 fa ko kan saba in be bra wolo-ba kelen na ka Jensen k414v sen fa. A tinyn'a nkalon, don da, bolo na da o kis4 kan. Bamanan-kal be "ib Mali la to Kayi fo Moti. Nka i b4 bamananw sCii.O Mali fan to be ani Mal?. k4r4-f- jamanaw la. Maninka-kan fans be fe Mali la, Kita ni Kaaba mara la. A b4 fa.Lagin4 Tana, ani KenOwari ni Kambiya ni S4n4gali.Jula-kan fa-iarabav ye Baojulaso ye ani Buwake.Kan nines ye jago-k4-kan ye Afiriki tile-bin-yan-fan _f4. McIg8 o mho, n'i b4 nin kan kelen man, i b4caman faamuya a to fila la.
Nyininkali: 161 1. An ka nin kitabu be mun kan? 2. An ka nin kitabu b4 kan min kan, o toga? 3. Ur b'a vele cogo di? 4. Mun 1;4ft?) kan saba ninw 5. 0.ye tiny ye wa? 6. Bamanankan b4 feMali y8ra jum4nw na? 7. A be fa jamana jumen werew la? 8. Maninka-kan be fa min? 9. A b4 fa Mali yara jumenw na? 10. Kan in -ye. mun-kan-ye Afiriki tile-bin=yan-fan f4? 11. N'i be kan kelen men, i b'a tow faamuya wa?
Segin-n-kan: X-yan-fan Segin-n-kan:
Oran-yan-fan Moti be Mali kt5r8n-yan-fan f4. tile-bin-yan-fan Somali b4 Afiriki kOriin-yan-fan f4. saheli-yan-fan "Maryland" b4 Ameriki kiirOn-yari-fan fe. woro-dugu-yan-fan. Ban-bugu-yan-fan
Nyininkali:X-yan-fan
A. Moti be Mali fan jumen fe? A. "Maryland" b4 Ameriki fan jumen f4? B.. Moti be Mali 'OrOn-yan-fan fe. B. "Maryland" b4 Ameriki keran-yan-tan_ f4. A. Somali be min? B. Somali be Afiriki kOrOn-yan-fan _f4.
Segin-n-kan: X-yan -fan
Kayi be Mali tile-bin -yan-fan f4. Sen;gali b4 Afiriki tile-bin-yan-fan fe. Kan in ye jago-k4-kan ye Afiriki tile Zin -yan-fan f4. "Oregon" b4 Ameriki tile- bin -yan -fan fe.
13 Intermediate Bambara 3 Nyininkali: X-yan-fan
A. Kayi be Mali ran jum4n? B. Kayi be Mali tile- bin- yan -fan fe.
A. S4n4gali be Afiriki fan jumen fe? B. Senegali be Afiriki tile-bin-yan-fan fa.
A. Kan in be fa min? B. Kan in be fa Afiriki tile-bin-yan-fan fe
A. "Oregon" be min? B. A be Ameriki tile-bin-yan-fan fe.
Segin-n-kan: X-yan -fan
Tunbutu be Mali saheli-yan-fan_fe. Alanseri be Afiriki saheli -yan -fan fe. Michigan be Ameriki Saheli-yan-fan_fe.
Nyininkali: X-yan-fan
.A.-Tunbutuba min? -A. "Michigan" be min? B. Tunbutu be Mali saheli-yan-fan_fe. B. "Michigan" be Ameriki sahel&-yan-fan_ fe. A. Alanseri be min? B. Alanseri be Afiriki saheli-yan-fan fe.
Segin-n-kan:
Sikaso be Mali woro-dugu-yan-fan fe. "Namibia" be Afiriki woro-dugu-yan-fan fe. "Texas" be Ameriki woro-dugu-yan-fan le.
A. Sikaso be min? A. "Texas" be min?' B. Sikaso be Mali woro-dugu-yan-fan _fe. B. "Texas" be Ameriki woro-dusu-yan-fan_ fe. A. "Namibia" be min? B. "Namibia" be Afiriki_ woro-dugu-yan-fan fe.
Segin-n-kan: k'a ta fo
Bamanan-kan be fa k'a ta Kayi fo Moti. Wye mobili boli k'a ta Bamak3 fo Segu. K'a ta bi fo kalan-ban-don, bamanan-kan dOrOn be fayan. M§:134w be baara ke Ameriki k'a ta nt4nen fo juma. Kalan to ke yan k'a ta Desanburu kalo tile 25 f'a tile 31.
Yelemali: k'a ta/ka ba
14 4 Intermediate Bambara
Nye-jira: A. Bamanan-kan_be f8 k'ata Kayi.foMoti. B. Bamanan-kan_be fa ka 1)8 Kayi fo Moti.
Karamogo: N'ye mobili_boli Bamako fo Segu. Kalanden: N'ye mobili_boli ka ba BamakO fo Segu. Karamogo: K'a to bi fo kalan-bandon, bamanan-kan daran be fa yan. Kalanden: Kra 1;4 bi fo kalan-ban-don, bamanan-kdri daran be fayap. Karamogo: tantenen fajupa, meow be baara ke Ameriki. Kalanden: Ka ba ntenen fo jupa, mOgOW-be baara Ameriki. Karamogo: to Desanburu kalo tile25 f'a the 31 kalan to ke yan. Kalanden: Ka ba Desanburu kalo the 25 f'a the 31, kalah to ke yan.
Yelemali:
Nye-jira: A. N'ye mobili_boli k'a ta Bamako fo Segu. B. N'ye mobiliboli k'udamine Bamako fo Segu.
KaramOga: K'atantenen fo juma, mjeigali be baara_ke Ameriki. Kalanden: &mine nten& fo ka t'a bila jupa, mOsOw be baara_ke Ameriki. Karamogo: ta bi fo kalan-ban-don, bamanan-kan dar(7n be fO yap. Kalanden: damine bi fo ka kalan-ban-don, bamanan-kandOrOn be fa yelp.
Kuma-sen-dila:
Nye-jira: damine bi fo ka t'a bila sinin, an to baara ke
K'a damine fajiri fo ka t'a bilafitiri, an be sun. sisan Ji:Foi=fana_dun-tuma_, n'bena kalan_ke.
kambiya ...... otiwalita, bamanan-kan_be men yen.
kalan-damine-don_ . 14, ma foyi seben. fitiri fajiri, an ma sunogo. yan moti, sogo to sara. Bamako segu, ne de ye mobili_boli.
Uti tile fan . . . . tile 30, san be na don o don.
daraka-dun-tuma_. . . sura-fana-dun-tuma_, ate ji mln.
wolo-don...... bolb-ko-don_, m(15.0 ye bila-kUro ye. sisan san-yelema, nene to ba tugun.
Segin-n-kan: nin
KitabuLye bamanan-kan kitabu_ye. Kitabu in ye bamanan-kan kitabu_ye. Nin kitabu_ye bamanan-kan kitabu_ye. Nin kitabu in ye bamanan-kan kitabuLye.
Yelemali: nin
Ce be bamanan-kan_fa. Kuma.ka bon ne da ma. Kan be wele togo caman na. Muso be bamanan-kan kalan-
Yelemali: nin
KaramOga: Nin ye mun kitabu_ye? Kalanden fare: Nin kitabu_ye bamanan-kan kitubu_ye. Kalanden filanan: Kitabu in ye bamanan-kan kitabu_ye. Kalanden sabanan: Nin kitabu in ye bamanan-kan kitabu_ye. 15 Intermediate Bambara 5
An ka temen a fe:
Ce in be bamanan-kan men wa? N'i be nin kan men, i be caman faamuyaa tow la wa? Aw ka kan in be wale cogo di? E. miiri_ye mun ye nin kuma in na? Muso in toga?
Segin-n-kan: kan
Kitabu in be bamanan-kan kan. An ka baro tun be foli kan. Kalan in be kanw kan. Dgn-kili in be kibaru kan. Mama in be Sunjata kan. . Nyogon-ye in be sene kan.
Cogoya jira:
Karamaga: Kitabu be bamanan=kan kan. (siniman, sene-ke-cogo) Kalanden: Siniman be sene-ke-cogo kan.
Siniman be sene-ICe-cogo kan.
Kuma . . . . ni-sanga. . . .
Dan-kill . . Kibaru
Maana. . . . Sunjata . .
Tan-sigi . . ni-sOnga. .
nyOgan-ye. . sene
karca-fO. . . bonya
kalan. . . . kanw
Nyininkali: kan
A. Kitabu in be mun ken? A. Dan-kili in be mun--- kan? B. Kitabu in be bamanan-kan_kan. B. Don-kili in be Kibaru de kan. A. Aw ka baro tun be mun kan? A. Maana in be mun kan? B. An ka baro tun be foli kan. B. Maana_ in be Sunjata kan. A. Kalan kan? A. My-Oen-ye be mun kan? B. Kalan in be kanw de kan. B. Nyagan-ye be sene kan.
Segin-n-kan: min
Min ka bon a be ye. Min finnen don. Min ka kunba a be ye. Min be tabali kan. Min ka jan a be ye. Min tun be Sikaso. Min ka nyi a be ye. Min be Kuluba sira kan. Min.bilennen be a be ye. Min be karOn-yan-fan Min be tabalijukOra. Nyininkali: min
A. I be saga jumen fe? A. Abe namasa jumen fe? B. Min ka ban a be ye. B. Min ka dagh a be ye. A. I be mangoro jum4n fe. A. I be kulusi fgwa? Jumen? B. Min ka kunba a be ye. B. Min ka nyi a be ye. A. I be nburu jumen fe. A. A bb jiri-den jumen fe. B. Min ka jan abae ye. B. Min bilennen be a be ye. 16 6 Intermediate Bambara
A. A be mobili jumen fe? A. Ntola be tan ntola-tan-yOra jumen na? B. Ian finnen don. B. Mg big kuluba kan. A. Aw be jumen fe? A. Aw b4 taa siniman jumen na? B. Min be tabali kan. B. Min be karan-yan-f4nfe. A. I kan be jumen ma? A. Aw be jumen Iv)? B. Min tun be Sikaso. B. Min be tabali_jukara.
Nyininkali:min
A. I be jil-i-den jumen A. I be mobili jumen fe? B. Min bilennen don. B. Min finnen don. A. Saga jumen sogo_ka ca? A. A ye nburu jumen san? B. Min ka bon kasebe. B. Min ka jan. A. A denjumen nape A. Mola jumen be, nin ke. B. A den_min ye karamaga ye. B. Mogo min ka nyi kosebe. A. J4Lnana? A. Jan_nana kunun? B. Kumandan min tun be Sikaso. B. Kumadanmin tun be Kita.
Yelemali: ka min don kuma-sen kana
1. Jiri-den bilennen don. 6. Ntola-tan-yar8be kuluba sira_la. Jiri-den min bilennen don. Ntola-tan-yara_min be kuluba 2. Saga ka bon kasebe. 7. Den_ye karamaga_ye. Saga min ka bon kasebe. Den_min ye karamaga ye. 3. Nburu ka jan. 8. Kumadan_tun be Sikaso. Nburu min ka jan. Kumadan_min tun be Sikaso. 4. Namasa ka dagan. 9. Mobilifinnen don. Namasa min ka dagan. Mobili_min finnen don. 5. Kitabu bTtabali kan. 10. Mho ka nyi kas4b4. Kitabu thin ioetabari kan. MOga_min ka nyi kasebe.
Kuma-don-nyogon-na: min
1. Muso-ka nyi. A be o muso A. 2. Mangoro ka kunba kasha. A y'o mangoro Muso min ka nyi, a b'o fe. san. Mar-Igor° min ka kunba kasebe, a y'o san.
Saga tOlalen be. A ye o saga_san. Mangoro ka bon. A y'o mangoro dun. Nburu ka jan. A b'o nburu sagama o sagOma. Namasa ka dagan. A t'o namasa_fe. Kulusi ka nyi. A b'o kulusi san. Mobili finnan don. Fanta 1D'o mobili fe. Kitabu be tabali kan. A be o kitabu ta. Kumandan tun be Sikaso. N kan b'o kumandan ma. Ntola-tan-yara be kuluba sira_la. Ntola be tan o ntola-tan-yara la. Siniman be kati sira_la. An be taa o siniman na. Jiri-den bilennen don. A b'o jiri-den fe. Kesu be tabali_jukara. U b'o kesu kana.
17 Intermediate Bambara 7 Bila-na-la:min
Milga min ka bon a be ye. Jiriden min ka bon a be ye Muso di Saga nyi
ca bilenna. . . :.- jan mona . . . .
dagan. . . . jgara . . .
misen. . . . mangoro
kise . . . . namasa
kunba. . . .
Baro-misen: min
1. A. I be mangoro jumen fe? 5. A. E taje mobili jum'en ye? B. Min bilenna kOsebe. E dun? B. Min finnen don. E dun? A:-. -Mih-hiTliireh-Kage154: 'A. 14B-bile-Men doh.
2. A. I be taa ntolan-tan-yarO jumen na? 6. A. I be Lunen fey B. Min be kuluba sira_ la. E dun? B. Min be tabali_jukara. E dun? A. Min be kati sirala. A. Min be tabalikan.
3. A. I be saga jumen fe? 7. A. I be nburu jumen B. Min ka kunba. E dun? B. Min ka kunba. E dun? A. Saga min ka kunba, ne fana b'o de fe! A. Min ka jan.
4. A. I kan be kumandan jumen ma? B. Min be Sikaso. E kan be jumen ma? A. Kumadan min be Moti, ne kan b'o de ma.
Baro-misen: min
1. A. Mangoro-min-bilennen-be3-1-blo-fe-w0----- , - B. Min bilennen be, n' t'o fe. Min geren don, n' b'o de fe.
2. A. Saga min ka misen, i b'o san wa? B. Min ka misen, n' t'o san. kin ka kunba, n' b'o de san.
3. A. I be mobili finman_fe wa? B. Mobil min finnen be, o man di ne ye.Min jelen be, o de ka di ne ye.
4. A. I be sara in fe wa? B. Min b'i bolo, n' t'o san. Min b'i sen kara, n' b'o de san.
5. A. Sogo min be turolen, i b'o dun wa? B. Min tuladen bb, n' b'o dun. Min tal8len te, n't'o de dun.
6. A. Mgo_min ka misen, i b'11, furu wa? B.' Muso _min ka misen, n'b'ci, furu. Min ka kunba, n't'o furu.
18 8 Intermediate Bambara Baro
Dunanke: Ce-k8rii-ba ni ce. Bala: Nba, i ni ce. Here be? Dunanke: N'be Ala tanu bi kiisebe: E dun? Bala: Tor si ta. 1 toga? 11..... e Dunanke: N'tag8 ko Frau. N'be bc) Ameriki. Bala: BObu, e b'an ka kan in men de! Dunanke: N'b'a men dOoni d8rOn. Bala: Bobu, ne y'i ye i be kumala Seku fe. I be bamanan-kan w6rO i ko tjga. I b'a fa ka temen anw yere kan. Dunanke: Jiri-kurun men o men ji la ce-kar8ba, a to ke bamaye. Ne b'aw ka. Bala: 0 ye tinye ye n' denke. N'ka jiri-kurun in be mOieci lasiran. Den-misen hakilima y'i ye. N'i tora nin sirs kan, i be ko caman don an ka jamana in kan8 yan. Ala k'i deme.
Notes
1. Demonstrative positions
The demonstrative nin can occur both before and after thenoun it modifies: _nin kitabu_ this book kitabu nin this book
It can occur in both places st the same time witha strong emphatic interpretation: nin kitabu nin this book here
The demonstrative can also occur in both positions whena possessive modifier Is present:
an ka nin kitabu_ this book of ours an ka kitabu nin this book of ours
When the demonstrative precedes the noun, the definite article will always be present. When following the noun, the demonstrative replaces the definite article. When following the noun, nin can always have the reduced form:
kitabu in nin kitabu in
2. fan Fan is the Bambara word for "direction" or "side". It combines with the four cardinal direction words to produce expressions equivalent to: "the northern part of X, the eastern part of X, etc," e.g.:
Mali tile-bin-yan-fan the eastern part of Mali the east of Mali Ameriki saheli-yan-fan_ the north of America the northern part of America
19 Intermediate Bambara 9
Although a term like saheli refers literally to the sahel, it denotes also the northern direction. Similarly woro-dugu refers literally to kola-country, that is, the Ivory Coast, but it denotes also the southerly direction. In combination with yan-fan, these are always understood as directional terms so that even in Paris, Faransi saheli-yan-fan would refer to the north of France.
3. Relative clauses: "min" in subject position
Bambara has-only one relative-pronoun min which corresponds to "who, which, that, whose" in English. We can think about relative clauses as sentences which are placed inside other sentences to modify nouns or in some cases to serve as nouns. Sentences 1) and 2) can be combined to make 3). 1. The woman bought the cloth. 2. The woman left. 3. The woman who left bought the cloth. We can say that 2) has been inserted in 1) to make 3). We will call sentences like 1), main sentences. Sentences like 2), we will call sub- ordinate sentences. In Bambara, we never find sentences like 3), where the subordinate sentence_ is inserted right in the middle of the main sentence. It is almost always the case that the relative clause will occur either before or after the main sentence. For example, instead of 3) one would find 'a sentence equiva- lent to 4).
4) The woman who left, she bought the cloth.
In BambAra, 4) would appear as follows:
muso min taara, o ye fini san.
There are a number of things to note here:
a. The relative clause marker min follows the noun in the subordinate sentence. b. The noun preceding min is always definite. c. In the main sentence, the demonstrative pronoun o is used to refer back to the noun followed by the relative clause marker min.
As in English, conversations are usually carried on with elliptical sentence fragments. For example, when someone asks you:
"Who bought the cloth?"
you will most likely respond with a fragment as follows:
"The woman who left"
rather than repeating information given in the question like:
"The woman who left bought the cloth."'
Igius., the normal question and answer sequence in Bambara would be like the
20 10 Intermediate Bambara following:
A. JOn_ye fini.san? B. Muso min taara.
4. The expression X kan-be-Y ma captures the meaning of Xis talking about Y, in the sense that Y is the topic of X's conversation.
n' kan be Modibo ma. I'm talking about Modibo. Hawa kan be wari darOn ma. Hawa's talk is only about money.
5. The expression X be Y kan (literally X is on Y) translatessometimes as X is about Y, e.g.
A. dankili in be mun kan? What's-this song about? B. a be fa-so-baara de kan. It's about work for our country.
This expression can also be used to capture the meanings"What are you doing?, What are you up to?"
A. I be mun kan? What are you up to? B. N' be nak8-baara de kan I'm gardening. (on garden-work)
In this sense, it is equivalent to X be Y la, e.g.:
A. I be mun na? B. N' be naka-baara de la.
6. In the instructions to the lessons, we are using theexpressions: "X bila Y n3 la," literally "put X in the track of Y."NO is a word which means roughly "trace, track, scent,trail," it can however mean "place, position or slot" as it does here. A looser translation would be "put X in the place of Y" or even "replace Y with X."
Vocabulary
Alanseri Algeria baro conversation, chat fajiri dawn fitiri dusk geren green, fresh, unripe jaso trade, commerce jaso-ke-kan trade language jennn var: jenOn spread, spread out, distribute Kati city in Mali kise seed, grain, nucleus marafa-kise bullet kOga ripen, age, mature Ora underneath, meaning k8ra fa (meaning-say) explanation, speak of meaning k8r8-f8 conversation 21 Intermediate Bambara 11 karOn east---
X kOrOn-yan-fan . . . . to east of X Kuluba hill on outskirts of Bamako, Mali, location of government offices maana epic, history, detailed literary explanation ni soul, spirit ni-sOne (soulprice tax, head-tax nkalon lie var: ngalon,.wuya (wasulu), kaloh ntola ball var tola ntol'a -tan (kick-ball) soccer, football ntola-tan-y8r8 soccer field nyogon together, each other nyogon -ye (see each other) meeting saheli Sahel region, north X saheli-yan-fan. the north of X tan kick tile-bin west, sunset X tile-bin-yan-fan the west of X tinye truth, correct var: tiyen, tonya, tunya, cen to remainder, rest, leftover Mali fan to al13-the remaining areas of Mali la,, to fila the two remaining (of it) a to man ca the rest is not much edDi fatten var: tia, kia, tun tan group, association tan-sigi (group-sit) conference Uti August woro kola woro-dugu kola-country, Ivory Coast, the South X woro-dugu-yan-fan . the south of X Yelema change, transform
22 --afiriki tilebiyananjamanaw
F
23 Intermediate Bambara 13
KALAN 2
mOgOya i
Nsiirin: JO-fen bee ye da-fen ye .._
min with subject noun X bO Y fe / X ni Y bOlen be taa X 0 half half ni ni X to / -ntan / -ntanya foyi to X ba nye a ma / cogo dO la X to foyi, ke Y kb'
47:v v,-..
2 25 14 Intermediate Bambara
Magaya Foyi te mOsoya b8, mho de ye fen bee ye. MC,65, i be na m8g8w de bolo, i be taa mOgOw bolo. Ni magOw te, i te se ka foyi k'i yere ye. Ni wari t'i fe, n'i ni magaw be nyOgOn fe, iye baana_ye. Ni sanu t'i fe, n'i ni m8gaw be ny8gOn fe, i ye baana_ye. I mako mana ke fen o fen ye dinye na, i man kan k'a bila maw nya.Wari be ban, sanu be ban nka ni mho b'i jigiyala, la, i be fen min fa, i b'o s8r8. M8gOya te taa nyOgan-bonya ko. N'i temena m8g8k8r8baw la, n'i m'u fo,u b'a fo k'i te mOg8 bonya, k'i te half foli ke. Muso ka kan k'a ce bonya, ce ka kan k'a muso bonya.Denmisenw ka kan k'u masaw bOnya.U b'a fa ko n'i m'i masaw bonya, i te ke foyi ye dinye na fugari k8, i be to fadenw bee ka.
Nyininkali:
1. Fen be milgaya ba wa? 2. MOO, i be na meow de bolo,o kOrai? 3. MOO, i be .taa maw de bolo, o kara? h. Ni maw te, i be se ka fen ke wa? .5. Baana_ye mun ye? 6. Ni wari t'i fe, sanu t'i fe, magi) b'i fe, i ye baana_ye wa? 7. Mun na, a be f8 ko mOgOtigi ye baana_ye? 8. MOO ka kan k'i mako bila mOgaw nye wa? 9. an be wari nyini k'a sOr5? 10. an be sanu nyini k'a s8r8? 11. 0 tuma, mho ka fisa sanu_ni wari_ye wa? 12. MOgOya te taa mun kO? 13. A be fa ko mo,be mCiew bonya cogo di? 14. U b'a fa ko n'i m'i masaw bonya, ko mun be k'i la? 15. Mun na i be to fadenw bee ka, n'i t'i masaw bonya?
Segin-n-kan:
1. Muso be se tobili_la. 6. Ce te misi-sogo dun. Muso min be se tobili_la. Ce pin te misi-sogo dun. 2. Ce be angilekanili. 7. I benke b'i fe ka temen tow kan. ca min be angilekan_fO. I benke min b'i fe ka temen taw kan. 3. Kini_be nin tasa kOn5. 8. Fanta be namasa_feere i ma don o don. Kini min be nin tasa kanO. Fanta min b'a namasa feere i ma h. MN8 be foli ke. don o don. MOO min be foli_ke. 9. Den b'a masaw bonya? 5. MOO te a kunce bonya meow ma. Den min Wa masaw bonya? MOO min te a kunce bonya meow ma.
Nyininkali:
1. I be muso jumen fe? 6. ,Ce jumen fOra.ni.kO- ____ 2. I kan be ce jumen ma? 7. 117benke jumen nana? 3. I be kini jumen fe? 8. Fanta jumen fdra n' Ica? 4:, M8g8 jumen ye m8g8 sebe_ye? 9. Mho jumen be barika s8r8? 5. MOg8 jumen be meow bonya?
26 t
Intermediate Bambara 15 Nyininkali: min
1. I beus() jumen 6. qjupen fora n' ka? Maso_min be se tobili_pi Cemin to misi-sogo dun. 2. I kan be ce jumen ma? 7. N' benke japan nine?' Ce min be angilekan Min_b'i ka te:men tOykap. 37-7"b4-kini-lUmen-ret--- 8. Fanta-jamen-fOra n' ka, 'Kini min be nin tasa Fanta min be namasa_raer'i ma 4, :NW jmmen ye mag8 sebe_ye? tmmabee. MA08 foli ke. 9. MNO jumen- be barika_siiya2 5. MOO jumen be meow bonya? McigiLmin b'amasaylb2pya. MNa min to a kunce bonya tow ma.
Segin-n-kan: min
1. Muso be se tobili la. 0 muso nana. Muso min be se tobili la, o nana. 2. Mi).05 be foli ke. 0 m8g4 ye mag5 pebeye. M80 min be foli ke, o ye m8g8 sebe_ye. 3. Ce nana. 0 ce be angilekan fa. Ce min nana, o be angilekan f8. 4. Mcig8 t'a'kunce bonya mOgOw ma. 0 megiiye maga sebeye. MN8 min t'a kunce bonya mOgaw ma, o ye mho 5. Kini be nin tasa kana. N' b'o kini_re. Kini min be nin tasa kOni5, n' b'o fe. 6. Ce to misi-sogo dun. 0 ce lc?). Ce min to misi-sogo dun, o fOr'i ka. 7. Fanta be namasa feere. 0 Fanta nana. Fanta min be namasa feere, o nana. 8. Den b'a masaw bonya. 0 den be barika sOrO. Den min b'a masaw bonya, o be barika 9. Kitabu be bamanan-kan. 0 kitabu to feere sugu la. Kitabu min be bamanitn-kEn'im, o to feere sugu la.
Yelemali: min
Nye-Jira: A. Maso_min b4 tobili_pi koli_ke.
_ Jon47 nana? I be;Usq ,jumen f'9?
Baara_min man gelen kosebe. Mho min to temen meow la ka taa kungo_k6nO. So_min man Jan sugu_la kosebe. Mori min be meg8Elaseli. Cemin to boll aceny8gOnnya. Ko_min to sebe-ko_ye. MNO_min be self ka sun. Baara_min to ke su_re. Samoa min to tmlike. Bato_min be boll jaliba kan. Cikela_min be foro keneba_sene. MOO_min to yilanyilan. Den_min b'a masaw bonya.
27 16 Intermediate Bambara
Jaabili:min Nye-lira:J8n_ye nin bila yan? Muso-min Cemin be solo ke. JOn_nana kunun? Janes' i gosi? Siniman lumen ka d'i ye? Kini_jumen ka d'i ye? Don lumen be ben i ma? 430 jBnen ye baana_ye? Kulusi lumen be ben yaya ma? Jan b'av kalan bamanankan na? Solumen ye dpxmike. I ka biro_ye jum4n ye? 1430_,jumh be a dom8g8y bonya? Joint ka'nin ke? Musb_ jumen b'a cebonya? I be taa sira lumen n? Den Jumen be barikassIrO? Jan_ye nin f8-i ye? 2438_jum4n ram n'-1+3. -.So- jumen7ka-dt-i--ye?-- I be teri jum4n Mc olumen ye mamma sebeye? nnye nin so in 11? I be din ke lumen n? Muso lumen ka furube men? Baro-misen: 1.k:I be muso lumen fe? B:Min_be se tobili la.E dun? ne b'o de fe_
2. A:I be kini_jume'n B: Kini_min ma jp. kosebe. E dun? A:Kini_min jars kOskOs, ne
3.A:E be milga lumen wele ngigi5 sebe? B: mole)/ fo.E dun? A: MO'ga min Va kunce_banya meey ma, o de ye ne ka 4.g8 sebe_ye.
4.A:E be sop lumen fk? B:btha ma titla kasebe.E dun? A: Sago min 61ililen be, o de ka di ne3re
5.A: Basra lumen ka d'i ye. B:Min_be ke su fe.E dun? C:Baara_min be ke tile_fe, o de ka di ne ye.
6.A: I ka biro...ye lumen ye? B:Min_be numaiLft.E dun? A: Biro _min be kinin_fe, o de ye ne tare.
I A: Waati lumen sun8giika d' i ye? B:Min_man gonin kojugu, a man suman kojugu.E dun? A:Waati min sumalen be, o de sunogo_ka di ne ye.
8. A: Ay be taa sira lumen B:Mint e temen nanyan k8na.Ay dun? A: Any be taa izanyan-i3n8-sira_de
no Intermediate Bambara 17
Baro-misen:
1. A: Jan_ye nin bila yan. 5. A: Adama nan'i ka. B: Muso do. B: Adama jumen? A: Muso jumen? -Min t'a kun kOrOta ka
2. A: Den_bee to ke nyemaga_ye. 6. A: MOO jumen Sre niP,d'i mg B: Mmp na? B: I terike;:". Barika de be nyemagaya di milgaipa. A: NiterikelaMent. B: Den jumen be barikaATO. B: Min tun be yaplupun-__ Min_b'llfabswa.
3. A: JOn_ye nip d'i mg 7. A: An be taa su in na. BL I benke. B:' Waatijtim4n? N' benke jumen? A:' Minbe benA B: Minyi feka temen taybee kan.
4. A: I terike_papa yan. B: Jmmen? A: Min to misi-sogo dun.
Segin-n-kan hall
Hall fofana fana yla . fa kó.tipie don; I to nine ke halli kaowulu la. Hall naloma_be nip don. Abe se hali so-boli la. Hall ne min m ilerierife tun. beyell. Tbe siran hali-ntumuni nye.
.Solo be hall 14-sogo dun. re' Donsoke be se ka hali to -ji min. A ma hali dmgutigi fo.
Baro-misen:
Nye-Jim: A. Mho caman ko tiny_ B: Chan ke, hali fofana y'afa ko tiny_ don.
I ka kan k'i fa bonya. Dunan in to mOgilya dt2p kosebe.
Ne ma taa kati. .,t, . Babaqyellengsflgjugu.: Uy'a fa ko solo to sell. 2Ubabuip,ibeke=fvlake:ye. iTy'imen ko dhpsoyb,41.441&gcamazilml.p.
T.i f Segin-n-kan: hali
Hall san-ji ma na. Hall a ka wari sumayara Yen. Hall a ka fall sara. Hall jiitImeo'deti%sai Hall bilga_yelematla ka ke sanu_ye. 1
29 18 Intermediate Bambara
Jaabili:
Nye -jira: A. E' sene-ko kera baara_ye. B. Halms-san-ji-ma-na.
Seyidu tOorOla kOjugu. An ka baara bee nyena bi. Baba to Ndakaru fe de. Foyi to nye nyinan.
Segin-n-kan: hall ni
Hall n'i ye kW-bare ke ninna, a t4 diya. Hall n'i ma fen ke, polosiw b'i lajO. Hall n'i y'a s8ng6 nyNOn fila d'a ma, a t'a-feerlima. Hall ni Baba ye barigon min, a to fa. Hall n'i kera wari- tigiba ye, i mako be j8 miiew la. Hall ni tile b8ra, n' be to so. ------Baro: (Jaabili Ice ni sanfe-kumasenw ye.)
Nye-Jim: A.. I ka kan ka kg_ ke na la. B. Hall n'i ye k956-bOre ke nin na, a to diya.
Yen polisiw ka jugun wa? All y'a fo mako t4 foyi la. Seku ka kO1a be san wa? I be taa foro la slain wa? DOw ko ko Baba bed6fEcaman min.
Nin nyiriinkaliv jaabi cogo min ka d'iye.
Mun na i to taa siniman na? Mun na i to Mamadu bonya? N' y'a men k'i to ntori dun. Tubabu in b'a fe ka d818ki in san wa? Fanta y'a fa k'i to taa Ndakara.
Segin-n-kan: nye d8 ma _ _ _
KOng8 tun b'a la nye do ma, a ye hall ntori dun. Min -n8g6 tun b'a la nye d3 ma, a ye half kOg8-ji min. Steen tun be n na nye d8 ma,n tun to se ka hall namasa san. Nafolo tun b'a fe nye_d8 ma, a tun ye half a deny lataa Maka.
Nin nyininkaliw jaabi:
Nye -jira: A. Steen b'i la wa? B. Segen be n'na nye d8 ma, n't4se ka hali tulu san.
KOng8 b'i la wa? Segen tun b'a la wa? Min -n8g5 b'i la wa? Bana be Fanta la wa?
30 Intermediate Bambara 19
Baro-misen:
1. A: Ce, nin ye ko jugubajre de? B: Ne tun t'a don k'a ka jugun o cogo la. A: Hal'i ka wulu, i to nin k'a la.
2. A: N'te se ka son nin ma. B: Ce o, sabali. Hali Ala be deli), a be son. San magaw ka kuma ma.
3. A: Mun na i diminen don n' kara.
B: drdiminen don i kaTh k'a d'a kan i toin sebe_ye. I to half foli_ke.
4. A: N' y'a men ko mho be si yirisanfe Mali 14_ B: Nin dabila sa! Hali naloma b'a don ko nin to tinye ye.
5. A: A ye wuli! A ye wuli! B: Ce, i fana ka maloya sa. Hall dugu ma je fan, i be magaw da la mankan na.
Bila-na-la:
A. Foyi to mOgaya ba.
. . . badenya . .
. . . . balimala. .
. . . . teriya . .
. . . . keneya . .
. . . . denmisenya.
. . . . mobili kura
. . . . mho -bonya.
. . . . sabali . .
B, Nyininkali:
1. Maya ka.gelen wa? 4. Mobili kura ka nyi wa? Foyi to mOBaya ba. Fopi to mobili kura bo?
2. Badenya ka di wa? 5. Sabali ka nyi wa? Foyi to badenya bi5. Foyi to sabali ba.
3. Teriya ka gelen wa? 6. Keneya ka di wa? Foyi to teriya ba? Foyi to keneya bin
C. Baro-misen
A: Fanta be kini-dun na. A: Musa be terike ke bara. B: Fanta be kini fe wa? B: I b'i terike fe wa? A: Fanta hakili la, foyi to kini ba. A: Ne hakili la, foyi to teriya b6.
A: Adama ni Fanta be nyagan fe. A: Fatu be sabali. B: I be Adama fe wa? B: Fatu be sabali_fe wa? A: Ale hakili la, Ce si to Adama ba. A: Fatu hakili la, foyi to sabali ba.
31 20 Intermediate Bambara
C. Baro-misen (Cont.)
A: All be mobili kura sanna. A: Ami be keneyarlyini tuma bee. B. Ami-be keneya=q-s? A: All hakili la, foyi to mobili kura _b8. A: Ami hakili la, foyi to keneyaSo. A: Bala be taa b8 a badenw ye. B: Bala b'a badenw fe wa? A: Bala hakili la, foyi to badenya b5.
Segin-n-kan: 1)8 . . . fe
1. X b8len be Y fe.
Denmuso bOlen be fa fe. Bakari bOlen be Ngolo fe. Denke bblen be ba fe. A ka so bOlen be a benkg-ka sofa. Fanta bOlen be Umu fe.
FO-cogo-were:
2. Nye -jira: X bOlen be Y fe. X bOlen Y fe. X ni Y bOlen be. X ni Y be bOlen.
a. Denmuso be bOlen a fa fe. d. Bakari be bOlen Ngolo fe. Denmuso bOlen be a fa fe. Bakari b8len be Ngolo fe. Denmuso_hi a fa be bolen. Bakari ni Ngolo be b8len. Denmusord a fa bolen be. Bakari ni Ngolo b8len-be.
b. Denke_be bolen a ba fe. e. A ka so be b8len a benke ka so_fe. Denke_bOlen be a ba fe. A ka so b8len be a benke ka so a. Denke_hi a ba be b8len. A ka so_h'a benkeka so bOlen. Denke ni a ba b8len be. A ka so n'a benke ka so bBlen be.
be-bOrehTlairfe7----- Fanta b8len be Umu fe. Fanta ni Umu be bOlen. Fanta ni Umu b8len be.
Segin-n-kan: 108
Kafe min be poti k8n8, o be n' b8. Esansi minbe mobili kOTIO, ot4 n' ba. D8r8meThuuru be n' ka woro-;8ng8b8. N8n5_filen kelen t4 suraka b8 tile k8n8. Sigareti_pake fila t4 Amadu ba tile k8n8. Malo b8re kelen be Bala ka denbaya 7).8 kalo k8n8. D-&8;1-4 20 be n' b8su in na. D8r8me 100 sogo to surgfana b8. 32 Intermediate Bambara 21
Nyininkali:
Nye -lira: A: Kafe min be poti kOn8, o b'i b8 wa? B: yi, o t4 n' b8.
Esansi min be mobili kOnO;-67171 b8 wa? D8r8m4-40 b'i ka voro-sOng8 b8 wa? Malo-bre kelen be Bala ka denbaya b6 kalo k8n8 wa? D8r8m4 keme sop be surafana b8 wa? Sigareti pake kelen be Amadu b8 wa? D8r8m4 binaani b'i b8 su in na wa?
Baro-misen:
Nye-lira: A: Amadu ko ko sigareti pake fila b'a b8 tile kOn8. B: Hali pake naani t'a b8.
Fanta ko ko taafe kelen t'a b8. D8rOme tan t4 n' b8 su in na. All ko ko malo-bOre kelen t'a 138 kalo kOn8. Kafe fila t4 n' b8 tile kOn8. D8r8me-m2gan-sogo to Baba ka sur8fana b8.
Baro:
Nye -lira: A: Amadu ye sigareti-minnaba_ye. B: Hall pake 5 t'a bb.
Adama ye wari- dunnabaje. Hali d8r6me 400 t'a bo su kOn8. Ngolo ye d818-minnaba_ye. Hali buteli 10 t'a b8 su kOn3. Suraka ye nOn8 -minnaba_ye Ba ye kini- dunnabajre. E ye kafe-minnaba_ye. Kante ye dute-minnaba_ye.
Segin-n-kan: to taa . . . ka
mNaya to taa ny6g8n-bonya 16% Baara nyuman t4 taa s4b4 ka.
!-"--- ___NyemOg8yA to taasabali Silameya t4 taa self ni sunk?). Teriya t4 taa nyagan-faamuya_k6. Mobili tTtaa taji k8. Bonya t4 taa foli k8. Tasuma to taa sisi k8. Denmisenya t4 taa tulon k8.
Nyininkali:
Nye -lira: A: Nyem8g8 ka gelen wa? B: A ka gelen bawo a t4 taa sabali 16%
A: Nyem8gOya ka Olen wa? B: A man gelen nka a to taa sabali k8.
33 22 Intermediate Bambara
Segin-n-kan: ni . . . te
NimOgaw te, faama te ne ka foyi k'a idr4ye. Ni kOg8 te, na te se ka dun. Niwari te, maga te- se ka foyi san. Ni sukaro te, kafe te se ka min. NI-156Men te se ka tiiTiOrasi.
A: Ni sukaro te, kafe be min wa? A: Ni nana te, qge be se ka min wa? B: Kafe sukarontan te se ka min. B: Die nanantan te se ka min.
A: Ni kaga te, na be se ka dun wa? A: Ni kise te, kaba be se ka nyimi wa? B: Na kagantan te se ka dun. B: Kaba kisentan te se ka nyimi.
A: Ni na te, malo be se ka dun wa? A: Ni sene te, jamana be ba naga la wa? B: MAlo_nantan te se ka dun. B: Jamana sene-kebali te ba nogg la.
A: Ni min te, ee be mane ba wa? B: Ce min-bali te mane b8.
Segin-n-kan: foyi'. . . ka
Sidiki te foyi ye Colaminna ka. A ma foyi san kitabu kelen ka. A te foyi men bamananankan ka. A ma foyi dun sise woro kelen 16% A ma foyi sunye sabara'sen kelen ka. I to fen-were ye hadamaden ka.
Nyininkali:
A: Sidiki ye mun ye? B: Sidiki te foyi ye dala-minna ka.
A: Jata den be nye wa? B: Jata den te ke foyi ye jatO
A: N'i m'i masaw bonya, i be ke mun ye? B: N'i m'imasaw bonya), i te ke foyi ye fugari ka.
A: N'i ma kNa ke na la, a be ke mun ye? B: N'i ma kaga ke na la, na te ke foyi ye ji gansan ka.
A: N'i m'i masaw bonya, i be ke-fen_ye wa? B: MOO te ke foyi ye i masaw ka.
A: Muso be ke mun ye? .B: Muso te ke foyi ye a ba ka.
A: Denke be ke mun ye? B: Denke te ke foyi ye a fa kO.
A: M3g8 nyuman den be tinye wa? B: M g nyumanclen te se ka ke foyi were ye maga nyuman ka.
A: Wulu den be Ice jakuma_ye wa? B:B. Wulu den te ke foyi ye wulu ka. 34 Intermediate Bambara 23 .
Segin-n-kan:
Ni meow te, i te se ka ke foyi ye. Ni baara-yara te, an te nyagan ye Ara si. Ni jeya te, a te se ka mafile. teri te, i te nin ke maga si ye. Ni All te, mogo si te se ka lajigin. Ni teriya kasan te, n'tun b'a latunun.
Nyininkali:
A: I be se ka ke fen_ye i kelen na wa? B: Ni meow te, i te ke foyi ye.
A: I b'a ye su in na wa? B: Ni baara-yarEte, an te nyogon ye yoro si.
Mun nai t'a ke ne ye? B: Ni mogo teri te, i te nin ke maga_si ye.
A: I be se k'a lajigin wa? B: Ni All te, mOga_si te se k'a lajigin.
A: Ni teriya kasOn te, i tun be mun k'a la. B: Ni teriya kasan te, n'tun b'a latunun.
Baro
Kariba travelled from Kayes to S4gu to see his brother, who is laid off, to ask him to move in with Kariba.
Kariba: Namori, n' y'a men k'i ka baara tinyena. Namori: Tinye don. A ma half suda n' na. Kariba: I ye baara dabila tuma jumen? Namori: A daga-kun fila ye bi ye. Kariba: E dun ma halio_fa ne ye? Namori: N' jalaki y'o ye. I be yafa n' ma. Kariba: 0 ma diya n' ye fiyewu. Nka n' yafara i ma. An be mun ke sisan. Namori: Ne kani t'a don n' bena nin ke. Ala ka bon. N'y'a bila Ala ma. Kariba: Namori, e ka.here ye ne ka here ye. I ka bane.ye ne ka bane ye. N' nakun ye i ka yelema ne fe Kayi. An fila mana an fanga fara nyagan kan, an na se ka denbaya balo. Namori: E-de ye kara ye. N'i ko min, o de be ke. Ala k'an ka here k'a la.
35 24 Intermediate Bambara
Notes
1. Relative clause marker min.
In lesson 1, we saw that min functioned as a relative pronoun in ell places where nouns could appear. In these cases it was more or less equivalent to the English translations, "the one which, theone who ...".
Min, however, can also function as a relative clause marker. That is, it can follow a noun in a relative clause indicating in fact that theclause in question is a relative clause. In this lesson, we have limited the examples to cases in which min follows the subject of the relative clause, e.g.:
Muso min be fini_feere The woman who sells cloth...
Ce min nana surafana dun... The man who came to dinner...
To make any sentence a relative clause, one must place min after the noun that will be. the center of interest of that clause. Notice that min is both preceded and followed by the definite article. This makes x, it similar to words like be "all" and do "some".
In contrast to English, Bambara relative clauses are not found inside of independent clauses, rather they are normally moved to the front of the sentence. For example, in English, we would analyse "who came to dinner" as a relative clause inside the sentence, "Theman ... is my friend." A
The man who came to dinner is my friend.
In Bambara, the most common reading of this sentence would beas follows:
Ce min nana surafana dun, o ye n' teriye.
Here "c4 min nana surofana dun" is the relative clause. The pronoun o marks the place in the independent clause towhich the relative clause refers. Literally, the Bambara construction could translate in English as:
The man who came to dinner, that one is my friend.
It may be best for the student to think of this latter translationas the model for Bambara relative clauses until their formation becomes automatic.
36 Intermediate Bambara 25
2. 0 pronoun and demonstrative
In the example above, o was used as a pronoun referring to the preceding relative clause. It is possible to use the same relative clause, but instead of using o as a pronoun, it can be used as a demonstrative witli-A-regetition-of-the-head-nounl-e7gr:------
Ce minnana surBfana dun, o cure n teri_ye. The man who came to dinner, that man is my friend. This type of con3truction is very common. Additional examples can be found in the exercises of this lesson.
3. to
Ta is a noun, generally translatable as "the rest, the remainder, what is left over." There are'situations in which it can translate as "other" or "others", e.g.:
I benke b'i fe ka temen tow kan. Your uncle likes you better than the remainder = the others.
14. dB
DB is a quantifier which often translates as "a, one, some, a certain," when it is preceded and followed by the definite article, e.g.:
muso dB_ a certain woman
When however it follows the noun without a definite article intervening, it is to be translated as "other, theother," e.g.:
muso do the other woman
Notice that now the form is definite. It refers to a single, definite woman. It cannot be pluralized. To capture the plural meaning, "the other," one must use to as in Note 3.
When in cOmbinitfori with cieYeliITS-6111-66ningmother7"-the-translation-- "another" is usually appropriate. In this case, the definite article intervenes.
muso dOwere another woman
To capture the plural of dB, "the otherwoman", use to..
5. half
Bali operates in Bambara much like its English counterpart,"even". Bali always precedes the noun it modifies, regardlessof syntactic position.
Bali denmisen be se nin na.
For equivalents to "even" modifying the predicate orthe sentence, as in "they even eatfrogs", hali is placed at the end of the sentence, e.g.: 37 26 Intermediate Bambara
Hali u be ntori dun.
. ni
Hali ni translates in English directly as "even if" and is used in the same way. The clause beginning with hali ni is usually at the head of the sentence, but it can occur at other points in the sentence.
Notice again that where English uses the present tense in an if- clause, Bambara uses the completive. This usage holds also for hali ni- clauses.
N'a taara, nebe na. (a taara = completive) --0If he leaves, I will come. (he leaves = present)
Hali n'a taara, n'be na. Even if he leaves, I will come.
7. Some uses of ba
Ba is a very productive verb in Bambara. We have seen it used primarily as a verb of motion meaning "go out, take out, put out-, leave, withdraw," all having the general sense of departing or moving something from a location. Three more uses are developed in this lesson.
A. to equal, to be as good as
X be Y bo. X is equal to Y. E to ne ba. You are not equal, tiTine (not my equal) San to Segu bc). San is not equal to -Segu. -Fa be Ami ba. Fanta is equal to Amy. Dala kelen to keme 118. $1 is not equal to 500 francs.
B. to resemble, to look like, to look alike
X bena ba Y fe. X will look like Y.
This construction is frequently found in the past participial form.
X bolen be Y fe.
This can also be as follows for the meaning "look alike."
X ni Y balen be. X and Y look alike. or X ni Y bra nAgan fe.
C. to be enough, to suffice
X be Y ba. X is enough for Y. D8r8m4 mmgan be ne ba. 100 francs is enough for me.
38 Intermediate Bambara 27
8. Ni . . . to / -ntan/ -ntanya
This expression is roughly equivalent to English "If there is no X . . ." or more broadly "without X", in its adverbial usage.
Ni X te, o te Without X, it can't be done.
This expression is very common in Bambara, particularly the expression: n'o to (nante) which is equivalent to English "If not,... , if that isn't so, if that isn't the case, otherwise."
N'o te, an to taa. If not, we won't go.
When "without X" functions,as a prepositional phrase modifying a noun as in:
X without Y a person without friends the Bambara equivalent would be an adjectival construction in which the suffix =n, e.g.:
terintanya friendlessness ksigantanya the state of being without salt
It may be that the words fama"ruler, king" and fantan "powerless, poor person" are both historicallyderived from fanga "power, strength" plus either the suffix -ma (havingthe property of) or -ntan (without the property of).
9. foyi . . . ka
This expression can be translated as roughly equivalent to "nothing ... but" or "only",
A to foyi ye dala-minna ka. He is nothing but a drinker. He is nothing if not a drinker. A-te-foy.menbamanankan-ka. -He-understands-nothing-but .Bambara. He understands only Bambara.
The expression is a negative one, requiring the presence of a negative auxiliary.
Vocabulary
baana . . . rich person barigon (fr). barrel barika. . benediction, divine grace bato (fr) . . boat
. . agree with, be convenient for ... . bila...nya.. put(something) before (something else)
39 28 Intermediate Bambara
bonya . . . . respect
dabila. . . . put aside, -stop, cease deli beg dimi...kara . to -be- angry -at (someone-) Esansi (fr). gasoline
filen . . . . calabash, gourd
fa...ko .. . find (someone) gone, come in (someone's) absence
fugari. . . worthless person
half . . . even
jalaki. . . mistake, error, fault
jata . . . immoral person
jigiya. . . hope jaliba/ jaliba . Niger River ja stand, build, stand up, erect, straighten up, stop
ken4 . . . open space
kOr8-ta . . raise, raise up, lift
kaskas. . . ideophone for dryness
kasan . . . reason, cause
kume . . . pride, ego
lajigin . . lower, cause to descend
lag) . . cause to stop
latunun . . cause to be lost, lose
mafile . . look at
Maka . . . Mecca
mako . . . need
maloya. . . shame
naloma. . . stupid fellow
ntori . . . frog
ntumu . . . worm
ny-mag8. . leader
Banyan. . . bush
pake (fr) . small box, package polosi (fr) policeman
sabali. . . ,have patience -serious, -trucr, 'wise
silamya. . . Islam, the Moslem religion
sisi . . . . smoke
suda . . . give notice, forewarn sun fast
suraka. . . Moor
taa...ka. . succeed
tasa . . . bowl tenen-muso. father's sister to remain
ta...ka . . remain, leave, stay behind tO18/tula . be greasy to bumps into woro-songo. price of kolas, a tip, gratuity yiranyiran/ yilanyilan.hesitate, be perplexed
40 Intermediate Bambara 29
KAMAN 3
eigaya sira-dow
Nsiirin: spa ka fisa malojre
min as object nyini X fe + subordinate X deli + subordinate clause/infinitive it's (duration) since/that tigi adjectives: a review comparative constructibzs adjective X ye V-len X ye adjective ka X b8 i ko, i n'a fo, komi k'a d'a kan/bawo/bari, 'ttc. d8 X bila + infinitive
41 30 Intermediate Bambara MOgaya sira d8w
ca man kan ka siran foyi nyb. Ce ka kan kan ka siran fen kelen_ min nyT, o ye malo_ye. Sala ka fisa malojre. I ye den-miserue, i t4 fen caman dbn nka n'b'a nyin'i fe i kana ke duguba-k8n8-dan-misenw nylon ye. N'u b4 kuma, u t4 foyi fa 'ne' ka7 Ngisa min t4 miiri foyi la a yere-kun k8, o t'anw da ye. Anw f4 yen, ni 40 min y'o damine, an b'a bila ka taa duguba k8n8 bawo a teri fa yan tugun.
N'i bonyana, i k'i ka da yelen dunanjre bawo ma10 m8nenje be tare. Mlig8 b'i ko jiri-sunba, taamala bee ni-yara b'a sums. la. Ni raw to t'i bara, i salen ka fisa i balolen ye. A kana b8 i hakili la don si, ko be de ta_iy'i ye, k'i be be de ka bila la.
Nyininkali:
1. Ce ka kan ka siran wa? 2. Crka kan ka siran fen kelen jumen nye? 3. Saga ka fisa malo_ye wa? 4. Mun na a be fa ko says ka fisa malojre? 5. Min be kumala, a be kumala cek8rOba fe wa? 6. A miiri_ye mun ye denmisenw kan? 7. A be duguba-i8nO-denmisenw cogoya fe wa? 8. A ko, ni duguba-k8nO-denmisenw be kuma, u t4 foyi fa "ne" k8, o-k8r8_ye mun ye? 9. Ko o-denmisenw y'olu d8w ye wa? 10. A ko n'a bonyana a ka mun ke? 11. ii8g8 min, n'a be kuma, a t4 dOw4r4 f8 "ne" k8, u be mun k'o la? 12. A ye mun f8 ;CIO ma? 13. M8g8 to taa mono min bara, o ye m8g8 sebe_ye wa? 14. 188_y'i yere-kun ta_ye wa? 15. Jon tajr'i ye? 16. I b71 y4r4 doran ka bila la wa? 17. I be jan ka bile la?
-Segin-n-kan: min
C4 ye duloki min san, o farala. A ye muso min furu, o ye netenenmuso. A ye so min ja salon, o de binna. N'fa ye wari min di n'ma, n'ye kulusi san n'o wari de ye. I ye ko min ke n'na kunun, o ye n' tor kOsebe. A ye kuma min f8, o ma diya n'ye. I muso ye suman min tobi n'ye, o ye n' fa. Ami ye nenini min ke, oye a fa taor8. Aw be don -kill min da, o man di. Baba y'a den min ci, a b'o de fe ka tem.& a den be kan. Fanta furula c4 min ma, o ye ne terike ye. A nana kalo min na, san ma na o la.
42 Intermediate Bambara 31
I buranlea ye saga min- sani-o-ka-nyi. Laji sara don min, tile ma ba o don. I ye poti min ci, o tun ye ne ta ye. Aw ye kitabu min seben, o be bamanankan kan.
Kuma-don-nyogon-na: min
Nye-jira: 1. A be muso fe. 0 muso ka nyi kosebe. A be muso min fe, o ka nyi kosebe.
2. A be mangoroja. 0 mangoro ka kunba kosebe. A be mangoro min fe, o ka kunba kosebe.
A be saga fe. 0 saga ka kunba. A be mangoro fe. 0 mangoro ka bon. . .7.- _ A be nburu fe. 0 nburu ka jan. N' 1,4 namasa fie. 0 namasa ka dOen. A b4 kulusi fe. 0 kulusi _ka nyi. Fanta be mobili fT. 0 mobili finnen don. An be kitabu fe-..0 kitabu beiabali kan. N' kan be kumandan ma. 0 kumandan tun be Sikaso. 1- Ntola be tan ntolan-tan-y8r8 la. 0 ntola-tan-y8r8 be kuluba sira la. An be taa siniman na. 0 siniman be kuluba sira la. A be kesu k8n8. 0 kesu be tabali_juk8r8. U be jiriden fe. 0 jiriden bilennen don.
Segin-n-kan: nyini X fe
1. N' b'a fe I kana ke dugu-ba-k8n8-denmisenw ny8enye. 2. N' b'a nyin'i fe i ka n' bila n' ka taa. 3. A' b'a nyin'i fe i k'a to a no la. 4. Amana b'a nyin'i fe i k'i ka baara ke. 5. Fanta b'a nyin'i fe i ka sariya bato. 6. N' b'a nyin'i fe i ka kalan ke rsebe ye. 7. A terike y'a nyin'a fe a k'u bila sira. 8. Sali y'a nyini a koroke fe a ka kamisoli san aye.
Segin-n-kan: X deli
1. N'b'i deli i kana ke duguba-k3n8-denmisenw nyOgOn ye. 2. N'b'i deli i ka na. 3. A b'i deli i k'a to a ka taa. 4. A y'a muso deli a ka sabali. 5. Fanta y'u deli u k'a ka bare ta. 6. A y'a fa deli a ka mobili san a ye.' 7. N'ye Nyele deli a ka taa nyaman bOn sununkun na. '8. A y'a ce deli a ka den-misenw bila ka b8. 9. Seku ye Bala deli a ka sabali. 10. A muso y'a deli a ko to so kOn8.
43 32 Intermediate Bambara
Bila-no -lai Nyini X fe
A y'a nyin'i fe i ka dumuni ke. a ka kalan_ke. i ka Baba deme. . . a musow . u kana nyina self ka. Ali a a ka boli sagama o soma. a.ka taa biro la. a kana maga kaniya.
a ka Fanta furu. . . . a deny u ka ke mega tilennenw ye.
Bila no -la: X deli
N ye Fanta deli a ka taa lakOli la.
. . Baba a ka kalan
. . .Umu . . a a ka tobili ke.
. . . Umuni Ami.0 ka kele da-bila.
. . . Bala . . .a kana baga mho ma.
. . . a musow
A. . an . . . an .
U . . n' . . . n' ka meow bonya.
Kuma-don-qyagan-na: nyini X fe, X deli
Nye-gra: 1. a) N'b'a nyin'i fe - I be dumuni ke. b) N'b'a nyini fei ka dumuni ke: 2. a) N'b'i deli. I be dumuni ke. b) N'b'i deli i ka dumuni_ke. 3. a) N'b'i deli. I to dumuni ke. b) N'b'i deli i kana dumuni ke.
4. N' b'a nyin'ife. I be sung joona. 5. A b'a nyini musp fe. A Ie wuli joona. 6. b'i deli. nTiDiliZn' be taa. 7. N' nyin'ife. I bYmuso furu yen. 8. A fa y'a deli. A be a ka seliw ke qua]. bee. 9. N' b'I deli. I to ke duguba4&a-den-misenw nyagan ye. 10:-A y'a ce deli. A be denmisenw bila ka ba.
Baro-misen: (nyini fe)
A. I be mun nyini n' fe? B. N' b'a nyin'i fe i kana ke duguba-kana-denmisenw nyagan ye.
A. I ko mun? B. N'ko n' b'a nyin'i fe i ka n' bila n' ka taa.
A. A ye mun fa? B. A ko*a b'a nyin'i fe i k'a to a no la.
.44 ' Intermediate Bambara 33
A. Jamana be mun nyini maga fe? B. Jamana b'a nyin'i fe i baara ke.
A. Fanga be mun nyin'i fe? B. Fanga b'a nyin'i fe i ka sariya bato.
Baro-misen: (X deli, nyini X fe)
1. A. A ye mun nyin'i B. A ye n'deli ko n' kana ke duguba-kana-denmisenw nyaganye.
2. A. A y'i deli ka mun ke? s.- B. A ye n'deli ko n'ka na.
3. A. A ye mun fa? B. A ko a b'i deli i k'a to a ka taa.
-.- A. A y'a muso deli a ka mun ke? B. Ay'a muso deli a ka'sabali.
Segin-n-kan: o tigi
1.1Na o maga, sera ka nin ke, o tigi be masake denmuso_furu. mNa o maga ye nin ke, o tigi ye kamalen_ye. N'an ye maga o mliga mina, an blo tigi nyagin. Maga o maga ye nin ke, n'te yafa o tigi ma.
'A. Ni mho min sera ka nin ke, mun be k'a ye? B. Ma o mamma sera ka nin ke, o tai be masake den -muso furu.
A. I be mun miiri? B. Maga o mOgO ye nin ke, o tigi ye kamalen_ye.
A. N'a ye mii,ga min mine, aw be mun k'o la? B. N'an ye mad; min mine, an b'o tai nyagin.
A. I ye mun fa? B. N'ko mNO o magO ye nin ke, n'te yafa o tigi ma.
Yelemali:
Nye - ,lira: A. Mamadu ka jan birama ye. B. Mamadu man jan birama ye.
Dege ka di dala_ye. Kafe ka gani dutejre. Mangoro ka di jabibiffe. I ka mobili finnen be solo taye. Fulakan ka glen bamanankan_ye.
45 34 Intermediate. Bambara
Fa-cogo-were:
Nye-jira: Dege ka di dOla_ye. Dege ka di ka temen dala kan.
1. Ali ka jan Adama ye. 5. Umu c4 ka nyi Binta ye. 2. Kafe ka di dute ye. 6. Jabibi ka timin namasa_ye. 3. Segu ka bon Bamakii ye. 7. Banji ka farin capalo_ye. 4. Madu finnen be Adama ye. 8. Da ka girin do ye.
Nyininkali: ayi
Kayi ka bon Bamako ye wa? Ngolo ka surun Ali ye wa? Ayi, Kayi man bon Bamako ye. Ayi, Ngolo man surun All ye. Duuru ka ca tan ye wa? Dna ka go del:0_7e wa? Ayi, duuru man ca tan ye. Ayi, dam man go dggeire
Nyininkali: Olga A. klirama jelen Mamadu ye wa? Saga talalen ba ye wa? B. OwO, Birama jnen Mamadu ye: Iowa, saga tOlinen bare.
I ka mobili_pilennen n'ta_ye wa? Ntomi_kumunen lenburu_ye wa? 238, n' ka mobili_bilennen i ta_ye.234(1, htomi_kumunen lenburu_ye.
Yelemali:
Nye-jira: A. Mamadu ka Jan Baba ye. B. Baba ka surun Mamadu ye.
Daze ka di dOla_ye. An ka so c4 ka nyi aw ka so_ye. -Ari-k6-dagan-A-dama-ye:- Musa ka nyi Baba ye.
Segin-n-kan: sanga-nyCien-ma
Adama man Jan ka Mamadu 138. Aw ka du man bon k'an ta 1)8. Bamako ce man nyi ka Moti .1)6. Mangoro day ka di ka jabibi ba. I ka bere tilennen to ka n' ta 1)8.
Baro-misen: sanga-nyOgOn-ma
Adama ka Jan Mamadu ye wa? An ka du ka bon aw ta ye wa? Ayi, Adama man Jan ka Mamadu ba. Ayi, aw ka du man bon k'an ta bo.
Bamako ce ka nyi Moti ye wa? Mangoro ka di ka jabibi ba wa? Ayi, Bamak8 ce man nyi ka Moti ba, Owa, Mangoro claw da di ka jabibi
N'ka bere tilennen be i ta ye wa? Ayi, i ka bere tilennen t4 ka n'ta b8.
46 Intermediate Bambara 35 Fa- cogo -were: sanga-nyogon-ma:
Nye -lira: A. Adama man Sari ka Mamadu b8. B. Adama to Mamadu b8 janya la.
1. Bamak8 ce man nyi ka Moti b8. 6. N'ka mobili finnen to k'i ta ba. 2. I ka bere tilennen to ka n'ta ba . 7. N'den hakili man di k'i ta 1)6. 3. Aw ka du man bon k'an ta ba. 8. Taman girin ka kini_b8.
4,. Mangoro.jnan di ka jabibi_p8. 9. Jalajnan kunan ka 5. Mamadu man nyi ka Adama ba. 10.Kafe man di ka dute b8.
I ko
M8g8 b' i ko jirisunba. A bonyana i ko le -fali. A glen b'i ko tubabu. A ce ka nyi i ko j ina-muso. A bilennen i ko jeli.
I n'a fo
A be dumuni Ice i n'a f8 fali. A ka di i n'a f8 di. A be baara 1E4 i n'a fa so. A ka misen i n'a f8 fini-kise.
Baro-misen: i ko
A. A glen don wa? A. Abonyana we? B. Ow8, a glen i ko tubabu. B. A bonyana i ko
A. Mile-be cogo di? A. A ce ka nyi wa? B. ,mNa b'i ko jirisunba. B. -A ce ka nyriko jina-muso.
A. Mangoro bilennen don we? B. OwO, a bilennen i ko jeli.
.Baro-misen: a fo
A. A be dumuni ke kOsebe wa? A. A ka di wa? B. Owo, a b4 dumuni ke i n'a f8 14-fall. B. Ow8, a ka di i n'a fa di.
A. A be baara ke kOsebe wa? A. I ce ka misen wa? B. OwO, a be baara ke i n'a fa so. B. 0w8, a ka misen i n'a fa fini-kise.
Ka d'a kan
Amadu ma sigareti feere a ma k'a d'a kan den-misen don. A ma b8 su in na k'a d'a kan a ka mobili tinyenen don. Bakarijan tun ye kele-masa yekadakanaja tun ka farin.
Baro-misen:
A. Mun na Amadu ma sigareti feer'a ma? B. Amadu ma sigareti feer'a ma k'a d'a kan den-misen don. ,1 A. Mun na a ma b8 su in na? B. A ma b8 su in na k'a d'a kan a ka mobili tinyenen don. A. Mun na Bakarijan tun ye kelemasa_ye? B. Bakarijan tun ye kelemasa ye k'a kan a ja tun ka farin.
47 '36 Intermediate Bambara
ri,) (someone, some)
-DO for'' Dow be sane ke; dOw be fOli ke. DOw to le-sogo dun.
Nyininkali: do
A. 1.910_18ra n'ka kunun wa? A. U be mun ice foro_la? B. Ova, da_fOr' i ka kunun. B. Dow be sena ka, daw be Ain ke.
A. Ba.e be le-sogo dun wa? B. Ayi, crow ta le-sogo dun.
Segin-n-kan: do
Mangoro caman tun be tabali kan, n'ye da ta. A be do dun, a be do feere. N'ye saga faga, n'ye sop do ci so.
". Nyininkali: do
A. I ye mangoro be ta wa? A. Cikela be mun ke a ka ny8 la? B. yi, n'ye do do ta. B. A be do dun, a be do feere.
A. I ye mun ke'sogo la? B. N'ye do ci so.
Segin-n-kan:
0 t' an da ye. Fara-finw ye AmerikenwsdOw ye. Mamadu ye konarelakaw do ye. Kafe ye minfenw do ye.
Nyininkali: do
A. 14:3.0 min to dunan bisimila, o y'i balima ye wa? B. Ayi, o t' anw di ye.
A.,'''MempAu.ire-Keyitalska%ua ye wa? B. Ayi; Konarelakaw da-don.-
A. Fara-jew daran de ye Ameriken ye wa ? -- B. yi, Fara-finw Tana ye AmerikenwdOW ye.
A. Kafe ye dumuni ye wa? B. yi, kafe ye minfenii do de ye.
Yelemali: do
Nye-jira: A. Sugu tun falen don SO la. MOg8 damantaera'.Mkig8 caman tora yan. B. Sugu tun falenon moga Ia. 138w taaie, 1480oka yan:
1. So- tun falen don nYO la..5,8 tun bilennendoh. Ny8 iuh fiphen don. 2. Duna_ye doh caman ye. Don ka di m8g8.1a; :Don man WiA.a.." 3. A ye den caman Sara. A deri saba- ye ce ye, a den Saba ye Mush-ye.
'48 Intermediate Bambara 37
4. A ye sise caman san. Sise caman ka bon. Sise caman ka dOgan. 5. Mho sugu be be Ameriki. MO176 jemanw be yen. Maga finmanw be yen. Mogo bilenmanw be yen. 6. Ntola-tan =y8r8 tun falen don. C-karabaw tun_ be yen. Muso-kOrabaw tun_ be yen. 7. Mobili caman tun be yen. Mobili belebelew tun b4 yen. Mobili fitiniw tun be yen.
Bila-no -la: bila
Nye-jira: A ye Fanta bila ka taa sinimanna ka taa lakali la ka taa baara ke
A y'a denke bila ka na ba an ye. A ye Mamadu bila baara la.
ka taa sugu la. . . . Fanta
ka na ci fa. tobili . .
ka t'a mane ba a la. . U ..den-misenw, U ye ci bila ka taa u buranna la. kOn15-gen na ka na ne ma. ka taa so. ka taa fa muso_so-mOgOw ye.
Baro
Birama:Aw ream ban ka n'ka wari di n'ma. Ni Baba nana, n' b' a f'a ye. Baba cionta): 'I be mun fa n' ye? Birama: U ye n'ka wari bOsi n'na. Baba: N' m' a f'aw ye aw kana n'ka lagare lakasi?Aw si to bo su in na. Ali: (A be ka tuma a ba fe.) I m'a ye Birama taar'an nafigiya Baba bara. Baba ko k'an to ba su in na. Ma: Kana kasi, n' be taa kuma aw fa ye. (A y'i nye-sin Baba ma). N' b'a nyin'i fa i ka den-misenw to u ka ba su in na. Nin ye d80-kun fila ye u ma 1)a.
Segin-n-kan: It's (duration) that...
Nin ye dagakun fila ye u ma loci. Nin ye tile saba ye n' to dumuni ke. Nin ye n'san sabanan ye n'ma n'so-mOew ye. Nin ye n'kalo saba ye n' to sara. Nin ye All dagakun waora ye, a to sira min. Nin ye Baba tile naani ye a to taa nyegen na. Nin ye lere fila ye n' sigilen be k'a makanii. Nin y'a sinye saba ye a be fa i ka. Nin ye san waor6 ye ja be jamana kanO. Nin ye kalo duuru ye n' muso ma letere ci n'ma.
,4 9 38 Intermediate Bambara
Nyininkali: nin ye X ye Y
A. I taara min kunun? B. Nin ye n' kalo fila ye n' to bO.
A. A ye sigareti-pake joli min bi? B. A kalo wOorO ye nin ye a to sigareti min.
A. I be ka mun ke yan? B. Nin ye n' lere fila ye n' sigilen be k'i makiin6.
A. San -ii hake jumen nana salon._ Mali la? B. Nin ye san w8or8 ye ja be Mali kOn8.
A. Mun na i ma na joona? B. Nin ye n' sinye naani ye n' be f8 i kO.
A. I muso ye mun fa letere B. Nin y'a kalo fila ye a to letere ci n' ma.
Baro: l'i be fen nyini mOg8 fe, i be jeli bila-ka'taa. Jeli be kuna min fO, o d8 file nin ye.
A. Asalamalekum B. Malekumasalam A. An musow ka kene? B. norTgsi t'u la. U be Ala tanu. An An denw ka iene? B. TOora_Ti t'u la. A. Benke, an fo. B. Inre_y'aw fo. A y'aw bisimila. A. Saha. ignkT, 1116g8 o m80, n'i be ny8n, i be fili. B. 0 ye tinye ye. A. Eenke, Ala min ye san-kolo ni dugu-kolo da, o be deli, a be son. B. 0 ye tinye ye. A. Tenke, e fa ni ne fa de ye ko be ke ny8gOn fe. Ban-ma don u ni nyOgOE ce don kelen. Banni te se ka don ne n'e ce. B. 0 ye tinye ye.
Notes
1. Min in the object of relative clauses
With a few exception, relative clauses are formed in the manner described in the previous lessons. Note that whereas in English the relative pronoun moves to the front of the relative clause, in Bambara, the noun marked with min remains in its normal position, e.g.
n ye muso min_ye The woman whom I saw
50 Intermediate Bambara 39
2. Nyini X fe / X deli
Nyini X fe is a verbal expression, meaning, literally, "to look for something from X. It is used to express requests, It takes a subordinate clause as a complement, e.g.:
N b'a nyini i fe i ka nin kb. I ask (of you) that you do this.
Deli means "to ask of, to beg".When used with a subordinate clause, it can also be translated by "request".
N' ye Fanta deli a ka taa I requested of Fanta that she go. (I begged Fanta to go)
Notice that English permits an infinitival clause after "beg". This infinitival form is permitted with deli in only a few dialects, e.g.
N' ye Fanta deli ka taa.
In all dialects, however, the subordinate cladse is permitted and, in addition, the clause may be preceded by ko, indicating that deli is a form of locutionary verb, e.g.:
N' ye Fanta deli ko a ka taa. I requested of Fanta that she should leave.
The student is advised to learn the subordinate clause form, since it is much more widely spread.
3. It's (duration) since/ihat...It makes (dui'ation)'that
This construction is formed in Bambara with the set identity construction followed by an independent clause, e.g.
Nin ye tile fila ye, a ma baara dabila. It makes two days that he hasn't stopped working.
This construction differs from kabini in that kabini must be followed by a point -time word, e.g.
A ma baara dabila kabini ntenen. He hasn't stopped working since Monday. A ma baara The kabini juma-don. He hasn't worked since Friday.
Note that kabini translates as "since". "For" in. English time expressions would be rendered by the above expression or by the following:
A ma baara ke a tile fila ye nin ye. He has not worked for two days. It If II II A ma baara ke nin v'a tile fila ye. " " "
4. tigi
We have seen tigi used primarily in compounds in which it translates often as "chief, master", or "man" as in "taximan". Tigi means abstractly "the person responsible for something or someone." In this sense it can be
51 40 Intermediate Bambara used to refer to the author or doer of an action, e.g.:
mya min b'a masaw bonya, o tigi bena taa nye. A person who respects his parents, the one who does that will go forward.
5. Adjectival Constructions
The dialects of Bambara -Maninka-Dyula differ extensively in the formation of adjectival constructions. In Bambara, there are three primary forms of adjectival consturctions.
A. The root forth
This is the simple form of the adjective that occurs with the auxiliaries: ka and man.
B. The -man form
This is the form of the adjective with the suffix -man. It is the form often used when the adjective occurs immediately following the noun. It is always the form used for adjectival pronouns, e.g.:
finman the black one janmanjan the tall one
C. The past participle form: V-len
The past participle (i.e. the form equivalent to the English verb used in passives, e.g. the cake was eaten) is formed in B-M-D by the addition of the suffix -len to the verb. Adjectives form verbs in two ways. First, the root form can function as a verb, e.g.:
Adj.: a ka bilen "It is red" Verb: a bilenna "It reddened"
Secondly, the suffix =a can be added to the verb root.
Adj.: a ka bon. "He is big" Verb: a b4 bonya "He is getting big"
There are essentially three classes of adjectives with respect to
. the manner in which the root forms are related to verbs, i.e.
I. Root form equals verb form suman "cold" II. Root form plus -ya equals verb form jan "long" bon "big" III. Either I or II fin "dark, black" a finna or "It darkened." a finyana
52 Intermediate Bambara 41
In general, both root forms, verb forms and past participial forms can be used in Bambara with subtle differences in meaning,
a ka bon "He is large" (at present state, no indication of'preceding) a bonyana "He got large" (indicates change of state, but no indication of present state) a bonyanen be "He is enlarged" (at Present, and indicates change of state)
There are however cases where speakers are reluctant to use the root form. Many speakers, for example, prefer to use the past participial forms when color adjectives are used, e.g.
a bilennen be / a bilennen don are preferred to a ka bilen
In many southwestern and western dialects, e.g. Maninka and Mandinka, the root -form of the adjective has almost entirely disappeared. It has been replaced largely by the -man form, e.g.
maninka: musu nyuman The woman is good.
6. Comparative Constructions:Adj. -er than .../ more Adj. than
Comparative constructions can be formed in Bambara with the postpositional phrase X ye, following either the root form construction or the past participial construction. The postpositional phrase X ye can be abstractly translated asin relation to X.
A ka bon Fanta ye "He is larger than Fanta" or "He is large in relation to Fanta" A finnen don nin ye "It is darker than this"
All constructions permit comparatives using the expression ka temen X kan, literally "and passes over X", e.g.:
A ka bon ka temen Fanta kan. He is larger than Fanta. A be d6n ke ka temen Fanta kan. She dances more than Fanta.
The notion of "less than" is expressed by the negation of "more than" with the post positional phrase X ye.
A man bon Fanta ye. He is less large than Fanta. or - He isn't large in relation to Fanta.
On the other hand, the negation of comparatives with ka temen X kan does not lend itself to precisely this interpretation.
A man bon ka temen Fanta kan.
This sentence means only the negation of its positive counterpart, i.e.,
He is not larger than Fanta.
53 42 Intermediate Bambara
7. Comparative Constructions: as X as Y
The Bambara equivalent of as...as constructions in English uses an infinitival phrase with the verb bO, literally meaning, to equal X, e.g.
A ka bon ka Fanta 1)8. He is as large as Fanta. 1 or He is large to equal Fanta.
Notice that the negative form of this construction is also equivalent to the meaning of "less than".
A man bon ka Fanta bO. He is not as large as Fanta. or He is less large than Fanta.
8. Comparative constructions: like
Similes (constructions using "like" or "as") are formed in Bambara with the following constructions:
X i ko Y (literally) X you say Y X i n'a fa Y X you would say Y X 'card Y Komi is borrowed from French "comma" which is , equivalent to "like". A be nOni ko ,jege.. He swims like a fish. A be non i n'a f8 jege. A be non kami jege.
9. X k'a d'a kan Y: X because Y
There are many ways of expressing because in B-M-D.Each dialect seems to provide a number of ways to express this relation. In Bamako alone, one hears:
X. ka d'a kan Y X katugu(n) Y X bawo Y X katugunni-Y X bari Y X sabu Y ((Arabic) X barisa Y X pasiki Y ((French)
English "because of" can be rendered by the Bambara postpositions, kama, ma, 'cash
A ma taa san-ji kOsan. He didn't go because of the rain. A ma taa Fanta 'cash. He didn't go because of Fanta. A. ma baara ke a geleya kama. He didn't work because of its difficulty.
10. bila + infinitive
One of the many uses of bila "put, place, put down, etc." is with an infinitival clause in which case it is interpreted as "allow, permit, e.g.:
A ye Fanta bila ka taa. He allowed Fanta to go.
54 Intermediate Bambara 43
Vocabulary
baga offend bere stick bila/bla . . let, allow basi take away from dgge a sort of porridge do one is. shadow jabi tree jala Senegalese mahogany (cashew) lagare last born child malo shame nis4n slim m25 ripen nafigiya tell tales ni-y8r8 . . . share nkalon . . . . lie nyagin, nyangi . . sentence, punish poti ( Expressions X deli get used to X fisa Y ye . . . X better than Y X nyini Y fa . . . X wants Y to ka siran_X nya . . be afraid of X 55 "^ '.. 44 Intermediate Bambara i I 56 Intermediate Bambara 45 KALAN 4 Siyaw Nsiirin: Jeli to malo nk'a ten-da be wOsi. Min in time, place, manner clauses Fo hi NyiSein y8gOn fe U ni ny6gOn ce Sentence final ani X Past participial clauses: V -len kCi Ni in appositional clauses 57 46Intermediate Bambara Siyaw ka ca kasab4. Siya o siya n'a jamuw don. FO18fOlO, hOranw de tum b4sene ke. Olu de tun be donsoya ni 014k4. Olu de tun ye dRgn-tigiw ni dmu-kolo-tigiw ye. Horonw bOlenk8yen, nyama-kalaw tun b4 da olu kan. rtugu-k8nT)I-m8g8w mako tun b4 baara minwna, n'o baaraw tun danniyato s8r8 n'i tun ma san camank'u kalanni na, o baaraw tundOhnib4 nyama-kalaw de bolo. Nyama-kala siya fan tun ye numu de ye. Numukew tun b4neie nijiri baara: Olu tun ye koala -tigiw ye fana. Numu-musow tun b4 bc):05 baara, ka dmaw dila. Nyama-kala siya Marian tun ye jeliw ye, n'olu ka baara tun ye buruju- gosijre. Jeliw cffrOnde tun b4 fOli-f4nw fo. Nyama-kaIa-taw ye finew ni garankew-ye. Nyama kalaw bOlen Iv) yen, janw tun be da olu kan.MOO minw minena k414 la, olu de tun b4 k4 janw ye. Siyaw bemeowye balimaw ye. U tun b4 ko be k4 ny8gOn f4 nka u tuntose ka 'furu k4 u ninACinc4. N'i tun b'a f4 ka muso furu, i tun b'a furu i ka siya de kana. N'ote,i tun t'asara. Nyama-kala wala JO11 tun tose ka k4 dugu-tigi ye ka hOranw to dagu:k&O, fo ni dugum8g8 be tun ye nyama-kala ye wala jan. Nyininkali: 1. Siyaw ka ca wa? 2. Siyao siya n'a jamudon wa? -.3`.HOsiiThw'tun be ilfuriThitarif ICJ 4. Siyajumen tun beda haranw kan? 5. Nyamakalaw tun ka cawe? 6. Numukew tun iTe mun baara ke? Numumusow tun be mun baarake? 7.Jelly tun be munbaarake? 8. Nyamakalawtow ye jumenw? 9.MNOtun be k.6 On ye cogodi? 10.Siyaw be yebalimaw ye? 11.U tun be mun ke ny8gOn n? 12. Siyaw tunbe seka furl ke uni ny8gOn ce we? 13. Nyamakala tun be se ka furu keh8rOn fe we? 14.Nyamakala -tun- be se ka- ke dugutigi ye wa? se-g-iri=tzka:rf:- e-cigb"min--;-tuma:-Atin, y8t6--min I y'i ta k4 cogo min (na), n' fana ye n'ta k4 ten. I taara tuma min (na), n'nana o tuma de. A y'a f8 cogo min, n'y'a k'o cogo la. 0 kera don min, o don ni bi to kelen ye. Tow taara cogo min, ana 14 taa o cogo la. A 1)Ora tuma min, n'y'a ban o tuma de. I binna ;Ora min, n' fana binna yen de. Nyininkali: A: I ye nin bOn tuma jumen? B: A bra tuma min, n'y'a ban o tuma. Ar ye'nin ke-cogo-diT B: I y'i ta k4 cogo min, n' fana ye n'ta k4 ten. Intermediate Bambara 47 Nyininkali (Cont.) A: I -nana tuma jumen? B: I taara tuma min, n'nana o tuma de. A: I y'a ke cogo di? B: I y'a ka cogo min, n'y'a k'o cogo la. A: 0 kera sisan wa? B: 0 kera don min, o don ni bi to kelen ye. A: I be taa cogo di? B: Taw taara cogo min, n' fana be taa o cogo la. A: E binna yOra jumen? B: I binna Ar6 min, n' fana binna yen de. Segin-n-kan: f8 ni Jan tun to ka dugutigi ye fa ni dug° mho bee tun ye gin ye. An tedute min fa n'an ye dumuni ke. Muso_te furu fa n'a bolokora. Mangoro to kari fo n'a mOna. A te'foyi k'a yere ma fo n'a for'a ye. Nyininkali: fa ni A: JOn tun be ke dugutigi_ye wa? B: Jan tun to Ice dugutigi_ye fa ni dugu msle bee tun ye On ye. A: Aw be dute min sisan wa? B: An to dute.min f8 n'an ye dumuni ke. A: Muso be furu k'a s81.6 a ma boloko wa? B: Muso to furu fo n'a bolokora. A:.Mangoro_belari tuma men? B: Mangoro to kari fa n'a A: Adama m'a ke de? B: A m'a ke. A to foyi k'a yere ma fa n'a for'a ye. 59 48 Intermediate Bambara Kuma-don-ny8g8n-na: min Nye -lira: A: A kera don do. 0 don ni bi to kelen ye. B: A kera don min, o ni bi to kelen ye. 1. A kera cogo da. 0 cogo man di n' ye. 2. A ye m g d3 jira. 0 mho tun ka jan. 3. A nana san dO. 0 san sanji cayara. 4. A ye n' vele tuma &E. 0 tuma y'a sara n'be sun80. 5. Nin kera yOrO TO. 0 pcii -Tee ko Sekura. 6. A ca banna tuma do. 0 tuma y'a s8r8 sugu la. 7. Av y'a Ice cogo da. 0 cogo nyena icasebe. 8. U ye ce da gosi, o de y'a sunya. 9. A ye baara da ke. 0 baara ye baara ce-jugu ye. 10. Tif nana tuma 0,o tuma y'an sOr8 kalan na. Segin-n-kan: ni Jelly, n'olu ye nyaMakalaw claw ye, olu be buruju-gosi ke. Adama, n'o y'an karamagO ye, o be Ix) Mali la. Garankew, n'olu fana ye nyama-kalaw daw ye, olu ka baaraye sabara-dila_ye. Shaka, n'o y'an ka kun-tigi ye, o be taa dugu la sini. .Sali, n'o ye n'karake muso ye, o de be bagalanw dila. Nyininkali: A: Jeliw be mun ke? B: Jeliw, n'olu ye nyama-kalawye, olu de be buruju-gosi ke. A: Adama be ba min? B Adama, n'o y'an karamOe_ye, o be 1)5 Mali la. A: Garankew be mun ke? B: Garankew, n'olu fana ye nyama-kala dOw ye, olu be sabaraw dila. A: Shaka bena mun Ice? B: Shaka, n'o y'an ka kun-tigi ye, o be taa dugu la sini. Sali be mun baara ke? B: Sali, n'o ye n' kairOke muso ye, o de be bligiilanw dila. Kuma-don-nyagOn-na: ni Nye- ,lira: A: Jeliw ye nyama-kalaw ye. Olu ka baara ye buruju-gosi ye. B: Jelly n'olu ye nyama-kalaw ye, olu ka baaraye buruju-gosi ye. Sali ye n'karOke muso ye. Sali be bOgOlanw dila. Garanke ye nyama-kala ye. A be sabaraw dila. Shaka y'an kun-tigi ye. A be taama sini. Tojre fantan dumuni ye. A tobi man gelem. Le-sogo_ye sogo tale ye. A to sOr(15 yOraaaman. Kafe be mOga yereyr4. 0 to fen minta ye. Wulu_ye so-a88.....fen ye: 'Wulu,ye mOg8 terike_ye. I I 60 Intermediate Bambara 49 Segin-n-kan: NyOgOn f4 Adama ni Awa be taa lakOli la nyOgon f4. C4-misenw ni npogotigiw ye baara in ke ny6gOn f4. C4w ni musow t4 dumuni k4 ny8gOn f4. A ye mobili ni n4g4so san nyOgOn fe. Nyininkali: A: Adama kelen de be taa lakOli la wa? B: Ayi, Adama ni Awa de b4 taa lakOli la nyOgOn f4. A: C4-mis4nw daran de ye baara in k4 wa? B: Ayi, &a-miserly ni npogotigiw ye.baara in k4 nyOgiin f4. A: Cew ni musow be dumuni k4 nyOgain f4 wa? B: Ayi, &elf ni musow t4 dumunike nyOgOn f4. A: A ye mobili dOran san wa? B: Ayi, a ye mobili ni neg4sO san nyagan f4. A: Bala b4 kuma Baba fe wa? B: Ayi, Bala ni Baba t4 kuma nyOgOn f4. Kuma-don-nyOgiin-na: ny8gOn fe Nye-jira: Adama taara lakOli la Awa f4. Awa taara lakOli la Adama fe. Adama ni Awa taara lakOli la nyOgOn fe. 1. Mamadu ye lenburu-ji min birama f4. 5. Musa ye nOna ke kafe la. Birama ye lenburu-ji min Mamadu f4. Musa ye sukaro k4 kafe la. 2. Cemisenw b4 dumuni ke mho-kOrObaw te. 6. Salifu ye ntola tan Mara f4. Mag8-kiirObaw be dumuni ke cemisenw f4. Mara ye ntola tan Salifu fe. 3. Baba ye nburu dun s8g6ma in na. 4. Muso-misenw b4 dumuni ke muso-kOrObaw f4. Muso-kOrObaw b4 dumuni k4 muso-misenw f4. Segin-n-kan: ni nycien c4 freirOnw ni Nyamakalaw tun to -furu ke u ni nyOgan c4. U y'a nyanabO u ni nyOgOn c4. A y'a tila denmisenw ni nyOgOn ce A b'aw ni nyCien c4. 61 50 Intermediate Bambara Baro-misen: u ni nyOgOn ce A: I'M:Inv tun be nyamakalaw furu wa? A: A ye mun ke mangoro la? B: Ayi, u tun to furu ke u ni nyOgOn ce. B: A y'a tila den-misenw ni nykein ce. A: Ko nin ye tinye ye wa? A: A ye mun f8. B: A y'a nyanab8 aw ni nyagOn ce. B: A ko a b'aw ni ny8gOn ce. Kuma-don-ny8g8n-na: X ni nyOgOn ce: Nye-jira: 118rOnw to nyamakalaw furu. Nyamakalaw to 118rOnw furu. HOrOnw ni nyamakalaw to furu ke u ni ny8gOn ce. Mamadu ye lenburu d8 ta. Baba ye a to ta. Mamadu ni Baba ye lenburu bee tila u ni nyOgOn ce. Bakaride (18 nyanabii. Musa y'a to nyanab8. Bakari ni Musa y'a nyanab8 u ni ny6gOn ce. An ye do ta. U ye a to ta. An y'a be ta an ni ny8gOn ce. I ye d8 min. A ye a t8 min. Aw y'a be min aw ni nyCien ce. Bila-n8-la: X ni nyOgOn ce. U ye wari tila u ni nyOgon ce. U be baara ke ny8gOn fe. . . kele ke . to . . mankan ci . . dumuni ke . . furu_ke . . dOn ke . . ko nyanab8 . . tulon ke . . (MO min . . sun8g8 . . kalan ke . ol Kelen, d8r8n, dan na Segin-n-kan: kelen Adania-telen de taara. Fanta kelen de ye tobili-ke. Muso kelen de nana. Bala kelen de ye mobili boll. Baro-misen: kelen A: Adama ni mOg8 taara ya? A: Fanta ni Umu ye tobili ke wa? B: Ayi, Adama kelen de nana. B: Fanta kelen de ye tobili te. A: Muso_ni mOgO nana wa? A. Bala ni jan_ye mobili boll. B: Ayi, thus() kelen, de nana. B. Bala kelen deye mobili boll. 6.2: Intermediate Bambara 51 Segin-n-kan: dOrOm Adama dOrOn de nana. Fanta d'orOn de ye tobili Muso fitini dOrOn de ye foli ke. Baro-misen: dOrOn. A: U be nana wa? A: Fanta ni Umu ye tobililke wa? B: Ayi, 'Adama dirOn de nana. B: Ayi, Fanta durOn de yetobilike. A: Musow be ye foli ke wa? B: Ayi, muso fitini dOrOn de ye foli_ke. Segin-n-kan: X dan na Musow be dumuni ke u dan na. Cew be baro ke u dan na. Fanta ye baara ke a dan na. Npllgotigiw be tulon_ke u dan na. Baro-misen: dan na A: Musow ni cew be dumuni ke nyOgiin fe wa? B: Ayi, musow be dumuni ke u dan na. A: Fanta ni Umu ye baara ke wa? B: Ayi, Fanta ye baara ke a dan na. A: Cew ni musow be baroLke nyClen fe wa? B: Ayi, cew be baro_ke u dan na. A: Npogo-tigiw ni ce-misenw bebaro_ke nyOgOn fe wa? B: Ayi, npogo-tigiw be baro ke u dan na. FO-cogo-were: Nye -jira: Adama ni Ara taaranYaen a? 1. Ayi, AdaMil Mien de taara. 2. Ayi, Adams din de taara. 3. Ayi, Adams - taara a dan na. 1. Musow ni cew be baro_ke nyOgOn fe wa? 7. Aw ye bOrO labs nAgen fe wa? 2. Cew ni musow be dumuni ke nyegen fe wa? 8. Kariba ye so ni fali san wa'? 3. Umu ni Awa ye tobili ke wa? 9. All ye kafe ni sari min wa? 4. All ni liburuw be nana wa? 10. Aw ye bulukulu ni danni_j 5. Aw ye baara in ke nyeen fe wa? nyeein fe wa? 6. Musow ni cew be Vora ka taa hyena -je 11. Baba ni den-misenw ye dumuni ke la wa? nyOgOn fe wa? Segin-n-kan: ani Numuw ye nyama-kalaw ye, ani kOma-tigiw. A ye fali_san, ani so. Tanta ye minthw'kb, tni Tiniw. A-muso'be zetobila la, ani koli_. I k'i ka da yelen millsOkOrhaw ye, Abudu be se tubabukan na ani angilekan_. ani den-misenw. 63 52 Intermediate Bambara Nyininkali: A: Numuw ye mun ye? B: Numuw ye nyama-kalaw ye, ani k4ma-tigiw. A: Fanta ye mun ke? *4 B: A ye minanw ko, ani finiw. A: N' kan n' ka da Alen janw ye? B: I k'i ka da Alen 4g8kOgObaw ye ani denmisenw. A: A ye mun san? B: A ye fall san, ani so . A: A muso be se mun na? B: A muso _be se tobili la, ani koli. A: Abudu be se kan jumenw na? B: Abudu be se angilekan na, anitubabukan. Yelemali: ani/ni Nye - .lira: A: Numuw ye nyamakalaw ye, ani koma-tigiw. B: Numuw ye nyamakalaw ni koma-tigiw ye. HOrOnw ye dugu-tigiw ye, ani dugu-kolo-tigiw. Fanta ye minanw ko, ani finiw. A ye fall san, ani so. I k'i ka da yelen m6D-kOrObaw ye, ani den-misenw. Adama muso be se tobili la, ani koli. Umaru bg se bamanaftkan na, ani kiiThOrOkan. Tabali-tigi be sigareti feere, ani alimeti. A ye ntura fila faga, ani saga duuru. Kalo bra su rO, ani dolow. Amerikenw be sanu baara, ani nege ni yiri. Numu be sanu baara, aninege niyiri. Garanke be sabaraw dila, ani so masiriw. MOgO: dOw be ban-ji min, ani capalo. Muso ka kan k'a ce masaw bonya, an'a kOrOw Gesedala be finiw da, ani biri-finiw. Yelemali: ni/ani Nye - ,lira: A: A ye sop i fall san. B: A ye sosan, ani fali_. Aye dence_pi denmuso_sOr8. KaramOkOka kamiyOn_be mho ni doni Baba be se kalali_ni so-0_1a. Baturu Seku be kOrapi balani_fO. N'ye Segu ni Moti ye. Kogo nintamaro_p41)8 Saheli. Ay'a muso_niadenw bila ka taaso. Bitiki in be balo_piflrebOyfeere. U bebolo-la-ntola-tan ni Bamanankan_fti Maninkakan_pe f8 Mali la. sen-na-ntola-tan ke yan. KOO_pintamaro_be1)8 Saheli. A ye nyO-foro_ni malo-foro_bO. 64 Intermediate Bambara 53 Baro "A" b'a fe ka nye (18n siya-ko la. A: Bala y'i mun ye? B: N' balimake don. A: E ye jara ye. Ale ye Kuydte ye. Kuyate ni jara ye siya kelen ye wa? B: yi, siya kelenw te. Jara ye h8r8n ye. Kuyate ye jeli ye. A: Ne y'a men ko jara j8n be yen. 0 ye tinye ye wa? B: Ow8, tinye don. Jamu caman be yen, u be s8r8 siya be kOn8. A: MOO b'a don cogo di o tuma ko karisa ye h8r8n ye walajOn? B: A to d8n ten. Fo n'i donna maw la kOsebe. 0 tuma i b'u siya dOn. A: I ni ce, i ni baraji. I ye n's8n faamuya la kOsebe. Notes 1. Min in adverbial phrases Adverbial phrases such as those of time, place, and manner can contain relative clauses, equivalent to sentences such as the following: I was at the place that you were. or I was where you were. I was there at the time you were there. or I was there when you were there. -- I did it in the way that you did it. These adverbial relative clauses have some rather special properties in B-M-D. They can be formed in the same manner as the relative clauses we have seen in the previous lessons, e.g.: I tun be y8r8 min na, ne tun be o y8r8 la. I tun be yen tuma min na, ne tun be yen o tuma la. I y'a ke cogo min na,, n' y' a ke o cogo la. Notice that in this form, both the relative clause and the main clause contain the noun in question, i.e. yOr8, tuma, or cogo, preceded in the main clause by d in its demonstrative, rather than its pronominal, function. The first variant form is that the repetition of the postposition in the main clause can be replaced by the pronouns, men, "there" and ten, "thus". There is no\B-M-D pronoun equivalent to "then", e.g.: I tun be yOr8 min na, ne tun be yen. I y'a ke cogo min na, ny'a Ice ten. The second variant that one finds is that the postposition following min is often omitted ,eg. I tun be yOr8 min, ne tun be yen. I tun be yetuma min, ne tun be yen o tuma la. I y'a fa cogo min, n y'a Ice ten. 65 54 Intermediate Bambara The third variant is that with time-clauses, no coreferential element has to occur in the main clause at all, e.g.: I tun be yen tuma min, ne tun be yen. The most striking variant that one finds is that these relative clauses need not occur before the main clause. They may occur embedded within the main clause itself,e.g.: Ne tun be i tun be On) min (na). Ne tun .be yen i tun be yen tuma min (na). N y'a ke i y'a ke cogo min (na). 2. fo ni This expression serves as a subordinate conjunction serving to express the notion "excepting that, unless, only if, until." It is followed by a regular independent clause. A to taa fo ni Fanta nana. He won't go unless Fanta has come. He won't go until Fanta has come. 3. ny8gOn Ny8ein is a frequently occurring word used to represent the notions "together, one another, each other." Syntactically, nyiiein is a noun in B-M-D. Nyag8n combines with different post-positionsfor its various interpretations The most common combinations are: nyOgOn fe together nyOgOn na together X ni nyWon ce among NyagOn fe is generally used either to indicate that the agents ofan act performed the act as an ensemble, together, or that the activity or state was in a certain location, e.g.: U ye baara_ke nyOgOn fe. They worked together. U sigilen tun be nyOgain fe. They were seated together. NyOgOn na is generally used to indicate that the peopleor things in question came together as a result of some activity, e.g.: U donna nyOgOn na. They got together. U bilala nyOgOn na. They were put against each other. NyOgan used as the object of a verb or postposition can be translated by each other, depending, of course, on the nature of the activity in question. 66 Intermediate Bambara 55 An be nyaen demo. We help each other. U ye nypgan ye. They saw each other. U ye neen bugs. They hit each other. U ye ji di nyagOn ma. They gave water to each other. X ni nyOen ce This expression is used to capture the notion "among X." It implies an exclusiveness to the act in question, e.g.: U be kele ke u ni nyOgiin ce. They fight among themselves. 4.. .Sentence -final ani We have seen in earlier lessons that nouns can be conjoined with the conjunction ni or ani, e.g.: muso ani 64 or the woman and the man muso ni ce It is also possible to use ani at the end of a sentence for an "after-thought" type of conjunction. Ce taara an'a muso. The men left, and his wife, too. As noted in the translation, this sort of conjunction can be rendered by the English "too" or "also". This construction may be used regardless of the syntactic position to which it is semantically allied. A ye nyO san ani malo. He bought millet and rice, too. A ye wari di sPfaw ma ani jeliw. He gave money to the warriors; and to the bards, too. 5. Past participial clauses: V-len (kO) Dependent clauses, similar to "after having X-ed" in English, can be formed in B-M-D with the past participial form of the verb, preceded by its theme noun (i.e. the subject of intransitive verbs and the object of transitive verbs). The past participial phrase can be -optionally followed by kb', here interpreted as "after", e.g.: U sileri (ks), u ye kuma damine. (After) having sat down, they began the discussion. A halen ka, an ye dumuni damine. An fa bOlen kO, an ye mankan-ci damine. 6. Appositional clauses with ni In English, non-restrictive relative clauses are often used as appositional or Clarifiers of nouns', e'.13'. Bards, whose work is to sing praise songs, are casted. 67 56 Intermediate Bambara In Bambara, these non-restrictive appositional modifiers are rendered by ni-clauses, i.e. clauses beginning with the subordinate conjunction ni, e.g.: Jeliw, n'olu ka baara ye buruju-gosi ye, olu ye nyama-kalaw ye. Notice that again Bambara. prefers not to have a lengthy dependent clause occupying a major syntactic position like subject or object. If the subject or object noun is to be so modified, it will occur at the beginning of the sentence, its normal position being occupied by a pronoun. Vocabulary foodood ban kind of palm tree ban-ji palm wine bolo-la-ntolatan . basketball beige dirt buluku plow buruju lineage. buruju-gosi . . . lineage praising capalo wine da come after, follow vasease dan limit dolo star dugu-kolo land dugu-kolo-tigi . . owner of the land dugu-tigi chief of town ferebe cloth fine particular caste in Mande culture. foro be clear a field garanke leather worker Oren noble, non-casted person jeli griot, bard jiri wood- jen slave kala sew kari break karisa such person, somebody kele fight, war kema secret society kema-tigi master of ceremonies of the secret society mako need masiri decorations minan utensils, tools, dishware nare butter nburu bread npogotigi girl -tamaro...... date (frui ) .ntola...... ball ntura bull 68 Intermediate Bambara 57 numu blacksmith nyama-kala casted person sen-na-ntola-tan . . football, soccer siya sort, kind, race, species sukaro (fr) sugar wala or Expression: X ni nyg8n c . . . . between X,amongst X 69 58 fntermediate Bambara an ill min minim Ian Onto a Ia, a kana till C) 70 Intermediate Bambara 59 KALAN5 Denbaya Nsiirin: N'i ye koro kelen ye ka muso furu, a koro nyagan do don. nyogon a nye be ma a ka la. dun cogo X temenen X temenen k8 71 60 Intermediate Bambara Denbaya Musa den Bakari ye muso furu dOgOkun temenen. Muso toga ko Fanta. A buranw ka ca kosebe. Bakari som80 minw ka kOr8 Bakari ye, o be ye Fanta buran ye. Maya sira la, Bakari fa n'a ba filanw fana -1.be y'a buranw ye. Buranya dun gasi ka bon. I ka kan k'i kuma cogo n'i kewale dim i buranw nya na. Kuma dOw be yen, i be se k'u fs, ani fen claw be yen, i be se k'u ke i ce n'i teriw nya na, nka, i man kan k'o kumaw f8 walima k'o walew ke i buranw nya na. Nka i y'o yere-mine min ke, n'i n'i ni-m8e5w ye nyagan sOra, o be ban pewu. Mho n'i ni-mOga tun be tulon ke a nye be ma. Aw be se ka nyaen neni, ka nyagan bugs, ka nyOgan kara-ma-tige. Aw be se ka nyadan taoro cogo be la. A be fa Fanta ce dogs ma ko Fanta cew. A b'a ce bonya cogoya min na, a ka kan k'a ce balimaw bonya o cogo la. Ala kan k'u ka finiw ko, k'u ka sow furan, k'u koli-ji sigi, ka tobili k'a d'u ma.Muso o muso, n'i n'i ceso-17160w ma ben, a kacla la, i ka furu to sabati. Nvininkali: 1. Musa ye Bakari mun ye? 2. Bakari ye muso furu wa? 3. A ye muso furu tuma jumen? 4. Bakari muso taesT 5. Bakari ke3rOw n'a masaw ye muso mun ye? 6. A be fo ko buranya gasi _lta bon, o kOr5 ye mun ye? 7. I be se ka kuma minw fs i teriw nya na, ibTse k'o kumaw fs i buranw nya na wa? 8. I be se ka wale minw ke i teriw nya na, i be se k'o walew be ke i buranw nya na wa? 9. maga n'i ni-maga be tulon ke wa? 10. Aw be se ka nyaein neni wa? 11. Aw be se ka nyOgan bug() wa? 12. Fanta ce diekew y'a mun ye? 13. A ka kan k'a ce balimaw fana bonya wa? 14. A ka kan ka mun k'u ye? 15. Ni muso n'a ce somOgOw ma ben, a ka fdru be men? Segin-n-kan: nyaein Baba ni Ami be nyagOn taor6. Sina-musow be nyaein karama-tige. Den-misenw be nyagan bugs. U be nyagOn neni. Nyininkali: nyaen Baba ni Ami be mun ke? Sina-musow be mun ke? Den-misenw be mun ke? U be mun ke? Segin-n-kan: a nye be ma MOO n'i ni-maga be tulon ke a nye be ma. Birama kalannen don a nye be ma. Baba be Mali clan a nye be ma. ca in be se nOni_na a rye be ma. 72 Intermediate Bambara 61 Nyininkali: a nye be ma M80 n'i ni-m5g8 b4 tulon'k4 wa? Ce in be se nOni na wa? FO-cogo -were_ Nye-jira: M8g8 n'i ni-m8g8 be tulon k4a nye be ma. Mho n'i ni-m8g8 be tulon k4cogo be la. 1. Baba be Mali an a ny4 be ma. 2. Birama kalannen don a ny4 bema. 3. Ce in be se n8ni na a ny4 bema. 4. A b4 nkalon tige a nye bema. 5. A b4 taama a nye be ma. 6. I den be foli k4 a ny4 be ma. 7. A be dumuni ke a nye be ma. 8. YOra b4 gese da a nye be ma. 9. Nin.so b4 boll any bee ma. 10. Bala b4 mobili boli a ny4 bee ma. Segin-n-kan: dun Adama y'i ban kalan ma. Kalan dun nafa ka bon. Gawusu be Ami fusaya Fanta ye. Ami dun ye mgg8 kuntan ye. A b'a f4 ka segin Segu. Segu dun y8r8 ka.jan an na. A t414=s8g8 dun. Le-s8g8 dun ye sogo dunian ye- Baro-misen:dun A: rite kalan f4. B: Kalan dun nafa ka bon. A: I miiri ye mun ye Fanta kan? B: Gawusu b4 Ami fisaya Fanta ye. Fanta dun ye m8g6 seb4 ye. A: A b'a f4 ka mun wa? f4 ka segin Segu."Segu dun yOr8 ka jan yan na. A: A be 14-sogo dun wa? B: A to le-sogo dun. Le-sogo dun ye sogo duman ye. Baro-misen:dun A: I be Fanta 1'4 wa? A: I nyinana fen 8 k8 wa? B: Ayi, n't'a fe. B: OwO, n' nyinana n' ka kulusi k8. A: Fanta dun ye mho s4b4 ye. A: An to t'a no fe? B: Ayi, n'te se ka segin. A: I b4 14-sogo dun wa? A: Kulusi in dun ye kulusi nyuman ye. B: Avi, n' t'a dun. A: L4-sogo dun ye sogo duman ye. A: I ye do ta baara la wa? B: Ow8, n'ye Bala ta. A: I b4 taa Segu wa? A: Musa dun, i t'o ta? B: Ayi, Segu-sigi man di n' ye. B: Ayi, an to se ka_b4n. A: Segu dun ye dou duman ye. A: Musa dun ye mNO seb4 ye. 7R 62 Intermediate Bambara Segin-n-kan: d'a kan Amadu ma sigareti feer'a ma k'a d'd kan den-misen don. A ma be su in na k'a d'a kan a ka mobili tinyenen don. Bakarijan tun.ye.kele-masa ye k'a d'a kan a ja tun ka farin. Baro-misen: d'a kan A: Mun na Amadu ma sigareti feere a ma? B: Amadu ma sigareti feere a ma k'a d'a kan den-misen don. A: Mun na a ma be su in na. B: A ma be su in na k'a d'a kan a ka mobili cennen don. A: Mun na Bakarijan tun ye kele-masa ye? B: Bakarijan tun ye kele-masa ye k'a d'a kan a ja tun ka farin. Segin- n -kau: a ka c'a la Muso n'a ce somegOw mana ben, a ka c'a la a ka furu be sabati. MUO man'a masaw bonya, a ka c'a la i be barika I mana i ka seliw ke, a ka c'a la i be taa alijana. I mana 818 caman min, a ka c'a la i be manamana-kan caman fe. Baro-mis4n: a ka c'a la A: Muso n'a ce mana ben, mun be ke? B: Muso n'a ce mana ben, a ka c'a la a ka furu be sabati. A: MCIgii man'a masaw bonya, mun be ke? B: MN() mania masaw bonya, a ka c'a la a be barika sere. A: I man'i ka seliw ke, mun be ke? B: I man'i ka seliw ke, a ka c'a la i be taa alijana. A: I mana dole caman min, mun be ke? B: I mana dala caman min, a ka c'a la, i be manamana-kan caman fe. Fo -cogo -were: cogo Nye-jira: A: A be kuma cogo de. N't'o fe. B: N' t'a kuma cogo fe./ A kuma-cogo man di n' ye. A be dumuni ke cogo de. Hitt.° fe. A be taama cogo de. 0 man di n' ye. A b'a ferebe cogo do. N't'o fe. A b'a kan kereta cogo do. N't'o fe. Baba be lakalanni ke cogo de. N't'o fe. A be baara ka cogo do. 0 man di n' ye. U be mOgew mine cogo do. N't'o fe. Rkakaw be mIga bonya cogo de. 0 ka di n' ye. A be mobili boli cogo de. N'Wo fe. Aw be nyogon kolosi cogo de. 0 ka nyi. 74 Intermediate Bambara 63 Segin-n-kan: temenen Bakari ye muso furu agOkuntemenen. An ye an ke sibiri temenen. A ye kalan damine jumatemenen. Kalo temenen in kera nisi-diya-kalo ye. Bila-n8 -la: temenen Bakari ye muso furu juma temenen. dOgOkun . . . kalo . . . . sibiri. . . . Mawuluti. . . sdliba . . Segin-n-kan: temenen ka silame.bee be da Seli temenen ka, saga_sOng5be bin. Saafo temenen 0 temenen ka, a be darakadun. ka sun80. Juma temenen ko, an banyere sOrO. Samiya temenen k8, fonene be na. Bila-n8-la: temenen ko Seli temenen ko, saga_sandibe bin. Sun-kalo . . . , da ka sunOgii. Saafo . . . . , m6gOw mankan be sumaya, Lere 6 . . . . ,mOdi to baara ke. , . . to kalan , meow be taa ntola-tan-yOrO. Kuma-don-nyOgOn-na: nyagOn Nye-jira: A: Baba be Ami tOor8.Ami be babataorii. B: Baba ni Ami be nyOgiintooro. Awa be Umu fo. Umube Awa fo. A ye n' neni. y'a neni. A y'a terice ta. A terice y'a ta. A b'a nimae-kew bugs. A nimOgii-kew b'a bug8. A be Fanta ci. Fanta b'a ci. Madu be Bala kunun. Bdla be Madu kunun. A be n' son wari. N' b'a son wuri. de be muso kalOsi. Muso be ce kOlOsi. Ngolo be nyele balo. Nyele beNgolo balo. A be n' kalan. N'b'a kalan. Adama be Ali sutara. All be Adama sutara. I ka n' bonya. N'k'i bonya. 75 64 Intermediate Bambara Baro "A" b'a fe ka kunafoni soro Fanta kan. A: I be Fanta SukO don wa? B: Fanta sukO jumen? A: MOrO Keyita den-muso. B: N'b'a dOn kasebe. A mOn'an tege kOnO. Mun tun don? A: Anw tun b'a fe k'a nyin'i fe n'i be se ka kunafoni d'an ma a kan. . I b'a fe ka fen o fen dOn, n'b'a f'i ye. A: A be yaala kOsObe wa? , B: Mogo si to se k'a ye k'a y'a ye kenema su fe. A: A be kele ke wa? B: Ne m'a ye_kele la Pin', Fen min to se kuma la. N'i y'a men i be kele ke, i ni m'cfa be kuma sama de. Mun na i be n' nyininkala nin be la? A: An b'a fe k'a nyini de. B: Aw to se k'a nyOgOn muso sOr8. Notes 1. nya/nye This word is perhaps the same word meaning "eye, vision, in front of, forward, etc." Its use in this lesson has the interpretation "means, manner, way."The expression a nya be ma can be translated 4S "in very which way," indicating a total mastery of the act in question. We saw nya with the interpretation "means, way, manner" in the expression nya do la "in such a way."Other common uses with this interpretation are: Nin nya to n' kOno. I don't have the means for this. ka mogo nya-nyini to look for a means (a way to get) to somebody, search for a person's weakness, find the secret to someone's power. 2. a ka c'a la This is 'an expression indicating strong probability. It is fr,:luently incorporated in conditional sentences to indicate the pr.ba-pility of the result. MOO man'a masaw bonya, a ka c'a la a be barika Should a person respect his elders, it is highly probable that he will be blessed with strength. 76 Intermediate Bambara 65 3. dun We have seen dun used in interrogative structures in which it was interpreted as "and how about...?", e.g.: A: Fanta ka kerie? A: Is Fanta well? B: Here dirOn. B. Fine. A: Baba dun? A: And how about Baba? In this lesson dun is used to introduce a counterargument in which it could be interpreted as "but, however." A: Ne to Fanta fe. A: I don't like Fanta. B: Fanta dun ka nyi. B. But Fanta is nice. As in its previous uses, dun always follows a noun. 4. cogo/sugu This is another word like nya meaning "way, manner, means." In some dialects cogo almost entirely replaces nya, and vice versa. One of the more common uses of cogo is in compounds in which it frequently can be translated as a headless relative clause, e.g.: a ke-cogo how to do it N t'a,ke-cogo d8n. I don't know how to do it. 5. temenen Temenen is the past participle form of the verb teme, "to pass, pass by." It can be used after a point time word to express the meanings "last, past". last (requires point time word) A taara juma temenen. He left last Friday. A y'a ke zuwan temenen. He did it last June. Notice that for durational time expressions equivalent to English "ago", the construction introduced in Lesson 4 must be used, e.g.: A y'a ke a tile naarii ye nin ye. A y'a ke nin y'a tile naani ye. A taara nin y'a kalo fila ye. A taara a kalo fila ye nin ye. 6. temenen k8 This expression is used to render the meaning "after (a period of time)." In many cases, k8 may be used alone to capture this meaning, e.g.: 77 66 Intermediate` Bambara I bena mun ke nyenaje 1CD? What will you do after the party? A anna danni-tuma k8. He came after planting time. Often, however, when a duration of time is involved, speakers will prefer to use temenen ks, e.g.: A ben a ke kalo fila temenen ka. He will do it after two months. A bra tile saba temenen ks. He left, after three days. Vocabulary alijana Heaven bugs beat buran in-law farin fierce, bold filan . . . peer fisaya prefer gasi consideration ja shadow kewale deed, action kiirO-matige criticize manamana-kan Worthless talk Mawuluti Moslem ceremony neni curse nimOg8 younger in-laws pewu idiophone accentuating finish sabati reinforce son give sumaya diminish sutura hide (someone's shame) to . hire yere-mine self-control, abstaining 78 Intermediate Bambara 67 KALAN6 Nsiirin Gabugu ka kOrO misirl_ye. Time expressions Sani Ni X-tuma sera Ka X to Y la Fo ka taa X dan na Comparative ni X ye Tila X la 79 68 Intermediate Bambara Dumuni ke cogo: Ni dumuni-tuma_sera, Fanta be cew ka dumuni n'u ka tege-ko-ji sigi, a be t'a f6 be ye o tuma, ko dumuni sirs. MOgOw be na u sigi k'u koori dumuni-minan na, mile-karObaw b'u s gi deben kan, den-misenw b'u sonsoron. Sani dumuni ka damine, be b'i tege ko tege-ko-minan kOnO. MOO-karObaw b'u tege ko fan. 0 ko den-misenw fana b'u tege ko. Den-misenw be tege-ko-minan_da mine ni mOgO-kOrObaw.bIu tegeko. be dumuni-minanfana da mine fo ka t'u tila dumunina. K'i to dumuni na, ni (125 b6nna i bolo, i ka kan k'a tOmO. DOI./ b'a dun. Du kelen musow be dumuni ke u dan na,cew fana be dumuni ke u dan na. N'i tilala dumuni na, maiei o m6e5 ka kOri5 iye, i be barika da a ye. Nyininkali: 1. Ni dumuni-tuma sera, Fanta be mun ke? 2. A be tege-ko-ji ni dumuni_sigi tuma jumen? 3. 0 ka, a be mun 4. Dumuni mana sigi, meow be mun ke? 5. Den-misenw b'u)s-!-1.4 cogo di? 6. Sani dumuni ka damine, u be mun ke? 7. U b'u tege ko cogo di? 8. ROO-kOrO-baw b'u tege ko, den-misenw bemun ke? 9. U b'u sigi mun kan? 10. Rogow be dumuni_keu bolo la wa? . 11. Ka den-misenw to dumuni. na, ni dO bOnna, u be mun ke? 12. DOw be mun la? 13. Mun na u b'o dun? 14. Cew ni musow be dumuni ke nyOgOn fe wa? 15.- N'i tilala dumunLha, i ka kan ka mun ke? Segin -n -kan: sani Sani Baba ka na, an ye baara bee ban. Sani tasuma ka mene, sisi be b6. Sani Fanta ka taa sugu_la, a be so-kOnObaaraw ke. A be daga ko san'a ka ji k'a la. A be sabaraMO_ san'a ka donso_kOnO. Bila-no -la: sani Sani Baba ka na, an ye baara bee ban. A be daga ko san'a ka ji k'a la. . . dugutigi a ka don so kOnO. . . san-ji . A be sabara_ b) , . . . foro bee furan. . . banfula bi5 . . .an ka taa., . .foli ke a k'i sigi . . 80 Intermediate Bambara 69 Yelemali: sani Nye-jira: A. Sani All ka don so_kana, a be sabara b8. B. All be sabara 138 san'a ka don so leeinO. Sani Baba'ka na, an ye baara_pee ban. Sani tasuma ka mene, sisi ba ba. Sani Fant:1 ka ji ke daga_la, a b'a ko. Sani.Sc:Ti sigi, a be foli ke. Baro-misen: sani A: N'i sera dugu leon8, i ka kan ka mOgO bee fo. B: N ka Al f° f8lo? A: Swill ka m48 were fo, i ka dugutigi_fo f6lo. A: N'i sera sugu la, i ka kan ka fen caman san. B: N ka mun san MO? A: San'i ka fen were san i ka safinesan fOlO. A: N'i sera so, i ka kan ka so-leOnli-baara bee ke. B: N ka mun ke f616. A: San'i ka fen were ka, i ka min'enw ko fO16...... A: N'i sera foro_la, i ka-kan ka foro-baara caman ke. B: N' ka mun ke f516? A: San'i ka ko were ka, i ka bulukuli_ke MO. Yelemali: X, o ka Y = Sani ka Y, X. Nye-jira: I b'i tege ko. 0 kO i be dumuni ke. San'i ka dumuni ke, i b'i tege ko. I be duutigi_fo. 0 ki5 i be taa i jatigi bara. I be yiri_:tige. 0 kb' i b'i ja. U be barika da. 0 kO u be wuli. I be worn ko. 0 ITO i nyimi. A b'a lafinye. 0 ko a be taa kalan-y6ra. A be miiri k6s6b.e7. 0 ki5( a be kuma. . . I be mogow fo. 0 ko be temn. I be fitiri_seli. 0 ka i be sun_tige. A be bamaii-kan kalan. 0 kb' a be taa Mali la. . I be ji goniya. 0 ko i be dute wuli. Adama be baarake. 0 k6 a be taa tulon ke. A be arajo lamen. 0 ItO a b'i da ka sun48. Aw ka kuma-sen to lase = sani: Sani n' ka daraka dun . Sani n' ka don so kan8 . Sani n' ka taa lakOli_la. . Sani den-misnw ka dumuni ke . Sani n' ka n' sigi . 81 70 Intermediate Bambara Segin-n-kan: ni X-tuma sera... Ni dumuni-tuma_sera, den-mis4nw b'u sonsoron. Ni taa-tuma sera, taamalaw b4 biye ta. Ni sudee-tuma_sera, jatigi-muso be dalanw labO. Ni kurun_pa-tuma sera, mOeci bee S-4 taa dankan na. Ni seli-tumaserd, silamew T;4 taa misiri la. Nyininkali: X-tuma A ye jaabili k4 ni "X-tuma"' Nye-jira: A. Mun na den-misenw b'u sonsoron? B. Dumuni-tuma_sera. Mun na taamalaw be biyeta? Mun na sen4-k4la be taa foro la? Mun na jatigi-muso_b4 dalan_labO? Mun na kalanden be taa lakOli la? Mun na mho bee b4 taa dankan_pa? Mun na baara-k4la b4 taa so? Mun na silam4m be taa misiri_la? Baro-misen: X-tuma A ye buro-mis4n_dila. Nye (kuma -den) baara_jigi-tuma A. Ni baara-jigi-tuma sera, al be mun B: An be taa so o tuma. taa-tuma fama-tuma den-kun-di-tuma seli-tuma lamen-tuma da-tuma sunagii-tuma ny8-dan-tuma baara_jigin-tuma kuma-tuma dumuni-ke-tuma mafil4-tuma baro-k4-tuma bamanan-kan_kalan-tuma sun-tuma kurun_na-tuma Segin-n-kan: ka X to Y la K'i to baara_la, i man kan ka tulon_ke. K'i to biblioteki_la, i man kan ka mankan ti. K'i to den-misenya la, i to se ka.f4m caman ke. Ka c4-kOrObaw to dumuni na, den-mlsenw-temankan ti. Ka mOg8-kOrObaw to kuma_la, i ka kan k'i toloma38. Ka Maadu to kalan-na, a t4 se ka fen were k4. Ka musow to tobili la, i man kan ka don ga-bugu_k6nO. 82 Intermediate Bambara 71 Kuma-don-ny8g8n-na: k'i to Nye- ,lira: A. A be lakali la sisan. A ka kan k'a jija. B: !Co to a ka-kan k'a jija. A be Pari. A ka kan k'i janto a yere la. A be bibliotai la. A man kan ka mankan ti. A be biro la. A man kan ka tulon ke. A be AinerTki. A te se ka wari mara. A be fantanya la. A te fama s&6. A be den-misenya_la. A to kuma mOg8-kOrObaw nyena. A be mansaya la. A man kan ka nin ke. I be dunanya_la. I te politiki-barn _ke. Yelemali: k'a to X la / X-turha Nye-jira: A. U man kan ka kuma dumuni-ke-tuma na. B. K'u to dumuni-na, u man kan ka kuma. U te tulon_ke baara-ke-tuma la. U te politiki-baro ke dunanya-tuma la. . U be baara caman ke nya.,dan-tuma,la. A te tulon ke baara-tuma la. . U te fama sOsO fantaya-tuma la. A te arajo lamen kalan-tuma la. . _ _ A te mankan ti sunae-tuma _la. U te nono min nene-tuma la. Baro-misen: ka X to Y la A: N'b'a fe ka taa so. B: Ka.san-ji to nala, i te se ka taa so. A: N'na to yan o tuna. A: N'be taa don-ke-yara. B: Ka mOgaw to sun na, don _te ke. A: N'be to so kOnO o tuma. A: A b'a fe ka sene ke. B: Ka ja to sen na, a te se ka sene ke. A: A na gese_da d tuma. A: N' be tobili_y.e. B: Ka musow to du kono, i te se ka tobili ke. A: N' 'be so furan o tuma. A: N'b'a fe ka kele_ke. B: Ka polosi to i kar5, i te kele ke. A: N'b'a to fo polosi_ka taa. A: N'b'a fe ka kuma. B: Ka mOgi5-kOrObaw to yan, i man kan ka kuma. A: 0 tuma n' be n' dade. 83 6$. 72 Intermediate Bambara Segin-n-kan: fo ka taa Fo ka t'a sa, a to ce-kar6ba agaya. Fo ka t'a bC, a ma mIg8 si tOor25. Fo ka t'a na, foyi ma nie yan. U be dumuni-minan da mine fo ka t'u tila dumunina. U mankan ti fokataa ce-karabab8. U be baara ke fo ka taa kuntigi bo biro la. Nyininkali: fo ka taa Nye-jira: A: Madu tun be ce-kOrabaw bonyawa? B: Fo ka t'a sa, a ma ce-k8rOba doeiya. Fanta ka mag5ya tun ka bon wa? U be mankan ti wa? Sori y'aw deme wa? A ye mho taor8 wa? U be dumuni-minan da mine wa? Fen nyena yan Santa kana wa?_ U be baara ke wa? A ye ce-karOba 64:57Ya wa? Segin-n-kan: X dan na MOO-kar6-baw be baro Iceu dan na. Ce-misenw be boloko u danna. MusOw be dumuni ka u danna. Musow be baro ke u dan na. Baro-misen: X dan na A: Mho -kOra-bawni den-mi6;nw be baro_ke nyagOn fCwa? B: Ayi, MOO-Ora-bay be baro ke u danna. A: Musow ni cew be dumuni ke nyCgan fe wa? B: Ayi, Musow be dumuni dan na. A: Ce-misenw ni muso-misenw be boloko nyOgOn fewa? B: Ayi, Ce-misenu be boloko u danna. A: Musow ni cew be baro ke nyWn fe wa? B: Ayi, Musow be baro ke u dan na. Bila-n6-1a: 1460 ka kan ka dumuni_ke i dan M50 man kan ka dumuni ke i danna. tulon_ke sigi kalan_ke sene ke yaala dute min . bolo ko sunogo susuli ke i ko tobili ke nyC tige foyi ke 84 Intermediate Bambara 73 FO-cogo-were: dan na Fle: i-ra: A: Mi*Ow man kan ka dumuni ke u dan na. B: Maew ka kan ka dumuni ke nyogon fe. U man kan ka kalan _ke u dan na. U man kan ka u ko u dan na. Musow man kan ka baro ke u dan na. U man kan ka kalan ke u dan na. ... Cu eman kan ka tulon ke u dan na. U man kan ka u min u dan na. --- Aw man kan ka sene ke-aw dan na. U man kan ka siniman laje u dan na. Bilakorow man kan ka boloko u dan na. U man kan ka baara kTu dan na. An man kan ka sung an dan na. Segin-n-kan: tila X la N'an tilala baara la, o ka an be taa. Ni musow tilala fini-ko la, u 'Wu ko. N'an tilala kalan na, an be suni50. N'a tilala &in-kill-de. la, f'a ye. A mana tila kasi la, a be t'i ko. An mana tila lamanan-kan-kalan na, an be taa Mali la. Fanta mana tila tobili_la, a 131.;i fini jelenw don. U be barika da u mana tila dumuni na. Nyininkali: A: Mun na aw taara? A: I b'a f'a ye tuma jumen?' B: An tilala baara la. B: N'a tilala dOn-kili-da la. A: Aw braw ko tuma jumen? A: Aw be taa Mali la tuma jumen? B: Ni musow tilala fini-ko la. B: An mana tila bamanan-kan-kalan na. A: Aw be sung tuma jumen? B: N'a tilala kalan _na. Bila-n8-1a: X tila Y la U tilala dumuni na. . . . baara . . . . . . sene_ . . . . . . fini-ko_ . . . . . . kalan_ . . . . . . foro-baara_. . . . . . self_ . . . . . . Arajo-lamen_ . . . . . kitabu-seben . . ...... . . . . gese-da_ . 85 74 Intermediate Bambara Barow Dumuni mana ban, meow be dugawu ke. 1. Ngolo tilala dumuni na. A be barika da Ala ye. Alhamdulihahi Arabilalamina Bi ta ni3g6yara sini ta be Ala ma. 2. Ngolo tilala dumuni na. A be barika da a masaw n'a koraw. Ngolo: Baba, a barika. Baba: A barika Ala ye. K'a sumay'i kCina. 3. Taravele tilala dumuni na. A be barika da du-tigi-ce. Tarawele: A barika. Baba: A barika Ala ye. I ta don. K'a sumaya ikana. Tarawele: Nyeba,, a barika. I ni ga. Nyeba: A baYika Ala ye, Tarawele. I ta don. K'a sumay' i kOnO. Dunanke: A be ka kuma du-tigi ce fa. Dunan: (dumuni 1(6) A barika. Ala k'i neema. Ala kan'i neemantanya. Ala k'i son si la. Ala k'i kene to. Laban-ko nyuman, Ala k'o d'an be ma. Kira labarama la. Du-tigi: Ala ka duwawu mine. Ala ka barika d7i ma. Duniya si jan ni keneya, Ala m'o dil'an be ma. Notes 1. Tuma, yOra, cogo. The words tuma, yCra, cogo combine frequently with verbs to make compounds translating roughly as "the time for / to X, the place for /to X, the way to X." taa-tuma the time to go taa-yOr'd the place to go taa-cogo the way to go These compounds can be preceded by a possessive construction, in which the theme-noun of the verb can occur, e.g.: 86 Intermediate Bambara 75 Sori taa-tuma the time for Sori to go . . . , for Sori's going . . . . of Sori's going . . . . that Sori left Sori taa Are the place for Sori to go . . . . that Sori left Sori taa-cogo the way for Sori to go . . . . that Sori went Note again that only the theme noun of the nominalized verb can occur as its possessor(i.e. the subject of intransitive constructions or the object of transitiveconstructions.) If the agent noun is to be expressed in one of these constructions, the possessive link ka must be used, e.g.: jara_faga-yore the place to kill the lion where the lion was killed as opposed to jars ka fagali-ke-yore the place 'where the lion kills 2. Sani We have seen sani in previous lessons.We will briefly review its grammatical properties here. Sani is a subordinate conjunction, introducing a subordinate clause. Remember that subordinate clauses are those having an expressedsubject with the high tone auxiliary ka, or its negative counterpart kana. These clauses'occur with no difference in meaning at eitherthe beginning or the end of the sentence, e.g.: Sani Fanta ka se, n' ben'a ke. Before Fanta arrives, Iwill do it. 211 N'ben'a ke sani Fanta ka se. I will dc it before Fanta arrives. As in English, there is a clause intonation break whensani- clauses occur at the beginning of the sentence. Both sani and fo clauses allow a permutation of the subject noun with the auxiliary ka when followed by an intransitive verb phrase, e.g.: N'ben'a ke sani ka Fanta se. N ten'a ke fo ka Fanta se. The tone on the auxiliary in these cases is low,which gives us some reason to believe that thisis the same as the infinitival ka. Sani cannot be followed by an infinitival phrase or by a noun phrase. It can only be followed by a subordinate clause. 87 76 Intermediate Bambara 3. Ka X to Y la This time expression uses the verb "to stay, remain, leave (something or someone) behind" followed by a postpositional phrase with la, to express the notion "while" or "during the time that", e.g.: Ka ce-karabaw to dumunl-na, den-mis4nif to mankan ti. While the older men are eating, the childrendonLt-make noise. This expression can also occur sentence-finally without any change in meaning. The object of the postposition la may be either a place noun or an activity noun. K'i to Bamako, n'taara Segu. While you were in Bamako, I went to Segou. or, literally: Leaving you in Bamako, I went to Segou. K'i to d8n na, Fanta bOra. While you were dancing, Fanta left. 4. Fo ka taa This is an idiomatic subordinating conjunction translating as "up to, until". It is MIiowed: by an intransitive "construction-and-its. subject- --- without any auxiliary, e.g.: A ten'a ke fo ka taa a sa He won't do it up to his death. A ma mOga tor fo ka taa a ba. He didn't bother anyone up to the time he left. 5. X dan na Dan is an important word, occurring in a wide range of expressions. Dan means roughly "border, limit, frontier, boundary." In this construction, it means "alone, by X's self."In this sense it contrasts with nyaen fe, "together". ILreg,k4 u dan na. They didn't do it by themselves. Cew be dumuni ke u dan- -na. The men eat by themselves. The above sentence is to be interpreted as the men eating together to the exclusion of women. It is not interpreted as each individual man eating by himself to the exclusion of all others. 6. Comparative ni X ye The long form of the comparative, X ye, that we examined in Lesson 3 is ni X ye. This construction, in most of its uses, translates as English "with". In this sense, its meaning can be understood as expressing a relation, e.g.: A ka bon ni nin ye. It is large in relation to this. or It is larger than this. Intermediate Bambara 77 7. Tila Tila is a verb meaning generally "to finish (an activity)". It is an intransitive verb with the activityin question expressed as the -object-of, the postposition la. U tilala baara la. They finished/ceased work. A ma tila sene la falo. He hasn't finished farming yet. The meaning difference between tila and ban is roughly the same as that between "stop" and"finish, end" in English. The latter asserts that the activity in question has reached its natural termination or is completely exhausted or consumed.The former only asserts that the agent is no longer involved in the activity. Perhaps an example will help. U tilala dumuni na. They finished/stopped eating. U ye dumuni ban. They finished the food. In thefirst sentence, there may be some food left. In the second, thefood is entirely consumed. Tila does not take an-infinitival complement with the above interpretation. When it occurs with an infinitive, it is to be interpreted: Atilala ka donkili da. She ended up by singing a song. - Vocabulary banfula head-cover barika strength ban spill dade shut,up dan limit furan sweep X ja warm oneself koori surround nyami chew polosi (fr) . . policeman, policewoman sonsoron . . . kneel tee hand tila finish t3mO pick up woro kola nut 89 78 Intermediate Bambara 90 xr Intermediate Bambara 79 KALAN 7 . Den -kun -di Nsiirin: N'i y'i den togo da "Sem4", a Jain-O_mh,, a na seine i la. N -to IT-t8 V-ta yaasa/walasa Are mako X fiAnya Y kan 91 80 Intermediate Bambara Den-kun-di Kunun araba, sagOmada fe, Abudu n'a muso tint taara dOkatOra-so la. Wula-da fe, Abudu bolita sera du kOnO, a nisadiyalenba komuso jiginna denke la. So-nlagaw ye kibaruya Jensen, k'a lase sigi-nyaganwni baLimaw be Ma (IQ& kana, ko den-kun-di bena keu ka so araba nata. Tenenmuso be ka kan ka na ni den bamunan-fini_ye. Abudu terikew n'a balimakew b'a deme n'u se-ko yeyaasa den-kun-di musakaw na fiyenya Abudu ma. Tarata don mana se, musow be nyagan da-la-je Abudu kaso ka nye'sUsu, ka den-kun-di-dege dila ani gomi. 0 dege n'o nami be di mOgaw ma den-kun-di kene kana dugu-se-3e. Den-kun-di don yere, cew be soli ka nyagan sara Abudu ka so. Woro ni dege ni nami be di megew ma. Moriw be dugawu a den ye ka den tee wele. Saga be faga. 0 kelen It?), jama be jensen,_bee be t'i_mako la. Cew ka den-kun-di kOfe, musow b'u to damine. Olu be tilen a la, tuma dawfo fitiri. Nyininkali: 1. Abudu_ taara d'olyetare-so la wa? 10.Den-kun-di bena Ice tuma ,lumen? 2. A ni jan taara deketare-so la? 11.Tenen-musow be ka kan ka mun bO? 3. Mun na a ni muso-taara 12.JOn_be Abudu deme? dOkat.ara-so_1a? 13.Musow be mun ketarata don? h. Abudu seginna so cogo di uvula fe? lh.Mun be ke o dege n'o semi na? 5. A nana mun fa? 15.Mun were bTdrmegew 6. A tun ni.;a ka di wa? 16.Jon _be dugawu kederi:ye? 7. Musoje mun saro? 17.Mun be faga? 8. So-megav ye mun ke? 18.Saga mana faga, magaw be mun ke? 9. U ye kibaruya lase jOnw ma? 19.Cew ka den-kun-di kofe, mun be ke? Segin-n-kan: yaasa Abudu teriw b'a dame yaasa a kana teor6 kojugu. An be taa yaasa an ka se joona. I be foli ke yaasa mOgew k'a don k'i b'u bonya. N'be n'ka tobili ke yaasa n' ka n' sago dun. A be da tugun yaasa sonw kana don a kan. A b'a ko yaasa a kasa kana ba. Yelemali: yaasa Nye-jira: A. An ye Abudu deme yaasa a ka taa segu. B. An ye Abudu deme yaasa a kana taa segu. A taara Banjul yaasa a ka keleke. den be kalan yaasa a ka gen. A wulila joona yaasa a ka baara _ke. N'be self yaasa n' ka taa 3,hanama. Aye N a d u gen yaasa aka taa kalan Ice. A_ ma kuma yaasa k k: JO-ko dOn. U.ye,kenZ'a gen yaasa a ka tin;71ni rte. I WI, (logo yaasa mogow k'a ye. A muso ye ji kalaya yaasa a ka se-ioi ko.A muso b'a deli yaasa a ka den bugo. .- _ A to dumuni_1-c- e yaasa ata bonya_kOsebe. 92 Intermediate Bambara 81 FO-eogo-were: yaasa/walasa Nye-jira: A. A ye Abudu deme yaasa aka taa Segu. B. Aye Abudu deme walasa aka taa Segu. A taara Banjul yaasa aka kele_ke. A wulila joona yaasa aka d6opi kalan. Aye Madu gen yaasa aka taa'kalan ke. U ye kOn152i gen yaasa u kama tinyenlIke. A muso ye ji_kalayayaasa aka se k'i ko. A be dumuni-ba ke yaasaa ka ta18. Abe Ala batoyaasa a ka taa Alijana. An y'an teliya yaasa an kase joona. Tile_ka ba joona yaasa.an ka finiwka ja. An b'an makun yaasa u kan'a fo Wan m'abonya. An to fini girin don yaasa funteni_kan'an taora. A be nOn5 min yaasaa kanO boli. Nyininkali:yaasa A. Mun na Abudu teriw.b'ademe? A. MID na i b'i ka tobili Ice? ...... Yaasa-a7kana-taoro-kojugu,--- B. Yaasa -n! ka-nleage-dun._ A. na be taa sisan? A. Man na abe da tugun tuma bee. B. Yaasa an ka se joona. B. Yaasa son kana don a kan. A. Mun na i n'ka folike? A. Mun na a b ko tuma bee. B. Yaasa mOewa'adan k'i b'abonya. B. Yaasa a kasa kana bb. Nyininkali: yaasa Mun na i be kalan ke? Mun na a muso be ji kalaya? Mun na i b'a fe ka taa Bamako? Mun na aw y'aw teliya? Mun na aw ye kele ke yen? Mun na meow be Ala bato? Mun na u be sira dila? Mun na a ye Madu gen? Mun na a be baara_ke ten? Mun 1 y'i dege mobili-boli la? Mun na denni b'i masiri kosebe? Mun na musow b'u pari? Mun na ce in to yele? Mun na aw b'a fe tile ka bo joona? Mun Abudu terikew y'a demel--- Mun na eikela be foro buluku? Mun na aw to dumuniba k6? Mun na i be bamanan-kan kaian?" Mun na aw b'aw makun? Mun na den-misenw be kOnaw gen? Munna i den be kalan ke? Mun na i t'a fe ka kalanke? Mun na a muso b'a deli? Mun na aw wulila joona? Mun na a be nano min? Mun na magO claw b'u da joona? Mun na i y'i dogo? Mun na balimaw b'i.deme? Mun na a muso be ji kalaya? Segin-n-kan: mako N'mako be kagani na. Maga te se k'a f8 mako to magO tow la. An mako be Abudu le,. Nfi mako Orla la tumao tuma, i k'a fa n' ye. 93 82 Intermediate Bambara Baro-misen: mako A. T be mun fa? A. I ye mun fa? B. N' mako be kOgani na. B. N'ko mNo to se k'a fO k'i mako to mOgO tow la. A. I be Jan nyini? B. N' mako be Abudu la. A. I ko n'ka mun ke? B. N'ko n'i mako Rea la tuma o tuma, i k'a fa n' ye. Bila -na -la: N' mako t'i la. fini in . . malo. . . . wari. . . . baara . . . kalan . . . Fanta . . . sini. . . . kitabasi. . Baro-misen: X mako be Y la Nye-jira: A. Abudu ko k'a be Fanta.fe wa? B. Ayi, a ko mako t'a la. I befini_in fe wa? I mako be Fanta la wa? I be malo do san? I maim be fini na wa? I Kra wari-nyinina ye de? I mako be mho la wa? I nana yan baara nyini wa? I mako be baara-nyini na wa? I to taa lakoli la mun na? I mako be baara-nyini na wa? I mako be kitabu la wa? I mako be sebennir-:kelan na wa? I mako be seben-fura la wa? Segin-n-kan: V-ta Nin to kuma fata_ye. An be taa Segu juma nata. Adama to maga bonyata_ye. A santa be sOr8 sugu la. Nyininkali: V -ta A. I ko' mun? A. Aw be taa don jum6n? B. N'ko i ye min fO, B. An be taa Segu juma nata. o to kuma fata ye. A. I be Adama bonya wa? A., Mangoro santa be scirO sugu la wa? B. Ayi, Adama temOgOiponyata ye. B. Ow?), a santa be sOr8 sugu la. 94 Intermediate Bambara 83 Dafali: V-ta Nye -jira: A. I ye kuma min fe, B. I ye kuma min fa, o to kuma fota ye. ye wari min dun, . . I ye ji min min, . . . I ye wale min ke, . . . I ye fini min feere, . . . I ye sogo min dun, . I ye saga min faga, . . . ye ko min 8re-be, . . . Aw ye fen min seben, . . . I ye ce min neni, . . . I ye ko min ye, i ka. . . I ye tiga min sene, . . . A ye mobili min san, . . . I ye baara min T6., . . Aw be muso min bonya, . . . Baro-misen: V-ta Nye-jira: A. Nin ji be min wa? B. Ayi, ji minta te. Ka in be tige wa? Bere in be to wa? Fini in be san wa? Kene in be furan wa? indo -e-fr a2 Sira-in-be-mipva Kamo-ko be kare=be wa? Sa in be genWa? Saga in be faga wa? Bon in be da-yelen wa? Jege in be feere wa? Ce in ye mOg3 bonyata ye wa? Segin-n-kan: V-ta A bolite ye filen tan. All data y'a ye. A kasite donna. All data ye lanpan faga. N donte y'a ye. I taat8 ka dugawu k' u ye. Nyininkali: V-t3 A ye filen tan cogo di? All ye lanpan fa.a tuma jumen? A donna cogo di"? Nri: be' tab., i 'kan *ka . I y'a ye tuma jumen? FO-cogo-were: V-to Nye-jira: A. A be kasila. B. A kasite don. A be kasila. A be dala. A be donna. A be sela. A be taala. A be sala. A be sigila. A be taamala. 95 84 Intermediate Bambara Segin-n-kan: N V-t8 All baara keto ye daba-kala kari. I kafe mints y'oon i ka kulusi kan. Fanta dumuni keto ye nana Aw bare tats y'a Para. Baba jiri tigeta y'o bolo tige. Fanta gaari dilatp ye kaori jeni. A seberini keto ye seben fara. N' kalan ket8 ye pte-bara nye saba min. An tabali labata y'a sen kari. baton tant8 bard ka bin k'a sen mugu. A fini kdta ye _tunun.' F8-cogo-were: Nye-jira: A. All baara keto ye daba-kala kari. B. All 'teed ka baara ke, lye fi. An sebenni keto ye' seben-fura_fara. A data ye _faga. An sigit8 ye sigilan labin. A bolitO ye se g tan k'a bin. An bare tats ye b8re fara. -J-enT sene_kIta 1r, e dangili. da. Adama wulita ye kitabu karata. An baara nyinirita taara can Mara kan. ildangili data tun dap fana ke. A nya susutO 3,- kolon kari. BintatobiliketEhugujeni Launtigkayaiyirika da Alaye. A fini kat8 ye n'ka duloki fili. A kafe mints y'a ban a ka kulusi kan. Baro-misen: N-V-to A: Daba-kala karila cogo di? A: Nin jenina tuma jumen? B: All baara_ket8 y'a kari. B: A tobili keto y'a jeni. A: Nano btOnna tuma jumen? Nin n8g8ra cogo di? B: Fanta dumuni ket6 y'a ban. B: A kale mints ye kafe ban a kan. A: Mun kera Baba la? A: A sen kari la cogo di? B: A jiri-tigeta y'a bolo tiga. B: A bal.& tant8 binna 10.a sen kari. --A:-Fribi-t-Uridfidd-ogOTTi?- B: A fini kota tunun. Bila- no -la: N'baara keto ye daba-kala kari. Mama namasa saut8 ye tereme4_ke. An . . mangoro All fini Musa baara keto ye ji min. . jege' . . sebenni . . sago . . sene . . kalan . . dumuni Baba dumuni keto ye koriyi tunun. kari. fili. dogo. 66 Intermediate Bambara 85 Segin-n-kan: N-tam-v-ta in object position N' ma so in bolita ye. U ye Baba ci kata wele. Maadu ye Sira-mori dankili datalamen. A nana Ali dumuni ketO soro. A ye dugu-tigi temeta fo. Nvininkali: A. I ye so in bolita ye wa? A. U ye Baba ci keta vele wa? IL Ayi, Jim so in bolitiTi ye. B. Ova, u ye Baba ci kata wele. A. Maadu ye Siramori dankili datb lamen wa? -B. gya, Madu ye Siramori dankili data lamen. A. A ye dogu-tigi t4m4t8 ye wa? A. A nana All dumuni kata sara va? B. Owa, a ye dugu-tigi t4m4t6 ye. B. Owa, a nana All dumuni kata sara. Segin-n-kan: N-ta A muso tints taara daltStarii'-so la. An ye ceLbanabagata ta ka donso_k§:p8. Wulu fats ye cel kin. Adama ye sigenbagataaiye. Nin eel ye mega si -banto de ye. r4:150 kiing2tO t4 son foyi ma. Nyininkali: N-ta A. Muso jignen taara dakatara-soja? A. Nin ye mun in g sugu ye? B. Muso tints taara dakatara-so j.a. B. Nin ye Il§a si-bantO de ye. A. Wulu jumen ye ce kin? A. A ye ceLjumen ta ka don so_kOna? B. Wulu fata_ye ce kin. B. An ye celbonabagata_ta ka don so_kana. A. Duna ye jan ta ye? A. Adama ye mun ye? B. Duna ye kenebagata de ta ye. B. Adama ye segenbagata de ye. A. Maga ktingata be cogo di? B. Mg.& kaneta to son foyi ma. Fa-cogo-were: N-ta Nye-jira: A. A muso tints taara dokatOra-so la. B. Tin b'a muso min na,o de 1.aaradakatara-so la. Muso min taara 61[365ra-so la, tinb'o de la. Wulu rata ...ye ce kin. MOga kaneta t4 son foyi ma. Nin ye ce si-banta de ye. Duna ye kenebagaade ta ye. An ye ce banabagatO ta ka taa n'a ye.Musonyamata t4 se luTfuru. Adama ye segenbagata de ye. A ka wulu ye wulu fiyent8 de ye. Segin-n-kan: yere Peresidan yer4 tun be nyanaje-YSrS la. Ne y4r4 de bolo ye nin dulon. Dogu-tigi y4r4 taara n' ka den-kun-di la. N' muso yer4 de ye tobili ke. 97 Pc, Intermediate Bambara Nyininkali: Are A. Magaba tun be nyanaje-yara la wa? B. Peresidan yere tun be nyanaje-yara la. A. Dugu-tigi denke taara i ka den-kun-di la va? B. Liu -tigi denke taara, dugu-tigi yere taara. A. Denmisen do de-ye nin dulon wa? B. Ayi. Ne Are de bolo y'a dulon. A. Baara-nyini de b'e ka tobili ka wa? B. Ayi. N' muso Are de be n'ka tobili 1E4. Fa-cogo-vere: Are = hall Nye-jira: A. Peresidan yere tun be yen. B. Bali Peresidan tun be yen. pugu-tigiy4r4 tun be n'ha den-kun-di la. Asitan Ara be se ka to tobi. Ne y4r4 be se ka nin dulon. Kara-maga_yere be kuma kalan-so )(aria. A fa y4r4 nana a ka sell la. Dutigi_yere be fan duman fe. Adama y4r4 be do"oni daoni ke. Kitabuso_yere yeelenw be fAga su fe. Mara y4r4 b4 se bolo-la-ntola-tan Tubabu-ke_yere be baman-kan men. na sisan. Segin-n-kan: fiyenya...kan Kalan doni be fiyenya n' kan kalo kura. Den-kun-di doni ma fiyenya a fa kan. Sariyajre furu-nafolo_doni fiyenya caw kan. Masin_ye foro-baara s4g4n fiyenya cikalaw kan. Baro-misen: fiyenya...kan A. Kalan doni be fiyenya i kan tuma jumen? B. Kalan_dolii Lbefiyenya n'kan kalo kura. A. Den-kun-di doni_fiyenyara a fa kan wa? B. Ayi, den-kundi Boni ma fiyenya a kan. A. Sariyajre mun Ice furu-ko la? B. Sariyajre furu doni fiy4nya c4w kan. A. Masinje mun 1E4? B. Masin_ye foro-baara seen fiyenya ci-kelaw kan. A. Arajo_ye mun ka? B. Arajo_ye lakalanni doni fiyenya karamagaw kan. 98 go Intermediate Bambara 87 Baro-misan: Kalanden b'a .jaabi cogo min ka d'a ye. Nye -jira: A. I nisa ka di mun na? B. Kalan doni fiyanyara n'kan. Mun na i fa be se ka baara Sariya ve mun ke furu-ko la? caman ke sisan? Mclgaw ka dame be mun ny6? Arajo ye mun ke kalan-ko la? Mbbili b4 mun nye taama la? Mun na m8gaw be masin fa? Baro: den-kun-di A: Ca, an muso jiginna kunun. B: A jiginna kunun? 0 ye Ala tanu ye. A ye mun s8r8? A: A nana ni ca de ye. B: 0 nyana. Ala k'a balo. A: Amina. B: K'a daga caya a kara ye. A: C4, an muso jiginna. B: A j iginna tuma juman? A: A jiginna sagama in no-4-- B: A y'an sama mun na? A: A y'an sama muso la. B: Ala k'a balo. A: Amina. B: K'a daga caya a kara ye. A: Amina. Ala ka duwawu mine. A: Ce, i muso kanama don. A kana be kalo joli la? B: A kana be kalo saba la. A: I den fala don Xi? B: 00 n'den faia de don. A: Rana in ka bon cogo min, a balen denmuso kanade fa. B: Ca, fara ka nin kuma sugu fa. N'den fala ka keMUE6 ye. A: Mun b'o la? B: Foyi t7ala. Pie de t'a fa n'den fan ka ka muso ye. A: Mun na? B: Denmuso ye mono were ka so-jObaga de ye. N'b'a nyini Ala fa a ka n'ka fala ke c4 ye. 0 ka a be se ka muso di n'ma. A: Denmuso ba maga 0burantigi ye. Burantigiya nafa ka bon. B: 0 ye tirty4 ye nka o be la ne b'a fe Ala ka Jan folo ke e4 ye. A: Musoni cenyi, masirijre mun ye? B: Masiri_ye den ye. Ka sanu don, ka wari don, Baba. Muso masiri_ye den :Ye. 99 I .88 Introductory Bambara Notes 1. N -to The suffix --CO is added on to a number of quality nouns to form pronominal entity nouns as well as appositional adjectival modifiers. Quality noun" Entity noun Adjective fa "madness" rata "crazy one" ce fata "insane man" 'cane "hunger" kangata "hungry one" den kangatO "hungry child" kuna "leprosy" kunata "leper" ce kunata "leprous man" ... . I, Elie miyko "gourmet" ce miyeta "piggish man" kara karat den karat Some forms are irregularly constructed with -to, e.g.: bana "sickness" banabagata "sick one" segen "poverty" segenbagata"poor one" 2. V-ta Verbs taking the -ta suffix become either pronominal entity nouns or adjectival modifiers, e.g.: min "drink" minta "the one to drink" ji.minta "drinkable, potable" "the one to be drunk" dun"eat" dunta "the one to eat" sogo.dunta"edible meat" "the one to be eaten" "the meat to be eaten" Notice that there are two viable interpretations of these derived forms with -ta. They can either be interpreted as the equivalents of verb + able in English, or as infinitive phrase noun modifiers, e.g.: fagata either "killable" or "to be killed" The difference will perhaps be clearer in the following example: Nin to ji minta ye. a. This water is not drinkable or b. This water is not to be drunk. It seems to be the case that a)-entails b).That is, if the water is not drinkable, it is not to be drunk. B) does not, however, entail A); if the water is not to be drunk it does not necessarilymean that it is not drinkable, only that it should not be drunk. 100 Introductory Bambara 89 3. v-to The equivalent of present participles in English are formed in B-M-D by adding the suffix -to to a verb. sigi-to sitting taa -to going The most common usage of these present participial forms, like the adjectives derived from N-ta, is as-appositional-modifiers of nouns. That is, they operate like adjunctive adjectival modifiers, but they do not form compounds with the preceding noun as do adjunctive modifiers. muso dont8 the woman entering Note that in English verbs like "see, hear, listen, watch, smell" take a participial complement, e.g.: I saw the woman entering. In B-M-D, these types of sentences are all rendered with the appositional construction, e.g.: N ye muso donta ye. The -to participles are never in fact used as participial phrases .n English. They are always adjunctive or appositional modifiers of nouns. 4. yaasa/walasa These are two common forms of the subordinate conjunction meaning "so that, in order that". The clause which follows this-conjunction will always have the subordinate auxiliaries ka or kana. A y'a ke yaasa a den ka taa lakOli la. He did it so that his child could go to school. 5. yere_ Vere is a very important word in B-M-D, occurring in a large number of contexts and having a number of translations in English. A. Its most salient meaning in English is "self" as in ne yere myself Fanta yere Fanta herself It is not, however, frequently-used-as_its_English equivalent in reflexive constructions, e.g.: A y'i ko."He washed himself" is preferred over A y'a Are ko. 101 90 Introductory Bambara If the student can restrict the use of yer4 to.cases where the English form with -self would receive stress, then his use of y4r4 will be appropriate. For example, He washed HIMSELF (and not somebody else) could be translated by:. A y'a y4r4 ko. B. fere is therefore used equivalently to the marking of accent in English. B-M-D does not allow stress to be shifted onto various elements in the sentence. Stress is determined largely by the tonal shape of the sentence and to shift stress would entail a shifting of tone. English allows very heavy stress and marked intonation to indicate a claim that may be exceptional and/or counter to the speaker's expectations, e.g.: Ali came. (where not only is this an assertion, but an indication of some specialimportance) In B-M-D this could be rendered by y4r4. All y4r4 nana. C. Y4r4 can also be interpreted to mean "the real" or "the actual" thing in question. A b4 donsoya y4r4 &in. "He knows real hunting" or "He really knows hunting" A ye tinyc y4r4 fo. "He told the real truth" or "He told the actual truth."' D. Like stress in English, ere can be used to delimite the scope of certain modifiers, e.g.: Even JOHN's dog died. (John's dog wasn't expected to die.) Even John's DOG died. (A number of things died on John, including, unexpectedly, his dog.) This could be rendered in Bambara as: Hali All y4r4 ka wulu_sara. and Hali All ka wulu.i4r4 sara. 6. mako We have seen and worked with mako in a number of thepreceding lessons. We will make a short summary of its behavior here.In the majority of cases, mako occurs in subject position with a possessor., e.g.: 102 Introductory Bambara 91 N mako la. in which case it translates as "I need it." Note that it does not occur with the definite article as would most nouns in this position. When it occurs with the past tense marker tun, tun may occur either before or after mako, e.g.: N mako tun b'a la. or N tun mako b'a la. Mako occurs in object position in a few constructions like the following: A tena mako nye i ye. Itena mako si nyaiiabO mOgii ye. Both of these expressions translate roughly as: It will do no good for X. Another common expression with' mako in object position is: A ye n'mako sa which' translates roughly as: It destroyed my hopes; When negated, mako idioms takeotna very strong meaning, close to "I don't give a damn about X." N mako t'i la. I don't give a hoot about you. 4 We strongly counsel that the'student not try to assign any particular meaning to mako, but rather learn the expressions in which it occurs as idioms. Vocabulary bamu carry on back bamunan-fini. . cloth wrap to carry baby on back bato worship dalaje gather dege Malian food di shave fara stop fiyenya . . . ease gen chase, expel Yense'n spread, broadcast, announce jigin give birth to kibaru news kibaruya . . . news, information 103 '92 Introductory Bambara kan di shave the head makun shut up, keep quiet musaka expenses, cost na-kan ...... destiny misOdiya, nisandiya joy, .ontentment .. . . fritter sauna bring se-ko possibility s4Onbagat8 poor-one 1 sigi-nySen neighbor tin tin tints woman in labor to.a fatten waJasa S6 that, in order yaasa so that, in order "" ..1.0.1.*- 104 Intermediate Bambara 93 KALAN 8 Bolokoli Nsiirin: Den min y'a fa boloko, benbeke dogo-kun te. min in appositional relatives o b'a sere sugu hami X la X wajibiya ka Y si/san: talking about age mana: review drill walaka X ketO ye ka Y pre-auxiliary particles nisOn/nisOn-diya/nison-goya 105 94 Intermediate Bambara Bolokoli. Bilakoroya ka di. I te-miiri, i to taasi k'a d'a kan i to hami du ni dugu kunkow n'u gundow la. Don 65 be se, i n'i nPigiin bilakorow, aw ka miirintanya be ban. Aw be boloko. Bolokoli_fana ye gintanbajre dusu ki518 i n'a fa den-kun-di_. Dugu bilakorow bee, minw be si kelen na, u bee e-le ke niOgOn kan k'u boloko nye5-6n fe. Solimaw be be solimaya ke Fora kelen, solima-bon kelen kOna. Den-misen be ceya dege solima-bon de keina. Dugu_ ce-mis4nw b'a bugs, k'a neni, k'a ni tor cogo be la. A ka kan k'o be munyu. Munyuni de b'u ka ceya jira. U be dumuni sugu be di den-misenw ma k'u wajibiya k'iTorun. U b'a dun. Musow fana be boloko nka olu ka solimaya man jugun i ko cew ta. Ce-misenw mana bo.:- solima-bon na, du J. dugu gundow be walaka u ye bawo o b'a siirii Ti kera ce ye. Musow'mana bF, musoyasundow be walaka u fana ye bawo o b'a ;er',5 u kerra muso ye. Nyininkali: 1. Bilakoroya ka di wa? '4 2. Mun na a be fa ko bilakoroya ka di? 3. Bilakoro ka miirintanya b4 ban don jumen? 4. Bolokoli ni furu_ka kan wa?U ka kan cogo di? Mun b'u kanya? 5. U be kelen kelen boloko wa? 6. Solima-denw b4 solimaya 16; yoro jumen? 7. U be mun dege solima-bon na? 8. Dugu cemisenw be mun k'u la? 9. Musow ka biro ka jugun ka cew ta 1)8 wa? 10. Ce-misenw bOlen solima-bon na, mun be fa u ye? 11. Mun na gundow be fo u ye o tuma? Segin-n-kan: min Dugu bilakorow, minw be si kelen na, olu be boloko nyCien fe. Kungo-kOna-yiriw, minw bulu to bin, olu be ke fura ye. Fanta denke, min be se ntolatan na, o taara Bamako. Yamuru ka a ye min laben salon, o bra arajo la kunun. Bamanan-kan kitabu ,aw ye min seben, o feereta to sar8 sugu la. Adama terike, min b4 baara ke arajo la,o ye Fanta furu. I ka duloki, min to ko-ji Wan na, o de farala. Dugu npogotigiw, minw be si kelen na, olu be furu nyOgan f4. Nyininkali:min Jeinw b4 boloko ny8ein fe? A ka duloki jumen farala? Den del taara Bamako wa? Yiri jumenw be ke fura ye? DOn-kili jumen bra arajo la? Npotigi juinenv b4 furu ny6gOn fe? Kitabu jumen feereta to si5r8 sugu la? Jon ye Fanta furu? 106 Intermediate Bambara 95 F8-eogo-were: Nye -jira: A. Ni dugu bilakorow be si kelen na, u be boloko ny8g8n fa. B. Dugu bilakorow, minw be si kelen na, olu be. boloko ng8gOn fe. Npagotigiw be si kelen na. U be furu nyOgOn fe. Fanta denie be se ntolatan na.0 taara Bamak3. Yamuru ye dOnkili dila. A bra arajo la kunun. Aw ye bamanan-kan kitabu Seben. 0 to s8r8 sugu la. Adama terike be baara ke arajo la. 0 ye Fanta furu. Dunki to ko ji kalan na. 0 de farala. Kungo-kOn8 yiriw bulu be bin. Olu be ke fura ye. Segin-n-kan: 0 b'a sOra N'i ye n'ye daraka-dun_na, o b'a silr8 n'ye n'da ko. N'isye n'taatO ye so, o bia scIr8 n'tilala n'ka baara. la. N 'I y'i-da fa mugu jalan na, o b'a sOiro a nyigin-ji b'i da. N' y 'a ye a wulila, o b'a si2r8 a fara sunOga_la. N,u be den_kun_di, o b sOr8 u ye dugawu ke. N'i y'L, ye kLele_la, o b'a sOr8 u bagar'a. ma. Nyininkali: o b'a s8r8 A. I be daraka dun? B. N'i ye n' ye daraka-dun na, o b'a s8r6 n'ye n'da ko. A. I be b8 taara-y8r8 tuma jumen? B. N'i ye n'taat8 so ye, o b'a s8r8 n'tilala baara la. A. Mun na iye nin ke? B. N'i ye kamalen-k8r8 ye k'i da fa mugu jalan na, o b'a sOr8 a nyigin-ji b'i da. A. Den kun be di sani dugawu ka ke wa? B. N'u be den kun_di, o b'a bare", u ye dugawu ke. A. Mun na a be kele ke? B. N'i y'a ye keTe la, o b'a s8r8 u bagar'a ma. FO-cogo-were: o b'a sOr8 A. N'da_kolen -n be daraka_dun. B. N'i ye n'ye daraka -dun na, o b sOran'ye n'da ko. Baara_bannen k8, an b'an lariya. Aden bolokolen k8, a b'a ka so An kununen ko, an b'an ko. I ka mobili k8r8len KO, Tb'a feere. Kalan_bannen k8, an be taa ntola tan. BatOorOlen k8, abe Baara_jiginnen kO, an be taa duce min. A sirannen 16', a be yererere. Ny8 mOnen ko, an b'a kari. Ni n'muso ma den sire, n'be muso were furu. 107 a m 96 Intermediate Bambara F6-cogo-were: o b'a .1815 A. Ni n' muso taara, n' be tobili ke. B. N'i ye n' ketii ye ka tobili ke. ti Ni Uti sera, Fanta ka kan ka kalan ke. Ni kalan banna, n'be ntola tan. Ni baaraiginna, an be dute-daga_sigi. Ni ny8 mOna, an b'a kari. N'i ye wari sOr6, i be muso furu. Ni sun-kalo banna, miiew be tile-fe-dumuni damine. Ni su kora, n' be dumuni ke. Ni baara to n' bolo, n' be arajo lamen, Ni samiya_pera, ci-kelaw be bulukuli ke. Bila-no -la: sugu I be fini sugu jumen nyini . . segi . . muso . . jiri . . 'dumuni . . dugu . . ntola . . foro . . so FO-cogo-were : sugu, sifa,siy§ Nye -lira: A. I be fini.sugujumen fe? B. I be fini sifajumen fey C. I be fini siyaLunen fey I be *muso sugu jumen fe? I ye wari di ce sugu jumen ma? I be ce sugu jumen nyini? N'ka kan ka siran sa sugu jumen nya? I ye jiri sugu jumen tige? Dumuni sugu jumen tabali kan? I ye ny6 sugu jumen dan? Fini sugu jumen be sorb yen? Baro-misen: sugu A. Ami ye fini dO san. A. Mamadu ye kulusi do kala. B. fini sugu jumen? B. Sugu jumen? A. N' hakili la, bOgalanLfini don. A. N' hakili la sen-daba de don. A. Seku be f8li-fen do fO. A. Aye sego do faga. B. Sugu jumen? B. Sugu jumen? A. N' hakila, kOra don. A. N' hakili la minan don. A. N'ye mobili san. Ae Birama ye sigilan d8 dila. B. Mobili sugu jumen? B. Sugu jumen? A. Mobili fitini. A. N'hakili la kurun den. A. Fanta ye dumuni do tobi, B. Dumuni sugu jumen? 108 A. N' hakili la to don. ti's r Intermediate Bambara 97 Dafali: sugu::- NI4-jira: A. N be fini sugu_tin nyini B. N be fini sugu_tin nyini, Lyebatunan-fini_ye. N be so-sugu min f4.... A ye ny6-sugu min sen4.... N be segi-sugu min fe.... Musa be mobili-sugu min boli.... Sira Mori b4 dankili-sugu min f8.... . N'be misi-sugu minf4,.... Fanta be dumunirsugu min d'an ma.... Seku be f811.--fen-sugu min Ali be jelike-sugu min nyini.... Nin ye mho -sugu min ye.... A b4 mobili-sugu min fe.... I ye so-sugu min ja.... Fatu ye kuma-sugu min Aw ye baara-sugu min Ice. I beko-sugu min ice. U ye ja-sugu min jira.... Adama ye muso-sugu min furu.... Aw ye sira-sugu tin ba.... I ye foro-sugu min be.... Bala be malo-sugu min sene.... Maadu b4 kuma-6ugu min fa.... Aw ye misi-sugu min faga,.... Siramori ye don -kili-sugu min da.... N'be baro-sugulmin f8 arajo la,.... Segin-n-kan: X hami X la Fuguri to hami foyi la: Ce-ganan to hami nas8neo-ko la. Muso in b4 hami a den na. U fa to hami a ka denbaya la. Bilakoro to hami dugu kun-ko la. Segin-n-kan: X hami Y la Fugari to hami foyi la. Bilakoro . . .dugu . Den kolon_.. . .du . . . Donso so-ko_ . . Fama fantan . . gana war' . . . Nyihinkali: A. Mun na Ngolo t'an (14'114? A. Famaw-kakan ka sumun di fantanw ma? B. Fugari to hami foyi la. B. Famaw to hami fantan na. A. Bilakorot4 foroba-baara k4 wa? A. Ce gaman b4 hami na-sOng8-ko la wa? B. Bilakoro to hami dugu kun-ko la. B. Ayi, ce-ganan to hami na-songo-ko la. A. Madu t'a masaw bonya! A. A be hami a ka denbaya la wa? B. Den kolon to hami du la. . B. 7A.Yi, a to hami a la. A. Donsoke in to segin so abada wa? B. Dasok4 t4 hamiso-ko la. 109 98 Intermediate Bambara Segin-n-kan: i n'a fa A ka di i n'a fa di A ja wulilen i n'a fa na-sOne-bola. A jelen b4 i n'a fa nOna,kene. A finnen i n'a fa koroninfin. A ka kunan i n'a fa jala. A ce ka jugun i n'a fa suruku. A ce ka nyi i n'a fa Tina. A ka ksgun i n'a fa vala. A ka jan i n'a fiTsebe. A ka misen i n'a fafini-kise. Nyininkali: A ce ka nyi wa? A ka di wa? A ce ka jugun wa? A ka kegun wa? A finnen don wa?_ A ka misan wa? ka Jan wa? A ja wulilen don wa? A ka kunan wa? Segin-n-kan: Si A si ka Jan. I si ma se don -ke-y8r8-taa ma. I si ma san biduuru sorb fala. A si ma se sugu-la-taa ma. Nyininkali: A. N' be se ka taa aw f4 siniman na wa? A. I san joli ye nyinan ye? B. Ayi i si ma se ko claw keli ma. B. N' b4 san biduuru ni fila la. A. 0 to tinye ye, i ma san biduuru A. Baba tora mobili-bin na wa? sorb. B. Ayi, a ma to a la. A si ka jan. A. N' b4 se ka taa an-k4-yara wal B. Ayi, i si ma se an-ke-yOrii-taa ma. Segi-n-kan: fana KonyOya ye gintanba ye.Bolokoli fana ye gintanba ye. Adama to dala min. Umaru fana to dalamin. All b4 dOla min. A be le-sogo fanadun. N' be kini fa. N' b4 to fana f4. Baro-misen: fana/yere A. Onyaya ye gintanba ye wa? A. All b4 dub- min wa? B. Ova, gintanba don? B. Owa, A bra fa. A. Bolokoli dun? A. L4 -sogo dun? . B. 0 fana yTadioye. B. A b' o fana dun. A. Adama b4 dam- min wa? A. I b4 kini f4? B. Ayi, a to 'kg min. B. Ova, n' b'afa A. Umaru dun? B. Ayi, Ale fana t'a min. A. To dun? B. N' b'o fana f4. 110 Intermediate Bambara 99 Kuma-sen dila: Fana fara kuma-sen kan. Nye-jira: A. A ye dumuni sun6era. B. A ye dumuni ke. A sunagOra fana. A ye finiw ko. A y'a yere ko. A ye bamanan-kan kalan. A ye fula-kan kalan. Fanta ye tobili lie: A ye so furan. Adama be kalan Abe m8g-O-w kalan bamanan-kan na. Bala be nyo serle. A be tiga sene be gundo walaka cTir ye. U.lig gundo walaka musow ye. :Tama beTikani_fii. A be c&-dalie. 2,an..'n be barika da du-tigi-ce ye. A be barika da du-tigi-muso ye. . Jeli be don-kili da. A be furu-sira taaraa_. U be sow san. U be sow feere. Segin-n-kan: mana a I mana tulu dun, i be bonya kojugu. A mana fen o nn men, a be tio fa mOsOw ye. . . .. Aw mana na, aw be bore ta ka taa n'a ye. A mana mho kae, a to hali kuma i fe. - Nyininkali: mana A. Mun na a be bonya kojugu? B. A mana tulu dun, a be bonya kojugu. A. Mun y'aw bila ny8din na? B. A mana fen o fen men, a be t'o fo mogow ye. A. An be mun Ice nin bore la? B. A mana na, aw b'a to ka taa n'a ye. A. A man'i kele, a be mun ke? B. A mana mho kele, a to hal'i ni wulu je kolo la. Nyininkali: si Nye-jira: A be taa siniman na wa? Ayi, a si ma se siniman-taa ma. A be taa dOn-ke-yOra wa? Adama ye muso furu wa? A be dala min wa? A be dugu mara wa? Mun na a ma don? Aw be so boll wa? Fanta be tobili ka wa? I den be mobili boli wa? I ye den sari).* wa? I be d'a ma wa? Burama ye donso rjana ye wa? Maadu be taa kele_.la wa? Segin-n-kan: walaka A y'an ka gundo walaka. U be gundow walaka den-misenw ye. A ye nee-so walaka k'a dila. _A be bill walaka sani a ka kogo kari. 111 100 Intermediate Bambara Nyininkali: A. A ye mun ke? A. Gundow be fe den-misenw ye tuma jumen? B. A y' an ka gundo walaka. B. U be gundov walaka U-ye solimo-bon A. A be negeso dila cogo di? A. A be kogo kari tuma jumen? B. A be a walaka k'a dila. B. A be bili walaka sani a ka kogo kari. Segin-n-kan: X Nisen ka di. Kamara nisan ka di don o don. Adama muso nisen-ka di kesebe. N' tunnisen ka di kunun. Mali mew nisen ka di tuma bee. A niSen ka go ko-jugu. Nyininkali: nisen A. Kamara be cogo di don o don? A. Mun na i to taa Baba bara? B. Kamara nisen ka di don o don? B. N' to taa Baba bara k'a d'a kan a nisen ka go kojugu. A. Mun na i ye nin ke kunun? B. N' tun nisen ka di kunun. A. Adama muso ka nyi wa? B. N' hakila a ka nyi kasebe. A nisen ka di kesebe. Segin-n-kan: Nisifin-diya/Ni-son -goya Ni meow nan'i bara, i ka kan k'i nisen-diya Don o don, a be na n' nisen-goya n'a ka kibaru gomanw ye. A ka be ne nisen-diya a nye be ma. Foy]. to Adama muso nisan-goya. Nkalon-tige be Tnegewnisen-goya i kare. Nyininkali: A. Ni mogow nan'i bara, i ka kan ka mun ke? B. Ni m_e_g.ew nan'i bara, i ka kan k'i nisen diya u koro. A. A be na mun ke n'a ka kibaru gomanw ye? B. A be na n' nisen-goya n'a ka kibaru gomanw A. A ka den-kiliw be mun k'i la? B. A ka be ne nisen -diya a nye be ma. A. Mun be Adama muso nisen-goya? B. Foyi to Adama muso nisen-goya. Ella -ne-la: N' nisen ka di A Fanta Maadu muso . U A ce 112 Intermediate Bambara 101 Ny4-jira: A. A nisOn ka di. B. A nisiin man di. I nisan ka di. Fanta nisan ka go kojugu. Aw nisOn ka di kOs4b4. Nanbara b4 mogaynisOn-goya. A muso nisOn ka di don o don. I terik4 nisan ka go. Mali mOlgainisan ka di tuma b4e. Baara g414n b4 Ami nis6n-goya. Aye n' nisandiya n'a ka dOn-kili ye. Aw ka wale in ye n' nisOn-diya. U nison-diyara kCiseb kunun. Aka an-kiliw b4 mogow nisan-diya. FO-cogo-were:nisan A. Kamara nislan ka di kOseb4. A. I ka kuma be mOeimnisOn-diya. B. Kamara nyagalilen be kOsebe. B. I ka kuma be meow lanyagali. U tun nisan ka di kunun. Abaara-cogo fanisOn-diYa. A nison ka go don o don. Ameriki mcWiElnisOn ka di sibiri don. I muso nisan ka di kas4b4. Kamara nisan man di don si. A tun nisan ka di kunun. Baaraba b4 Maadu nisOp-diya. A ka don-killw be ne nisan-diya a nye be ma. I teiri.6 nisan ka di tumab4e. Notes 1. min in appositional relative clauses An appositional modifier in Bambarais one which modifies a noun, following like other modifiers, but it does not form compound intonation groups with the noun, andis marked by clause intonation breaks. Appositional relative clauses are ones inwhich min functions alone as a noun, as we saw in Lesson1. It does not follow a noun within the same noun phrase, e.g.: Fanta denk, i ye min ye kunun, o taaraBamakO. Fanta's son, the one you saw yesterday, he went toBamako. In the above sentence, i ye min yekunun is an appositional relative clause modifying the noun phrase Fantadenk4. Note again that when a noun phrase becomes"heavy" with modifiers such as relative clauses, the B-M-D speaker always prefers tohave it in a focus position at the beginning or at the end of the sentence, butcertainly not occupying a, major syntactic position like subject orobject. As we will see in Lesson 9, theseclauses can also be shifted to the ends of sentences, e.g.: Fanta denk4 ye mobili san, i yemin ye kunun. 113 102 Intermediate Bambara 2. o b'a s6r8 We are treating o b'a sOrO as a conjunction, even though it has all the properties of a grammatical sentence. In a more abstract analysis one might wish to say that the pronoun o refers to the preceding sentence, and the pronoun a to the following sentence, resulting in an interpretation like the following: X be Y soro X will find Y For our purposes however, we can think of this as a conditional conjunction similar to "then" in English. N'i y'a ye daraka-dun na, o b'a sOr8 a y'i da-ko. If he is eating breakfast, THEN he has washed his face. 3. sugu ugu is a word meaning "kind, sort, type." It is apparently completely synonymous with siya and sifa in Bamako Bambara. These words differ from cogo and nya meaning "means" or "manner" in that cogo and nya combine to form compounds with verbs, whereas sugu, sifa siya never combine with verbs. baara-sugu the kind of work baara-ke-cogo how co do the work the way to work the manner of working h. hami X la This is a verb translating generally as "have a concern for X, care about X."Hami as a noun translates as "care, concern." 5. X wajibiya ka Y Wajibi is a noun translating as "obligation". It can be made into a verb with the abstract suffix -ya, and translates as"oblige, compel, force." It is synonymous with jagoya. These verbs behave like bila described in Lesson 3, in that the object of wajibiya or ,jagoya is the understood subject of the. infinitival clause. A ye Fanta wajibiya ka taa. He obliged Fanta to go. 6. mana Mana was introduced in the beginning lessons and labeled as a hypothetical future auxiliary. It translates frequently as the subjunctive "be + infinitive" or as "should", e.g.: A mana nin ke, o to diya ne ye. Should he do that, it would not please me. Were he to do that, it would not. please me. 114 Intermediate Bambara 103 Mana has no negative counterpart. Negative conditions would be expressed Ly ni-clauses, e.g.: N'a ma nin ke, o to diya n'ye. If he doesn't do this, it will not please me. 7. X kato ye ka Y Bambara provides two constructions with verbs of the senvls-(see, hear, etc.) to represent English sentences like thefollowing: I saw John dancing. I saw John cutting the tree down. I heard Mary singing. I heard Mary doing the cooking. In the first construction, the object noun isaccompanied by an appositional present participle modifier, e.g.: N' ye Ali delrikati5 ye. N' ye Ali gri-tigetO ye. N' ye Fanta dinkili-datO men. N' ye Fantatobili-kato ye. This construction is actually of much greatergenerality, being used in all those cases where present participial phrases andmodifiers could be used in English, e.g.: Fanta yeleto tun to se ka jaabili ka. Laughing, Fanta wasn't able to answer. All haara-kata to barnka. Working, All doesn't chat. A ye jara bolitO faga. He killed the running lion. The second construction is restricted to verbsof the senses exclusively. In this construction, the object noun is followedby the appositional present participle, kato "doing", followedby the sense verb, which in turn is followed by an infinitival clause, e.g.: Wye Fanta kato men ka tobili ka. . Aye All kato ye ka jiri tiga. Both of these constructions are common. The latter seems to be preferred .1 when the participial phrase becomes toolong or too complex. 8. Preauxiliary words B -M -D has a small set of words which occureither preceding the adjectiVal,auxiliaries ka/man or as initial parts ofverb compounds, where the vei.S, is derived from anadjective. Although these words may look like part§%of the subject noun of adjectivalcohtructions, they are not. When the past tense marker tun is present,it must always precede these wordS. These words are never followed by thedefinite article, nor do they take any modifiers. There are three words that belong to this class. ca having to do with appearance combines with nyi and jugu man- -having to do with essenceor combines with di andita character nish having to do with mood or humor combines with di andEa 5 104 Intermediate Bambara Fanta ceka Fanta is beautiful/pretty. Muso-kOrabaltup ce ka nyi. The old woman was beautiful. I ka doloki ce ka Your robe is beautiful. Suruku ce ka jugu. The hyena is ugly. A denk-e. -Tun ce ka jugu. Her son was ugly. Fini in ce ka jugu. This cloth is ugly. pang ma man di. The hero isn't welcome. Tinye-fOla ma man di. The truth-teller is not welcome. MOW; kalannen ma man di. Thp scholar is not welcome. Naloma ma ka go. The stupid one isn't welcome. Salifu ma ka go. Salifu isn't welcome. Muso fal6 ma ka go. The first wife isn't welcome. Muso nisOn ka di. The woman is good-humored. Madu tun nisan ka di. Madu used to be good-humored. Wulu nisOn mandi. The dog.is not good-tempored. Kun-tigi nisOn ka go. The boss is bad- humored. Adama nisOn ka go. Adama is bad-humored. In combination with verbs, these words can be used as complex verbs, e.g.: Den-muso in ce-nyena. The girl became beautiful. tena ce-juguya. You will never be ugly. pang to se ka man -diya. The hero cannot be welcome. Muso filanan mango yara. The second wife became despised. Kun-tigi nisan-diyara. The boss got into a good mood. Fanta bena Fanta will be in a bad mood. These Words also form adjectival modifiers in conjunction with their relative adjectival verbs, e.g.: muso cenyuman a beautiful woman mansa cenyuman a handsome king so cejugu an ugly horse muso manduman a lovable woman den mangoman a despicable son maga nisOn-duman a good-humored person kuntigi nisOn-goman a bad-humored boss The abstract nouns derived from these constructions have roughly the following translations: cenyiya beauty, good looks ce-juguya ugliness man -diya pleasantness man-goya disdain nisOn-diya good humor nisOn-goya 116 bad humor Intermediate Bambara 105 9. fans. 'Fans occurs in two places insentences: after a noun phrase or at the end of sentences. Fana is a hightone word. Remnmber therefore that when it follows a noun phrase, it mustfollow the-definite article, which will make preceding low tones rise andwill make it occur slightly lower than preceding high tone words, e.g.: muso_fana [_ -] also the woman jira_fana [- - -] also the tree When fana occurs in negative sentences, it can be translated as"either". It may follow non-definite noun phrases in negatives and questions, e.g.: A ma muso fana ye [- _ - - ] He didn't see a woman either. Vocabulary bilakoro .non- circumcized child bilakoroya . . . childhood biro initiation but boloko circumcize bug beat dege learn, teach eya manhood gintan ceremony gundo secret hami worry ja wuli (lit. move the spirit), to upset koroninfin . . . tree with sweet black fruit kunko problem, affair miiri think mayu support neni curse ni soul si age solima newly circumcized taasi shame walaka/waranka . destroy, inform 117 I 106 Intermediate Bambara i j6, sira d6 in bolifenw nil ye nin ye yard o ka temen falb yard, 'I k 'a dOn ko negesatigiw ka sira yea ye kala nun sinnen be mobil ni moto man sira kon ka sira in mine i waiibiyalen don ka tad o fe i kona faro' numan Fe Intermediate Bambara 107 KALAN 9 Furu Nsiirin: mop manta fa i fa ye, k'i ye muso kOnOnt8 furu. Ni tinye ta, m'i fa riegen, i y'i yere de neer'. min at end of sentence X koll ka Y X sababu ke Y ye X mine Y ye (jate) X don Y bolo o kik-8 ye ko X X ben Y la Time expressions su r8, su fe sibiri su 119 A 108 Intermediate Bambara Furu Ce o ee, si sera san hake 65 ma, i ka kan ka so ke. I to koli N'i ye si 65 sOr8, n'i ma muso 4 ka muso furu k'a sababu ke nafolo- kojre. furu, meow be Tanga bai i kan. U b'i mine mi5e-lankolon ye. N'i b'a fe ka muso furu, i be mun ke?Fala i so-m8gOw de tun b'i muso sukandi i ye. Sisan i yere b'i nya -na -muso nyini k'a ko -fo i masaw ye. Olu be woro don jell de* bolo ka taa muso nyini a masaw la. Ni worow minena, o kOita ye ko i be se ka na ni ladaw ni furu-nafolo_ye. NTolii bee bOra ka ban tuma min, du fila be ben don na, furu be siri don min. Furu be siri kube la fanga f4. A b4 ;iri i ka diinenye-mOg& fana fe. MW5 Ow be furu-Rri Tila-hinw be ke don kelen. Furu-siriw kelen ka ka ban, kOnyOya be ke. Du fila be ben kanyciya_ fana ke-don kan.145nyilya_ye d8gOkun kelen gintan ye, k'a to muso don-don_ f'a ba=don_. Muso be don juma su_, a be 1)6 juma s clemada fe. Ni kOnykra su to tors su saba ye, jeribe-fO be ke su o su muso_fa ka du ki5n8 wala u ka du-da la. A don-don_su_, muso terimusow debYna n'a ye a ee ka so. U be don-kili karOw d'a ye k'a son hakili la. Ka-nyOya dOgOktin kOno, don o don u be n'a nyanaje ni gita-fkje. Innyamuso-114 dOgOkun kelen ke sange k&O, mho t'a nye-da ye. Muso-kOrOni aa de b'a ladon o tuma. Nyininkali: 1. .C4 ka kan ka mun ke n'a si ye san hake 65 sOr)? 2. Ce ka kan ka so ke tuma jumen? 3. Wari-ko be mi5g8bali ka muso furu wa? h. Mun be mho bali ka muso furu? 5. Mun na mOgo to se ka to ee-gananya la? 6. N'i ma muso furu, meow b'i mine mun ye? 7. N'i b'a fe ka muso furu, i be mun ke? 8. M6g8 so-magOw b'i muso nyin'i ye half bi wa? 9. MOga yere be se kli ka furu taamaw ke wa? 10. JCin be furu taamaw ke? A 11.'N'i be muso nyini, i be fala ka mun 1)6? 12. Woro be 1).6 sinye joli? 13. Worow mineli kOr6 ye mun ye. 14. Furu-na folo ye joii ye? I be mun ni mun 138? 15. Furu-siri_ye sugu joli ye? 16. Furu be siri min? 17. nnyaya be ke min? 18. KOnyO-bon_ye tile joli ye? 120 Intermediate Bambara 109 Segin-n-kan: min sentence final All ye muso furu, min ce ka nyi kosebe. Madu ye so ,j8, mih ka jan so tow ye. Ce da nana su ra, min n'i be bOlen kOsebe. I ye ko d8 ke kunun, min ceman nyi hali doOni. Fanta ye fini don, min nyCiOn tena sOra nyana-je-yOrii. Aw be ka baara ke nin ye, min no be ye sini. A ye mobili san, min jelen be pasipasi. Basidiki ye kuma fo, kise be kuma min na. Nyininkali: min Use the above sentences for answers. Nye-jira: A. All ma muso furu f818 wa? B. A ye muso furu, min ce ka nyi kiisebe. Madu ma so ja fan. wa? A ka mobili finnen wa? I ko mun kera su rn. Basidiki ye mun kumeTfO? N' ye ko jumen ke? A ye mun baara ke? Fanta ye fini nyuman don wa? Ce juMgn nana sur8? An ka baara ka nyi wa? A ye muso jwnen furu? Kuma-don-nyOgOn-na: min sentence final Nye-jira: Ce nana su fe. 0 ce n'i bOlen be. Ce nana su fe, min n'i b8len be. Muso donna so k8nO. 0 muso ce ka nyi kOsebe. So nyuman binna. 0 so jEra salon. Wari dir'i ma kunum. 0 wari t'i to ye. A Ye nkalon da n' na. 0 nkalon to se ka b8 n' na. Kuma da fare- 0 kuma to tinye ye. Ko da kera. 0 ko ye be dabali ban. Ami ye fini don. 0 fini nn Ma ye. Setu be kini tobi. 0 kini to s8r8 yarO were si. Adama ye ko ke. 0 ko nyOen ma deli ka ke. A ye mobili san. 0 mobili to seta boll. Burama ye baara ke. 0 baara ye baara sebe ye. Dibi b8ra kunun. 0 dibi ny8gOn ma deli ka b8. Segin-n-kan: X koli ka Y A kolila ka muso furu. Adama kolila ka bonya. A to koli ka ny8-bore to a kelen. MO58 to koli ka foyi ke, Nyininkali: X koli ka Y A. A kolila ka muso furu A. Adama bonyana wa? Ow8, a kolila ka muso furu. B. Adama kolila ka bonya. A. A be koli ka ny8-bare to wa? A. Magi5 be koli ka fen ke wa? B. Ayi, a to koli ka nyo-bore ta. B. MOO to koli ka foyi ke. 121 1l', Intermediate Bambara Baro-risen: X koli ka Y A. Mun na masaw ye tanga bo Ngolo kan? A. Mun' na aw-ma 1:Zre ladon? B. A kolila ka muso furu. B. An kolila k'a kBrta. A. Mun na Seku t'a fe ka taa so? A. Mun:na Mara to yan bi? 3. A kolila ka nafolb-sOr8. B. N' kolila ka ci lase a ma. A. Mun na Sidi y'a muso bila2 A. Mun na i ma taa lak6li la bi? B. A kolila ka den soro B. N' kolila ka wuli joona. A. Hun na tububawbOra an bara? A. Mun na i ma mobili san? B. U kolila k'an yelema k'an k'u sago ye.B. N' kolila ka n' ka wari dafa_sr8. A. Mun na i ma taa ntola-tan-y8r8? B. N' kolila ka biye soro. Segin-n-kan: X sababu ke Y ye A ka nye -taa sababu kera kalan_ye. A furubaliya sabubu kera a ti1g5 jugu je. Tanga boli a kan, o sababu kera muso-furubaliya ye. A donni sababu kera Umaru ye. 4 An ka so feereli sababu kera ce-kOrOba sali ye. An samaliba liya sababu kera warintanya ye. N'ka saga_sali_sababu kera kangei_ye. U ka so binni sababu kera san-jiba_ye. Bila-n8-1a: X, k'a sababu ke Y ye A ma muso furu, k'a sababu ke kalan_ye. . . .an sama, warintanya_ye. . . .dumuni ke, banajre. . . .tobili-ke, malontanyaye. . . .kalan ke, baara_ye. . . .foro b8, kenentanya ye. . . .so binna, kunun san-jiba ye. . . .balo, min-n8g6_ye. . . .daraka dun, sEgen_ye. . . .kasi, ceya_ye. . . .sene ke, nOentanya_ye. . . .mankan ci, hOrOnya ye. . . .sebenni ke, bolo- dimijre. . . .6'18 san, silameya_ye. . . .ny8 soro, ja ye. . . .mobili boli, sebenntanya_ye. . . .fen f8; buranya ye. 1.22 Intermediate Bambara 111 Nyininkali: Nye-jira: A. Mun na a ma muso furu? B. A y'a sababu ke kalan ye. Mun na masaw ye tanga b() a'kan? Mun na Fanta ma furu fOlO? Mun na a ma dumuni_ke? Mun na a ma dal() san? Mun na a ma sene ke? Mun na a ma nyo soro? Mun na a ma fen fTS? Mun na All ka so binna? Mun na Musa ma mobili boli? Mun na aw ma sebenni ke? Mun na i ma kalan ke? Mun na a ma kasi? Mun na Baba ma foro ba? Mun na Sall ma tobili ke?. Mun na an ma daraka dun?' Mun na u ma mankanci? FO-cogo-were: X zababu ke Y ye. A. A kolila_ka muso furu k'a sababu ke warintanya_ye. B. A ma se ka muso. furu k'a d'a kan wari t'a kun. A kolila ka bore kOrO-ta k'a sababu ke barikantanyajre. A kolila ka bonya k'a sababu ke dumunibaliya_ye. R5g8 be koli Ten caman na k'a sababu ke warintanya_ye. A kolila k'u ka furu siri k'a sababu ke seere-ko_ye. U kolila ka boli k'a sababu ke s iran-ko juip_ye. Fanta kolila ka tobili Ice* k'a sababu ke nye dimijre. An kolila ka taa k'a sababu ke b olo-dimi_ye. All kolila k'a ka sOr8 yiriwa k'a sababu ke kalanbaliya_ye. A kolila ka dulOki kala k'a sababu ke bagintanya_ye. U kolila ka.ba tie k'a sababu ke kulunntanya_ye. Segin-n-kan: X mine Y ye N'i ma muso furu, u b'i mine mOg8-lankolon ye. N'i ma Ialan, u b'i mine naloma ye. N'i t'i ce bonya, u b'i mine muso jatO de ye. :7'1 ma kalan, u b'i mine kun-fin de ye. :1.1 ma muso furu, u b'i mine den-misen-ni de ye. N'i be fen bee fo, u b'i mine nyamakala de ye? N'i to self, u b'i mine kafiri ye. N'i to to dun, u b'i mine tubabu ye. N'i be dOn-kili da, u b'u mine jeli ye. N'i ma ny3 sene, u t'i mine ci-gla ye. 123 112 Intermediate Bambara Nyininkali: X mine Y ye llye:jira: A. Mun na masaw ye tangs_ b8 n'kan? Manna dugu-k8n8-m6g8w to n' bonya? Mun na a be se ka fen be fin Mun na u to n'ka kuma lamen? Mun na a t4 14-sogo dun? Mun na a to da n' ka baara la? Mun na u be self? Mun na u to ale ke nye-mbgb_ye? Mun na u be to dun. F8-cogo-were:mine Nye-jira: A. N'i ma self, u t'i mine silame ye. B. N'i ma self, u t'i jate silamew fa. N'i ma ny8 sena, u b'i mine ci-kela ye. N'i to dOn-kili da, u t'i mine nyama-kala ye. N'a ma foli ke, u t'a mine milg8 sebe ye. N'aw ma taa lakOli la, u t'aw mine mN8 kalannen ye. N'i bolila, u t' i mine ce ye. N'a to to dun, u t'a mine bamanan ye. N'i to sell, u b'i mine kafiri ye. N'a ma muso furu, u b'a mine m8g8 kuntan ye. i ma kalan, u b'i mine naloma ye. N'aw to foli ke, u b'aw mine rata"( ye. N'i to kuma, u b'i mine misi ye. N'a m'a masaw bonya, u b'a mine dangaden ye. Segin-n-kan: X don Y bolo. N'ye wari don Bala bolo ka taa. N'y'i ka kitabu don All bolo ka t'a d'i ma. A ye n' sama don a den bolo. I fa ye sama don n' bolo ko n'ka n'a d'i ma. Nyininkali: X don Y bolo --A.- .ka-war-i .don- jOn-bolot B. N' y'i ka wary don Bala bolo ka t'a d'i ma. A. A y'i sama don On bolo? B. A ye n' sama don a den bolo. A. I ye mun don Ali bolo ka na? B. N' y'i ka kitabu don Ali bolo ka t'a d'i ma. A. A ye mun don i bolo ka n'a di n' ma? B. A ye sanu don n' bolo ka n'a d'i ma. Segin-nkan: X kOrO_ye ko Y N'u ye worow mine, o k8r8 ye ko furu be ke. N'a sigira, o k8r3 ze ko i be se kii N'a ma foyi 1"8, o kor8 ye ko tOores si te. N'a ma daraka dun, o kiirO k'a 'mina b'a dimi. N'a ma fan f8, o kOr8 ye k'a sOnna. 124, Intermediate Bambara 113 Nei ma seli, o kara ye k'i to taa Alijana. N'u ma na, o kara_ye ko nyagagon-ye to ke. l'a_ma mankan ci. o kOraye k'u gosira. N'i y'a ye dah-kili-da la, o kara_ye k'a ye cogo sara. Nyininkali:X kara ye ko Y Nye-jira: N'u ye worow mine, o kOra ye mun ye? N'a sjira, o kart) ye mun ye? N'a ma daraka dun, o kara ye mun ye? N'a ye don -kili da, o kara ye mun ye? N'a ma mankan ci, o kara ye mun ye? N'a sigira, o kara ye mun ye? N'i ma seli, o kara ye mun ye? N'u ma na, o Ora ye mun ye? Segin-n-kan: X ben Y la (kan) Du fila benna furu-don na. "Umu ni Ami benna baara la. Musa ni Baba benna fa la. Jamana-fila-benna-sariya-kelen-na, Amerikenv ni Sinisaw benna ko Ia. Slha-muso fila to beh foyi la. Adama n'a muso benna taa-don na. Nyininkali: X ben Y la A. U ye murk ke? A. Mun kera Amerikenv ni Siniwaw ce? -B. U benna furu-don na. B. U benna ko la. A. Musa ni Bala tilala cogo di? A. Adams n'a muso benna mun kan? B. U benha fa la. B. U benna taa-don kan. Fa-cogo-were: X ben Y la/X ben a kan ko Y Nye-jira: A. U benna sibiri taali la. B. U benn'a kan k'u be taa sibiri don. Amerikenw ni siniwav bennakokeli la. Jamana fila benna sariya kelen Siha-muso fila benna u ce keleli la. Bakari ni Ali benna baara tilali la u ni nyagOn ce. U benna juma furu-siri la. Du fila benna furukell-la seli-don. U benna to tobili A n'a muso benna jege dunO,na. Maadu n'a fa benna so reereli la. An benna an ka kalanTerila. Segin-n-kan: furu siri Furu be siri kube ni misiri la. FangajOi b'an ka furu siri. U ka furu sirila kunasini. . Furu be siri seerew nya na. Roriv be furu siri misiri la. 125 114 Intermediate Bambara Nyininkali: furu siri A"."--kuru A. MUn-kera? B. Furu be siri kube ni misiri (egilizi) la. B. Fanga_vii ban k'u ko furu siri. A. U ka furu sirila tuma tnen? B. U ka furu sirila kunasini. A. Furu _be siri j8n nyana? B. Furu be siri seerew nyana. A. J8n_p4 furu siri misiri la. B. Moriltbe furu siri misiri la. Barow 1. B&Iri ni Amadu benna. Amadu y'lLfsilye k'A, ye muso furu. Bakari ye duwawu V.a. ye. Bakari: Ala MIL furu ye. Amadu: Amiina. Bakari: Ala ka sen ni bolo b8 Amadu: Amiina. Ala ka duwawu mine. 2. Solo ni Abudu benna. Abudu y'a men ko Solo ye muso furu.A be dugawu k'a ye. Abudu: Ala Valt:e' furu ye. - Solo: Amiina. Abudu: Ala kan'aw nimisa. Solo: Amiina. Abudu: Ala k'aw son sabali la. Solo: Amiina. Abudu:Ala k'a ka muso sabatilen Solo: Amiina. Ala ka dugawu mine. Npogotigiw be nin d8n-kili da u teat?) ni kainy8-muso_ye. Any den ma (lege sugulasigi_la. Many den ma dege yOliy8li la. K'an k'o de f'aw ye. K'an k'o de f'aw ye. K'an k'o de f'aw ye celakaw yo. Man .k de f'EN ye alakaw yo. K'an k'o de f'aw ye. K'an k'o de f'aw ye. Baro Jelike taara ni da ka woro f818,ye da ka so. A ni du-tigi be ka baro ka. Jelik8: An ni su. Nba Den-fa: ..., an ni su. Jelika: Hare tilenna wa? Den-fa: H4r8 tOr8n. Jelike (Jeli gives formulaic praise for his host) 126 Intermediate Bambara 115 N'cira.Wiga_dun na-kun ko fisa i yere ye. Bi ma dinye bi ma kanu_ bila dinye na. 0 la sa,,AdaMa-denyafan be lajelen,minalen Ten min ma, . e-777-hak m6eLdenka ye ni fen be ye. Keyitalakaw solila ka n' segere Ko n'ka k' u nye ye, ka k'u sen ye, ka k'u bolo ye, ka k'u da ye. 0 la sa, u ye woro tan siri ani kuma-kan duthan 'bee lajelen ka na awsegere aw den-muso tafan-Te-la la. Juguman te. Keyitalakaw den, min tOgo ko Burama, n'a be (lakalanni ke),ko a nye-bOra aw den -muso fe hOrOnya la. A du:, t'a naniya ni fosi ye. n'a furu-muso te. (He says a little bit of family history) Woro tan file n'a be ben aw ma, o be diya an ye ktisebe. Den-fa: An be woro mine f816, in se-ko tun b'i den na, nka bi, an to furu la tugun, an be sariya-nyini de la. Den te mho kelen ta ye. Den be yan, den-bay be yan. Ni an ye olu nyininka, olu mana jaabi min di, anJo fa aw ye. Nin diyar'an ye, a ben'an ma. An y'aw jigi ni nin ye. Hake-to b'o kan. Notes 1. min at end of sentence In the preceding lesson, we examined appositional relative clauses. It is not uncommon to find these clauses at the cnd, rather than at the beginning of the sentence. This is, in fact, the only means of forming a relative -- clause where the noun to be modified is notdefinite (i.e. followed by the definite article). Nyemuso ye, i ni min 1)6-len nyiien fe. I saw-a woman, one that looks like you. Kitabu b'a bolo, min &Eine ka bon. .He-has-a-booki-the-cost.of-which-is-great,--- 2. X koli ka Y When ,,..3ed intransitively, koli can be interpreted as "fail". :- transitive use, it can mean "forbid, stop" when followed by an It is another of that class of verbs, the objects of which z..,e understood subjects of the infinitive clauses. A ye Fanta koli ka taa. He forbade Fanta to go. or He stopped Fanta from going. 17anta kolila ka taa. Fanta failed to go. A ye den je dumuni na. ne e 1 127 116 Intermediate Bambara 3. Sababu We have Se-Ortwo-constructions-with-sababu-in-this-lessomr-One corresponds roughly to English "the reason forX." The other corresponds to "the reason that X." In the firSt case, X equals a nominalconstruction. In the latter, X equals a sentence. 4. When nominal constructions of not great length orcomplexity are involved, they are the simple modifiers of sababu, e.g.: So binni sababu kera san-jiba_ye. The reason for the house's falling down was thebig rain. When the noun phrase possessor of sababu is long orcomplex, it is moved to the beginning of the sentence and is replacedby the pronoun o, e.g.: Tanga Vali a kan, o sababu kera muso-furubaliyaire. Respect being taken from him, the reason forit was failure to marry. When a full sentence is involved, sababu occursin a following infinitival clause, e.g.: So binna, k'a sababu ke san-jiba ye. The reason that the house fell down was therain. 4. X mine Y ye The meaning of this expression is itsliteral counterpart in English, "to take X as Y," (i.e., to think of X as Y), e.g.: N'i to seli, u b'i mine kafirijre. If you don't pray, they will take you as a pagan. -This-expression-is-synonymous-with-X-jate. Y-fe,-i-e.,-to. count...X. among. the Y, e.g.: N'i to seli, u bli jate kafiriw fa. If you don't pray, they will count you amongthe pagans. 5. X don Y bolo ka Z This expression is used in place of di"give" when the speaker wishes to indicate that something was transferredto someone temporarily, not for possession, but to pass along to someoneelse. A ye wari don n'bolo. He passed the money along to me. When this construction takes an infinitivalclause, it is the object of the postposition bolo that is the understood subjectof the infinitive, e.g.: A ye wari don n bolo ka n'a d'i ma. He gave me the money (for me) to give to you. Intermediate Bambara 117 This expression may also be followed by the purposive ko-clause, translating roughly as "saying that..., so that..." A ye wari.xlk n'--ma ko n ka na n'a ye. He gave the money to me saying I should come with it 6. o kiirO ye ko X A small number of nouns take ko-phrases as their complements. When ko-phrases function grammatically as the objects of the postposition the postposition is simply dropped, e.g.: A kOrCi_ye ko Madu taara It's meaning is that Madu went. or It means that Madu went. It is a2so possible to drop the ye functioning as the auxiliary, e.g.: 0 kOra ko Madu taara. It is also possible to drop the ko, e.g.: 0 kOr8 Madu taara. 7. X ben Y la Ben is a verb with the basic meaning "meet". It is often used with the extended meaning "agree". When it has this meaning, it must occur with a plural subject. That is, sentences like the following would be acceptable. Ali ni Fanta benna. Ali and Fanta agreed. Kuntigiw benna. The leaders agreed. It cannot be used to parallel the English, "John agreed with Mary." If ben. occurs with a ni...ve phrase, it takes on the interpretation "to --come-upon4by-chance4ri-evg.,: All benna ni Fanta ye. All came upon Fanta. --'41n cannot occur with an infinitival clause. It cannot be used-to English "We agreed to do it."The B-M-D verb son could be used to express this. Ben can only be used with the postpositions la or kan which give it the interpretation "agree upon X", e.g.: Du fila benna furu-don na. The two families agreed upon the wedding day. An ma ben a kan. We didn't agree upon that. J benna don na. They agreed on the day. la is a common expression meaning "come to agreement, come :ms," e.g.: Fanta ni All benna fa la. Fanta and All came to -agreement. 129 118 Intermediate Bambara Ben can take a ko-complement to express the notion "agree upon X that Y," e.g.: tn-benif's-kan-ko-Fanta-ka-taa7-- We-agreed-upon-i-t-that-Fanta---- should go. When ben occurs with a singular subject and the kOstpositional phrase X ma, it is translateable as "be suitable to X, be agreeable to X, be ok for X." Nin to beri n' ma. This is not all right for me. Time expressions su rO The expression su ra. refers in Bambara to "last night".. It differs from su fe which means "at night." A kera su It happened last night. A kera su fe. It happened at night. Beginning of day Remember that in the Moslem world, the day begins at sunset, not at midnight or at sunrise. This is a source of great confusion, not only for foreigners in a Moslem country, since one neverknows for sure whether one's partner in communication is dealing with Moslem or European time systems. In any case, if you ask some people to come over on Saturday night and they show up on Friday, youonly have yourself to blame. sunsetmidnight sunrise sunset midnight sunrise Moslem ..... ... Sunday European ' 1..... Saturday Moslem Saturday night E European Friday night Moslem Sunday night E European Saturday night etc. 130 Intermediate Bambara 119 Vocabulary . ,_religionharacter fanga power,authoriff furu - nafolo . . dowry modern, religiousmarriage furu-siri . . . gita-fa calabash playing number of hake sum, amount, entertainment with drum jenbe-f8_ kanu love, desire koli fail kube government building lada custom, tradition lankolon empty, naked, worthless nafolo wealth nimisa regret preferred woman nya-na-muso. . . sababu cause sabili, calm down, be patient,settle down sabati . . . range mosquito net sen ni bolo . . child son give sugu-la-sigi . . a sale sukandi, select, choose sugandi . . . tanga respect, prevent yali-yOli . . . seclusion Expressions: tell Y about X X koro Y ye . . . IV 131 nin b a itrao lako- bolifen kana temen liso da'ka survn i Ia taamashiyen in kuntilenna fe owmunumununen don fan min fe, walibiyalen don ksonbmine I ka bO1if&lablalen don nin yore Ia Intermediate Bambara 121 KALAN 10 Furu musakaw nOgOyali Nsiirin: mOgO be nkalon tie ka furu nye. mOgO to nkalon tige ka furu tinye. Ka sise bila sansaran o besise-tigi ma. Ku tilen yan-fe, o ye sise yere ka ko_ye. (event) ke X deli ka Y X be Y kan (X is about Y) X be nyini ka Y X man kan ka Y Review of relative clauses . 133 122 Intermediate Bambara Furu musakaw nOgOyali kOsOn Me kalo tile 24 tan-sigi d8 kera segu SOmOnO-kin na. 0 ton-sigi_ era_SOmOnOrAid-A5r1=magaw bye rye n4, k'a to den-misenw nye-m8gOw la, ka t'a bila du-tigiw ni alimamiw la, ani musow ka tan nye-m8gOw, ani minw delila ka ka furu-boloma ye. . 0 ton -sigi tun be furu-nafolode kan, ani kOny8 nye-najew nta musakaw. U ko laada kura minw be sigi tuna o tuma ka,fara karOlenw kan, olu kera sababu ye ka furu musakaw bonya k'a damateme.U benn'a kan ko o furu musakaw be nyini ka mOgO mago sa, ko cogo ka kan ka sOr8 walasa o nyOgOn-segen in ka dabila furu-ko la. 0 la, u benna sariya minw kan, olu file nin ye: Nili-fenw: Min ye nili-fenw ye, olu ka kan ka dan min ma, o file din ye. Sun-kalo mana se, sukaro-pakati duuru cue be di. Muso mamine=tuma, ani sun-kalo seli la, foli be ka den-fa ni den-ba_ dOran ye, ka d8rOme 200 ni woro 40 d'u ma. KOnO-boli_shiyew kana teme fila kan tugun. KOny8duguseje, ny8 segi kelen, ani she fila, ani sukaro pakati fila ani dOrOme 40 d8rOn ka kan ka di kOny8-muso ka dumuni kama. Soma o sOgOma, foyi kana di tugun manyomagan-muso ma woro lila ko. Min'be di woloso-musb ma, o ye arame 300 ye: 100 be di 'tan& tile ma, 100 be di a tile sabanan, 100 be di kanyk_don laban Sellmo-fini be ke kamisoli kelen ye (walima OrObu kelen), taafe kelen, musOr8 kelen, ani sabaraw, foyi man kan ka fara o kan. Min-ye.jama-koirelArko-o.Tana-ka-kan-ka-d8gOya, apogotigi:_- kOny8 man kan ka temen tile wolonwula kan, n'a ma den s8r8 fan. Ni den ba-tigi don, a be dan the 3 ma. KOny8-muso ka mingnw man kan ka dan kene kan tugun. Musakaba minw be ke Meri la furu-siri la, o man ka ka ketugUn. Lajeba minw be ke ce bara, ani muso bara, n'o be musakaw caya, olu ka dabila. ca balima musow be jenbe-f8 min ke ka taa kOny8-so la, o fana ka dabila. (Kibaru, 17) Nyininkali: 1. Mun kera Segu Me kalo tile 24? 2. A kera On nye na? 3. 0 ton -sigi tun be mun kan? 4. U ye mun f8 laadaw kan? a -65 be nye di5 in kan 134 Intermediate Bambara 123 5. U ye mun fo laadaw kan? 6. Furu musakaw be nyini ka mun ke? 7. U benn'a kan ko mun ka kan ka ke? 8. libenna sariya joli-kanl- 9. Min ye nfir=?enw ye, u ko k'olu ka dan mun ma. 10. Ko mun be di buranw ma sun-kalo tuma? 11. Ko mag6 jumenw be fo muso mamine-tuma? 12. Mun be di olu ma? 13. Ko kOnO-boli-shiyew kana teme soli kan? 14. Ko mun ka di kOnici-muso ka dumuni kama kOny8 dugu-se-jey 15. Soma o soma, mun be di manyOmagan-muso ma? 16. Mun be di woloso-muso ma? 17. Min be di woloso-muso ma, o be d'a ma cogo di?tuma jumen? 18. Selima-fini be ke mun ye? 19. Mun fOra jama-ko la? 20. !Chid be ben tile joli ma? 21. Minenw ka kan ka dan Arai jumen? 22. Ko mun ka dabila?Mun na? Segin-n-kan: ke Ton -sigi do kera'sOm6nO-kin na. NyOgOn-ye bena ke lakOli-so la. Nyenaje bena Ice Fanta fe. Furu-tiri be ke ce ka so-da la. Don be ke "Bamberis" bara. Saya kera Adama sigi-nyegenw ka so. Sun-kalo seli be ke Basaro ka da la. Wajuli be ke misiri kanO. Bila-na-la: ke TOn-sigi bha ke juma-don. Furu_ meri la. misiri la. Sell_ Dugavu_ Kitabu-kalan_ Bolokoli_ . . . .juma don. Dunun-fa_ KanyOya_ kalo kura. . . . , nata. Den-kun-di_ Segin-n-kan: deli A delila ka ke furu-boloma ye. Maadu ye Boso ye min ma deli Seku delila ka taa Abijan. ka jege mine. N' ma deli ka nin ke.. Shaka ma deli ka kuma jama la. Adama ma deli ka d'olO. min. A kelen ma deli ka si. Bala delila ka nin nyagOn mobili dila. Fanta ma deli ka to tobi. Solo ye bamanan ye, min ma deli ka sene ke. 135 ii 124 Intermediate Bambara Yelemali: deli Nye-jira: A. A delila ka taa Moti. B. A ma deli ka taa Moti. A delila ka baara ke yap. Buba delila ka jenbe fa. Mara delila ka ntOlatan jamana_katan fe. U delila ka nin nyaen caman ke. Sakti delila ka taa Abijan. Ali delila ka sigi sapa faga A n'a muso delila ka nanin laje. don kelen. A kala delila ka kari n'bolo. Samaw delila ka don an ka foro la. Fanta ce delila ka ke dugu-tigi_ye An delila ka Baro-misen: deli Nye -lira.: Kuma-demw: le dun A. I be le dun wa? B. N' delila k'a dun, nga n' ten'a dun tuguni. A. Ne ma deli k'a dun abadan. Kuma-denw: 818 min kOra_fO mani ke nOnO min Angile-kan kalan muso furu sene ke nin baara ke kitabu seben tigasene nin she san angilekan_fO Segin-n-kan: X be Y kan TOn-sigi be furu-nafolo kan. Nin kitabu be bamanankan kan. Sariya in be furu-siri kan. NyOgOn-ye be sini nyenaje kan. Kalan be kanw kan. Nin baro be den ladonni de kan Bila -nO -la: TOn-sigi be furu-nafolo kan. . . baliku- kalan_. . . Baro_ Siniman_ Nyagan-ye_ nafa-sara-siraw. . . fari-kolo-nyanaje_. Kitabu be bamanankan kan. angilekan_. . . . tubabukan_. . . . sene-ke-cogow . . . nogg-don-cogo . . . . . . 136 Intermediate Bambara 125 Segin-n-kan: X be nyini ka Furu musakaw be nyini ka m8g8 mago sa. Jiri-sun tun be nyini k'a faga. MOgalw.tun be nyini ka ban nyCi la. I ka filen tun be nyini ka kari n' bolo. I tun ,Sentyini ka'imani bah. Kuma in tun be nyini na. KanOirtun be nyini ka iene-fenw be tinye. I ka wale in ti be nyini ka sariya sasa. A ka mobile 'tun be nyini ka. tillye n' bolo. N' tun bahyini ka tila liburuin na su r8. Bila -n8 Furu musakaw tun be nyini ka mOga_mago_spi Manamana-ko_ '.: Fanta Bagi_sang8_ Funteni Den-misedi . . l'1'.v.!-.1:tg14e!..hylhi::ka-kel'eLdamine-tugun. f3 4duloki4ara. ,nkiheiZlan dliUg_kOnfa: Dvel:° . 4 tila sena_la. mangorola. 4 i !'." ...... ::.71.7.-':.ce7karObadagaya. Yelema;111 '*)f) "'r :n Nye-,j ira:, musakavtun be nyini ka-45..g8 mak° sa. B. Sabnittkiimutakaw tun'- be mho mako 4a;4 xr.if4-Tu. orr.. Manamana-k&tiliiisbailiyAziff-k tkiinaga 'mako. ea. Jiri-sun tun Pa nyini k'a faga. Magaw tun 74-YhyliiiokeA9.ho ;Az tala. I tun be nyini ka mani ban. A ka filen tun be nyini ka kari n' bolo. asol Y Den-misenw tun be nyini k'u masaw malo. KOnOw tunjbe=dyini4ka,,sefte:-fehw-bee tinA. N' tun nyini ka tila iiburu:ih N' tun-be nyini k'a ka mobili tinye. Finitirtun-te zzjrini krd beniakosa. Mobili-tigi tun be nyini k'an ka saga faga. Den-misenw tun be nyini ka nyinew ban dugu kOn8. Funteni tun Tie nyini k'an ka baara nagasi. 137 126 Intermediate Bambara Notes 1. (event) k4 When ka occurs in an intransitive construction vitl, an event noun as subject, it can be translated as "happen, occur,be," e.g.: Tan-sigi k4ra juma-don. The meeting occurred Friday. Dan b4 ka sufa. The dance will occur tonight. or There will be a dance tonight. When k4 occurs in transitive constructions with an event noun object, it can be translated as "have, do, hold (an event)," e.g.: U ye furu-siri k4 tenen. They had the wedding Monday. U ye ny4naj4 k4 an ka so. They held the party at our house. 2. deli Deli is an intransitive verb which takes an infinitival complement. It is often mistranslated as "have the habit of;" however, its real meaning is "have the experience of." This difference in meaning is appireilt in the negative examples, where the experiential interpretation is clear, e.g.: A ma de4 ka dan ka. He has not had the experience of dancing, i.e., he has never danced., h The habitual interpretation comes from the use of deli in the pop- completive! where one can infer habitual action, e.g.: A b0 de0 ka taa yen. He is "experiencing" going there, i.e., He usually goes there. He has the habit of going there. A to deli ka taa yen. He doesn't usually go there. 3. x be Y kan The postposition kan can be used in ways similar to "on, about" in. English for the expression of topics, e.g.: Tan-sigi tun b4 furu-siri kan. The meeting was about the marriage. 4. X man kan ka Y We have seen many examples of kan, a predicate adjective meaning "necessary, must."This note is a reminder that the negative form must be interpreted as "must not," and never as "not necessary", e.g.: I man kan ka tea. You must not go. Intermediate Bambara 127 The notion of "not necessary" could be expressed byone of the forms of wajibiya, "to oblige ",e.g.: A wajibiyalen to i ka taa. It is not necessary/requiredfor you to go. 5. Review of relative clauses In the first ten lessons, we have seen most of the major typesof relative clause constructions. We will give herea grammatical sketch of relativation in B-M-D. The primary characteristic of.Bambara relative clauses isthe presence of min (in some dialects, men, inGambian Mandinka, mung). We have referred to min as a relative clause marker. Grammatically, min belongs to the same class of items as the quantifiers 'bee,"all", 'do, "some" and si "none". These quantifiers always operateas heads of noun phrases. They may take a noun phrase modifierin the determiner position. The syntactic analysis of thenoun phrase muso min, "The woman that", would be_asfollows: NP ---- Det 1 NP min N Art that muso woman the The noun phrase determiner of minwill always be followed- bythe definite article. The determiner noun phrasemay not generally be complex. For example, quantifier nouns are not relativizable. Rather than saying: All of the women he wants tomarry, they don't like him. one mad have to say: A b'a fe kamuso minw furu, olu be t'a fe. The women that he wants tomarry, all of them don't like him. A zambara relative clause is-asentence which is embedded ina :..an phrase. That is, relative clauses behaveboth like sentences and 1:ke noun phrases. The analysis of muso min bena, "The woman who is Would' be as follows: 139 128 Intermediate Bambara NP VP -Det Ax I I NP min be na Art 7 muso Notice that whereas in English relative pronouns occur at the beginning of relative clauses regardless of their syntactic function, in Bambara min and the noun phrase which may precede it remain in their original syntactic positions. As has been pointed out many times, Bambara grammar does not tolerate complex noun phrases of any sort in subject or object positions. Relative clauses,being complex noun phrases, thus never occur as subjects or objects. Where a noun phrase with a relative clause must function se semantically as the subject or object of a sentence, it will normally be found in focus position at the beginning of the sentence with a coreferential pronoun o in subject or object position. The sentence muso min be na, n' t'o (Jan, "The woman who is coming, I don't know her," would have the following analysis: NP NP Aux NP V ----- I I I 1 N' n' to Pro din ZNP /N Det N Aux V 0 1 1 1 1 NP min be na N Art 1 muso With relative clauses containing yOr6 min, "the place where," cogo min, "the way that," tuma min, "the.time that," the relative clause may occur - in adverbial position or in sentence initial position. When Ar8 min or tuma min occurs at the end of the sentence, the adverbial postposition with which they normally cooccur may be absent.The analysis of the sentence N' be taa i taara yOr8 min. I will go to the place you went. 140 Intermediate Bambara 129 would be as follows: ------... VP \-'-` iiiP ",---,. Pro Aux V PP 1 I I 1 n' b4 taa NP NP VP 1 ---,, Pro V 'PP 1 I I . i taa-ra AP Det I I NP min .\\ N Art 1 yoro When the relative clauses containing Ara min and cogo.min occur at the beginning of the sentence; the pestpositional phrase in the main sentence can be filled by the adverbial pronouns yea "there" or ten "thus", e.g.: I y'a ka cOgomin na, n b'a k4 ten. The way that you #4-it, I will do it thus. I taara yOra min,, n, be iaa yen. The place you went to, I will go there. When relative clauses with tuma min "the time Oat" oopur at the beginning of the sentence, no adverbial pronoun is necessary in the main sentence, I bra tuma min, Vanta nana. The time that you. left, Fanta came. Variations: A. Headless relative clauses In Bambara, it is mot necessary to have a noun phrase determiner preceding min. This will usually translate as a headless relative clause in English, e.g.: I ye min k4, o man di ne ye. What you did does not please me. Sedu ye min furu, n' t'o dOn. Whom Seydou married, I don't know. Fanta ye wari di min ma, n' y'o ye. I saw to whom Fanta gave the money. .141 130 Intermediate Bambara B. o as demonstrative In all the above cases, o is used as a pronoun coreferential with min and its determiner noun.phrase. The noun phrase may however be repeated in the main sentence with o as a demonstrative, e.g.: Sedu ye minfuru, n' t'o muso dOn. Who Seydou married, I don't know that woman. Fanta ye wari di ee min ma, n t'o ce The man that Fanta gave the money to, I don't know thatman. The only condition for the use of o as a pronoun or detonstrative is that the relative clause with or without a determiningnoun phrase before min be in front of the main clause. It is to be noted that this use of o is much more general than the relative clause. It is used for all topicalized constructions as well as for other complexnoun phrases functioning as subjects or objects, e.g.: Fanta, n' Wo ye fala. Fanta, I haven't seen her yet. Ka baara in ke, o man di n' ye. To do this work, that doesn't please me. Ka bamanankan men, n' b' o de fe. To understand Bambara, that's what I want. C. Appositional relative clauses An appositional relative is one that follows a noun phrase or the sentence, rather than preceding them. In this case, the pronoun/ demonstrative o is not used, and generally min is used withouta preceding determiner noun phrase, e.g.: Fanta, Baba ye min furu, n y'o ye. Fanta, the one that Baba married, I saw her. N ye Fanta ye, Baba ye min furu. saw Fanta, the one that Baba married. The appositional construction is the only way to express the equivalent of indefinite relatives in English,e.g.: N' ye musoye-,. Fanta ni min b8len ny8g6n fe. I saw a woman who looks like Fanta. If the definite article were to follow muso, the sentence would translate as: N' ye musojre, Fanta ni min b6len nykeein fe. d saw the woman who looks like Fanta. This is the only reading that can be gotton from a relative clause preceding the main clause, e.g.: Fanta ni musomin bolen nyOgan fo, n' y'o ye. Fanta and the woman who look the same, I saw her. Intermediate Bambara 131 6. X be nyini ka Y This expression can be used to express thenotion "to almost do Y." 'It always occurs intransitively. Itis always affirmative and it is always in the non-completive tense, e.g.: A tun be nyini ka bin. He almost fell. Kele in be nyini ka -This dispute is almost destroying the town. The verb nyini is very likely the same as thatmeaning "to seek, look thought of as for": Its use in this construction may, however, be idiomatic. Vocabulary alimami imam, damateme exaggerate dan count dan limit den-batigi mother with children duguseje dawn du-tigi (lit. courtyard-man), head of household furu-boloma marriage broker kamisoli blouse (> camisole) kin quarter, area of city laada custom, tradition laje watch mamine become engaged to . bride's mail many8magan-muso . 1 Meri courthouse (Fr. mairie) musaka expenses mus8rO handkerchief, scarf ni grant, offer nili-fen offering, gift npogotigi young girl nye-m8g8 (lit. front person), leader Orabu dress (> robe). pakati ..box, small-cart-6n sariya law segi .A.sket sukaro sugar ton -sigi. meeting taafe .... pagne (standard measure ofcloth) ;-7 143 boliferitigiw ka kan ka min don:taamashiyonw taamashiyen minw kofbra kibaru nimbrO 33 la,- o dow ja file ninwye. ybrb minw ye olialw ye ja ninw kan, o ybrbw bilennen don. minw ye tomitomiw ye, o yOrOw neremugumandon. sira in munumununen sirain munumununen don 4111.111 . .. . ati, don sin!' KO ddg5 liginiigon ni tintin be ka b:b kinin.na ka b6 numan na siro rato in maavi nin yak) in no nin yard in no ka tad numan fe ka too kinin fe /45 *Ira in dulen don 4111=1.716 negesira cerige i kdlbsi, sira fila 144 sik in qulen don yard labenbali yard Iabennen bena nyagan ben kinin fe numan fe Intermediate Bambara 133 KALAN 11 Saya .Nsiirin: Saya man gelen fo "Jan be n' kir Euphemisms for death Time expressions nye-tugun ni nye-yelen ce o tuma kelen na o y'a soro (days, weeks, months) after X Dama do -kan (the sound of X) Verbs fa: X fa Y la (fill X with Y) 136: saraka a X ye (make a sacrifice for X) don: X don (to bury someone) X don furu-ja la (X enter widowhood, become a widow) Verbs of motion: English vs. Bambara 146 134 Intermediate Bambara Saya Don d8 sogoma joona, kulo-kan b8ra Musa ka du 165118. 0 y'a sar8 Ala y'a ka kalifa mina Musa fa CeM8K8ba la. Sigi-ny8g8nw b.& bolila ka na. tZiOw cira ka taa sanga lagosi dugu be k8n8. Nye-tugun ni nye- yelen ce, du fara mho la tewutewu. 0 y'a sOr8 mho-kOr8ba damadOw tun be ka su ko. U tilalen a koli la, u y'a kasanke. 0 tuma kelen na, den-misenw-fana taara sale-dinga sen kaburu-don_na. Seliitelen su:kan, jama_taara a don KaburU:aon na. Cem8k8ba donnen Iv?), mile seginna so ka na duwawa ke a ye. A bannen k8 fe, saraka biira a ye a banni temenen k8 ni tile wolonwula ni the binaani ye. Muso naani tun bCem8kaa fe, u be donna furu-ja la a bannen k8-fe. U ye kalo naani ni k8 Ice furuja_ la. 0 de ye silame:w ka lada ye. Musow b8len furuja la, dugu silamew dalajera ka ke. Cen tilalen ko ka ban, muso fila tun be Cem8k8ba bolo, olu tun ma den sOr8 a ye, olu taara u ka so. A muso t8 fila tun den ka ca kOsObe, 18 tun gi f818 bolo, 13 tun be filanan bolo. 0 muso fila be to so k8n8, u denw k8r8. U deny d8w be se u k8r8 sisan. Muso folo den fila ye muso furu, filanan den foy-lb fans ye muso furu. Den f818 be j8 fa j8-yOrC-la, ale de be ke du-tigi_ye. Nyininkali: 1. Mun bra don d8 sOema joona? 2. Kulo-kan b8ra min? 3. Kulo-kan bOra tuma jumen? 4. Mun na kulo-kan b8ra? Mun na mi3g8w tun be kulela Musa ka so? 5. JOnw bolila ka na? 6. Mew cira ka taa mun Ice? 7. Dufara joona wa? 8. JOn be su ko? 9. Cew be muso_su ko wa ? 10. Musow be ce su ko wa? 11. U mana tila su koli la, u be mun ke? ------12.- .Su-be-kasanke ni-mun-yel-- 13. Ka to su kola, den-misenw taara mun ke? 14. Sani u ka taa ni su ye kaburu -don, u beinun ke? 15. Su mana don, meow be segin ka na mun ke so? 16. Mun be b8 saya tile binaani k8fg 17. Saraka be b8 tuma jumen tuguni? 18. Muso joli tun be Cem8k8ba fe? 19. U ye mun ke? 20. Furuja be men wa? 21. Musow Se kalo joli ke a la? 22. Furuja mans. ban, silanTw be mun ke? 23. Cen mana tila, musow be mun O? 24. Den joli tun be Oemokoba muso f818 bolo? 25. Den joli tun be Cemokoba muso filanan bolo? 26. Muso f8lo den joli ye muso furu? 27. Filanan dun? 28. Du be jen;en Cem8k8ba says kOfe wa? 147 de. Intermediate Bambara 135 Saya f8 cosow: Seginkanni: saya_f8-cogow A la y' a ka kalifa mine Cem3k8ba la. CemOkOba banna Cem8k8ba segira Cim8k8ba dara Cem8k8ba kera Ala ye dg-M8k8ba taara Cem8k8ba da bOra ny8 la Cem8k8ba ye duniya to. Cem8k8ba faatura. Nyininkali: saya_f8-cogow A. Mun kera su r8 cemok8ba ka so. . B. Ow8. Ala y'a ka kalifa mine cemokoba la su r8. A. Arajo ye mun f8? B. Arajo ko ko Cem8k8ba fatura kunun. A. I ka wulu be balolen wa? B. Ayi. A sginna salon. A. I den be min? B. A ye duniya to kalo temenen. A. Mun y'i ka misi lasOrO? B. A da bra ny8 la. F8-eogo-were: Nye-lira: A. A sara kunun. , B. A banna kunun. Bila-n8-1a: A. Cem8k8ba sara . . . . banna . . . . taara lahara . . . . fatura . . . . da b8ra nyo la . . . . ye duniya_to . . . . ye ny8 bila 148 136 Intermediate Bambara Segin-n-kan: Nye-tugun ni nye-Alen ce. A ye ntola to k'a tan nye-tugun ni nye-yelence. A ye marifa to ka mugu cinye-tugun ni nye-yelen ce. Adamaire nyine mine k'a faganye-tugun ni nye-yelen ce. Fanta donl.a ka Ix) nye-tugun ninye-yelen ce. Du_fara mOga la nye-tugun ninye-yelen ce. Sori ye baara in ke nye-tugun ninye-yelen ce. A ye filen nye kelen min nye-tugunni nye-yelen ce. U ye biire labo nye-tugun ninye-yelen ce. Nyininkali: Nye-tugun ni nye-yelen ce. A. Keyita ye bi sOrO cogo di? ke? B. Donsokkjre warabaje tuma min, a ye mun A. Nyine donnen so 1(61.18, mun kera a la? B. A ye ntola to k'a tan nye-tugunni nye-yelen ce. A. Sori ye baara ke waati jumenkOnii? B. A y'a kenye-tugun ni nye-yelen ce. A. Mun kera du kOnO? B. A fara mogo la nye-tugun ninye-yelen ce. A. A ye mun ke nono la? B. A y'a be min nye-tugun ninye-yelen ce. A. Fanta ye mun ke? B. A donna ka 1145 nye-tugun ninye-yelen ce. A. U ye mun ke bOre la? B. U'y'a lab8 nye-tugun ninye-yelen ce. Segin-n-kan: 0 tuma kelen na fana tun be ka Cow tun be ka su kasanke.0 tuma kelen na, denmisenw saledinga Ten. be ka furu siri misiri la. Musow tun be ka ke. 0 tuma kelen na, cew tun be ka NpogRigiw tun be ko. _0 tuma_ kelen na, Cemisenw_ tun_ .nkerenw gen. Nyininkali: 0 tuma kelen na. denmisenw tun be ka mun ke? A. Ka dOw to su kasankela, tuma kelen na. B. Den-misenw tun be ka salen-dinga_sen o cew tun be ka mun ke o tuma? A. Ka musow to dOn-ke la, miiiri-lai B. 0 tuma kelen na, cew tunbe ka furu sin cemisenw tun be ka mun ke o tuma. A. Npogotigix tun be fini-ko la, B. 0 tuma kelen na, amisenw tung ka nkeignw gen. 149 Intermediate Bambara 137 Segin-n-kan: o y'a starta Kulo-kan bara tuma min, o y'a sOrO CemOkOba banna. E nana tuma min, o y'a sOr8 anw taara. I muso b&a tunas min, o y'a sOra sanjara. I ka to mana tuns min, o y'a sarO ne ye dumuni Kulun dilala tuma min, o y'a sara ne ye mobili sara. A ye dankili da tuma min, o y'a saro ne sunagara. E y'i ko tuma min, o y'a sara. ne ye daraka dun. Mobilijara tuma min, o y'a sOr8 Bala y'i pan ka jigin. Kuma-don-nyagon-na: o y'a stars: Nye-Jiraf A. Kulo-kan bara. 0 y'a sara Cemokoba banns. B. Kulo-kan bara tuma min, o y'a sara Omokaba banns. E nana. -0 y'a &Bra anw taara. I muso bOra. 0 y'a sOra san Ora. I ka to mana. 0 y'a sar8 ne ye dumini ke. Kulun dilala. 0 y'a sara ne ye mobili sari. A ye don -kili da. 0 y'a sOr8 ne supagara. I y'i ko. 0 y'a saro ne ye daraka dun. -0.y'a saTO Bala y'i pan ka jigin. Maadu sigira. 0 y'a sara tan -sigi banna. A ye mobili san. 0 y'a sara a kera baana ye. Nyininkali: A. Cemiikaba banna tuma jumen? B. Kulo-kan bra tuma min, o y'a sara, a banna. A. Aw taara tuma jumen? B. E nana tuma min, o y'a Ora. A. I ye mobili sara tuma jumen? B. Kulun"dilala tuma min, o y'a sara ne ye mobili sbra. A. Sanjara tuma jumen? B. I muso bra tuma min, o y'a sara a Ora. A. I ye dumuni ke tuma jumen? B. E ka to mana tuma min, o y'a stars ne ye dumuni ke. A. E sunagara tuma jumen? B. A ye don -kili da tuma min, o y'a saro ne sunagOra. A. I ye daraka dun tuma jumepq-- B. E y'i ko turn min, o y'a saro ne ye daraka dun. A. Bala jiginna tuma jumen? B. MobilijOra tuma min, o y'a gar?) Bala y'i pan ka jigin. \ 50 138 Intermediate Bambara I Fa-cogo-were: o y'a sore: I Nye-jira: A. Kulo-kan bOra tumamidi,,o y'a sere a banna. B. Kulo-kan bOra a salenik8. E nana tuma min, o y'a sOr8 any fqa. I muso bra tuma min, o y'a s87-O sign Ora. Maadu donna tuma min, o y'a s7;ira tion-sigi banna. Mobili_Dra tuma min, o y'a s&O Bala y'i-pan ka Kulun dilala tuma min, o y'a ;15r8ne ye mobili _sore. Sell sera tuma min, o y'a sore a'desera ka saga s8r8. A ye d8n-kili da tuma min, o y'a's8r8 ne sun7pOra. Adama ye mobili san tuma min, o y'a s8r8 a kera baana ye. Segin-n-kan: X k8 ni Y ye, Z. A banni temenen k8 ni tile saba ye, saraka bOr'a ye. A seli k8 ni tile fila ye, u ye d817ere a ye. A naliaEMenen ka ni miniti 3 ye, u ye ton-sigi damine, Fanta jiginni temenen k8 ni tile segin ye, u ye den-kun-di ke.' A muso bOli temenen k8 ni lerTye, a y'i da ka sun8e. Nyininkali: X ka ni Y ye, Z A. Saraka bOra tuma jumen? B. A banni temenen kb' ni tile 3 ye_. A. A ye muso furu tuma jumen? B.. Seli temenen ka ni kalo naani ye. A. U ye so kura 0 a ye tuma jumen? B. A ka so binni temenen IT6 ni tile 2 ye. ye. ton-sigi .damine-tuma-jument B. A nali temenen k8 ni miniti 3 ye. A. Den-kun-di kera tuma jumen? B. A jiginni temenen ka ni tile 8 ye. A. A y'i da ka sung tuma jumen? B. A muso b8li temenen ni lere ye. FO-cogo-were: Nye-jira: A. A banni temenen ka ni tile 3 ye, u ye saraka ba a ye. B. A bannen, tile 3 o ko, saraka bOria ye. A self temenen k8 ni kalo 3 ye, a ye muso furu. A pall temenen ka ni miniti 3 ye,.0 ye ton -sigi damine. A ka so binni temenen A ni tile 2 ye, u ye dOwei4 j8 a ye. Fanta jiginni temenen ko ni tile 8 ye, u ye den-kun-ai Ice. A muso bOli temenen k8 ni lereye, a y'i da ka sunag8.- San-ji-tige temenen k8 ni miniti 15 ye, u ye stew laba. . . . Intermediate Bambara 139 Baara banni temenen ka ni 14r4 2 ye, ale nana. Tiga moni temenen k8 ni d8g8kun fila ye, u b'a b8. Segin-n-kan: Damad8w M8g8k8r8ba damadOw tun b4 ka su ko. N7-b4 san damad8w k4 Amiriki. A ye kami damadOw faga. A ba ye dakurunya damadOw fa a ye. lin A taara sugu la, a ye f4n damad8w san. Nyininkali: DamadOw A. Jan tun b4 ka su ko? A. A ba ye f4n f'a ye wa? B. M8g8k-gr8ba damad8wtun b4 kasu ko. B. 10d8, a ye dakurunyaaimad6w f8 a ye. A. I b4 men Amiriki wa? A. A ye mun k4 sugu la. B. N' b4 san damadOw ke Ameriki. B. A ye fell damadOwThan. A. A ni sogo caman nana wa? B. A ye kami damadaw fasa. Segin-n-kan: X-kan An ye kulo-kan men A to den-y4r4ni kasi-kan f4. Doso_ye sogo na-kan_ men. I to Maadu don-kan men abada. Fanta ma Baba tulon-kan men. Adama t4 manamana-kan fa. Sori tun t'a f4 k'a ka kuma-kan bato. Baro-misen: A. I be Maadu nat8 ye wa? A. I ye Baba ye wa? B. I b'a natii ye. B. N' m'a ye nka. Nka i t'a don-kan men abada. N y'a na-kan men. A. A b4-kuma k8s4b4 wa? J3Tb4..kuma-kOs4b4------B. A m'a k4 Nka a to manamana-kan fa. Nka a b'a ka kuma-kan bato. A. I ye mankan men wa? A. Abudu b4 den-yer4niw fe wa? B. yi, n' ma mankan men. B. A b'u f4. y'a kulo-kan dOr8n de men. Nk'a t'u kasi-kan de f4. A. Donsokeye sogo_ye wa? B. A m'a ye. Nk'a y'a na-kan men. Segin-n-kan: fa Du fara mho la. A ye mobili fa esansi la. A134 buteli fa ji la. Den-misenw ye du fa mankan na. Ty'a jufa fa tigaIm, 152 140 Intermediate Bambara Nyininkali: fa A. Du_fara magii la we A. A ye esansi caman ke mobili la? B. Ow8, du fara mogo la. B. Ay'a fa esansi la. A. A be buteli fa ji la wa? A. Denmisenw ye du fa mankan na wa? B. g?a, a be buteli fa ji la. B. Ow8. Denmisenw re du fa mankan na. A. A y'a jufa fa mun na? B. "Ky'ii.jufafa tlia ni ny8 la. Kuma-misenw: fa A. Esansi be mobil la? A. NOna be filen na wa? B. Da ka kan ka sara a la. B. Da ka kan ka s8ea-la. N' y'a fa esansi la kunun. Fula-musoy% faiiini5 la juma tamenen. A. Pet8r8li be lanpan na? B. DO ka kan ka sOr'eTia. A. Ny8 be-Vire kan6 wa? N' y'a fa petaiOli la kunasini. B. Da ka kan ka sarTa k8n8. N' y'a fa nya la sibiri temenen. 'ay A. Ji be daga la wa? B. Do ka kan ka sOr'a la. Fanta y'a fa ji la su-rO. Kuma-misen: di .la Nye-jira: A. I ye Bala ye wa? jufa sukaro B. NO, n' y'a ye. A y'a jufa fa sukaro la ka b8. Baba nana yan wa? . . esansi daga .. ji bOre . . nyO barama . na Segin-n-kan: tewutewu Du fara m8g8 la tewutewu. A ye b8re fa tewutewu. Bafara tewutewu. A ye Viteli fa tewutewu. Nyininkali: tewutewu A. A yv bore fa cogo di? A. M8g8 caman nana banniy8r8 wa? B. A y'a fa tewutewu. B. 076. Du fara7m8g8 la tewutewu. A. Ba fara wa? A. I ye buteli fa wa? 11. "OwT, ba fife. tewutewu:" B'. XNa; n'' y'a "fa'tew"utewu. 153 Intermediate Bambara 141 Baro r A. An ni su. B. Nba, aw ni su. A. Here tiienna wa? B. Herear8n, A. Sa! An y'a men k'an fa banna. An nana dugawu 1E4. Ala ka hine a la. B. Amiina. A. Ala k'a jigin-y8ra sumaya. B. Amiina. A. A y'an kin kiln min na, Ala 'Co nOgay'a ye. A. Amiina yarabi.Aw ni ce, aw ni baraji.Ala m'an tola nyOgan ye. A. Amiina. B. Ala kana nafigi don an ce. A. Amiina. B. Kira laharOma la. Saliyala Mahamadu. A. Salimu. Ala ka dugawu mine., B. Amiina yarabi. Aminata: E! Any ta Anw ko-y8r3 n'an ja-yCr8 banna. Anw b'a ke cogo di sisal? Bala: A ye sabali. Saya ye Ala ka latige de ye. Wolo be, saya ta ni Ala yi"." A ye kasi dabila. Notes 1. Euphemisms for death Virtually every human society finds death difficult to deal with. One of the consequences of this difficulty is that people try to avoid even using the words, "die, death."They-replace-these-words-by-other-- -words-or-expressions-, toping-somehow-to-dull-the.:sharp:-.edge-oft -reality: We have given a few of these expressions here. You will likely encounter more in your experience in the field. 2. Nye-tugun ni nye-yelen ce This expression, literally "between the eye closing and the eye opening," can be translated as "in the blink of an eye, in a flash, in an instant." This can be paraphrased by yOrOni-kelen, literally "no small place," e.g.: 3. o tuma kelen na This expression, literally "at that one time," can translate . as "at the same time," e.g.: Fanta bOra. 0 tuma kelen na, Ali donna. Fanta left. At the same time, Ali entered. 154 o. 142 Intermediate Bambara The expression "the same time that..." would be rendered by simply tuma min, "the time that," e.g.: Fanta bra All donna tuma min (na). Fanta left at the (same) time All entered. The expression "the same time as...," as in "Fanta entered thesame time as Ali," would have to be rendered by a full relative clauseas above, e.g.: Fanta.donna All donna tuma min (na). Fanta entered at the (same time that All entered. 4. o y'a sar3 This is one of the very common conjunctive expressions in which the verb sarO participates. In this case, as "by that time," referring to an event.that had transpired before the event in question.As such, the clause following o y'a sarO will translate as an English past perfect, e.g.: All donna. 0 y'a sCirO Fanta b8ra. All entered. By that time, Fanta had left. This construction can also be used to translate English "By the time that...", e.g.: Mobili jOra tuma min, o 500. sar8 Baba panna ka jigin. By the time that the car stopped, Baba had jumped down. 5. (time) after X The expressions "X days, minutes, weeks after Y (an event)" can be represented in Bambara in a number of ways.The basic form is the Xteffienneh (time) numerall' ye, Y a nali temenen kO ni lere saba ye, a bOra. That is, Three hours after arriving, he left. 6. dama/damadaw Dama and damadOw are forms with highly restricted distributions in most B-M-D dialects. In Bamako Bambara, dama only occurs in negative and questioned sentences, e.g.: N' -Co dama don. I don't know how many. or I don't know their number. MY5 minty_ be so kana, i b'o dama dOn wa? The people in the house, how many are they? We write damadOw as one word in order to underline the exceptional nature' of dama and to discourage the student from using it in other environments. In this construction, it occurs as a quantifier and implies an indeterminate number, e.g.: 155 Intermediate Bambara 143 ca damadaw be yan. hithber of men are here. This contrasts with daw alone which implies indefinite reference,e,g.: C4 daw be' yan. Some (certain) men are here. Neither damadaw nor dama can be used withmass or non-count nouns. To express the notion "a quantity of," the following expression can be used: Ji min be yen, n t'a hake don. The water that's there, I don't know how much it is. 7. -kan (the sound of X) In English, we often allow our interlocutors to fill in things unsaid or understood by inference rather than, stating things explicitly. All languages do this, but not all languages do it in thesame way. When, for example, we say "I heard the thief in the kitchen,"we expect our hearers to understand that what we really heard wasa sound made by the thief. Since a thief is an object,we might be able to ''See one, but we do not logically hear objects; we hear sounds that objects make. In this case, Bambara does not permit speikers to leave thi'S task to their hearers. If one is in reality talking about. a sound, one must use the word -kan in combination with the object or event emitting the sound, e.g.: N y'i ka nyenaje-kan men. I heard (the sound of) your party. N y'a sen-kan lamen. I listened to (the sound of) his steps. Tulon-kan be Baba taora. The sound of playing bothers Baba. 8. Verbs of motion Verbs characterize events, some of which refer to motions of objects from one place to another. Other verbs refer to activities in which things may change state or shape but not location, e.g.: Roll is a verb of motion. X rolled from Y to Z. Break is a change of state X broke Y. or verb. Y broke. but not: *X broke from Y to Z. There are motion verbs in Bambara also, but they are not the same as in English. The motion verb is,defined in Bambara as a verb which, when occurring with a postpositional phrase such as X la, or X kana, interprets that postpositional phrase as either the beginning point (source) or end point (goal) of the motion. A non-motion verb interprets such postpositional phrases as simply where the activity took place,e.g.: -fr-b8ra so- lana. He Vent but iirthe'hOuSe, (house = source) A donna so kana. He went in the house. (house = goal) A sigira so kanii. He sat down in the house. (house = location) 156 144 Intermediate Bambara In English, many verbs can be used as verbs of motion, e.g. run, jump, dance, etc. In B-M-D, this set is much more highly restricted. The only verbs of motion are the following: taa go na come se arrive 1)5 leave jigi go down yelen go up To express motion with a non-motion Bambara verb, one must conjoin a motion verb to the non-motion verb, e.g.: A bolilaka ka taa lakoli la.He ran to school. Note that A bolila lakoli la would translate as "He ran at school". A panna ka jigin. He jumped down. A panna ka yelen. He jumped up. A panna ka 11)6. He jumped out. The above examples illustrate that the ka + motion verb construction is often similar to postverbal particles in English. Vocabulary cen heritage Expressions ci send da ba ny6 la die X be se Y kOra. . . . X can support Y. dalaje . . . gather, meet X ni ko X and something dinga hole sal X kan pray over X don bury duniya to ; die furuja . . . mourning time ka ban . . . die ka faatu . . die ka segin . . die kaburu . . . grave kaburu-don . cemetery kalifa mina . die kasanke . . . funeral cloth kulo scream sale-dinga . grave sanga death -sanga lagosi spread the news of the death saraka . . . alm sigi-nyOgOn . neighbor sen . . . . . dig su corpse tewutewu . . ideophone for filling 157 ) Intermediate Bambara 1115 KALAN 12 Ntola-tan Nsiirin: Tulonte s8b4 sa Yen toshrsi (NinThIrra Janjon kanb) Kabini V-li (damine) tuma ding X ne la Cogo be la Ba n'a si K'a to Negative implicative verbs X bali ka Y XjeY la Xdeseka Y Mankan Ni... min -X..ke, -ye: have X for (dinner, breakfast, etc.) X bolo 158 146 Intermediate Bambara Ntolatan Bamako Ni ntola-tanba ba ke bamakO don min, o don ye mankan ni taa-ka- segin-don ye. Kabini walaha tuma, mOgOw be taali damine ntola-tan-yOra la. Ni samiya tuma don, tuma dow san be na ka mOgOw nyigin sigilen to u no la. Ni tilema tuma don, bamak8 tile n'a farinya, o t'u bali ka t'i ski tile koro ka ntola-tanyaro be fa f'a sigi-yOr8 n'aja-yOr8 be be ban. Bamako ntolatan-kanu-bagacanci ka ca ba n'a si ye. Ntola- tan-yarala, u be mankan ci cogo be la. Dow yere be taa ni fali-fenw ye ntolatanyOrOka fall ke ani ka dOn ke. Mankan-cilabaw, n'u ka tan busOra, u to dumuni ke, kuma to se ka k'u fe. U b'a fa ko do nisan- diya kojugu bolo, k'a to ntola-tannaw ladegela, a y'a ka sun-na-kari mani-filen tan ka mOni be ban. Nyininkali: 1. Ntolatan -donjre mun don ye Bamakii? 2. MOgOw be taali damine ntolo-tan-yara la tuma Aimee 3. U be son ka taa sanji kaia wa? 4. Sanji be mun k'u la? Tile dun. 5. Tilema tuma, bamak8 tile be cogo di? 6. MT3gOw be taa ntolatan-yarO o tile kOri5 wa? 7. Mun na mOsOw be taa joona ntola-tan-yOrii la? 8. BamakO ntolan-tan kanubaganci ka ca wa? 9. U be mun ntola-tanyOrO la? 10. Dow_ be taa ni fali-fenw ye ntola-tan-y8rO la wa? 11. U b' u fa wa? 12. Ube Tan fana ke wa? 13. Mankan-cilabaw be bugOli kun wa? 14. U b'a jira cogo di ko bugadi digira u la. .15. Ube mun fa ntolan-tan kanubaganciw 16. I be ntolan-tan fe wa? Segin-n-kan: kabini Kabini walaha tuma, meow be taali damine. N' be mobili_bolila Kabini'BamakO. Kabini duniya dara, maga ma wulujre seli,la. Kabini a ye mobili_pOra, an m'a ye tugun. N'ye boli_damine kabini n' be san fila la. Bila-na-la: kabini Kabini walaha tuma, meow be taali damine. . . . . fajiri . . . .nene . . . .lere 8 . . . . .sun-kalo 159 Intermediate Bambara 147 Bila-no -la: kabini A ye mobili boli kabini Bamako. Kayi Segu A ye sunege (lamina kabini Segu. kunun silgema in na wuladani fe fajiri N'ye bamanan-kan damine kabini n'be lakeli la. n'te foyi be. n'ma taa Mali la. n'ma Maadu den. n'mja ten?) den. n'ma don lakeli la. n'te se ka kuma. Bila-no -la: kabini Kabini a ka ten bugora, a ma dumuni ke. . . . .a ye mobilipOre, . . . .a muse nana, . . . .a banana, . . . .a den sara, . . . .a wulila, . . . .a ye kafe min, . . . .a ye kafe min, . . .a musojiginna, . . . .a ye daraka dun, . . . .a ce taara, . . . .a kununna, Fa-cogO-We're: -kiblia7ke Nye-jira: A. A ka ten bugelen ke, a ma dumuni B. Kabini a ka ton busera, a ma dumuni ke. A cebananen kaa ma jago ke. A den_salena ma kasi. A musojiginnen ka, a ma taa baara-yore. Kafe minnen ka, a ma dumuni ke. A kununen ka, a ma wuli ka b8 a no la. . A ce taalen ka, a ma be kenema. Nyininkali: Nye-jira: A. Fanta ye daraka dun fele wa? ------B1---Ar-ye-daraka,-dun-kabini Fanta ye daraka dila fan- wa? U ye dumuni ke wa? Fanta bera kenema wa? A taara baara-yore wa? A ye jago Awa? Aw kasira wa? A wulila ka ba a ne la wa? 1 148 Intermediate Bambara Segin-n-kan: V-li damine jama ba taali damine joona. U to susuli damine joona. Ci-kela be bulukuli damine sani samiya ka se. Musow bYtobili damine fajiri la. Sine be daga ciii damine slgOITI'a joona. Ngolo be sogow fagali damine. Ami be ji-bOli damine muso taw be nye. Nyininkali: A. Jama be mun ke joona ?` B. Jama be taali damine joona. A. U to mun damine joona? B. U to susuli_damine joona. A. Ci-kela be mun damine sani samiya ka se. B. Ci-kela be bulukuli Amine sani samiya ka se. A. Musow be mun damine fajiri la? B. Musow be tobilidamine fajiri la. A. Sine be dogo cili damine tuma jumen? B. Sine be dOgo cili damine soma joona. Baro-misen: V-li damine Nye-jira: A. Jama ma taa yen fan wa? B. Jama ye taa-li damine joona. Nyele fini kala. Ngolo show Fanta daraka tobi. Saga tu. Sine...dlija ci. Musow nye susu. Cr=iela...fofb-buiuku. Segin-n-kan: tuma dOV Tuma.dOw san be na ka mOgaw nyigin. Tuma claw mono to sigi-Ara sar8. Tuma daw a te. mai& ka kuma faamuya. Tuma &Ow sene _be mile kii_seign. Tuma daw foyi nege to mOga la. Tuma &ow i be kum'a iF, a to kum'i fe. Tuma daw Maadu to kuma meow fe. Tuma daTidumuni termOgaw fa. Nyininkali: tuma daw Nye-jira: A. I be mun ke daraka_ye? B. Tuma daw n'be mOni ke darakaje. I be mun ke daraka ye? Ski-yar8-ko be cogo di? 1 -be-mun 'ke-sibiri 'su-fe? Aw-be-mun-ke-samiyatuma? Sene be mun ke. mile la? San be mun ke meow la? 161 Intermediate Bambara 149 Segin-n-kan: no San-ji blu gosi k'u to u no la. At4 b8 a no la. To i no la. ATaara. a bila a no la Nyininkali: no A. San-ji mana na, u be b8 u no la wa? A. A b4 boli wa? B. San-ji b'u gosi k'u to u no la. B. Ayi, a t4 b8 a no la. A. N' ka to n' no la wa? A. A taar'a bila min? B. Ow8, to i no la. B. A taar'a,bila a no la. Nyininkali: no A. San-ji mana na, u b4 1)6 u no la wa? A. A b4 boli wa? B. Ayi, u t4 b8 u n8_, la. B. Ayi, a t4 1)8 a no la. A. N' ka to n' no la wa. A. A y'a bil'a no la wa? B. Ayi, kana to i no la. B. Ayi, a m'a bil'a no la. Segin-n-kan: cogo be la U b4 mankan ci cogo be la. A b4 ntola mine cogo be la. A k4 cogo be la i ka na. Marakaw be don ke cogo beela. Nyininkali: cogo be la U b4 mankan ci wa? A. A b4 se ntola-mine la wa? . u b4 mankan ci cogo be la. B. A be ntola mine cogo be la. A. I be na wa? A. Marakaw b4 se donna wa? B. N' k4 cogo be la ka na. B. Marakaw b4 dOn k4 cogo bee la. Nyininkali: cogo si A. U b4 mankan ci wa. A. Wulu-sogo b4 dun wa? B. Ayi, u t4 mankan ci cogo si la. B. Wulu-sogo tie dun cogo si la. A. I b4 na wa? A. Burama be se tobili la wa? B. N' t4 se ka na cogo si la. B. Burama to se tobili la cogo si la. A. A b4 se ntola-min4 la wa? B. A t4 se ntola-min4 la cogo si la. 162 150 Intermediate Bambara Yelemali: cogo bee/nya bee/ . . U be'mankan ci cogo be la. A be dOn ke cogo bee la. nya be ma. nye bee ma. a nye be ma. a nye be ma. a nye tan ni fila a nye tan ni fila ma. A be tobili ke cogo be la. A be sene ke cogo be la. nye be ma. nye be ma. a nye be ma. a nye be ma. a nye tan ni fila ma. a nye tan ni fila ma. Segin-n-kan: X-yar8 An te se ka sigi bawo sigi-yOr8 te yan. Nege-so _te sap a dila-y.60_1a. An te se ka jikbawo jO7y8rO te yan. An ma nyo sOr8 a feere-yOrai la. W21uw be kenema bawo don -yoro t'u bolo. Sagamte feere figa-yOra5a. A ma to yen bawo da-y6r8 ma qlra. Sira_be tiny bawo bila-ArO nyuman t'a la. Baro-misen: X 01.8 Nye-iira: A. Fanta to se k'i sigi wa? Ski Kuma-denw: Ali ...da Ami ja Maadu JO Saga ...faga Ami ko Malo feere Wulu ...don Sira bila Segin-n-kan: Ba n'a si ye. Ntolatan kanubaganci ka ca ba n'a si ye. Ameriki mobili ka ca ba n'a si ye. dUIakiw'ka ca. ba'n'a-si-%ye Sinuwaw-ka-ca-ba-ea-si Ameriki arajo-so ka ca ba n'a si ye. Nyininkali: ba n'a si A. Ntola-tan kanu-baganci ka ca wa? B. Ntolan-tan kanu-baganci ka ca ba n'a si ye. A. A ka dulaki ka ca wa? B. A ka dulOki ka ca ba n'a si ye. A. Ameriki arajo-so ka ca wa? B. Ameriki arajo-so ka ca ba n'a si ye. A. Ameriki mobili ka ca wa? Ameriki mobilita-ca ta-nJa' si -ye. 163 Intermediate Bambara 151 Fa -cogo -were: ba n'a si Nye - ,lira: A. Ntolan-tan kanubaganci ka ca ba n'a si ye. B. Ntola-tan kanubaganci ka ca fo k'a dama teme. C. Ntoli-tan kanubaganci ka ca kasebe kasebe: A ka dulaki ka ca ba n'a si ye. A muso ka tulo-la-nege ka ca ba Amerikrarajo-so ka ca ba n'a si ye. n'a si ye. Ameriki mobili ka ca ba n'a si ye. Yen fiyenta ka ca ba n'a si ye. Sinuwaw ka ca ba n' a si ye. A sen -si ka ca ba n'a si ye. Birama ka kitabu ka ca ba n'a si ye. A ka kulusi ka ca ba n'a si ye. Segin-n-kan: X k'a'to Y A be dumuni Ice k'a to kalan na. Maadu be dute min k'a to sebenni na. Tte kuma ga to dumuni na. Adama be kalali ke k'a to tobili la. A to don -kili da k'a to sene _la Nyininkali: A. A be mun ke k'a to kalan na? A. A be mun ke k'a to sebenni na. B. A be dumuni ke k'a to kalan _na T. A be dute k'a to sebenni na. A. A to mun ke k'a to dumuni na? A. Adama be mun Ice k'a to tobili la? B. A to kuma k'a to dumuni na. B. Adama be kalali ke k'a to tobili la. A. A to mun ke k'a to sene la? B. A to k'a. to sene la. Segin-n-kan: X bali ka Y Tile farinya y'an ball ka sji yen. Ja ye sene-kelaw ball ka nafa sarO. San -il_ye mobili bali ka boll. Kala nin ye bare ball ka bin. Misiw ye kamiyan ball ka sira ta. A ye n' ball ka taa. Jene-yta. fa-bali.ka-dumuni ke Sen-dimi_ye n' bali ka boll. y'u ball ka tae sene-ke. Nyininkali: bali Nje-,lira: A. Mun na mobili ma boll. B. Sanji_ye mobili bali ka boli. Mun na Fanta m'i sjgi? Mun na bare ma bin? Mun na i ma taa? Mun na sene-kelaw ma nafa sara? Mun na an ma sigi yen? Mun na sene-kelaw ma nafa sara? Mun na a fa ma dumuni 1.41 Mun na mobili ma don? Mun na i ma boll ?. Mun na aw ma se ka ny8 ladon? Mun na aw ma taa sene ke? Mun na a ma se ka foli ke? na a m'a ka baara ke? Mun na u ma muso furu? Aun-na-kamiyan-ma-sira-ta? 1 6 it 152 Intermediate Bambara Segin-n-kan: X je Y la M8g8 te m8g8 je dumuni na. A y'a d8gOke je mobili la. A ye n je keme fila la. A ye Sogolon je na-bulu la. I benke to se k'i je foyi la. U be mN8 Je tasuma la. Adama y'a je wari la. Nyininkali: je Nje-jira: A. Mun'na a ma dumuni ke? B. U y'a je dumuni na. Mun na a ma dumuni ke? Mug na i ma se ka taa? Mun na a ma na ni mobili_ye? I benke ye mun ke? Mun na Sogolon ma na-bulu s8r6? Mun na aw ma taa siniman na? Mun na u ma tasuma sOr8? Mun na u ma kitabu nin kalan? Mun na i ma se kra -san? Segin-n-kan: X dese ka Y N' desera ka kuma kelen f8. Bala desera ka dumuni ke. Salifu to dese ka foyi k4 ntola-tan na. An desera ka ny8en deme baara la. M8g8 to dese ka foyi ke ni Ala ye si ni keneya d'i ma. I muso desera ka tinye f8 faamaje. Den-misenv desera ka kOn6 sOr8 boli la. I fa tena dese ka cogo s8r8 a la. Nyininkali: X dese ka Y Nje-jira: A. Mun na bOre be kenema? B. U desera k'a ladon. Mun na san-kilo-bOre be kenema? Mun y'a fiyenya tan? ,Mun na u m'i bila? Mun na a bena se ka taa? Mun ye kOn8 kisi? Mun na i be Salifu Le? Mun ye baara sumaya? Mun y'i muso men fanga bolo? Segin-n-kan: mankan A ka moto mankan ka bon kojugu. I denw be mankan ke kojugu. N'b'a nyin'i fe i k'i mankan sumaya. Mankan be 1)8 a la, o to d6oni ye. M8g8 be mankan ci ntola-tan-yar8 la. Nyininkali: A. A ka moto mankan ka bon wa? A. Mii.eiw be mun ke ntola-tan-y8r8 la? B. Ow8, a ka moto mankan ka bon kojugu. B. M8g8w be mankan ci ntolatany8r8 A. I be mun nyini n' fe? A. Mun be b8 a la? B. N'b'a nyin'i fe i k'i mankan sumaya. B. Mankan be ba a la, o to dOoni ye. 165 Intermediate Bambara 153 Baro Ntola -tan Sanba ni Ali b4nna. U b4 baro k4 ntola-tan kan. Sanba: I taara ntola-tan-y8rO wa? Ali: Ayi, n' ma taa. E dun? E taara wa? Sanba: E y4r4 b'a-d8n. 0 t4 fa ne kS. Ali: ain ni jOn....de tun b'a la bi? Sanba: Jana fila, Bani ni Sagan. Ali: Jum4n sera? Sanba: Sagan de sera. U ye Bani bugs saba ni fu. Ali: Saba cayara d4. Ni n' ma fili, n' ko Bani de tun b4 se Sagan na faia. Sanba: Sagan y414man'u 0:18 kabini salon.Sagan ntola-tanna be ye den- misenni kenek4n4w ye. U b4 nySen faamuya kiisab4, u t4 seen joona. Ali: U ka bi nt2la-tan tun y'a sugu jumen? Sanba: Mali kupuba, ntola-tan in tun y'o nySen-b8 d8 de ye. Ali: 0 tuma Bani sen bOr'a la wa? Sanba: 0 fT5y8r6 beeTi to Notes 1. Kabini Kabini is.a conjunction translating precisely as "since". It can be followed by a point time or place expression, or by a sentence. Kabini cannot take a durational expression as its,objects, _ A b4 mobili boli kabini Segu. He has been driving the car since Segou. b4 mobili boll kabini fitiri.--He has been driving thecar since . Ab4 mobili boli kabini su kora. He has been driving thecar since night fell. 2. V-li (damin4._ ) Many English verbs take gerunds as their complements, e.g.: 1 They started eating. They began eating. They stopped talking. Some of these verbs also take infinitives with the same meaning, while others do not, e.g.: They started eating. = They started to eat. They began eating. = They began to eat. but They stopped eating. 0 They stopped to eat.. alb In Bambara, the verbs damin4, dabs, and dabila do not take infinitival phrases. They only allow nominalized verbs (V-li) or action/went nouns as their objects. 166 154 Intermediate Bambara A ye kuma damine. He began talking. or __He began to talk. U ye nya-danni They began planting millet. or They began to plant millet. Remember also that tila "finish (doing something)" also onlytakes action or event nouns, but as objects of the postpositionla, e.g.: U ma tila ny6-danni n8. They haven't finished planting the millet.. 3. Tuma daw Another of the many time expressions using tuma, thisone has its literal translation value, "sometimes." It can occur either at the beginningor the end of a sentence, e.g.: Tuma d8w, an b'a ke tan. or An b'a ke tan tuma dOw. Tuma dOw participates in the system of time words, including: tuma bee always abada never, ever, always Abada is generally used in negative sentences, although insome dialects it is occasionally found in affirmative sentences, in which case it is synonymous with tuma bee. In negative sentences, abada has the value "never".Tuma be occurs in negative sentences and has the value "not always". 4. X no la NO as we have seen means "trace, track". It is used, however, in many expressions, where its translations will differ slightly,e.g.: to n8 la remain where you are, don't move literally "stay in your track." ka X ke Y no la put X in Y's place, replace Y by X. ka 1)8 i no la to move from where you were ka X bila a no la to put X in its place, where it belongs. 5. cogo be la This is a common adverbial intensifying expression, whichtranslates "in every way". It would be appropriately used where we mightuse "in every which way, in every possible way." Its negative counterpart cogo si can be translatedas "in no way, no matter how, e.g.: 167 Intermediate Bambara 155 N t(13 se nin na cogo si la. In no way can I do this. or I can't do this no matter how. The same interpretation can be maintained with the manner adverbials, nya be ma, a nya be ma. Another common expression serving the same purpose is a nya tan ni fila ma "in its twelve ways," twelve being the general word to indicate all of the means or directions for someting, e.g.: a fan tan ni fila, "its twelve directions", meaning "in all possible directions". 6. X-yare. In Lesson 6, we examinined compounds formed with tuma, which translated as "the time for X, the time to do X, the time that X." Compounds with yara are analogous. They translate as "the place for X, the place to do X, the place where X", Fanta taa-yara the place where Fanta went/goes saga-fega-yara the place to kill sheep or the place for killing sheep or the place where sheep are killed. Note that in many cases where English would use an embedded question, B-M -D would use a nominalized verb compounded with yara, e.g.: N' be Ali taa-yara don. I know where All went. (embedded Q)- 7. Kis. to Structurally, k'a toconsists of the infinitival auxiliary ka followed by the pronoun a oldtlb-stcr-ilremain stay, leave." Functionally --this structure translates as "while, dur g L-- can be followed by a postpositional phrase, with la or by a verb _with-the-suffix- -la, -optional-l-y-preceded-by its object,or by a sentence, e.g.: Postpositional phrase Fanta ye dankili da k'a to clan na. Tanta sang a song while dancing. V + la K'a to ntola-tannaw ladegela, a ye filen tan. While imitating the soccer players, he kicked the calabash. Sentence I K'a to Fanta be baara la yen, a tena taa so. While Fanta is working there, he won't go home. 156-Intefthediate Bambara 8. Negative Implicative Verbs There are a number of verbs in B-M-D that imply that their objects or complements were not done, acquired, performed, etc. The three verbs of this class studied in this lesson are: X ball ka Y stop/prevent X from doing Y X dese ka Y X fail to do Y X je Y la refuse /deny X to Y Of these verbs, ball is the only.one which occurs in transitive constructions, e.g.: San-ji_ye n' bali ka taa. The rain prevented me from going. As can be seen, ball belongs to that class of verbs, the objects of which are the understood subjects of the infinitival complements. Dese only occurs intransitively. It too takes an infinitival complement, e.g.: A desera ka taa. He failed to go. Ja does not take an infinitival complementor a subordinate complement. When the object is a human noun and there is a postpositional phrase with la, it can be interpreted as "refuse somebody something," e.g.: Hawa ye Baba je dumuni na. Hawa refused (denied) Baba food. When only two arguments are present as subject and object, it can be translated as "to lack, to be missing from, Wa file be a ka sara_je. 10,000 francs are missing from his salary. This verb also serves to translate "miss" as in "miss (a target)", e.g.: r Donsojre waraba_je. The hunter missed the lion. 9. Mankan Mankan "noise" occurs with two verbs, both of which would translate a "make noise," ba and ci, e.g.: .k'lre,mankan ba. A ye mirikan-cif both translate as He made noise. 10. Ni ... min ... In general, ni introduces a conditional clause in B-14.LD-,---e,g. N'i sera yen, i ka Fanta fo. If/when you arrive there, you should greet Fanta. 169 Intermediate Bambara 157 Min as we have seen marks relative clauses. It is however the case in B-M-D that both may occur in the same clause, e.g.: Ni ntola-tanba be ke yen don min,... These clauses are different in meaning from those ,with just nior those with just min. Ni ntola-tanba be ke yen, u be ga gi. They build the house if there is a big game. Ntola-tanba be ke yen don min, u be ga jo o don. They build the house the day there is a 'Fig game. Ni ntolet-tanba be ke dZin min, u to beara ke o don. If there is a big game on a day, they don't Work that day. Vocabulary ba n'a si . . . plenty of bali forbid, prevent bugs beat ci send dogs -ci wood-chopping farin fierce, bold farinya . ferocity, boldness fili mistake, be mistaken ji-ta water carrying j8-yar8 . . . place to stand, standing-room kanubaganci . fan, admirer mak6n8 wait for mankan noise ntola ball nyigin wet, soak san-kilo-bore 100 kg. bag sigi-y8rS . . place to sit, seat -.sumaya slow down taa-ka-segin . goings and comings tan kick, play ten group, team, club tuli to put something into its case or bag Expressions: X ni Y b'a la. X and Y are playing X sen bOra Y la. X is eliminated from Y. 17.0 Intermediate Bambara 159 KALAN 13 Garanke Nsiirin: Ko balalen be ko d6g8-da1en sa. Tun Lakolon/rakolon Bala/jun Nye kOr8/nyena/nyana Predicates and arguments X yelema ka ke Y ye .76-Ara V-len don/v-len be 172 160 Intermediate Bambara Garanke Garankeja-yOrO ka bon kosebe. Ale de tun be wolo-baaraw be ke. Dalilu b'a fana bolo bawo seben-tu to se ka ke i da-r8-kolon. Garanke de be sabaraw ni forokow dila, ani muru-foronw ni pan-foronw ani so ni fen caman masiriw. DOA., ko koft51.8 garanke dOw tun be se k'u yere yelema k'u ke suruku ye. Ko, claw tun be se k'u yere yelema ka don saga wala misi k'a nyenama Olen aria-mt.-fen be dun ka ban. Bagan in Olen be to a be ba ka bin ka sa ka bala meow be la. Garankemuso be harOnmusow nyin n'u dawolo susu. Ale de fana be hOrOn-mnsow kun da seliwnye-iar8. Garankemuso ka wusulan ka di kOsObe. Garankew tun taig8 tinyenen don. A tun be fa k'u kiinO ye wo ye, 4 k'u to se ka gundo mara.I Nye-jira 1. Garanke_fd-y8rO ka bon wa? 2. Muso jo -Ara ka bon du kOnii wa? 3. Garanke be mun baara ke? 4. Muso be mun baara ke. 5. A be mun ni mun dila? 6. Garanke tun bg se ka mun ke 6518? 7. Abe se k'o ke sisan wa? 8. Mun na a to se k'o ke sisan? 9. Garanke tun be mun ke saga la? 10. Saga tun Tie sa wa? 11. 0 saga tun be bala meow la wa? 12. Garanke-muso be mun ke? 13. A be kun-da Ke 14. A be jonw kun da? 15. A b'o kun-da ke tuma jumen? 16. Garanke-muso mun dila? 17. A ka wusulan kasa ka di wa? 18. Mun be ke ni wusulah_ye? 19. Mun tun be f8 Garanke kan? 20: Mun na a tun be fc) k'u KOnO ye wo ye? 21. U t8gO tun tinyenen don wa? 173 Intermediate Bambara 161 Segin-n-kan: tun Ak?2ramaso tun be kini_tobi don o don Fanta to b'Idege baaraj.a. A fel tun be s gilen da la. Malo_tun to s4n4 Mali la o tuma. Ale olLtlin be ko be kldu_kOna. Fali de tun be doni be ta. Den-miserly tun be taa dOga tie kungoecin8. GiiranAnuso_tup b4 hOrOnmusoy Garankecew tun t4 wolo_Pran baara. kupda. Yelemali: tun Nye-lira: A. A sigilen tun be. B. A tun sigilen be. A mako tun be wari la. A sigilen tun be. 4 A tko tun bena tinye. Fanta dalen tun be dOkOtOra-so la. A Jo tun be kele la. A fa Olen tun be da la. A ka baara tun ka nyi. Kariba-bonyanen tunte., losoe.... %. Bala sOn.tun ye sunyali ye. Sukaro_ tununen tun be: Segin-n-kan: tun 1 Garankew tun be tinyenen. A n'a fa tun be diyalen. -Garankew tinyenen tun be. A n'a.fa diyalen tun be. Garankew.tun tinyenen be. A n'a fa tun diyalen be. A tun be sigilen da la. Su tun be kolen. A sigilen tun be. Su kolen tun be. A tun sigilen be. Su tun kolen be. U tun be bonyanen o waati la. U bonyanen tun be o waati la. U tun bonyanen be o waati la. Segin-n-kan: lakolon/rakolon Cak da-ra-kolon t4 se kaworo nyini. MOO dOw sen-na-kolon t4 taama. MOga kan-na-kolon to 1)6 kenema. I bolo-lakalon kana segin. Den-misenw Ju-la-kolon be yaala. Nyininkali: A. Mun na a ta se ka xgro nyimi? A. Mun na i b'a Ica/45n? B. A da-ra-kolon don. B. A ju-la-kolon de bOra. A. Mun na a to se ka ba? A. Mun na i bolila? B. A kan-na-kolon don. B. N' bolo-lankolon de tun don. 174 162 Intermediate Bambara Baro-misen: lakolon Kumadenw: Larabu-muso nye-da-lakolon. A. Larabu-muso be fini don cogo di? B. U to nye=da lakolon jira. tubabu -den,ju-lakolon Esikimow, kan-nakolon nasara-muso kan-nakolon SarOdasiw, disi-lakolon i kun -tigi,kan-nakolon CekOrOba, kan-nakolon u ka mansa,sen nakolon Baro-misen: lakolon/sinye Kumadenw: Ji-daga fila. A. Ji-daga lakolon be. B. I ten'a fa? C. Ne y'a fa sinye fila. nika were, naani nOna-bara, saba sukaro-poti, fila barada, kOn8ntEn Segin-n-kan: bala A be sa ka bala mOga be la. I nali balala i so-mOew la. Samiye balala cikelaw la. Taali balala n' na, n' ma se k'a _ - (balala n' na. f'i ye. Nyininkali: bala A. Umaru be se ntola-tan na wa? A. N' so mOgOw tun m'a don ko B. OwO, a be se ka bala miie bee la. n' tun be segin? B. Owa, i nali balala i so-mOieow la. A. Samiya nana joona wa? B. 01.73, a balala cikelaw la. A. I ye nn caman dOn taali la wa? B. Ow8, taali balala n'na. A. I ma n' sen-kan men? B. OwO, i balala n' na. Yelemali: Nye-jira: A sap, be bala magaw la. A sya be jun magaw kan. 1. Samiya balala mew la. 2. I balala n' na. 3. I nali balala i so-milsOw la. h. Taali balala n' na, n' ma se k'a fti ye. IntermedLate Bambara 163 5. Fonene be bala mOgOw la tuma bee. 6. A ce balal'a la kenema. 7. San-ji te bala ci-kelaw la. 8. Muso-furu be bala ce-ganan na. 9. A fa sya balala be la. 10. Faama ka kuma ma bala an na. Baro-misen:bala A.-N'ma soro ke. A. KO Yon ye nin ke? B. Mun na? B. Maadu. A. Samiya balala n'na. A. 0 balala n' na kosebe. B. Munlisb bala i la ? A. A ye Maadu nun kari. A. N' be fam'a ma mOi8 sebe B. A y'o ke cogo di? tun don. A. A balal'a la k'a kurufinye a nun na. B. MOg8jogo be yelema. A. I be 1)8 min? A. MOg8w ye nak8 b8 wa? B. N'be 1)8 ntola,tan-y8r8_. B. A. JOn ni an tun be ntola-tan na? A. Mun na u ma nakii_sene. B. Mali ni lagine. B. Nene balala u la. A. ansera? B. Mali de sera. A. 0 ma bala n'na. Segin-n-kan: riyek8r8 Musow b'u pari u cewnyek8r8. Bala te malobaliya ke a fa nyek8r8. A be mogaw dogoya musow nyekoro. Fanta te kuma a burankeniek8r8. A. Musow b'u pari u cew nyek8r8 wa? B. owa, musow b'u pari u cew nyek8r8. A. I kun-tigi te mOgOya dOn wa? B. NO, a be meow dOeya musow nyekOr8. A. Bala be cogo di a fa nyek8r8. B. Ayi, ,Bala te malobaliya ke a fa nyek8r8. A. Mun na Fanta te kuma? B. Fanta te kuma a buranke nyek8r8. Segin-n-kan: nyekOra U b'u kun da sellnyek8r8. Silamew be sukaro san k'a i4Igaw bTndele-finiw san ibnene nyek8r8. mara sunkalo nyek8r8. Cikelaw be forow-furan k'u jeya samiye nyekOra. 164 Intermediate Bambara Baro-misen: A. Musow b'u pari tuma jumen? B. Musow b'u kun da A. Mun na sukaro te sOr6? B. agaw be sukarosan k'a mara sunkalo nyek8r6, A. Sani ka samiya se, cikelaw mun ke? B. Cikalaw be forow furan Jaya samiya nyakara. A. 1630 be ndele-finiw san fonene nyakOra wa? B. Olga, meow be ndele-finiwsan fonene nygitOrO. Segin-n-kan: yelema Suba y'i yelema ka ke warajre. San_yelemana ka ke 1976 ye. A muso be se k'i yelema kake sa ye. Donso_yelemana ka ka kale-kuntigi_ye. &ore Duga y'i yelema ka ke duga ye. Kuma-sen_yelema ka ke nyininkali ye. 4Nyininkali: yelema Suba tununa wa? A fOra k'a muso.dalila ka taa wa? Da Monson ye KaR Duga mine wa? Aw be nyenaje mun na? Donson kera mun ye. N'ka kan ka mun ke ni kuma-sen ye. Baro-misen: so...biro Nye-jira: A. I ka so kera mun ye? B. Ayelemana ka ke biroye. Baba ... kuntigi Ako so ... solima-bon silame LakOli dOkOtOra-so kale -kuntigi Sudan ... Mali KOre Dugu duga Gold Coast... Ghana Garanke suruku Congo ... Zaire Segin-n-kan: ja-y6r6 qranKe...jO-yOra ka bon kOsabe. Kabini Adama taara, a j6-yar6 yera. ka bon du kOn6. Jo -yOr6 si to Madu la bilara in na. Nogoja-yarolka bon saneLla. Konate j6-yOra anna hOrOnya kale la. Intermediate Bambara 165 Nyininkali: A. Garanke,be mun ke? A. Adama tun be mun ke? B. Garanke_g-Ar6 ka bon kosebe. B. Kabini Adama taara, a j6-yOra yera. A. Muso be mun ke du kOnO? A.-Maadu be mun ke baara in na? B. Muso_O-yer8 ka bon du Item). B. JO-yore si to Madu la baara inna. A. Mun be ke ni nogg ye? A. Konate jO-yOr8 yera wa? B. Nee JO-y8r6 ka bon sene la. B. Owe Konate yera h6rOnya_ . kele la. Baro-misen: je-yer6 A. Dugu_be nye garankeKo wa? A. Dugu_be nye harOnka B. Ayi, at nye. B. Ayi. A. Mun na? A. Mun na? A to Mute fen ke way B. A jO7y6rO ka bon kosebe. B. 0te tinie ye. Bee n'i j6-y6r6 don. fana A. Dugupe nye jalikO way jO7yOrO be yen. B. Ayi, a to nye. A. Mun na? B. ka bon kOsebe dugu_kOn6 A. Dugu_be ny_e_ numu_ke? A JOn dun, jOy6r6b'olawa? B. B. IffsObTke. A. Mun na? A. A jOyOra ni tow to ye kelen ye. B. Numu_ fana_ jii-yOrkka bon kosebe. B. ROga t'o f6. Yelemali: tun be Nye-iira: A. A segennen tun be. B. A segennen tun don. U toorolen tun be kOsObe. Muse in denmisenyalen tun beasap na. TitOorelen tun don kosebe. Has() indenmisenyalen tun donasap na. A silen tuTbeo tuma. So_da-seelen tun be, a de kOsanan ma don. A sigilen tun don o tuma. So_da-s8g6len.tun don, o de kOsenan ma don. Kogojelen tun iTe salon.` A muso tun bananen be. Kogojelen tun don salon. A muso tun bananen don. Da yelennen tun 1.76 ne na-tuma. Karamage_tun nis6-diyalen be. Da_yelennen tun don ne na-tuma. KaramOge tun nise-diyalen don. Ji_sumalen tun be sagoma in na. Anna -tuma 30.11 sore su kolen tun be. Ji_sumalen tun don sOgOma in na. An na:tuma yias6ra su kolen tun don. Garankew tOg8 tinyenen tun be fan. Garankew toga tinyenen tun don fele. 178 166 Intermediate Bambara Baro Minata taate sugu la, a y'a ka sabara ta ka ta n'a ye garanke bara. Minata: Garanke, i ni sagema. Garanke: Nba, jatigi-muso, i ni segema. Here_sira? Minata: Here deren.Baarani be n'bolo k'a d'i ma. Garanke: An bTaw de ka bila la yan. Jamu duman? . Minata: N'jamu ye Suko ye. N' ce fana jamu Suke. Garanke: Suka-muso, e dun ka baara ye jumen ye? Minata: N'ka sabara de tigera, n' b'a fe i k'a dila n'ye. N'seginte ka be sugu la, n' be n'a Garanke: 0 be kei Mande tigi_. I seginte b'a sere sabara_ dilala. Minata taara sugu la, a ye naw san. A segintaAera Garanke bara. Minata: Garanke, i ni ce. F' ka sabara banns wa? Garanke: A mei-Ina. 0 to se ka bila ka sumaya. Aw de ta ye duniya ye. Minata: A dila-sara ye joli ye? Garanke: I oe se min na, o di. Minata4---Garanke;-4-ye-baara-ke-senge-min-ner. Garanke: Serie to ne n'i ce. Aw m'a den duna tinyena. Ne yere-kun t'e ta ye wa?Min b'i bolo, o d'i ka garankeke ma. Minata: Nin mine. I ni ce, i ni baraji i ka bonya la. Ala b'i sara. Garanke: Ne bolo e ka barika-da ye Ala ka sara TO. Notes 1. tun The-past time marker tun, usually occurs mediately before the auxiliary. If the preauxiliary words ce, man, nisen are present, tun will always occur before them, e.g.: A tun be yan. A tun maka di. A tun ce ka nyi. A tun nisen ka di. When an appositional past or present participle occurs with the subject noun, tun can occur either before the appositional phraseor before the auxiliary: A sigilen tun be. A'taate tun don. or A tun sigilen be. or tun taan don. When the subject noun phrase contains a possessive construction, tun can occur before the possessed head noun, A tee tun be tinye. N' mako tun b'a la. or A tun tOg3 be tinge. or N tun ma165 b'a la. 4 Fanta- tun kereke be ke dugutigi ye. All tun muso segira so. Ali tun ka so be yen. Intermediate Bambara 167 2. lakolon/rOkolon In general, r6 is the Maninka postposition and causativeverb marker, corresponding to Bambara la. As happens in all languages, some forms from some dialects prevail, where others donot. It turns out that in Standard Bambara, la ispreferred-over re, except in a few isolated forms. Such is the case of darekolon. In all other cases Standard Bambara prefers theuse of la, e.g.: kan nakolon ju lakolon. sen nakolon bolo lakolon Lakolon may be translated as "naked, empty, without contents/cover." It is not unlikely that it is morphologicallyrelated- to kolon translating as "worthless, used, old, worn out.' In addition to having an exceptional morphological structure, . da-riikolon also has a slightly specialinterpretation. Literally, its translation is "empty mouthed."It has the interpretation "all by myself" or "without special means,"that is, without "dalilu," e.g.: I dp-rakolnn_te-se-k1 4141-ke, 3. fyek6r6/nye na When these two- expressions take human noun objects, they can both be interpreted as "before, in thepresence of, in front of," e.g.: fin to ke mansake nye na. or fin to ke mansake nyek?,:rC'. This is nJt done before the .king.. Aye na does not accept timenouns as its objects. fvek6re however does, in which case, it translates as "before",e.g.: U btu masiri seliba_pyek. They make themselves up -before the holiday. 4. Predicates and arguments In trying to find a formal way to talk about meaning-;--Dinguists often borrow terminology and theoretical frameworks fromphilosophers and logicians. Without a common terminology, it is difficultoften even to know how to think about a particular problem. In talking about the way verbs behave, linguistshave borrowed heavily from predicate logic. Hopefully, the terminology will not scare you off. A predicate can be understoodvery simply as an element that imposes conditions on other elements, that is, insome way it tells them how-to behave. A verb certainly has predicate force insentences. It governs the form, meaning and number ofnouns with which it participates. The nouns participating with a predicateare called arguments. Verbs can be classified by the number of argumentsthat they govern, e.g.: 180 166 Intermediate Bambara die one argument verb washtwo argument verb put three argument verb This framework gives us a useful structure within which wecan compare differences between English and Bambara. We saw in Lesson 11 for example that activity verbs in English can add prepositional phrases which convert simple activity verbs to activity-motion verbs. For example, dance is an activity verb, but in "John danced out of the room," the verb phrase characterizes a motionas well as an activity. If we study the verb velema used in this lesson, and compare it to its English counterpart "change", we notice some interesting differences. Yelema is a one or two argument verb, e.g.: A yelemana. It changed. A y'a yelema. He changed it. y yelema. He changed himself. As-s een-i-n-the-trans-lat-io n a ng e-o p erate s- -in- the- same - manner. Change can however take a prepositional phrase with "into" which can add another argument, e.g.: She changed him into a toad. B-M-D does not allow this expression of an additional argument with yelema. Instead one is obliged to add another verb phrase which can carry the argument, e.g..: A y'a yelema ka ke ntori ve. As you will continue to discover, Bambara has many different ways of accomplishing the same task as we find in English. 5. reir8 In Lesson 12, we examined the highly regular and productive process of compounding with yar6. Some of these compounds come to have special meaning. JO-y6rO is a case in point. Literally, a-yOrO translates as "the place to stand, the place where one stands." Its extended meaning incorporates the notions "role, function." Nag6 ja-yar6 ka bon sane la. The role/function of fertilizer is large in farming. Konate jii-yOra tun ka bon Konate's role was great in the haranya kale fight for freecom. 181 Intermediate Bambara 169 Vocabulary hala surprise barada teapot dalilu secret, knowledge, special means fini don dress (manner) foroko leather bag foron sheath, scabbard gundo secret gundo mara . . . keep a secret jatigi-muso . . hostess O Jo right kun-da do (someone's) hair mara keep, rule, control, master nyin-susu . . do (someone's) teeth seben gris-gris, talisman, charm son character, heart . suko female form of Keyita sunyali theft, robbery to enclose in (etui) wo hole solo skin, leather wusu smoke wusulan incense ( O 182 " Intermediate Bambara 171 KALAN 114 Jeliya ni fall Nsiirin: Ko man di be la. 4 Na ni X ye Taa ni X ye X fe Infinitive clauses el X ke ka Y Review of coordination X ani X ni Y X ani fans Y X ka Y X dan na X-ko .(thematter of X) 184 ell 172 Intermediate Bambara Jeliya_ ni fall Dugu si to taa jell ka. Jeliw de ye cidenw ye, olu de ye kuma_ laselaw ye. N'i be ko o ko ke, f'i ka jell bila i nye. N'o te, a ko to nyenaba_. Jeli de be furu-sira-taamaw 174. N'i b'a feka fen siirCi maga la, i dun b'a dan i kelennama to se k'a sOr'a la, i be jell bila o ko nyenabOli la. Jell b'a ka dahirime sarOo ci nines de la. N'a ye ci ke maga o maga ye, o tigi b'a son. Ni kOnya be ke .wala borokoli walima denkundi, jeliw :1)-e taa n'u ka fOli-fenw ye. . Cew be foli-ke, musaw be dankili da ka dOn ke. 0 nyenajew de senfe, u be mOgow barama, u be moor buruju gosi. Baran bololankolon to se ka taa nyenajeyara bawo jell min man'i deli, i ka kan k'o son. N'i m a son, i be meo fadenw ye. Ni dugutigi wala haran be kuma-jama la, a to peren ka kuma. A b'a ka kuma fa jell de ye. 0 b'a lase jams ma. Dugu ka ko karOw fana be mara jellidefe: Fen o fen n'a be ke dinye_na, ni nisOdiya-ko don, o be be na ni fali_ye. Fall be ke denkundi la; a be ke bolokoli la; a be ke kanyaya_ la. Tulon sugu ka ca. Bala-fO be yen; dunun-fa be yen; ntamani-fa_ be yen. Ka sigi ka jell ka nkani-kan lamen wala k'a ka kOra-kan Jamen, o see ye nyena e_so ye. Dunun-fa-yara la, meow be koori dunun-fala la.Musow be ja u dan na, cew be jiTu dah-na. Musow be tegere feka dankili da ani s _ _ ,... . .-. .--.. . _. . , ka aon ke. Cew t4 tegere fo nka u be don ke. Fall_ bee nyem6gOya be nyama-kalaw bolo. Olu de y'a ko be labenbagav ye. sene-fenw tigera, fall be ke ka magaw ka nisadiya jira ani ka arika 'da: Ala Nyininkali: 1. Dugu to taa mun ka? 2. Jeli _ye mun ye dugu kana?._ 3. Jell be mun ke? 4. Jeli b'a ka dahirime sarii cogo di? 5. Ni jelije ci ke i ye, i ka kan ka"mun ke? 6. ',Teliw be taa ni mun ye kOnyaFala 7. Mg be mun ke? 8. Musow dun? 9. Jeliw be mun-ke ny4najew, 10. Mun na haran bololankolon to se ka taa nieslaje-yara_y 11. Jeli-sanbaliya be na ni mun ye? 12. Jan_be dugutigi ka kuma lase jama ma? 13. Jeli_be mun were mara? 011 Intermediate Bambara 173 Nyininkali: 14.Mun be na ni fall ye? 56. U be dOn ke wa? 15.Slya be na ni fOli ye wa? 57. J8nif_ be d5n-gili_da? 16.Mun na saya to na ni nil ye. 53. Cew be tegere fa' way 17.Foli be ke tuma jumen? 59. Fallw nyemOgOya be 18.Tulon sugu ka ca wa? Jan bolo? 19.Tulon sugu jumenw T;e yen? 60. Jan ye nYenajewlaben-baga 20.Nkani-kan-lamen_ye nyanaje d8 ye wa? ye? 21.nra-kan-lamen dun? 61. Fali_be ke Sapiya tuma wa? 22.MOgaw be mun ke- dunun-fO-y8rO la? 62. F8li_be ke tuma jEplan 23.U be koori dunun-fala la wa? tuma? 2h.Musow ni cew be ja u dan na wa? 63. Mun na ube falike ni 25. Musow be ja u dan na wa? se:ye-fenitigera? 26. Cew dun?' U fana be gi u dan na wa? 27. Musow be mun ke? 28. Musow be tegere fa wa? 29. Musow be d8n ke we? 30. Cew be tegere f8- we Nyininkali: 31. Dugu be taa ka 32. Jelly ye cidenw ye wa? 33 Jeliw ye kuma-laselaw ye wa? 34. N'i be ko o ko ke, i be jeli bila i nye wa? 35. N'i m'o ka, a ko be nyanab8 wa? 36. Jeri-15e-filtu-sira-taamawkewa? 37. N'i b'a f ka fen sara MOO la, i kelen to se k'as8r8, i be 3. jeld-bila o tigi la wa ?? 39. Jeli 1Y° nyanab8 wa? 40. Jeli_p'aka dahirime s8r8 o cll./. la wa? 41. N'a y'o ke mO05 min ye, o tigi bta son way 142. Jeliw be taa niuka fali-fenw ye anykra_ArO way 143. JUli-cew be fali ke wa? 44. Jeli -musow be dOngilia way 15. Jelicey be clngili_da we? 46. Jalimusow:be dongili da wa? 47. Musow be dOn_ke way 148. Nyenajew sap fe, jelly be mOgawl barama wa? 49. Ube magawburuji gosi way 50. HarOn_bololankolon be se ka taa nyenaje-yOrZi_la we? 51. Jalimana hi5yOn_deli, aka kan k'asOn war N m son, a b6 1112Jc, wa? 53. Jelibe dugutigi ka kuma lase jama ma way 51i. Pligutigi ala haran be peren ka kuma jama la way 55 Dugu ka ko karaw fana be mara jaliflway 186 174 Intermediate Bambara Segin-n-kan: taa ni Bala taara n'a den ye. Seku ka mobili taara ni.n'ka doni ye. All ko k'a be taa ni Fanta ye. U be taa ni bare_ye. Bila -la: Bala taara n'a den ye. Fanta . . . a dagiani. . muso . . a karMa. Baro-misen: A. Jan taara n'i den ye? A. I to taa ni foyi ye kayi? B. Bala taara n'a den ye. B. Seku ka mobili taara ni n'ka doni ye. A. Jan be taa n'a ye? A. Kaladenw ye karitiin to wa? B. All ko k'a be taa n'a ye. B. Ayi, u taara ni bare de ye. Baro-misen: Nye-jira: Kama -denw: All . . . Fanta A. All be taa -a dan na wa. B. Ayi, a ni Fanta be dumuni ke Twdla)' Ayi, Fanta-be dumuni ke a fe. Kuma-denw Seku . . . . Ami Burama . . . Salimata Maadu . . . Adama Solo ,--.- . . Kariba Baba . . . . Sali Shaka . . . Jeneba Asetu. . . . Muba Sedu . . . . Kaja Umu . . . . Mamu Ngolo . . . Nyele Segin-n-kan: na ni KOnyaya be na ni fui:yL A to se ka na ni foyi ye. Baba nana n'i ka bare ye. San be na ni sumaya_ye. A. Mun be ha ni fali_ye? A. A be se ka na ni wari_ye wa? B. Kanyaya be na ni fall ye. B. A to se ka na ni foyi ye. A. Baba nana ni mun ye? A. San be na ni mun ye? B. Baba nana n'i ka bare Ye. B. San be na ni sumaya_ye. 187 Intermediate Bambara 175 Bila-no -la: na ni A t4 se ka na ni foyi ye. wari . . . dumuni . . . doni si . . malo . . . i muso . . an ka bore . . sama . . . fini . . . Segin-n-kan: ka X Ka kOra-kan lamen, o ye ny4naje da_ye. Ka meow kalan, o fana ka baara Ka sunyeni ke, o fana y'a son da ye. da; ye. Ka dunun_fa, o fana ye kalan da ye. .Ka sunOga, o fana ye.yere-lafiya da; ye. Ka d'oboli ke, o fana ye jate da ye. Ka d&-kili da, o fana ye jeliya Ka boll, o tariaye-ce,'ya dO ye. TI45 ye. _jun1.1i=k: A. Mun fana ye nye-nag da ye? A. Mun fana ye jeliya da ye? B. Ka kOr4-kan lamen. 13. Ka &in-kill da. A. Mun fana ye jate dO ye. A. Mun Lana ye c4ya da ye? B. -Ka dObali ke. B. Ka boll. A. Muir fana ye yere-lafiya da ye. B. Ka sunaga. Bila-no -la: Ka X iKa_kara=kan.lamen,...a 1)6 n' misOn=diya, Ka Seku ye tugun, Ka taa Segu, , t6ko g414n ye. ,odebe n' hakili la. .. Ka ka nyegen4 ke, to ko nyuman Ka nenini ke jama la, Ka dumuni k4 k'i daganito, Ka miiri i kelen na, to dagu-tigi jogo ye. 9_t4 ROO s4be ka baara ye. 2_to Ice anKbara. to ke yOra si. Ka i so-magOw fill, o te ko ye mogo be min k4. 188 176 Intermediate Bambara Kuma-don-nyagOn-na: Ka Y Nye-jira: A. MOgO_be fo1i_ke. Oka nyi. B. Ka foli_ke, aka nyi. MOgO_be nenini_ke jama_la. 0 ma nyi. MOO be tile fila bila. 0 ka di. MOO be saraka ba. Oka nyi. MOO be tile saba ke ima baara Mogo` be bore fila ta. Oka gelen. Ice. 0 ka fisa. MOO be taa Moti i senna. 0 man ge1en. Mogo be baara ke dono don. 0 man di. J` Baro-misen: o fana Kumadenw: NkOni. . .dOnkili. . .jeliya A. A be nkOni to wa? B. Ayi, a be dOn-kili da. A. 0 fana ye jeliya dO ye. Kumadenw: Ci kalan bdara B. Ayi, a be`kalanna. A. 0 fana ye baara do ye. Kumadenw: Kafoli . . .dabali...jate A. A be kafoli ke wa? B. Ayi, a be abali ke. A. 0 fana ye jate dO ye. Kuma-sen: pan . . . boles . . . keneya A. A be pan wa? B. Ayi, a be boll de. A. 0 fana ye keneya di) ye. Kuma-sen: kama . . . foli . . . mOgO sebeya. A. A be kuma wa? B. Ayi. Nka a be foli ke. A. 0 fana ye mOei sebeya da ye. Kuma-sen: . . . sung yaala . . . denmisenya A. A be sung wa? B. Ayi. Abe yaala. A. 0 fana ye den-misenya dO ye. .189 Intermediate Bambara 177 Segin-n-kan: taa X ko Dugu si to taa jell k6. Du-tigisi to taa sabali kO. Kalan_si to taa sabati _k& Kungo-kOnO-baara si te taa farinya NYamakala site taa dalilu Muso si to taa masiriw lc?). Kitabu-sebensi to taa hakili-sigi kO. Kuma-sen-dila:taa X ka Nye-jira: dugu_ . . . Jell Dugu si to taa jell Dugu-tigi . . . sabali. Kitabu-seben . . . hakili- sigi_. Kungo-k8na-baara . . . farinya. Muso . . . masiri. Baara . . .,timinandiya. Numu. . . Kalan . . . sabati. MOgaya . . . bonya. Nyininkali: taa X kO * Aw ka "taa X ko" nye jaabi la. Mun be dugu nye? Mun be numuya nye? Mun be suman tinye? Mun be -kalan lali? Mun be baara nye? Mun be dugu-tigi Bali ka ke dugu-tigi nyumanje? Mun be baara_pye? Mun be kitabu-seben nye? Mun be kungo-kOnO-baara nye? Segin-n-kan: X be Y bila Z la. I be jell bila o ko nyenabOli la. Nene be mOgOw bila yereyere la. Funteni b-er7146 bila kan-na-kolon-bila_1a. Dute bemOg6;blia pyegene-ke 1a. A y'a musow bila la. All ye baara-denw bila bOgii-baara_ Karamogo be ce-misenw..- bila sene la. la. Adama y'a teriw bila foli la. N' fg ye Jell Bala bila ka furu-taama la. e 190 178 Intermediate Bambara Kuma-sen-dilali: X be Y bila Z la Nye-jira: Fanta, Ali, baara. Fanta ye All bila baara la. Muso . . a denw. . ..e4lon. Ali. . .baara-denw. . .bOga-baara. Karaiii565_:-. .celmisenw. . .sene . _ _ . allOgOv.* . .yerei-ere. A. . .a muso_ w. . .fini-ko. Dute_. . .mag8. . .nyegene-ke. Adama. . .a teriw. ..foli. Funteni . .eigO. . .kan-na-kolon-bila. N'fa. . .Jeli- Bala. . .furu-ko. Nyininkali: X be Y bila Z la All be mun na? A musow be mun ke? Den-misenw be mun na? Adama teriw be mun na? Jeli Bala be mun na? Baara-denw be mun na? M6gOw be mun na? Dute be mogo bila mun na? Funteni_be mOg8 bila mun na? Fanta ye All bila mun na? A be jeli bila mun naf Segin-n-kan: f' i ka N'i be ko o ko ke, f'i ka jeli bila i nye. N'i ko i ka baara in ke, fo mOgO k'i deme. Ni All be na, fo Fanta ka kini were tobi. N'i*fa be kuma, f'i k'i kun suuli. N'i hp i ka Fanta ye, f'i ka taa SPugu la. N'i k' i ka tobili ke, f'i ka tasuma mene. N'i k' i ka kuma men, f'i k'i dade. N'i k'i k'i sago sarO, f'i ka sabali. Bila-no -la: f'i ka N'i be baara in ke, f'i ka-deme nyini. Wari caman soro. baarakela caman . . na joona. N'i b'a fe ka Seku ye, N'i ki i ka muso furu, ,f'i k'i da de. , f'i ka sabali. N'i k'i ka kalan_ke, 191 Intermediate Bambara 179 Fa-cogo-were: Ni ;( fo Y. Nye-jira: A. N'i fa be kuma, i ka kan k'i kun suuli. B. N'i fa be kuma, f'i k'i kun suuli. N'i be ko o ko ke, i ka kan ka jeli nye. N'i b'a fe ka kuma men, i ka kan k'i dade. N'i ko i ka baara in ke, m60 ka kan k'i deme. Ni All be na, Fanta ka kan ka kini were toEl. N'i ko i ka tobili ke, i ka kan ka tasuma mene. N'i ko i ka Fanta ye, i ka kan ka tan, sugu la. N'i b'a 1?! k'i sago siir6,i ka kan ka sabaTi. N'i b'a fe ka muso furu, i ha Inn k'i bolo bil'ikun. N'i k'i ka kalan, i ka kan ka manamana-ko dabila. Segin-n-kan: kelennama I kelennama to se ka ko nyenab6. I tena nen kelennama ye. N'ye wari di ciden kelennama ma. kan-ka-gi-rmn-vnan-MMinama nye= Adama kelennama tun to nin ke. Maramu kelennama to she da be ji la. Bila-n6 -la: I tena nen kelennama ye. soro. . . .jege dumun. . . . .she ye dumuni na. . . . .merTemene . . ye taamala. ye ton-kun ye baa-.a. la. Nyininkali: Nye-jira: A. I kelen don. I to se ka ko nyenabO. B. I kelennama to se ka ko nyenab6. I tena ngonje. Nein kelen don. N' ye wari di ci-den ma_. Ci-den kelen don. A mankan ka siran wulu Wulu kelen don. Adama kelen don.' A tun to run. ke. Maramu kelen don. Maramu te'she da ba ji la. Fanta kelen don. Faiita to fini ko. Menemene kelen don. MenemenT tTdumuni ke. Adama kelen don. Adama be ko be ke. Baba kelen don. Baba to ntola tan. Solo kelen don. Solo be kulunw dila. 192 180 Intermediate Bambara Baro Bala ye ci bila ka taa Jeli Amadu wele. A b'a fe ka Jeli Amadu ci dugu-tigi ma. Amadu: Asalamalekum. Bala:- Malekumasalam. Amadu: Bala, k'i ka ci-den tun f8ra n'163. N'nan'i k_avele laming. _ Mun tun don? Bala: giciin&na-fililen don ko do de la. N' ko n'b'i wale k'a nye j_r'i la, n'i be se ka n' dame". Amadu: Ala k'an be lajelen.deme. Bala: Andina. Ko gelenba don, Jeli Amadu. Ne ma d'a la n'a be se ka nyanabii. Amadu: Ala ka bon, Bala. Ko ka Sigan dinye na min nyanab8aga ye Inciew ye, ni mOg8w to se k'a nyanabilt E k'i ka kun-ko fO. Bala: __Afire nin ye. N'b'a fe k'i ci ka taa cillgu-tigi bara,.i ka" t'a nyin'i a fe a ka n' son foro kura la. Amadu: 0 to baasi.--0-117/ke ni Ala lTEL Kira siinn'a ma- Bala: iAre b'a dciako n' ka denbayabonyanen bYkosebe sisan. 0 de kasOcin' be foro kura in nyinina. Amadu: EkEni k'a to tone ma sa. E be min fe, i y'o f8...... _A s8r8- . , cogo, o be ne de ma. Ni Ala n'a Kira sonna, i b 'i kaforo s8r8 k'a sane nyinan samiya la. Bala: N'o sera ii ICe, o na diya n'ye k8sabe. N'ka denbaya na lafiya kas6b.e. Notes 1. Na ni X ye/taa ni X ye These expressions are used as the equivalents of "take" and "bring". Literally, they translate as "come with, go with". Notice that "take" has, in English, an interpretation like "take from, pick up, seize". In the sense of "pick up", "take" would be translated by B-M-D ta. Ta is not, however, a motional verb. It requires a verb like taa or na to give it motional value, e.g.: A ye bilr'e ta sugu_la. He took/picked up the bag in the market. AA ye hi5reti ka taa He took/picked up the bag and went sugula. . to market or He took the bag to the market. A ye boreto yari. He took/picked up the bag here. ye b&eia ka ha yan. He took/picked up the bag and came here. or He brought the bag here. When human nouns are involved in these constructions, it is always better to interpret them as "take" or "bring", rather than "go with" or "come with". There is an important difference. For 193 Intermediate Bambara 181 C. Volition Fe is used to express wanting, liking, or volition. Perhaps it could here be literally translated again as "X is oriented towards Y", meaning X wants Y. In this sense, fe cannot be replaced by bolo in any B-M-D dialects. In Gambian Mandinka, there is a verb lafi which is used to express volition. One might question whether fa in a sentence like the following is the same as the others and whether it is a verb or not. to .fege fe. I don't like/want fish. It is impossible to tell in such sentences whether the item is a verb or a postposition, since, in this time aEl3ect,- they take the same auxiliaries. A verb, however, can occur in the future, the past, an infinitive, in a subordinate clause, and it has a nominalized form, e.g.: a. A be wari sorb. He gets money. b. A bena wari s8r8. He will get money. c. A ye wari soro. He got money. d. Wart sarala. Money was gotten. e. ka wan. soro. for him to get money, that he got money 'f. ka wari sar8 to get money g. wari sOrtai getting money Postpositions will only be found in sentences of type (a). When one wishes to express "like, want" in any of these other aspects, the verb ke must be used, e.g.: b. A bena ke wari fe. He will want money c. does not occur d. A kera warife. He wanted money e. A ka ke warif4. for him to want money, that he wanted money f. Ka ke wari fe. to want money The same facts would obtain with other postpositions like la,ma, Ica, etc. D. Passive Fe is used in Bambara to express the equivalentof a by- phrase in the English passive, e.g.: Warafasara doilsofe. The beast was killed by the hunter. In this use, fe can be replaced by bolo in most dialects,e.g.: Wara_fagara donso bolo. The beast was killed by the hunter. 194 182 Intermediate Bambara As stated before, the primary differences betweenan infinitive and a subordinate clause are: 1. A subordinate clause has a subject. 2. The infinitive auxiliary is low tone. The subordinate clause auxiliary is high tone. 3. Under certain conditions, the subordinate clausecan take the negative auxiliary kana. The infinitive has no negative form. With respect to distribution, infinitival and subordinateclauses occur in the same places, except where prohibited by the meaning of the-verb that governs them, for example, se, "to be able": A be se k'a ka. He is able to do it. Both infinitival clauses and subordinate clausescan be conjoined by ani, e.g.: A be se ka baara ke tile fe ani ka dan ke su fe. He is able toTotk-during the day. and to dance at night. Ka baara ke tile fe ani ka dan ke su fe o be mogo segen. To work during the day and to dance at night tiresa person out. In general, infinitives in subject positionexpress non-factive or hypothetical events. For this reason, they are somewhat awkward with the amplitive aspect. You will note that the same facts hold for English, e.g.: Ka All ye tuguni, o be diva n'ye. To see All again would please me. All yeli tuguni, o diyara n'ye. Seeing All again pleased me. Where the event is already a fact, the nominalized verb form is preferred. Infinitive clauses can be used, again like English, toexpress "in order ton-phrases, e.g.: Fali be ke ka barika da Alaye. Music is performed (in order) to give thanks to Allah. Walasa "in order to" can be inserted in these constructions to relieve ambiguity or interpretive difficulty, e.g.: Fall be ke walasa ka barika da Alaye. 195 Intermediate Bambara 183 example, "the child went with his mother" does nothave the same interpretation as "the child took his mother". The B-M-D sentence, den be taa n'a ba ye has the latterinterpretation. To get the first interpretation, that is, where the mother seems somehowto be in command, the postposition fa can be used, e.g.: Den be taa a ba fe. The child is going with his mother. 2. X fa This postposition has an extraordinary number of usesin Bambara. We will try to review some of them here. A. Locative As a locative, fe has the meaning"oriented towards, via, in the direction of, towards", e.g.: A n_ ana Segu fe. He came via Segu. A taara Segu fan fa. He went in the direction of Segou. Fa combines with directional nouns to form complexlocation nostpositions, e.g.: nye ra in front (of), towards the front Ice fa in back of, toward the back kare fa at the side of, toward the side san fa above ' da fa at the mouth/edge of, beside, near Complex directional nouns can be formedwith the suffix -la, e.g.: nya-fela the front ke-fala the back kare-fala the side san-fela the upper part, upstairs, on top Used alone with a person's name asits object and followed by yen, it can be interpreted as"chez, at the home of, to X's" e.g.: A taara Ali fa yen. He went to Ali's. B. Possessive Fa is used to express possession, perhapstranslating literally as "X is oriented towardsY", meaning that Y possesses dialects, is interchangeable X. In this sense, fa, in most Be-D with bolo. In Gambian Mandinka, neitherre nor bolo is widely used for possessives. The verb soto (=sere) used to express this function. 196 184 Intermediate Bambara E. Association As pointed out in the preceding note,fe can be used to express certain meanings of"with" in English. As with the passive use of fe, there is always some interpretationof agency in the uses. Associational fe cannot, for example, have an inanimate noun as itsobject. In addition, the object of fe is always interpreted as somehow being the controllingforce of the action in question.For example, one meaning of "with" in English might be labeled non-reciprocal agency, asillustrated in the sentences below. a. The student worked with the great master. b. The great master worked with his student.. There are readings in which sentences(a) and (b) do not mean the same thing. The interpretation of (a) that is analogous to the use of fe is the one in which the"great master" is clearly in command of the activities of the student, thus: Kalandenje baara ke karamagabafe. F. Mutuality This is expressed by fe with nyagan"together" as its object, e.g.: 1 U taara nyagan fe. They went together. G. Time In time adverbials, fe- clauses express thenotion of "during, duration", e.g.: A taara su fe. He went during the night. . A be sunogo tile_ fe. It sleeps during the day. 3. Infinitive Clauses Infinitive clauses are like subjectless sentenceswith the low tone auxiliary ka. In B-M-D, infinitives seem generally to have the properties of noun phrases. That is, whatever environment noun phrases can be found in, andwhatever functions in the sentence theysatisfy, infinitives are abli to do the same. The only condition on their distribution is the very general conditionin B-M-D that major syntactic functions like subject and object cannot beexpressed with a complex noun phrase, e.g.containing a relative clause or an infinitive. In such a case, the complex noun phraseis moved to topiCalized position and the pronoun o fills the majorfunction position, e.g.: Ka kora -kan lamen, o ye nyenaje da_ye. To listen to the kora is a certain pleasure. Intermediate Bambara 185 4. Coordination: A Review There are three kinds of coordination in B-M-D, which can be identified by the words used to conjoin them together. Basically, noun phrases are conjoined with ani or ni.Verb phrases are conjoined using the infinitival auxiliary ka after the initial verb phrase.Other constituents are conjoined without any linking word, but with intonation. Some constituents which can be conjoined in English cannot be conjoined in B-M-D. Let us, review these probesses. A. ani As stated above, ani can be used to conjoin noun phrases, e.g.: ani Baba ye. He saw All and Baba. Where one finds X and Y, where both X and Y are noun-phrases, it is always permissible to use the short form ni. Ani can be used at the end of a sentence as sort_of_an_attert- thought kind of coordination, or especially if the noun phrase to be conjoined is complex and occupying a major syntactic position, e.g.: A ye Ali ye ani Baba ki5rake. He saw All and Baba's older brother. When ani is at the end of a sentence, it cannot be replaced by the short form, ni. The long or short torms are*cused to adjoin pronouns, e.g.: Nr ne ani e I and you a ni mansa he and the king ne ni Baba Baba and I o ni baara that and the work B. Infinitival conjunction In either a set of simultaneous events or in a sequence of events, infinitival phrases may be used after the first phrase to express these coordinations, e.g.: A wulila ka-b8 ka taa sugu la. Fie got up and left and went to the market. An4cannot be used to tie these infinitives together. C. Predicate adjectives Predicate adjectival phrases cannot be coordinated. The entire sentence must be repeated. A ka bon, a ka jan. He is big and (he is) tall. 198 186 Intermediate Bambara D. Adjunctive adjectives Adjunctive adjectives cannot be conjoined in B-M-D. They may be adjoined, however, leading to a hierarchical interpretation, e.g.: Musa jamanjan cenyi. This sentence could be translated by "a tall woman who is beautiful," that, is, where "beautiful" defines the entire unit "tall woman." If ani/ni is found between two adjunctive adjectives, the second one will be interpreted as a noun, e.g.: Fini jeman ani finman. The above example would not translate as "black and white cloth," but rather "white cloth and a black one." A notion like "black and white cloth," would have to be expressed by a circumlocution, such as relative clauses using conjoined nominals. Fini, finman ni jeman be min na. E. Sentences In general, sentences are conjoined by intonation, e.g.: Fanta tora so; Baba taara sugu la. Fanta stayed home; (and) Baba went to the market. In some cases, however, ani fana can be used to conjoin two sentences, e.g.: Fanta ye finiw ko, ani fana a ye tobili ke. Fanta washed the clothes, and also she cooked the meal. Ani alone cannot be used for this purpose- The twoisentences must have the same subject. The conjunctions nga "but", wala "or" can be used to conjoin sentences as in English, e.g.: Fanta tora so wala a taara sugu la. Fenta stayed home or she went to the market. Fanta tora so nga a ba taara sugu la. Fanta stayed home, but her mother went to the market. 199 Intermediate Bambara 187 F. Non-conjoinable constituents In B-M-D, neither postpositions, postpositional phrases, nor auxiliaries can be conjoined in any fashion. In most cases, these would require a repetition of the verb phrase or of the sentence, e.g.: A be tiga feere so kOn6 ka tiga feere sugu la. She sells peanuts at home and in the market. A tun be baara la. A be baara la hali bi. She was and still is-Working. 5. Ko Ko is certainly one of the most frequently occurring words in B-M-D. It has many uses, some of which are idiomatic, others which do not correspond directly to anything in, English. It will be worth our while to review some of those uses here. A. Ko is a noun which generally refers to an event, action, or activity. It can be translated in various contexts, as "affair, Imatter,'business, thing, problem, question." So-ko geleyara. The matter of housing has become difficult. The housing question) The housing matter has become difficult. The housing problem S.° In most dialects, ko can be used for cogo (coko), "manner, way," e.g.: A to nin cogo an. or He doesn't know how to do this. A to nin ko A ke-cogo ka gelen. It is difficult to do. A ke -ko ka gelen. In this respect, ko can translate as "manner, way" when preceded by a verb or an activity noun. It can be translated as "the way to deal with_X" when preceded by other classes of nouns, e.g.: A to muso- ko_don. He doesn't know the way to deal with women. orHe doesn't understand the way(s) of women. (A to musow ko dOn.) C. Ko can be possessed alienably with ka) or inalienably (i.e. without ka) with important differences in meaning. The inalienable construction leads to a translation like "X's way, the way X does things, X's manner." In this sense, the properties seem to be more intrinsic to the possessor. The possessor does not seem to be responsible for the properties in question, responsible, that is, in the sense of being their agent 188 Intermediate Bambara or author, e.g.: Hawa ko Hawa's manner/way/style The inalienable construction leads to the_ nterpretation "the things that X does; X's behavior, X's affairs." In this sense, X is responsible as the agent or author of the properties in question, e.g.: Hawa ka ko the things Hawa does; Hawa's affairs/business This latter meaning comes up in the expression: I ka ko ka gel4n/nOen/ca. You are hard/easy to get along with. (literally, "the way that you act (behave) is hard/easy.") These are the only three adjectives with which ko cooccurs in the, alienable construction. In the inalienable construction, ko only cooccurs with the adjectives di, Ea in the following expression.: X ko ka di/go Y ye. Fanta ko ka di n' ye.- Fanta's way pleases me. or I like Fanta. It is important to note' that ko in either alienable or inalienable constructions is only used with human nouns in this elpression. Objects or activities that one likes are expressed directly as the subjects without ko, e.g.: DOn ka di n' ye. I like dancing. pOla-min ka di n' ye. I like drinking beer. Namasa ka di n' ye. I like bananas. With human nouns, ko may or may not be used. Some speakers, however, feel that the construction without ko tends to accentuate the physical or sexual properties of the subject, e.g.: Hawa ka di n' ye. Hawa appeals (sexually) to me. Hawa ko ka di n' ye. I like Hawa. In the inalienable form, the past tense marker tun may occur either before or after ko, e.g.: Hawa tun ko ka di n-'ye. I used to like Hawa. or Hawa ko tun ka di n' ye. 201 Intermediate Bambara 189 D. In cases where ko may or may notbe used, it is generally the case that the form withoutko is interpreted as referentially specific, whereas with ko, it refers to awider spectrum of relations. For example, consider the following-sentences. a) An banna sara la. We agreed on the salary. (matters). b) An benna saga -kola. We agreed about the salary The first sentence would be interpreted as anagreement concerning the sum of money in question. The second sentence b) wouldallow one to extend the agreement tosalary-related issues, e.g. method of payment, time of payment, etc. Vocabulary bala xylophone koori . . . . . circle kOra 21 string harp-lute bala-f8. . . . xylophoneraaying . . . interpret barama .t . praise kuma-sasela . malo shame bila . . leave, put nkOni ...... stringed instrument bololankolon . empty-handed (generic) buruju . . . . lineage ntaniani :talking drum buruju-gosi. . lineage praising playing the talking drum ci message ntami-f8 nye-m8g8 leader ci-deh . . . . messenger nye-maeya leadership :dahirima . . . living party, entertainment dan limit nye-naje amusement . . . song peren. yell; scream- dunun . . . . Arum tegere applause, clapping Of dunup-f8 . . . drumming hands. jama crowd kelennama . by oneself Expressions to put X to Y, to assign X to Y. X bila Y la .. . . X sen fa in the course of 202 Intermediate Bambara 191 ULAN 15 Gesedala ni gese Nsiirin: Gese-dala,n'a ka fale dun, a b4 dara gale da. I b4 t'a sara Min X, ni Y X V-to, Sama: X sama Y la. Y sama X ma. Wajibiya: X wajibiyalen don Y kan. Ka X k4 Y ye (benefactives) 204 192 Intermediate Bambara Gese-dala ni gese Dugu caman na, i be t' a siir8 dugu_geseAala_ye maabii de ye. Maaba ye Fila de ye. MabOw ye m8g6 sugu fila ye:minw be kasaw da, n'olu be si5r6 Masina kono ani minw be fini cenyiw dan'olu bgbO Seneiali futa. Maba be gese da musow ye. U We. sara. Faia, nimuso tun b'a fe ka finial da k'u feere, a tun bgkOori-foroni nori tun mana mr5, a tun b'a wulusi k'a parata ka fale 1)8 a la. A tun be t'o fale di gese-data_ ma don o don dile la. Don o don a tun ka kan ka taa dgiew mine k'u .. lafa.A tun taata da14 mine, a tun be taa gese-dala sama woro ni suman na. Sisan, muso caman be gaari san de ka t'a di gese-dalama. U yereie gaari dila tugun. Nka hall bi gese-dala ka woro n'a ka suman wajibiyalen don u ma. Nyininkali: 1. Gese-dala be sore dugu be la wa? 2. Jan ye gese-dala ye? 3. Mab-5 ye bamanan ye wa? 4. Maba_ye siya jumen ye? 5. MabOw ye m6g8 sugu joli ye? . 6. Minw be kasa da, olu be b8 min? 7. Minw be ba Masina, olu be mun da? 8. Minir be fini nyumanw da, olu be ba min? 9. Minw be ba Senegali Futa, olu be mun da? 10. Maba be mun ke? 11. A be gese da fu wa? * 12. Abe gese da janw ye? 13. Fala, ni muso tun bia fe ka fini da, a tun be mun ke? 14. A tun b'o kaori ke mun ye? 15. A tun be gaari sara kOori la cogo. di? 16. A tun be mun ke ni gaari ye sani a ka taa a di gese-dala ma? 17. A tun'ka kan ka mun ke don o don. 18. A tun be taa ni mun ye don o don? 19. A tun be taa ni mun ye a bolo? 20. Musow be gaari ba sisan wa? 21. Ube mun ke? 22. Mun wajibiyalen be hali bi? Segin-n-kan: i be t'a s8r8 I be-t'a sar8 gese-dala ye mabO de ye. I be t'a saris' dugu bee be sene ke. I be numu_ de be bolokoli ke. I be t';Sgr8 eew to tobili ke: 205 Intermediate Bambara 193 Baro-misen A. I be t'a sara gese-dala ye mun ye? B. I be t'a sara gese-dala ye maba ye. A. I be t'a sarO numu be mun ke? B. I be t'a s&O numu be bolokoli ke. A. I be t'a sara dugu bee be mun ke? B. I be t'a &Ora (luau bee be sene ke. A. I be t'a sara cew to mun ke? B. I be t'a sOrci cew to tobili ke. Baro-misen: i be t'a soro Nye-jira: Fanta . . . tobili_ A. Fanta be se tobili la wa? - B. I be t'a sara a be s'a la ka temen mho caman kan. Seku . . kara-n_ Hawa . . . dankila-da Maadu . . . dunun-fa_ Ami . . . fini -ko_ I muso . . . sugu -la-sigi_ Solo . . . kara-fa_ Isa . . . ntola-tan_ Maba . . . gese -da_ Sali . . . gala-don Numu Bakari . . . daba -dila Nyininkali: i be t'a soro I ka sara" bila jaabi la Nye-jira: A. N be taa kayi sini. B. I be t'a soro funteni be yen. N'be taa New York juma-don. N' be taa "Canada" Kalo kura. N'be taa sinemanna su fi. N' b'a'fe ka dunun-fii dege. N'b'a fe ka walafa-kan kalan. N' be taa Ameriki Saheli-yan-fan fa. N' be taa Shaka bara. N' b'a fe ka dani dege. N' b'a fe ka gese da. Segin-n-kan: min . . . ni Minw be kasaw da n'olu be bo Masina. Minw be fini ce-nyiw da n'olu be ba futa. Min be tilen ka baara k4-ffia to segen. Min be se ka san duurule n'a to fara. 20 194 Intermediate Bambara Baro-misen A. E kan be Fila jumenw ma? B. Minw be kasaw da n'olu b4 bo Masina. J. A. Male kan be jumenw ma? B. Minw b4 fini c4-nyiw da n'olu be bo Futa. A. I b4 baara-k41a,jumen f4? B. Min b4 tilen ka baara ka n'a to Se-gen. A. I b4 bagi jum4n:f4? B. Min b4 se ka san duuru k4 n'a to fara. Bila-na-la:min X...ni Min ka so man jan, n'a toga ko Adama. n'a be baara k4 lakali la. n'a be n'a ny4naj4 an f4. Min b4 to ka na yan, Min be mobili finman boll, , n'u b'a wele , nT ab4 to ka tem.& yan. , .magawfo Min ka du ka bon, n'a b'a f4 ka da feere. n'a togo ko Amadu. , n'a to maga bila ka don a ka du kando. Kuma-don-nyagan-na: min X ni Y Nye-jira: A. A ka so man jan. A toga ko Adama B. Min ka so man jan, n'a t6g8 ko Adama. A ka du ka bon. A toga ko Amadu. -- A ka du ka dogon. A b'a fe ka da-w4r4 san. A be kuma arajo la. A be fill tuma b4e. Tb4 kaga_feere.A ka tabali be bulon-da la. . A to don ga-buguono.' A b4 dumuni duman fe. A ka jan. A to miiri foyi la. A be temen yan. A b4 foli k4. Segin-n-kan: sama . . . la A ye n' sama dulaki ni kulusi la. A ma an sama foyi la. A y'a den sama mobili la. U ba y'u sama filenw ni galamaw la. 2 7 Intermediate Bambara 195 Nyininkali: A. A y'i sama wa? B. Owa a ye n' sama dulaki ni kulusi la. A. A y'a den sama wa? B. OwO, a y'a den sama. A y'a sama mobili la. A. A y' air sama wa? B. yi. A. m'an sama foyi la. A. U ba y'u sama wa? B. NO, a y'u sama. Ay'u sama filenw ni galamaw la.' Segin-n-kan: . . . sama . . . ma A ye nya-bare sam'a fa ma. Jene ye bagi sam'a kara-muso ma. A ba ye tasaw sam'a ma. N' ma fan sama mOga"ii ma. Nyininkali: A. A ye fen sam'a.. fa ma wa? A. Jena ye fen sapOlkara-muso ma wa? B. ova. Aye nio-bOre sam'a. ma. B. Owa. Aye bagi sainta kara-muso ma. A. A ba ye fen sam'a ma wa? A. I ye fen sama maga ma wa? B. Ova. A ye tasaw sam'a ma. B. N' ma fen sama mNa si ma. Bila-no -la: sama A ye Mamadu sama dulaki la. . . .Fanta . . .a muso . . .a den . . .Tigi-nyaganw . . .a dagake . . .a koro-muso . . .UMaru N' be n' balimamuso sama fin& na. musoro . . . sabara . . . kanOn. . . . 208 4f 196 Intermediate Bambara Bila-na-la: sama Aye Mamadu sama dulOki la. . . . Fanta . . .'sabara . . . .a muso . Aanan . . .a den . . Acitabu . . . .sigi-nyaganW. wari . . . .a dOgOke .7 jele . . . .a kOra-muso. .sanu . . . . .Umaru . . . .nege-so . N' be n' balimathusosama fini na. balimake . . , . musoro . . karake . sabara . . kiirOmuso . . . . kanan . . Bila-na-la: A ye fini sama Maramu ma. . . .sabara . .Nyele . . .nano Malado . . . . .mobili. . . a fa . . .jege . . . .a karake . . . . .wari . . . .a den . . . . . .seben . . . .ne . . .montoro . . .a terike . . . . .malo . . . .Musa . . .nya a den-muso . . . . .Arajo . . . Mara . . .kitabu . . .a ba Yelemali: sama Nye-jira: A. A ye nya sam'a balimake ma. B. A y'a balimake sama nyo la. A ye kulusi ni dulaki sam'a ma. Ami ye deben sam'a ce ma. A ba ye wusulan sam'a ma. Fanta ye filenw ni galamaw samo Nyeba ma. N' be di ni ban-ji sam' i ma. A ye kibaru duman sam'an ma. N' balimamuso ye kayew ni kiriyOnw sama n' ma. Lasigi-den-so be kibaruya-sebenw sam'an ma. A ba ye mangoro ni lenburuba sam'a ma. Aw.kana foyi sam'an ma. 209 Intermediate Bambara. 197 Baro-misenw: Ali: A y'i sama wa? Baba: NO, a ye n' sama. Ali: A y'i sama mun na? Baba: A ye n' sama wari la. Fanta: I fa ye an sama wa? Jene: Owa, a y'an sama. Fanta A y'an sama mun na? Jene: A y'an sama musaraw ni kamisoliw la. Musa: N'i be na i ka n' sama. Bala: K'i sama mun na? Musa: Fen o fen y'i diya. Bala: 0 to kuma ye. Fen dO fO. Musa: N' sama tigani-kurun na. Nyele: I den y'i sama wa? Nyeba: Owa, a ye n' sama. Nyele: A ye mun sama i ma? Nyeba: Aye bagi sama n' ma. Nyele: A y'a fa sama wa? Nyeba: WO, a y'a sama wari la. Nyele: 0 nyena it&6176. Den nyuman don. Abudu: Ce, n' y' a men fa nana. Adama: 0wo, a nana. Abudu: A y'an sama wa? Adama: A ye den-misenw clan:in de sama. A ma foyi sama miiga-karOba si ma. Segin-n-kan: V-t8 A taata dale mine, a be gese-dala_sama woro la. A natO kalari ke a be Karamag8 sama sira la. A taato baara ke, a be Samake sama sigareti la. A segint8 baaro-yaro, a be baaraelaw sama woro la. A bolita ka don, a ye den nyoni k'a bin. A nato saga faga, a be magaw sama muru la. Bila -nO -la: A that() dole mine, a be gese-dalasama worn la. sira. . . to . . . 1 i i . . . A bOta so kOn8, a ye filen tan ka liana bon. A donta so kOn8, A wulita k'i j8, A sigit8 kurun kan 210, 198 Intermediate Bambara Baroni: I Nye-jira: dale mine. . .sama worn la. A. N'a be taa dole_ mine, a be mun ke? B. A taata dale mie*, a be gesedala sama woro la. baara_ke duloki kura don. seine ke duloki kolon don. . tobili ke ko kl je..'. naka_san taa ni den-misenw ye. kalan ka kitabu caman ta. . % kiri tlge nya-nyini. ntola-tan furakisew kunun. foli ke sama woro la. Nyininkali: V-t8 Nye - ,lira: I ka "V-ta" don jaabi kana. A. Ka kun-tigi to kuma na, aw be mun ke? B. Kun-tigi kumata, an to mankan ke. Ka ji to wuli la, a be mun ke? Ka Musa to sene la, a be mun ke? Ka den-misenw to dumuni na, u be mun ke? Maw to kalan na, aw be mull ke? Ka san-ji to nala, aw be mun ke? K'i to self le, i be mun ke? K'a to nakO sanna, a be mun ke? K'a to kuma lo, a be mun ke? v-t3 Nye-jira: Ka "tun" don kuma-sen nines kOna. A._ A taatO dile mine, a be gese-dala sama woro la. B. A tun taata dale- mine, muso tun b'a sama worn la. A taata baara-yara, a be baara-denw-sama sira la. Amadu taata Kayi, a be mOgaw sama namasa la. A taata foro la, a be taa ni ji ye a bolo. A taata kiri-tige-so kana, a be kalan _ke. Baba taatO Kayi, a ye fen caman san sira la. A taata nak8 la, a ni den-misenw be taa. Fanta taata fini-ko, a b4 taa n1-1 ka finiw ye. Umu taata sugu la, a 1;4 ja Man fo. An taata Segu, an be donsoya ke sira la. Aw taata were la, aw ka taa ni misi-den_ye. A taata jege mine, a be dolen san. 211 Intermediate Bambara 199 Segin-n-kan: wajibiya . . . kan Sell wajibiyalen don silam4 b44 kan. Furu wajibiyalen don m8g8 be Gese-dala ka woo wajibiyalen don musow kan. kan Mali la. .Lak8li-don wajlbiyalen don den-misen be kan. Nyininkali: wajibiya . . . kan A. Seli wajibiyalen don wa? B. Ow8.--Seli wajibiyalen don silam4be kan. A. Gesedala ka woro wajibiyalen don wa? B. Ow8. Gese-dala ka woro wajibiyalen don musow kan. A. Furu wajibiyalen don wa? B. OwO. Furu wajibiyalen don mOgo be kan Mali la. A. LakOli -don wajibiyalen don wa? B. Ow8. LakOli -don wajibiyalen don den -mis4n be kan. Segin-n-kan: wajibiyalen X ma Woro-sOngO wajibiyalen don gase-dala_kan. Seli wajibiyalen don silam4 be kan. Woro-sOneyajibiyalen tebaara-k4la_kan. SaralTawajibiyalen don mho be kan. Na-sOne wajibiyalen don du-tigi_kap. Nafigiya wajibiyalen t4 mNO si kan. Muso f4r4bO-wari_yajibiyalen don a c4 kan. Tilennenyawajibiyalen don teri Seli-fini_yajibiyalen don mamin4c4 be kan. be kan. Bila-n8 -la: Woro-s8ne wajibiyalen don musow kan. musow. . . Na-sOngO_ dutigi_. . . u ma-saw. . . Balo_ du-tigi_. . . Furu- nafolo c4 b4e. . . Ny8 ni malo_ KOnya-bon_ mogo bee. . . Denw f4r4bO Seli-saga_ buran b4e. . . Segin-n-kan: X k4 Y ye A ye mobili san eAburanmuso ye. Aw ye ko be k4 aw so-m8ew ye. Burama t4 donso-nkOni fa be ye. N' tun b4 ka 14t4r4 seben n' ba ye. Madani ye fen be ke a den ye. I k4ra magO o mho ye, a b4 tiny4f8 i U t4 nkalon tig4,u masaw ye. Adama ye n'ka kitabu feere n' ye. Bila-no -la: Adama ye mobili san a buranmuso_ye. Minata t4 nkalon ti5.4 a masaw ye. Bala a burank4 a c4 A den a k8r8k4. . . terEf. . . . Amadu- ye she k4 a buranw ye. m8g8 si. . . doni ta bye baara ko bee k4 212 200 Intermediate Bambara Baro-misen: X ke Y ye. A. Baba b4 taa min? B. A b4 taa fura ba. A. Ne tun kono a keneyara. B. A t4*taala fura 1)8 a y4r4 ye. A be taa a b8 a kOr7614 muso de ye. A. N' y'a men ko Bala ye mobili kura san. B. E! a ye dOwar4 san? N'Ko da tun b'a bolo? A. 0 ye tinyye. A ye min san kunun, a y'o san a balimamuso de ye. A. A b4 son ka nin fO? B. N'a fa y'a nyininka a b'a f8. A. Mun na? Nin t4 kuma fate. ye. B. Ale b'a fo k'a d'a kan a fa ko a ma k'a kana nkalon tig4 a ye tuma Si. A. 0 ka nyi. A. I b4 fini in f4 wa? B. N' b'a f4 k6s6ba. A. A san o tuna ka taa n'a ye i bolo? B. A te kun n' na k'a say'. A. Mun na? B. Muso fila b4 n' f4. N' to se k'a san kelen ye, ka kelen da to. A. N' y'a men ko Adana ye arajo di Fanta ma. Tiny don wa? B. Ne m'a men. Nk'a t4 bala n' na. A. Mun 1-a a t4 bala i la? B. Adana b4 ko be k4 muso_ye. Baro Fanta taara y8r8 kit geseda-yOr8 la. A b'a f4 Y8r8 k'a ka gese__to be bila k'ale ta da. Fanta: YOrO, i ni tilen. YOr8: Nba, Fanta, i ni tilen. So-tigi ka k4n4 wa? Fanta: Tooro si t'a la, a b4 Ala tanu. YOra: 0 ka nyi. Mun y'i se n' ma nin tilegan in na? Aka kan ka k4 koba ye bawo i delila k'afeci n' ye k'i t4 bO tile 165/45, ko tile_ b'i yelen. Fanta: Manamana-kan dabila, Vora.N' nana s4b4-koba de la i bara. N' bfa f4 i ka gese do da n' ye joona joona. YOr8: N' ma deli ka n' ban foyi ma i bolo, Fanta. N' t4 se ka gese were si da sisan. M810 werew ka baara b4 n' bolo, n' to se k'olu ta bila k' e ta k4. 213 Intermediate Bambara 201 Fanta: Kana n' mako sa ; Ci de bra dugu were la ka na ko n'ka biri=finiw ci. Shga min dira n' ma, o ye sOngE dumanba ye. N' b'i deli i ka n' deme. Y8r8: N' to se, Fanta. N' ye layidu to ;NO wer4w ye. Ni n' ma tila olu ka baara la, n' to se ka foyi were ke. Fanta: Ton), ne n'e menna baara la nyOgOn fe. E man kan ka nin_ ke ne la. E man kan ka ne makO sa. Yar8 N'i.ko n' ka fen o fen k'i ye, n' b'a k'i ye. ko n'ka gese da i ye fu, n' b'a ke. Nka n'-te se ka mOlei lAr4w ka ,baara bila i ye. Fanta: I barmen (%11-darOn. YOr8. N'ma ban,layidu de ka gelen. N' to ban foyi were ma i bolo. N' to se ka nin kelen nin k'i ye. Fanta: I be se ka mogo were ko-65 n' ye min be se ka baarain ke n'ye joona wa? YarO: N' terike Sanba be se. Notes 1. X be t'a siirO This is a very common expression, translating literally as "you will go find it."This expression is followed by a complete sentence without any conjunction or complementizer, such as ko. It can be used to express the notions "you will-find that. . ., you will see that. . .," e N'a ye Fanta furu, a be t'a si5rO a kun ka gelen. If he marries Fanta, he will find that she is stubborn. 2. Min X, ni Y The appositional modifier ni Y is often found added torelative clauses for further precision or specification. Muso min nana, n'o ye Baba dOemuso ye, . . . The woman who canE, the one who is Baba's sister, . . A taara morike min fe yen, n'o dalilu ka bon kojugu. . . The holyman that he Went to see, the one whose powers are so great.. . . 3. X V-t8, Y TITSTI7s:the pattern for present participial clausesdiscussed in Lesson 7 (page89), 214 202 Intermediate Bambara )4. Sams. There are a number of verbs in B-M-D, like samawhich occur in two patterns-which involve the transposition of the argumentsin object and object of preposition position, e.g. Baba ye Fanta sama wari la. Baba gave Fanta a gift of money. Baba ye wari sama Fanta ma. Baba gave a gift of money to Fanta. The meaning of sama is more restricted than the giving of agift. It is the -giving of a gift when one has returned from a trip or voyage. 5. Wajibiya Wajibiya means essentialiy "to require,. oblige." It is very commonly used in the past participial form in which it could betranslated as "to be necessary, be required." In most dialects, wajibiya takes a postpositional argument with kan, e.g. Woro-shga wajibiyalen don muso kan. The price_of-kola is required of the woman. U ye sell wajibiya jhw kan. They required prayer of the slaves. Wajibiya also taken an infinitival complement, inwhich case it is the object noun phrase which functions as theunderstood subject of the infinitive, e.g. U ye ginw wajibiya ka seli. They obliged the slaves to pray.' 6. Benefactive ye In all dialects of B-M-D, even those that oftenreplace ye used in other constructions by di or ti, ye is used as a benefactivepostposition, translating generally as "for". It is important to note that Bambara makes adistinction not made in English. In English, we can use the preposition"for" to represent someone under whose orders we aredoing something, e.g. I am working for Fanta. This would translate into Bambara with fe and not ye. N' be baara ke Fanta fe. The use of ye would assert that what wasbeing done was for some particular person's benefit. N' be baara ke n' deny ye. I am working, for my children,. 1 Intermediate Bambara 203 Vocabulary ban refuse da create dO14, d8ra. . reel, spool fale home-spun thread fila Fulani futa Region of Mali, Senegal, Guinea gaari . thread gale first gese thread gesedala. . . weaver halibi up to now kasa woollen cloth k8ori cotton kOori-foroni. little cotton farm layidu promise maabo casted Fulani person manamana-kan. casual talk masina Region of Mali parata spin Senegali. . . Senegal SUM= . . . measure vajibi obligation wulusi gin yelen . . .. melt ing nt 216 3. ..4 Intermediate Bambara 205 KALAN 16 Ci-kela Nsiriin: Marifa-mugu diya o diya, to-mugu ka di a ye. X ni Y don Je X ma ko Y. X soli ka Y U claw X sago la Danma-X Ben X ma Ka na a ye k'a fa. -4, irk 218 .1" 206 Intermediate Rambhra Ci-kela Bakari ye cikela ye. San kalo tan ni fila, a be baara la. San waati o waati n'a danma-baara don. Baara min be ka samiya tuma, o to se Ica ke-tilema tuma. Samiya Vas., sumanw-be-ge-ka7-sti4-nka-nt-ye .danni ke.tilema tuma i ka danni-fenw be toli. Nak8 ta se ka aerie samiya tuma, a le se ka sane funteni tuma. Bakari b'o be d8n.A b'a ka baaraw ke tuma an. A 1;'u tuma d8n. Samiya mana surunya, Bakari b'a ka foro laben. A be jiriw tige ka gungurunw ba ka binw kan, ka foro-iOn8-nyaman be keion misenni caman ye foro kOn6, k'u jeni. N'a tilal'o la, a be bugurinjeigreke foro lain& Ni forojera, a be sigi ka sanji 1O1O mak8nO. A be bulukuli_f818 ka ni san-ji f818 binna. N'a jer'a ma ko -.-r sanv tena Jo tugurr, a be bulukuli tow ke ani Bakari be fen caman dan, k'a to saiy8 ni keninke ni kaba la, ka t'a bila tiger ni k8or ni'voso ni bananku la.A ka sane -fenv mana Palen, a n'a ka denbaya be bej4ka kOr8-shiyenni ke ka bin juguw ba sane -fenv k8rO. 0 wilati baara ka ca kOs8b4. 0 k8s8n, Bakari musow n'a deny be soli ka taa foro la, u be wuli kabini fajiri.Utoseginso ni fitiri ma se. Sane -fenV mana kOgO, u dOw be ji caman fe, u dOw ju to . se u yere kOr8. Walasa k'o sane -fen sugu fila dame u ka bonya m8g8 sago la, Bakari n'a ka denbaya be ntugun wuli u juw iOr8. Ni sane -Tenv bonyana k8s8be fo ka den ke, den-misenw be to ka ,taa tilen foro la. U be konOw ni ng8nw gen ka ba foro la. 0 waati be ben fo-bonda ma. b'u lafinye o tuma sani sane -fenw ka m8. Foro-baara bee be ban ni sane -fenw ladonni yejigineliji453._0be ka ka ben fonene damine-tuma ma. Fonene-tuma, Bakari be nika belebelebO bawo dugubay81.8 manJan. A be se ka taa a ka nakO-kOn8-fenv feere duguba kOnO. Bakari be tamati ni nk8yO ni jaba ni foronto ni fen were caman sane a ka nak8 kan8. Tilema tuma, ni funteni bOrav Bakari be taa kalan ke baliku-kalan-so la sufe. TIle fe,iThrfibittriOnifea Icasow-barf-liff-ka so kuraw j6. Tilema tuma de ye nyanaje caman Re-tuma ye. 0 b'asarBbaaragelenv b4e nIg8yaraT m8g& be muso furu, u be talon suguw bee bo.. Tilema fa de fana, milew be taama ka taa ba balimaw ni buranw na dsgu werew la sani brow labenni tuma ka se tugun. Bakari ye cikela-oana ye. A tun b'a ka sane bee ka ni dabanikurunni de ye. A nan'a ye k'a f8 o semen ka bon, a nafa man ca. A ye saribilenni ni wotoro san salonnasini.A ka baara=ke-minan k8r8 tow b'a bolo. A be to tige ni bese ye. A be k8rOshiyenni ni ball Ice ni daba_ye. 219 Intermediate Bambara 207 Nyininkali 1. Bakari be mun baarafke? 2. A be baara ke tuma jumen? -."--B'ab'aazWbes-eka ke-tama-bee-ya? 4. Mun be ke samiya-tuma,-o-be se ka ke tuma were la wa? 5. Mun baara be ke samiye tuma? 6. Mun baara be ke tilema tuma9 7. Bakari b'a ka baaraw ke-tumaw clan wa? 8. Samiya mana surunya, a be mun ke? 9. A be mun tige? 10. Abe mun ke nyamanw na? 11. Mun be ke ni bugurinje_ye? 12. Bulukuli_1818 be ke tuma jumen? 13. N'a jera Bakari ma ko san te ja, a be baarajumenw ke? 14. A be mun ni mun dan? 15. Ni sene-fenw falenna, Bakari n'a ka denbaya be mun ke? 16. 0 waati baara ka ca wa? 17. 0 koson, u be mun ke? 18. Ube begin so tuma jumen? 19. Ntugun-wyli be ke tuma jumen? 20. Mun na u be ntugun-wuli ke? 21. Ni sene-fenw denna, den-misenw be munke? 22. Mun na u be tilen foro la? 23. 0 waati be ben mun ma? 24. Baara bee be ban ni mun ye? 25. Bakari be mun ke fonene tuma9 26. A be mun sene a ka nako Ica:18? 27. Funteni mana b8, Bakari be taa munke? 28. 0 kalan be ke kan jumen na? 29. Tilema tuma ye mun tuma ye? 30. Bakari be baara ke ni mun ye? Segin-n-kan: X ni Y don- San waati o waati n'a danma-baara don. Sene-fen o sene-fen danma-nogg don. Baara o baara n'a danma-nafa don. Tilema o tilema n'a danma-fenteni don. MOga o maga n'a danma-gi-yar3 don. Ko o ko n'a danma-kun don. Kalanden o kalanden n'a danma-kuntilenna don. Muso o muso n'a danma-ce don. 220 208 Intermediate Bambara Bila-n8-1a: San'waati-b-waati-ea-danma=baara-don. hami . . . tulon . . . gintan . . . kele . . . . self . . . . Kalo don o don . . .dagO-kun o agakun Kalo o kalo DOOkun o dOgOkun nyenaje . Samiya o samiya Don o don ko . . . kalan . . . Kalan o kalan nsiirin . . Kuma-sen -dila: ,danma Nye -jira: A. Kuma -den: Waati . . . baara B. Waati o vaati n'a danma-baara don. Kumadenw: samiya . . . sumaya tilema . . . funteni baara . . . aleya muso . . . . keleya kalan . . . nsiirin kitabu . . . nafa don . . . kele ce muso muso . . . so Segin-n-kan: je X ma ko Y A jera ma ko san tena g tugun. A jera. Ami ma ko a ka furu sara. . . A jar's. n' ma ko nin to fop. nye. A gra Adama ma ko nOn8 ka nyi mho makOsabe. A jera Fanta ma ko keleya to fen nye. A jera. muso ma k'a to mobili&Ora tugun. A jera Bala ma ko a ba teita son ka taa. A jera an be ma ko san be na kOsObe nyinan. 221 Intermediate Bambara 209 Bila-na-1a: Bakari A jera Bakari ma kosan_tena ja tugun. . . . .Fanta . . . .sin-nOnO tana JO tugun. . . . .Ngolo . . . .san_tena na tugun. a flifen1717deartilgun. la. . . . .musow, . . 1.1 tens meri lasara a waati . . . furut.4na se ka tAri tugun. . . . .Malada . . . keleya.t4 foyi ny4. nyangoya nafigiya dusubaya . . . kalanbaliya ye dibi de ye. be kalan de be sara yiriwa. nafa be baliku-kalan na. Segin-n-kan: X soli ka Bakari muso n'a deny be soli ka taaforo la. Den-misenw be soli ka taa lakOli_la. Silamew b4 soli ka taa misiri la. Maadu ma deli ka soli ka taabaara-y8rO_: DiikatOraw be soli ka taa daltiitara-sola. Fanta t4 se ka soli kawuli. Bila-no -la: --- Bakari n'a muso.b4 soli ka taa-forola.. sugu_. . . den-kundi_. . . sanga-bonda . . . Musow eigO . . . ko . . Cew kungo kOnO . . . Donsow S4n4-kelaw Lakiili-karamOgOw lakali-la. . . LakOlidenw Wayew sogo-faga-yar8 . . Segin-n-kan: u claw Sene-fenw mana kaga, u dawbe ji caman fe. Celmisenw mana bonya, u daw b'u masaw ta. Kalandenw mana tila, uclaw t4 baaradaminebAra bee. Musow mana don lakoli la, u(IOW t4 sal) tobili ma. Sogow mana sa, u claw to tolijoona. 22+ . _ 210 Intermediate Bambara Bila-no -la: u dOw Sene-fenw mana kOga, u dOw be ji caman fe. Nakii-fenw Den-misenw mana bonya, u dOw be tinye. be bo u fa ko so. b'u masaw ta. be fadenya sama. Kalandenw mana tila . . t4 baara damint co,yOra bee. t4 taa so. be to Ameriki. t4 son karamagaya ma. Segin-n-kan: maga sago Aye dumuni_keasago- la. Asetuy'a,ka kalan keasago la. An tun to se ka foyi ke an sago la. Mhotun to se ka yaala i sago la. An to se ka baara ke an sago la. U tun t4 se kasenk,keu sago la. Sidiki tun b'a ka bayo_ke asagol.a. Dila -na -la: N' ye baara ke n' sago la. Adama ni Awa u . . I i kalan ke u . . . A a . . ke An an dongili da. . . . Aw aw dome s414nni ke . . . Adama a lakalannkei . . . u ka nik8 sAn4 . . . Segin-n-kan:ben X ma 2.waati _le_ben-fo=bonda-ma-__ Kalan_damine-tuma h4 ben nene-tuma ma.-Ali boli-tuma 'be ben fitiri_ma. Kalan_bila-tuma_be ben samiya_ma. Aka su-r8-fana-dun-tuma be ben Baara-jIgin-tumabe ben 31ansara_ma. saafo_ma. Dila -nO -la: 0 waati be ben fo-bonda ma. Ana-tuma . . . qamiya . . . A bOltuma tilema. . . Tsun8g8-tuma fajiri_. . . A seli-tuma nene- tuma_. . . A wuli-tama . . walaba-tuma. . . selifana_. . . laansara. . . fitiri . . 223 Intermediate Bambara 211 Segin-n-kan: N'a nan'aye k'a fa. N'a nan'a ye k'a fa ko san te;na tugun, a be danni N'a nan'a ye k'a lo ko nyangoya to foyi aye, a be sabali. ' N'i muso nan'a ye k'a fa k'i to yaala kojugu, a be Para i la. N'a nan'a ye k'a fO ko keleya to foyi nye, a bg-malo i ye. Yelemali: N'a nan'a ye k'a f8 Nye-jira: A. N'a nan'a ye k'a fa ko san to na tugun, a to danni ke. B., A man'a ye k'a 7o ko san to na tugun, a to danni kE N'a nan'a ye -k'a fa ko nafigiya-te fen-nye, a:b'a dabila. N'a nan'a ye k'a fa ko wari be sOra a la, a b'a san. N'a nan'a ye k'a fa ko a to den ;Ora, a b'a furu sa. N'a nan'aye k 'afako yan to se ka seFe, 2.be AzOwere nyini. N'a ye k'a fa ko maga te, a b'a gen. -- N'a nan'a ye k'a fa ko yiri to bin, a b'i se me a la. N'a nan'tt ye k'a fo ko kurun taara, a be t'a sen na. N'a nan'a ye Ma. fa ko a tena diy'i ye, a ten a ke. N'a nan'a ye k'a f8 ko mogo. sebese don, a b'a kalasi. N'a nan'a ye k'a fo ko kini be milgE fa, a b'a tobi don o don. N'a nan'a ye k'a fa ko dangili_in ka di, a b'a disiki san. N'a nan'a ye k'a fa ko kalan nafa ka bon, a bedon a la. N'a nan'a ye kqfa ko i t'a sunya, a na da i la. Fa-cogo-were: N'a nan'a ye k'a fc.5 Nye-jira: A. N'a nan'a ye k'a fa ko san te na tugun, a te.danni ke. B. N'a jer'a ma ko san to na tugun, a to danni ke. N'a nan'a ye k'a.n ko musow to na, u to tulon ke. N'a nan'a ye k'a fa ko nyumanya ka nyi, a be juguya dabila. N'a nan'a ye k'a f8 ko i to self, a to dumuni k'i fe. "N' tf ;i:-.3r.ere-k80.017-07den7d4 N ' a nan'a ye k'a fa maga kuntaa don, a na,cogoya 6853 a la. Ni Fanta nan'a ye k'a f8 k'i t'a furu, a be ce were nyini. N'a nan'a ye k'a fO ko bitigiw to dayelen kari, a b'a ka sanniw ke sibiri. Ni kalandenw nan'a ye k'a fC5 k'i ye mho nyuman ye, u b'i bonya. N'i nan'a ye k'a fa ko i man kan ka nin ke, i n'a dabila. N'a nan'a ye k'a fa ko tile tena ba, a na fini-ko dabila. N'an nan'a ye k'a f8.ko an filila, an be yelema i fan fe. 224 . 212 Intermediate Bambara Bila-n8-1a: dama 0 dama de k4ra sababu ye k'a s&I hakili la. ka u bila nyOgan na. .-....%.*.k'an ka ton ci. k'i ba sika la. ka n' na da i la. ka meow latugu i ka. ka kalan ni5gOya. ka an lase u la. m8g8w lab8. Baro A. I b4 deli ka taa duguba kOn8 wa? B. Ow8. San o san ni sen4-f4nw tun tieva, n'tun b4 taa duguba kOn8. A. I tun b4 taa mun k4 yen? B. C4, a t4 se ka nye-f8. Ne ka 118,0nya k8s8n, n' t4 son ka ko dOw ke, n' mana taa duguba k8n8, n' b'o.b4e ke. A. 0 ye mun kow ye? B. N' be doni to mOg8w ye. N' b4 sung k4n4baw kan. N' t4 son k'o ke n'ka dugu k8r18. A. I ye duguba-k8n8-taa dabila sisan? B. NO, n' y'a dabila. Ala k'an kisi o ma tugun. N' san duuru file n' t4 tan yen. A. Mun na i y'a dabila? B. N7nan'a ye k'a f8 a be n' danb4 be b8 n' na. N' y'a ye k'a f8 m8g8 danbTka fisa duna wari be ye. A. 0 ye tinye ye. 0 dama de k4ra sababu ye k'i son hakili la wa? B. 0 dama t4. Don ao n' taara baliku-kalan-so baro da la, o ye n' ka sikasika be ban. A. Cogo.di tan? B. Karam8g8 ye mOga sebe ye. A y'a fa ko ni mN8 min tugura-baliku-kalan_ na, ko san kelen kOn8, Ala 134 nCigOya k'i ka seen na. N' y'a k4 a ka f8-cogo la. San b4 data tuma min, n' ye s8r8 k4 kOsebe. Taa- n' natugun-alig0-6381r8:- A'. N' y'a don kalan_in fisayar'i ma kOsOb4? B. MOg8 t'o f8. Kalan in nafa-aSelia f8 ka ban:Daguba kOn8-taa ye min b8 n' danb4 la, kalany'o segin n' ma. Notes 1. X ni Y don This is a very common pattern, particularly in praise lines. Grammatically, it is a simple conjunction of noun phrases, which may or may not be followed by don. Depending on the semantic content of the elements conjoined, it can be interpreted in the following ways: 225 Intermediate Bambara 213 X ni Y. To each X there is a Y. For each X there is a Y. If you want Y, find an X. When the first noun phrase is actually an X o X construction, it translates as "each X has its Y," e.g.: San waati o waati n'a danma-baara don. Each part of the year has its special occupation. 2. J4 J4, the predicate adjective meaning "light, clear, clean, white," has a great many uses in B-M-D. Its verbal form remains unchanged (i.e. it does not take the suffix mya). As a verb 14_, can take a ko-complement, in which case it translates as "be clear that X," e.g.: A jera n' ma ko san tun b4 na. It became clear to me that rain was coming. J4 has many very different variants in B-M-D. The most wide- spread form contains /g/, e.g.: g4 Maninka (e.g. Kita), Dyula (general) gw4 Maninka (e.g. Bougouni) gb4 Maninka (e.g. Kankan, Guinea) koyi Mandingka (e.g. Gambia, Senegal) xoyi Khassonke It is not unlikely that the original Mande word was something like *kpe from which all of the present forms derive by rather systematic sound changes. kp4 kw4 koe 4 koi 4 koyi gb4 gwe% g4 J4 3. A dOw As you will recall in the review of relative clauses, words like dO, actually function as the head noun of their noun phrases. In this cage, they are very similar to the English quantifiers, "some, all, etc,"in the following constructions: 226 Cf 214 Intermediate Bambara some of them all of it- The construction under examination can 'be translated as "some of themy-eertain-oftheml-eartain-ameng-themva--The-singular-form,of-d% preceded-by u would translate as "a certain of them, a certain one of them." 4. X sago la Sago is a noun translating as "wish, will." It is very commonly used in the expression: Ala sago, aw sago. God's will, your will. The expression is used very frequently in discourse situations. In the expression under consideration here, X sago la, sago is being used in a postpositional phrase with a possessor noun phrase. In this case, it could be translated as "as (much as) X wished, to X's will, as X would like," e.g.: An se ka baara ke an sago la. We can't work as we would like. A ye dumuni ke a sago la. He ate (as much) as he wished. 5. Ben X ma In Lesson 9 we saw ben being used in constructions translating as "agree on, about," e.g.: U benna furu-siri-don kan. They agreed on the wedding day. When ben occurs with a-postpositional phrase with ma, and when event words serve as its arguments, it can translate as "coincide, occur at the same time." 6. Ka na a ye k'a fa ko This expression translates literally as "come to see it and to say it that..." It is used to express notions like "decide, realize, come to have the opinion that," e.g.: A ben'a ye k'a fa ko Fanta man nyi. He will realize that Fanta is no good. A nan'a ye k'a fa ko san tun tena ban. He decided that the rain would not stop. 227 Intermediate Bambara 215 Vocabulary bananku cassava, manioc bari cr4pir, cover with mud or cement chete bin grass biiga mud, dirt bugurinj4 . . . ashes buluku turn over (soil) daba hoe dabanikurunni . small hand hoe with short handle dan plant danni planting falen grow (up), germinate fobonda period of the year in September - October fonen4 cold season foro field foronto hot pepper funteni heat gungurun . . . stump jaba onion jeni burn j4 collect jigin4 granary kan cut (grass) keninge millet, white millet kOga grow up, mature k8r8-shiy4n . . lit. under-scratch, to hoe, weed laben prepare makOna wait nakli garden nen baboon nkaya bitter tomato nOgOya become easy, better; improve nOni/naoni . . mix salonnasini . . year before last samiya rainy season saribilenni . . lit. little red plow, small ox -drawn plow soli wake up very early suman cool, cold surunya become short, near, approach tamati tomato tilema (tile + ma)sunny tilema-tuma hot season ton make into a pile, mound; pile up to forest, brush woso sweet potato wotoro wagon y4r4k4 spread out Expression: J4 X ma become clear to X Intermediate Bambara 217 1 KALAN 17 Numu_ Nsiirin: Numu kOrOlen to don fan na. Fo X, ni Y X ka jan Y la X ka surun Y la X ka dag8n, min Y Dialect variants of auxiliaries Postposition ye Bila bila X la taa X bila Y X bolo be Y scir8 230 218 Intermediate Bambara Numu_ Dinye den fala_ye numu_ye I-mana-bila-numu-na, Dinye to diya. Seyidu Kamara kaliumu-Fasa FalafOlo, mandekaw tun nye na ko Ala kelen ka dinye da, a ye numu fan bila ka jigin ka na ke dinye den falo_ye. Mandekaw tun b'a fa fana ko dunajre fen saba ye, minw ni numuya_ sirilen be nyagon na. A fen fan tun ye san-fin_ye. Ni san ma fin, san-ji to na. Ni san-ji ma na, senYte ke, stim4n to sate, dan-fan_ be beTha. Fen filanan tun ye neie fin ye. Daba-ni marifa be dila ni nee fin de ye. Ni nege fin te yen, daba to dila, marifa tdila, sene to sarci.ka ke, donsoya to Tara ka ke. Nege-finntanya fana be na ni dan- fenw halakili_ye. Fen sabanan ye daga fin ye. N'ot'i bolo, i to se ka tobili.ke. Ni tobili ma ke, dumuni to ke. Dumuni-kebaliyafana be se ka na ni du nagasili ye. Nin fen saba ye fenbaw ye, o de Ica-sari, a be fa ko numu TO-y6ra ka bon dugu kOnakasabe.Fen ka &Ten, min be le dugu kono, ni numu_i8-A45 t'a la. Numuke n'a muso be fen caman werew ke dugu kOna. Nye fin be sal) kungo kan8, yOraw la, yar8 minw ka jan dagu la kasabe. Numu-ke de be- taa n44 ba ka n'a ke dabaw ni jelew ni fen warew ye. KOma_ye Mandekaw ka tamba ye. Mande dilgu caman na, kama-tigi tun ye numu de ye. Numuke tun be dugu ce-misenw boloko, a muso tun be muso-misenw boloko. Numu de fana tun ye boli_panbaga ye. 0 kasan, a tun be f3 ko numu tun dalilu ka ca, k'a tun be se ka fen caman ke s&O foyi m'a NumuyaTbaara be ke fan kanO. I tun taara Mande dugu o dugu la, i 4.1011=.11 tun-te-fanda-kelen-sara-yen-rI-tun-be-taa-a--sara-fana---den=misen-caman- be numu-ce-k&aba bolo baara-dege la. 0 den-misenw be finfin dil'a ye. U be fan fiy'a ye. 31 b'a ka baara misen be ke. Numu-7e-kOrabajere ka baara be ye ka nage bilen bO tasuma kemu la ni balan ye, k'a da kulan ken, k'a gosi ni marato_ye, fo a ka ke a sago ye. 231 . - Intermediate Bambara 219 Nyininkali: 1. Dinye den fala_ye jan_ye? 2. I mana bila numu na, mun be ke? 3. Ala y'a bila ka jigin tuma jumen? 4. Mandekaw tun be mun fa? 5. 0 fenw sirilen be numuya la wa? 6. An fNi8ye mun ye? 7. Ni san ma na, mun to ke? 8. Sene-kebaliya be na ni mun ye? 9. Fen filanan ye mun ye? 10. Mun be dila ni nIge fin ye? 11. NEge-finntanya be na ni mun ye? 12. Fen sabanan ye mun ye? 13. Mun be ke ni dagaire? 14. Dumuni-kebaliya fans be na ni mun ye? 15. Fen saba ninw j&y8r8 ka bon wa? 16. Numu ja-yarrica bon wa? 17. NE04 fin be sOr8 min? 18. 0 yara;ka jan dugu la wa? 19. lama ye mun ye Mande? 20. ama-tigi tun ye jan_ye? 21. Jon_ tun be Ce-misenw boloko? 22. Musow dun?Tantun biolu boloko? 23. Numu tun ye boli sOnbagaje wa? 24. Mun tun b'a bolo-f 25 Numuya-baara be ke min? 26. Den-misenw be mun baara ke? 27. Ce-kOraba_yere be mun ke? Segin-n-kan: fo Fo kan ka k'i da n'i ye numu ye. F'i ka sun n'i b'a fe k'i ka jurumuw kafari. MagO__mana nya cogo o cogo, fo dOoni ka fa i Fo i ka Ala mine ni se t'l ye. Nyininkali: fo A. N'i ye numu ye, fo mun ka ke? B. N'i ye numu ye, fo kan ka ke i da. A. N'i b'a fe i ka jurumuw ka kafari, f'i ka mun ke? B. N'i b'a fe i ka jurumuw ka kafari, f'i ka sun. A.. 401-0.mana-nya_o_nya,..mun_be.14.1k81. B. Magamana nya o nya, fo dOoni ka fa i ka. A. Ni se t'i Ye, f'i ka mun ke? B. Ni se t'i ye, f'i ka Ala mine. 232 220 fhtermediate Bambara Bila-na-la: fo Fo kan ka ke i da ni i b'a fe ka boli son. n' a Madu an aw Madu ni Bala denmisenw magakarabaw F'i ka sun n'i-b'a fe k'i ka jurumuw kafari. F'a ka sun n'a b'a edrk'a ka jurumuw kafari. Fanta Madu An Aw U-. Fanta ni Madu Denkew Segin-n-kan: bila I kana bila numu na. U bilalen be Mathadu la kojugu. Mop to bila i tenen-muso la nin cogo la. Bamananw bilalen be u kanemew la kosobe. Bila -nO -la: Shaka to bila numu_. na. Adama bilalen be Maadu la kojugu. buranw Burama a muso . . a teriw . . . . 1;n17/ . musow Bamananw bilalen be u kanemew la kojugd. Fulaw numuw .Marakaw-.. , - , .-Maninkaw bamananw Segin-n-kan: Bamako ka jan yan na. Lanpan ka Jan dugu la. Sikaso ka jan Moti la. E ka jan tinye la ka temen Maadu kan. Kayi ka jan yen na. Fanta ka jan tinye la ni Ami ye. a Ameriki duguw ka jan nyCien na. Bila-na-la: jan Nye-jira: Bamako . . . . yan BamakO ka jan yan na. Sikaso . . . . Moti . . ba . . Tuntuta . . . yen . . Kayi Moti . . . . . Bamako . Dakaru . Intermediate Bambara 221 Bila-no -la (cont'd) 1 kaga-ji . Sikaso . Lanpan dugu_. . Yelemali: jan Nye-Ara: A. Bamako ni "New York" ka jan. B. Bamako ka janNew York" la. Kuma cenyi ni tinye ka surun. Bili_ ni dugukolo ka jan. Kati ni Bamaka ka surun. Tunbutu ni ba ka jan. Kayi ni Moti ka jan. Bamako ni kaga-ji_ka jan. "Gary" ni "Chicago" ka surun. Lanpanni dggu-kolo ka surun. Nyininkali: jan/surun Keyila ka surun duguba_jupen na? Bajumen ka surun Segu la? Konakiri ka surun ba jug& na? Mali ka surun k?iga-Ji_dankanjupen na? "Gary" ka surun dugu jumen na? Bamako ka surun dugu jumen na? Moti ka surun dala jumen na? Segu ka surun dugu jumen na? Dugujumen ka surun Kayi la? Keyila ka surun dag8 jumbn7na? Segin-n-kan: surun Keyila ka surun Bamakii la. . Kucala ka surun yen na kasebe. "Gary" ka surun "Chicago" la. I ka kuma ka surun tinye_la. N'ka foro ka surun kalan_ na. An ka du ka surun ntola-tan-yara_la. Aw ka segi ka surun dugu-kolo_la. Bila-na-la: surun Nye-jira; Keyila Bamakii Keyila ka surun BamakO la. Kati . Sunkalo_ . . . samiya . . Baginda Selibaliya_ . kafiriya_ . . Bili . . dugu_ . Den-muso . . . a ba-. . . Kabara .. Tunbutu . Den -kb . . . . a fa . . . 234 222 Intermediate Bambara Baro-misenw: jan/surUn A. An sera wa? B. Ayi, an ma se f81O. A. A to ka Jan wa? B. D'ooni b'a la half bi. A. Segi lajigin. B. N'bolo t'a A. E fana ka surun kojugu. B. 0 te. A ka jan dugu la de kojugu. A. Mun na i ma taa kunun? B. N' ma miiel soro n' ni min be taa. A. E kelen to se ka taa wa? B. yi. Sira ka Jan m5g6 kelen mobili-boli ma. A. I be taa min? B. N' be taa Adama bara. A. I to B. Ayi. Adama ka yOrci ka surUh ydri:na. A. I be taa min? B. N' be taa Misira. I be taa n' bila wa? A. N' be se ka taa i bila. I'be taa cogo di? B. N' be taa n' sen na. A. Y3rO__ka jan kojugu. Ne to se ka taama fo yen. B. E ye salabagat8 yere de ye. A. Aw nana tuma jumen? B. An nana lere 12 la. A. 0 tuma aw bra BamakO tuma jumen? B. An bra yen sOema joona fe. A. N' ma deli ka sira in ke. A ka jan kosebe wa? B. Dan t'a la. Segin-n-kan: ka Sigan min... MOgO ka dOgOn min to sene ke. BamakOka ka (nen min te-bamanan-kan men. Yiri ka dOgan min fura-bulu to binni damine Uti la. Dumuni ka dagan Adama to min dun. A Dail() ka clOgOn a to min min. Muso ka dOen Salifu to Min fe. Seli-waati ka daen n' to taa min self misiri la. Nyininkali: A. Du5u-mOgaw be sene ke wa? A. BamakOkaw be bamanan-kan min wa? B. Dugu-mOga ka agon min tose_ ne_ke. B. Bamakaka ka (nen min to bamanan-kan men. 235 224 Intermediate Bambara NOTES 1. fo This lesson introduces a rather special use of fo-clauses in whichthey are interpreted as expressing obligation or necessity. In most of these cases, the fo-clauses are also accompanied by a conditional ni-clause,e.g. F'i ka Ala mine, ni se t'i ye.. You must accept God, if you have no power. 2. Postposition Note that the postposition mean be used as above withse "power, ability" with the interpretation "to have power". The postpositions la, fe and bolo would all be inappropriate withse. This is the only example of this construction that we have found in Bambara. The use of a in pos- sessive constructions is more common in other dialects.Notice that in Bambafi expressions like "to be strong, to be intelligent"use the post- position la and not ye, e.g. fangs b'a la He is strong (strength is on him). hakili b'a la He is intelligent (intelligence is on him). 3. jan X la, surun Y la The expressions "X is far from 1,_X is near to Y," are captured in Bambara by "X ka jan Y la, X la surtin Y la." Remember that jan can be translated by "tall, long, far." Surun can be translated "short, close, near,",dependingon the context. As in English, these words can be used to-refer tO either timeor space, e.g. san fila man surun Two years is not short. taa jan a long time 4. ka d8en/ca, min... The expressions in English "there are few X that Y, thereare many X that Y," are captured'in Bambara with a relative clause construction translating as "the X are few that Y, the Xare many that Y". Muso man ca, Madu to min fe.- There are few women that Madd doesn't like. Ko ka ca, n' b'a fe ka min ke. There are many things that I want to do. 237 Intermediate Bambara 223 Nyininkali: (cont.) A. Adama be dumuni caman dun wa? A. Yiriw buluw be bin Uti la wa? B. Dumuni ka eigan Adama to min dun. B. Yiri ka dOgOn min buluw to binni ddmine Uti la. A. All be an' sugu caman min wa? B. Dua ka dOen a to min min. Nye-jira: Dugu-mOg6 sene ke Dugu-mOgO ka dOen, min to sene ke. BObO ,Silara. Bamanan , mint4 muso fila furu. KadC Tubabu , minbe muso caman furu. CekarOba Ameriken , minto kafe min. , min to sira min. , min ma taa"Florida". , minto nsiirin da. , min to muso furu. , minbe al() min. Segin-n-kan: ca Komi ka ca, min to sepe_ke. Ko man ca, min to ke don o don. Denmisen man ca, min be muso camanfuru. Muso man ca, min to se tobili_la. Bamanan man ca, min to se bara-danna. Dongili ka ca, min ma da Sunjata la Silame man ca, min to taa fajiri_seli Baara man ca, min nafa man bon. misiri la. Banzumana ka dOngili ka ca, min to Npogo-tigi ka ca, min be fini tuma bee. ba ye. Yelemali: dagan/ca Nye -jira: A. Komi ka dOgan, min to sene ke. B. Komi ka ca, min be sene ke. Mho ka dien, min to sogo dun. Silame ka dagan, min to saga faga seliba la. Muso ka dagan, min to se tobili_la. Ce ka dagOn Mali la, min bese tobili_la. M6g8 ka diem, min to sene ke samiya la. Jeli ka d6gan, min to se dOn-kili-da la. Numu ka daen, min to se ka daba dila. Garanke ka dOen, min to se ka so masiriw dila. Kalanden ka digan;-min to si a nye na tuma dOw. Colo ka dagan, min to mOgo_su. , Numu-muso ka dOen, min to daga dila. Wolo-ba ka dagan, min to hine miiga were denna. Den ka d6g6n, min to se kun-da la. Don ka digan, min to na n'a ka hereye. Jeli-ke ka dOgan, min to se nkani-fii la. Boso ka (Men, min to se ka bagi_fura-ke. 236 1 Intermediate Bambara 225 It should be remembered that ca'spd degen. work in the same way as numerals in that nouns that they modify do not occur with the plural marker. These forms vary considerably from dialect to dialect, e.g. Segou Bambara: ca dee Bamako Bambara: ca deem Maninka general: sip: degen Mandinka: sa doo 5. As you have learned by now, there are many different ways of speaking B-M-D, just like there are many ways of4peaking English, or any language for that matter. All languages differ through time and space and these differences take place at all levels of the grammar. In this lesson, we have seen that some of the auxiliaries differ between Bambara and Maninka. Dyula auxiliaries also differ from these two. Here are a few of the more common differences and similarities. Bambara Maninka Mandinka Dyula Wasulu present aff be/bi ka be neg to /ti to buka to future aff bena di si be na ti/te bena neg tena to to tena completive ye bara ye ka trans. ma ma mang ma completive -ra bara -ta -ra intrans. ma ma ma ma ,-:, subordinate ka ka ye ka and kana kana kana kana imperative hypothetical mana 'bara di 238 226 Intermediate Bambara 6. bila X. la One of the many patterns in which bilaoccurs. In this case, it is intransitive and takes a postpositional argument withla. It translates as "act disdainfully, disrespectfully towards X,"e.g. A bilala Fanta la. He acted disrespectfully towards Fanta. U bilalen be dununna. They act disrespectfUlly towards strange Notice that the past participial form is preferredto characterize a consistent or habitual pattern of behavior. 7. taa X bila Y Another use of bila is to capture the notion "accompany,"e.g. I be taa n' bila wa? Will you accompany me? A taara Fanta bila sinima na. He accompanied Fanta to the cinema. 8. X bolo be Y sEITO The expression is used to capture the notion "reach (something) with one's hand," e.g. N' bolo_ to se ka segi_pOrO. I can't reach the basket N' ma se ka buwati_siir6. I wasn't able to reach the can. I den bolo be furajp6rO. Your child. can reach the medicine. When the Bambara expression occurs in the affirmative completive it can also translate as "touch," e.g. NI-bolo ye kitabu_s8r8. My hand touched/reached the 'book. VOCABULARY ba].an pliers boli fetish, idol daga pot, pottery dalilu means, power dan-fen living thing (create-thing) dinye (var. duniya, duna, diyen, Yen) world fan forge fan-da forge-mouth fasa praise song finfin charcoal fiye blow halaki destroy jele axe kOma bambara initiation society kOma-tigi chief of kama kulan anvil marato ( Fr ) hammer 239' Intermediate Bambara 227 nagasi destroy, fall in misery deg4 fin iron ore numu blacksmith numuya blacksmithing san-fin cloud (sky-dark) san-ji rain (sky-water) siri attach, tie .son worship :.e suman food, crops tasuma-kemu red hot coals 240 Intermediate Bambara 229 KALAN 18 btinsoya Nsiirin: "Kungo-ka-di-n'ye" ani "n'ye-donso-ye" t4 kelen ye. X-ma i bila X ka ka men X la tigi X ko diya X be sara ka Y ka X daga-da 242 230 Intermediate Bambara , Donsoya Donsoyaje koba ye. Naloma de t'a dOn. F4n.b4e tOe_sOTO ka-di f2 donsoya. N'i ma siran dopsoya_py4,i to siran fen ny4 tugun. Donsoya ka dOiye. Eb4 marafa sap. Lib4 taa aogoflga, nka 0 t4 donsow ye. Olu ye donso-ladegeideye. MOO b4 k4 donso ye cogo jupen?Kabini i den-mish-ma, i b'i diya-ny4.-TnOeda nyini, minye donso ye. I b'o k4 i karamOgkie. N'a be taa 13apyan kOnO, i b'i N'a ye sogo faga, i into sogo tan" to ka na n'a ye so. I b4 men o soso-doia-ta_la. N'i ko diyar'a ye, a be to son d6ogi ka donsoya -kow nykjira i la. Milo t4 k47 donso ye, n'i ma tor caman ye, mloiEt4 k4 donso ye n'i ma sabali. N'i karamOg8y'i s4ge-s4g4, k'a don ko i b4 se ka k4 clops° ye,a Wa f'i ye i ka woro bilen tan-nyi tan ni mana-dunun all b4 je ka taa nyOgOn f4 donsoba bara. 0 fana b'a. lase donso tOi ma. 0 la sa, don do ba (180-da. B4e 174 nyiieirikup- ben den-kun na o don, k'i ka dap-kun-saraka bO. Saraka-bii mana ban, i b4 ;Pr() kali donso be nyana k'i t4 bzo" dopsoya_la tugun. Fara-finna_furalicaman b4 bO dopsow bolo. U b4 sa- kin -fura13?,ani ni nyana-fura_, ni mOg8-tanga-fura_pi fura caman W4r4111,. Donso be su dOn a b4 tile dOn. Abe kalo don, abe dolo_dOn. Don min ka di, ani don min man di, donsobto b4 ranyan_dOn, a be finy4_518n. Nin be b4 kalan d.onsoya_la. Nyininkali: 1. Donsoya_ye mun ye? 2. J& t'o d'on? 3. Mun man di donso f4? _.4.Mla_nalt6ga....sar6 man di donso f4? 5. 1448 ka kan ka siran donso nye:- wa? 6. Mun na? 7. Marifa-tigi be ye donso ye wa? 8. Marifa-tigi caman be yen, olu ye mun ye? 9. N'i b'a f4 ka ke donso ye, i be mun ke i den-mis4nnima? 10. I b4 MTIn i karar71)e ye? 11. I b4 men sogo-doni-ta la wa? 12. N'i ka ko diyara donso_ye, a b4 mun k4? 13. A b4 donso-kow b4e ny4-jira i la wa? 14. ROO bezk4 donsoye cogo di? 15. I karam80 b'a don cogo di k'i be se ka k4 donso ye? 16. A man'o dEin, a b4 mun f'i ye? 17. Mun be k,0 f4Tii.na? 18. Donsoba mun k4? 19. Donsow b4 ny(5en a-5/-3 min? 20. U be mun ke dan-kun na? Intermediate Bambara 231 21. I b4 mun ke saraka-b8 mana ban? 22. I b'i kali mun kan? 23. Donsow be mun b8? 24. U be fura jumenw ba? 25. Donso ka anni ka bon wa? 26. A b4 mun don? Segin-n-kan: X-ma Kabini i den-misenma, u b'i kalan donsoya la. Kabini a den-yer4nima, a be nin cogo la. Kini nama de b4 se ka dun. Tigani kOgamapanta b4 siira Arc) b4e. Muso k8nOma b4 sg4n kaseb4. Ne kelennama t4 se ka nin nyanabO? Aye kuma kOrama de f'i ye. An bilakoroma tun t4 foyi ke tulon ka. Nyininkali: A. I b4 kalan dosoya la tuma jumh? B. Kabin'i den-misenma, u b'i kalan donsoya la. A. Maadu tun be cogo di a den-misenma? B. Kabini a den-yerenima, a b4 nin cogo la. A. Kini b4 se ka dun cogo di? B. Kini nama de b4 se ka dun. A. Mun b4 sarO yOra bee? B. Tigani kOema_panta b4 sOri5 yOr8 bee. A. JOn be seen kas8b4? B. Muso k6n&ria b4 seen kOs8b4. Fa-cogo were: X-ma Ny4-jira: A. A den-misenma tun ba_nin_cogo la. B.' A tun be nin cogo la k'a to den-mis4nya la. An bilakoroma tun t4 foyi k4 tulon U np2gotigiMii'ta b4 t4gere-tulon k4 su fe. A kOnama tun bekumun fe kasebe. Tce-gananma tun be tobili kea y4r4 ye. A muso-gananma tun t4 bo k7en4ma. Fanta musokOrOnima be k4 ncarOni ye. Maadu kalandennama tun t4 ko kolon si ke. Segin-n-kan: Bila X kO Ni donso be taa oanyan kOnO, bilakoro b'i bil'a Ni muso taa d80-nyini, denni b'i bil'a Ni Ali 1-)-4 taa ntola-tan-yOra la, a dog&kebq 232 Intermediate Bambara N'taatO nyegen na,a y'i bila n' ka. Shaka mana wuli tuma o tuma,a ka wulu b'i bale. ka. Ni n' ye so sira mina, i k' i bila n' ka. Bila-no` -la An k'an bila Musa ka. karamOga_. . . moriba. . donsoke . . . numuke . . . MusokarOba. . . a u A a n n ay aw an an Baba i Musa i Fa-cogo-were: 1)102 X ka A. Ni donsoke be taa nanyan kOna bilakoro betugu a no -fe. B. Ni donsoke be taa banyan kanO, bilakoro b'ibil'a N' taata nyegen na, a tugura n' no -fe Shaka mana wuli tuma o tuma,a ka wulu be tugu a no -fe. Ni n' ye so sira mine, i ka tugu n' Ni All be taa ntola-tan-yOro, a86.4 be tugua na=fe. Ni muso be taa den nbe tugu a no -fe Segin-n-kan: men X la I be men o sogo-doni-ta la. 'A be-men misi-wolo-feere la. Madu be men tubabu-kan-kalan na. Ube men saga-kungolo-dunna.. A be men muso-kolon-tige la. I muso be men fini-kolon-ko la. Aw be. men fini-kOra-don na. Bila-no -la: men X la Fanta menna dumuni-tobi la. kungolo-feere. . . furanni . . fin,i-ko. . . kun -siri . . . lakalanni_. . . don -ka -ba . . lgtere-seben. . . gala-don . . . Intermediate Bambara 233 Yelemali: men X la Nye -jira: A. Madu menna tubabu-kam-kalan na. B. Madu ma men tubabu-kan-kalan na. I be men o sogo-doni-ta la. U manna saga,-kungolo -dun na. A be men muso-kolon-tigT la. I muso manna fini-kolon-ko la. Aw manna fini-kara-don na. Sali manna wariba -dun na. Amenna misi-wolo-feere la. Segin-n-kan: tigi Maga_be taa misiri la, nga o tigi to waliju ye. Maga be taa spgo_faga, nga o tigi to donso ye. Mogo be kurane_ke,lan, nga o tigi to mori ye. MagaThe dankili da,nga o tigi to jeli ye. Maga be nege baara, nga o tigi tonumu ye. Maga be sogo feere, nga o tigi to waye ye. MOO be sene ke, nga o tigi to senerceia-oana ye. MOO be doni ta, nga o baara-nyini ye. Moe be sebenni ke, nga o tigi to karamag8 ye. mIia be wari_sOM,nga o tigi to baana ye. M8ga be wari_s8r8, ngao tigi to jagoke a ye. Kuma-sen-dila: o tigi ,ar Nye-jira: A. Misiri. . . . waliju B. Mho be taa misiri la, nga o tigi to waliju yo. sogo-faga donso _ - kurane mori einkili jeli nege jeli sogo waye sene senekela -13ana dOni iiramiie wari jago-kela Segin-n-kan: ko diya X ye N'i ko diyara i karamagO ye, a be do f'i ye. I ka nisan-diya y'i ko diya A ka 1401ya y'a ko diya n' ye. dugu-magOw ye. A muso fan ka sabali y'a ko diyabeye. MOO to .ko diya m8g8 ye ganson'. Nyininkali: A. I karamagO be do f'i ye tuma jumen? B. N'i ko diyar'a ye. A. Mun y'a ko diya i ye? B. A ka mOgOya. 246 234 Intermediate Bambara Nyininkali: (cont.) A. Mun y'a muso f818 ko diya meow ye? A. Mun be MOgOiko diya m8g8_ye. B. A ka sabali. B. 40 to ko diya m8g8 ye gansan. A. Mun ye n' ko diya dugu-m8g8w'ye? B. I ka nisOn diya. Segin-n-kan: X soro ka Y I be soro k'i kali donso bee nya na. Peresidan be soro k'a kali jamana_ I be soro ka saga kan be nyana. n be soro ka tilali ke. Den-misenw be soro ka t'u da. . A be soro ka taa sugu la. Aw be soro ka na m8g8w tEor8. ibew be soro ka duduni ke. Kalan-denw be soro ka nyogon-dan Birita be soro ka minanw ko. Fanta be soro ka daraka tobi. Adama be soro k'aniyOrkb8. Bila-n8-la: X soro ka Y I be soro k'i kali donso be nya na. Madu be soro ka saga kan tie. Birama be soro Maramu be soro ka muso furU. Nyeba be soro ka damine.- k'a ka finiw ko. ka self -ji-ta damine. ka den-misenw lasun8g8. Silamew be soro ka mobili wuli ka taa. Morike be soro ka senekelaw fo. Adama be soro Fanta be soro Segin-n-kan: . . . min . . . ani . . . min. Don min ka di, ani don min man di, donso b'o bee d8h. Mciga».min-ka-nyi, ani m6g13 min ma nyi, o'beem'a taa-,y8r5'don. Sogo min ka bon, ani sogo min ka dienTdonso b'o bee Alga: Wm mince muso min_ceWnyi,Alade y'u bee da. Jamana min ka bon, ani Jamana min ka nem, Sariya_yqbee ke kelen ye. Nyininkali: A. Donso be mun an? B. Don min ka di, ani don min man di, donso_ yo bee din. A. Sariya ye mun Ice? B. Jamana min ica bon, ani Jamana min ka doen, sariya_y'o bee ke kelen ye. A. Ala ye mun ke? B. Muso min ce ka nyi, ani muso min ce man nyi, Ala y'o bee da. 7 Intermediate Bambara 235 A. MOgow be taa min? B. Mae min ka nyi, ani mOgO min man nyi, o be n'a taa-yOrO don. A. Donso_be sogo jumenw faga. B. Sogo min ka bon, ani min man bon, donso b'o bee faga. Segin-n-kan: dOgO-da Don dO be dOgO-da donsow fe. A fa y'u bolokoli-don dOgO-da. Muno so-m6gOw ni ce_so-mOgOw be furu dOe-da. An benke y'an taa-don 6565-da. Jamana fila ye kumavdon_dOgO-da.- Kalandenw ye nythlaje-don dOgO-da. Seli-don be dOgO-da silamew fe. Ce n'a terikew ye buran-foli-don_ dOgO-da. Nyininkali: A. Donsow be mun ke? . Don.d6 be dogo-da.- . u fe. A. Ce ni muso_so-mOgOw bemun ke? U be furu don dOgO-da. -.7 A. Jamana fila ye mun ke? B. U ye kuma_ don_ dOZO-da. A. Kalandenw ye mun ke? B. U ye nyanaje-don dOe-da. A. Silamew be mun ke? B. Seli-don be Taga-da u fe. Ce n'a terikeW ye mun ke? B. U ye buran-foli-don dOgO-da. d.365-da Don-dO be dagO-da donsowfe. masaw . . . famaw . . . kalan-denw . . . ci7kelaw . . musow Furu-siri-don_ Den-kun-di-don_ Bolokoli-don_ KOnyOya-don_ Buran -foli -don 248 236 Intermediate Bambara dW-da Nyl:.-jira: A. Don de be d6-0-da B. Donsow be don do d8g6-da.. Bolokoli-don_be age-da u fa. fe. Den-kun-di_be doge -da den-fax ni den -baw Furu-siri-don be dege-da fanga fe Tulon_ke-don_be dega-da donsow Kenyiliya-don be- eige-damusow fe. Kalanke-don_be dogo -da kaFam8g8w fe. Kuma-don be dege-da faama fila fe. Buran-foli don be dege-da terivTe. TOn-sigi:don_be doge -Cia kun -tigiw NyOgen-ye-don dege-da AdamaTfe Segin-n-kan: . . . X la. Nin be be kalan donsoya la. Nin be be dege garankeya la. Nin be be kalannumuya la. Nin bee be dOn nyamakalaya la. Min be be munyu megOyala. Nin be be faamuya' herenya la. Nin be be don npogotigiya la. Nin bee be ke denmisenya la. Bila-ne-la: . . . X la. Nin he be kalan donSoya la. munyu dege nyini den . . ke numuya_. . den-misenya_. . garankeya_. . jeliya_. nyamakalaya_. . kamalenya_. . solimaya_. . Kuma-sen-dila: . . X Nye-jira: A. kalan donsoya_ !B. Nin 'Tee be kalan donsoya la. / munyu pogoya_i ... . faamuya iboronyaN. kg den-misenya_-r.-. munyu silameya_ don garankeya_ dege numuya kTlesi den-mi senya_ don hpogotiya_ s'ben kalandenya_ dun fantanya_ 249 Intermediate Bambara 237 Segin-n-kan: segesege I karam8g8 b'i ka dOnni segesege. Ali be ko be segesege: Sariya-tigela be mOgOw ka kuma segesege. An bena nin ko in segesege. Shaka be kanw segesege kiisObe. Nyininkali: A. I karamOgO be mun ke? A. All be mun ke? B. A b'i ka dOnni segesege. B. All be ko bee segesege. A. Sariya-tigela be mun ke? A. Aw bena mun Ice? B. A-be mCigaw ka kuma segesege. B. An ben'a segesege. A. Shaka be mun ke? B. Abe kanw segesege. NOTES 1. X-ma; In the introductory lesson.3, we introduced the suffix -ma which expresses abstractly "having the property of."When added to a noun that represents a stage in life, it could be translated, "as an X," e.g. I bilakoroma ma foyi ke tulon *Al As a youngster, you did nothing `tt ik play. This use of the construction is always appositional. When added to a concrete noun, -ma acts much like the suffix "-y" in English, e.g. jima watery k8g8ma salty bugurima dusty nonoma milky This use of the construction willusually be adjunctive, i.e. it will have compound tone with the preceding noun. na-jima watery sauce tiga-kagOma salty (salted) peanuts Many uses of -ma can be also translated by the suffix -like in English, e.g. musoma womanlike cema manlike sanuma goldlike doloma starlike 250 238 Intermediate Bambara 2. i bile X ka This use of bila could be translated as "follow (along) after X." It is generally used reflexively, e.g. Musoj'i bil'a The woman followed after her husband. 3. men X la The verb men, as we have seen, can be translated as "stay, last a long time." It can occur with a postpositional argument with la, in which case it can translat as "do X for a long time," e.g. Madu menna tubabu-kan-kalan na. Madu has been studying French for a long time. 4. tigi Most uses of tigi that we have seen up to the present time.are cases where it is compounded to the preceding item, and generally has a translation similar to th suffix use of "-man" in English, e.g. takisitigi taximan misitigi cattleman, cowman Although it has many other translations, the meaning in B-M-D remains quite con- sistent. It means "the person responsible for X."The responsibility may be of many kinds, e.g. ownership, guardianship, authorship. In this lesson, we introduc tigi, meaning "the one who does/did X," e.g. Mi-5g8 be nga o tigi to jeli ye. A person may sing a song but the one who does that is not (necessarily) a bard. 5. X ko diya Y ye This expression generally translates as "please Y," e.g. Fanta ko diyara Baba ye. Fanta pleased Baba. Some speakers feel that it is more polite and /or grammatical to use ko when talkin about people, whereas in talking about things or events, ko is not necessary, e.g Nyenajediyara Baba ye. The party pleased Baba. IS. X dOga-da- This is a compound verb meaning literally "establish the market."Its meaning has become generalized to express the notion "set a date for," e.g. Intermediate Bambara 239 A ye ny?ala:0 (I(-da. He set a date ror the party. Vocabulary dan-kun border, outskirts, crossroads, limit den-misenma . . . childhood diya-n-ye-m865. . loved one dgi-da set a date for dolo star donso hunter donsoba t chief hunter donsoya hunting donso-ladege. . . so-called hunter faga kill fura medicine, leaf fura 1)8 make medicine for gather joli wound, cut joli-fura medicine for cuts kali h swear ladege imitate mana-dunun drum with rubber head marafa gun, rifle mgii-tanga-fura . reputation medicine naloma stupid, ignorant nyama-fura power medicine ijanyan bush sa-kin-fura . . . snake bite medicine saraka b8 Make a sacrifice segeseg4 investigate, analyse, examine , sogo wildlife, game n g g 252 Intermediate Bambara 241 iCALAN 19 Mori ni moriya Nsiirin: Bala sara. Bala were sara. Ni jugunni_ma ke nye-m8g8-den_ ye, a fana ka kan ka sigi fangs_ la. Benefactive ye Benefactive kun X da-n-kan X fara Y kan X labila jigin 254 242 Intermediate Bambara Mori ni moriya Umaru Jara ye mori_ ye. bugu silameya sirs bee nyemOgOya_btale de bolo. Umaru de be misiri iasali Ok-&En, dOw b'a wele ko alimami- Ale de be silame furuw siri. Den-kun-di to ke a Iv) bawo ale de be kalan ke. Ale de be den I8g8 wele. Ale de be dugawu k'a ye. A be sebenw ni nasiw dila agOw ye. Moriya sere ka gelen kojugu. Umaru Jara wolola Welesebugu la. A ye san duuru s8r6 tuna min, a fa y'a don kalan na Welesebugu. A ye kalan Ice Welesebugu f'a ye kurana jigin. A donnen kalan na f'a ka taa kurana jigin, Umar tun bejcp kelen in de ke don o don.A tun be soli ka wuli ka taa ji ta a Karamogo musow ye, k'u ka dagaw fa. Walaha waati tun mana se,' kalanden bee 1ci)elen tun be taa kungo kOn8. U kelen kelen tun "Pi doni d8g8-siri filalaka, n'a ye so. Selifana tun mana se, u tun be kalan Ice fo laansara_. Saul den-misenw ka kurana jisin, sOran be seben u ye walan kan, u b'o durusi. N'u tun y'o durusi, o tun be ko ka b8 yen, dOwere tun be seben u kun. Ni m8g8 min tun desera i ta la, Karam8g8tun b'i lamaga-k8s8be,Laansara tun mana se, kalanden be tun be walan bila. U tun b'u ka potiw ta ka taa garibuya la dugu kono.ti tun be taa mori-kalan 'ke*40w ka daw la. Umaru kelen ka kurana_jigin, a karam8g8 y'a dege sebenni na, ka kurana Tana d'a ma. A qra karam8e da-n-kan ye. A be saranw seben kalandenw kun, a be walan_ mine u ye. A tora karam8g8 Bukari bolo f'a y'o ka kitabu be kalan k'u k6n8-ko d8n.-0 kelen na, Umaru so-m8g8w y'a nyin'a karam8g8 fe a ka Umaru labila yaasa u k'a bila ka taa Masina ka taa d8 far'a ka kalan kan. Umaru ye san wOor8 ke mori-kalan na Masina. A kelen ka diina faamuya kOsebe, k'a sariya faamuya a nye be ma, Masinakaw y'a labila. Umaru seginna so ka n'i sigi a karam8g8 f816 kOrO. A tor'a karam8g8 k8r8 fo ka taa o sa don min. 0 salen, ale kera dugu morike_ye. Nyininkali: 1. Umaru Jara ye mun ye? 2. Mun b'a bolo? 3. an be misiri lasali? 4. Umaru be baara jumenw ke dugu kOn8? 5. Moriya_ sOra ka di wa? 6. Umaru wolola min? 7. A donna kalan na k'a to san joli la? 8. A ye kalan ke Welesebugu fo tuna jumen? 9. K'a to kalan na, a tun be ko jumenw ke don o don? 10. A tun be soli ka mun ke? 11. A tun be mun ke walaha waati la? 12. U tun be mun ke selifana ni laansara 13. Den-misenw be mun kalan kurana kOn8? .S8ran be seben .mun kan? 15. N'i desera k'i ka saran durusi, mun be k'i la. Intermediate Bambara 243 lb. Laansara mana se, kalandenw b4 taa mun k4? , 17. U btu ka potiw to ka taa min? 18. U b4 taa Mun ite? . 19. U be taa mun ke magOw-ka daw 20. Umaru kelen ka kurana_jigin, a karam8e y'a dege mun na? 21. A karamag8 ye mun d'a 22. A kera mun ye?A tun b4 mun k4? 23. A tora Karam8g8 Bukari bolo fo tuma jumen? 24. Mun na a so-MogOw b'a fe a karam4O k'a labila? 25. U b'a bila ka taa min? 26. Umaru ye san soli k4 kalan na Masina? 27. Masinakaw y'a labila tuma jumen? 28. A ye mun k4? 29. Umaru iera dugu morike_ye tuma jumen? Segin-n-kan: X k4 Y ye. ri; A b4 taa ji to karamOgO musow ye. _ . V U b4 taa garibuya ke u karamogcue. A b4 foro-baaraw IT4 a so-mOew ye. . ..- T b'e n7 ka walan seben n'nye. A ye mobili san a ba n'a kOr8-musoje. Fanta de be n'ka nakl-kO7n25-f4nw feere n' ye. Bila-no -la: A be taa ,ji_ taa a so-mOgilw ye. Itmaru a karam80 musow dag8 nyini d8g8 ci minan ko finiw ko tobili ke na san susuli ke furali ke ciw k4 Segin-n-kan: kun Karam8g8 be saran_s4b4n i kun. Sori b4 angile-kan ke an kun. Fula-muso b4 nOna_suman mOgaw kun. A ye ji caman ke n' kun. San-ji be tinyeni' don cikelaw kun tuma dOw. KaramOgO b4 saran seben. Adama kun. Sanji be tinyeni don cikelaw kun. fate k4 so-gnaw . . tubabu-kan_ lira-baaralaw angile-kan_ Fulamuso ye,n8nii_suman a kun. Bamananmuso . di .f e n4_ ma. 244 Intermediate Bambara Segin-n-kan: da-n-kan Umaru kera karamagO da-n-kan ye. Ture kera balikukalan kuntigi da- n- kanjre. All de tun ye Banki kun-tigi da-n-kan ye. Rockfeiler ye Ameriki Peresidan da-n=kan ye. Musa de y'u ka du-tigi da-n-kan ye. Bila -na -la: Umaru kera karamag8 da-n-kan ye. dugu-tigi nie-magO du-tigi Peresidan Fanta . .muso-kuntigi kun-tigi minisiri Segin-n-kan: X fara Y kan Umaru be taa do far'a ka kalan kan Masina. Tilema be do fara kOlon dunya kan. Taama be do fara maga ka danni kan. Bubu taara do far'a ka kalan kan F. Furu be dO fara maga ka sabali kan. An ka,taa da fara mobili_ senw finy- kan. Ella -na -la: Umaru taara do far'a ka kalan kan. Furu be do fara magi) ka sabali kan. anni_ . . sabatili . faro . . . basigi . . . finye . doni . . . hakili-tigiya . here . . r . . Segin-n-kan: fo ka taa A tor'a karamagO karts fo ka taa o sa don min. A nana don o don fo ka taa kalan ban don min. TtY se ka nin nyagOn ke fo ka t71sa don min. A .0 ke fen ye fo ka taa duna wuli don min. U be baara ke fo to taa tile bin tuma min. Bila -na -la: A tor'a karamaga karts fo ka taa o sa don min. . . . . masaw . . . . den-muso ca.. . . . . den_ keneya don min. kunun tuma min. tila wuli sunogo. . . . . . . . terike_ . . . inter.T:etliate Bambara 245 ye ,tatr.2 3'1,-. Nit& fn' teri na.. Madu be jigin. Baara be jigin lere duuru la. ".1rtma mu;:o @c t,1, IIL. Bila -ne -la: A ye butelifa-ji jigin. Adama muso jiginna denke la. denmuso_ ...... filen_ . fa-nOna . . filaninw . ______, ______sabaninw ...... poti Bila -ni3 -la: 'aara be jigin lere 5 la Ameriki. Ne jisinna i la Visebe. 6 Mali la. Fanta. . . Maadu . . . 3 lagine. Ali . . .Umu . 12 ..Mali la. U an An i muso . . . NOTES The postposition ye In all dialects of B-M-D, the postposition ye is used tosignal a 1,enefactive function, that is, to do something for someone else, e.g. N ye nin ke Fanta ye. I did this for Fanta. In Bambara, we have also seen ye used as a postpositionoptionally in conjunction with ni to signal various kinds of associationalrelations, e.g. a. A ye mori_ ye. He is a holyman. N taara (ni) kitabu_ye. I went with the book /I..brought the book. A ka Jan (ni) Baba ye. Hp is taller than Baba. A ye nin ke (ni) dabaje. He did this with a hoe. In western dialects of Maninka and Mandinka Leis usually replacedby di Or ti to express these latter functions. 2. Benefactive kun In Bambara and Dyula, kun can be used to express aparticular kind of benefac- tive/detrimental relationship which would. usually be translated as"for" or "to" 258 Intermediate Bambara 247 Vocabulary alimairii imam, prayer read-6f bala porcupine diina faith ... measure of firewood doni loads durusi metor ize garibu beggar gariblaya begging juguni . hedgehog kurana koran labila...... let go, allow, permit lamaga to whip lasali to lead in prayer mori holyman moriya activity of a hopyman nasi magic potion seben write, writing; gris-gris, amulet silameya Islam soran verse walan wooden state 259 Intermediate Babmara 249 KALAN 20 An kana baara bila bolo kafe Nsiirin: Mee ka ny'i bara de. Kalanni ani Segin kanni. X bila bolo Ice fe. Men X la X-ko :relative clauses Nye-sin X ma Ka nye Past participial phrases X ka fisa Y ye. Fo ka ort 261 250 Intermediate Bambara An kana baara bila bolo Seriba wulila ka ba Masabugu la,k'a bena baara nyini galo-dugu_ kOnO. Tile tan ni duuru, a be yaalala si-yara-kola. Su fe, a bii da sugu kOnO, ga kolon.kOra. Wari min tun b'a kun;a y'o dun k'a ban. Kulusi ni dulaki minw tun b'a la, olu kera fini kolonye. Seriba kOnO ganna. A m'a dOn a bena min ke. A tun be warini minw sOrO doni-ta la,o to se hall k'a balo. Kane ani segen_ye Seriba fasa fo k'a halaki. San fila, Seriba be yaalala, ima baara Tuma day, den-misenw_ be waiO a no -fe, u Ws fa:"Fa, ffta."Ibta. bon ni gongoroye, Seriba be boli k'l dogo. A b'a to a yere ye: lie ala,ne...ye mun ke? I to hine ne la wa? I to iiereke ne ye wa?". Don da la, ce7kOraba.kelen y'a.ye, a hine y'o mine, o y'a wele TO a ye, a ka segina fa -so kono, aka taa Ci_kekosgbe n'a b'a fe ka here_sar6. Seriba seginna ka na Masabugula A y'i seil ma. Jiri-kanO kelen anitila, a y'Lke tigaye. A y'2 ka foro in baara k'a nye, foa yere ni-san-dryara. Suman-ladonbannen, Seriba faamu ko dugu-kolo to mOganegen, bawo Seriba ka tiga yewaa waora Seriba. ye so.nyuman jo, ka muso nyuman san, ka bay san. Yere-don ka fisa niso -don ye. Aw k'a clan ko dugu-kolo to mogo negen abada. 3 (Nin-E6fa Kibaru kono, nimOra12, nye 3). Nyininkali: 1. Seriba bra min? 15. A ye baara,sOra wa? 2. A taara min? 16. Den-miseny tun bemun k'a la? 3. Mun na a taara galo-dugu_kiinii? 17. A tun be mun fa a igre 4. Aye si7yOra sara joona wa? 18: 0 Jra ye mun 5. Aye waati jumen ke si-yOr-a-nyinipa? 19. dekarabaj'awele kamun f'a ye? 6. A tun be da.yoro jumen? 20. Mun na cekorobaLy'll f'2 ye? 7. Aye mun ktakun-wari la? 21. Seriba seginna so_wa? 8. Mun kei'aka fIniw_ na? 22. A y'i nye-sin mun ma? 9. Altana ganna wa? 23. Aye mun sene? 10. A tun be mun baara ke? 24. Aka forojene_hake tun yemun ye? 11. A tun be wari caman sii;P2 la we? 25. Suman-ladonbannen, Seriba 12. 0 wari tun be se k'a balo wa? ye mun faamu? 13. Rangani segen_yeinn ka Seriba la? 26. Mun-y'a to a y'o faamu? 14. Seriba ye san joli ie yaala_la? 27. AyessEra ke wa? 28. A ye mun ke n'a ka wari ye? 262 \A Intermediate' Bambara,'251 kia-na-la: Ka 'X bila bolo kOfe. An kana baara bila bolo kara. . . . . balimaya_ . . . . teriya; . . . . mOgOya_' . . . . self_ . . . . kalan_ . . . . sene_ t . . . . kanu_ . . . . nyumanya_ Baro-misen: A. A menna si-y6ra nyini na-wa? B. Tile tan ni duuru, a be yaalala si-yOra-ko la. A. A menna. A. A menna kalan na wa. B. San 5, a be kalan na. A. A manna kalan na. A. A manna ntola-tan na B. San 12, a 176 ntola-tan na. A. A ye do k'a la. A. A menna so 'can() wa? B. Lere 6, a be sun la so 'Coda. A. Aye do kia. la. A. A menna baara la. B. Tere 12,a be baara la. A. A ye dO k'a la. A. A manna mobili-boli la wa? B. San 27, a be mobili-boli la. . A. Aye do k'a la. A. A menna lakalanni na wa? B. San 10, a be lakalanni na. A. A ye do k'a la. A. A menna muso-nyini na wa? B. San 4, a be kolosili kela muso-ko la. A. A ye do k'a la. -? A. A manna foro-nyini na wa? B. San 9, a be taa-ka-segin-na foro-ko la. A. Aye do k'a la. A. A manna so nyini na wa? B. Kalo wOorO, a be so nyini na. A. A ye (16 k'a la. 263 252 Intermediate Bambara Bila-n6-1a: X-ko Til(. 15, a. R. yaala Ia. baara-ko_. Toro -ko_ . so-kr, . . slurian-k rn i tt -ke_ . . Wari min ±dn h' kdn, _a7'o -In k 'a ban. Sand_ #'.,,,,,r4t 'Oa e...._ -,:-Ili KOr,.... ,1 i . Fini ,ii A y'i ny76-sin sex ma. kalan . . . ntola -tan mobili-dila_ nahi-sere_ . . . bagan-mares . negeso-boli_ bal iku-kPl . y'a ri I n iaarn Ka . . .a ka . . . . . . .a 'Ka :%,1111 dila . . .1 . . . mariri . .a. ka kalan. . k..". . .1 k% ,J-ola. tan. . .a ka ±,_, . . . tqc; I 6! 253 Intermediate Bambara %uma-don-nvapOn-na: .X-len Nye-jira: A. Suman-ladon banna. Seriba y'a faamu. B. Suman-ladon bannen, Seriba y'a faamu. Baarajiginna. Maadu taara so. Kalan banna. Den-misenw-ye mankan damine. Na wulila. Fanta ye kaga k'a la. Foro bulukura. U ye danni ke. A fa= nana. U donna so kanO. Sanjora.Adama ni Mara taara sugu la. Sumanw feerela. A ye muso were-furu. Lanpan fagara. da ka sunaga. Kini mana. U ye dumuni ke. . . A tildla kalan na. A seginna a ka jamana la. A muso binna. sen karila. Fanta segenna baara la. A y'a segen lafinye ba. Bila -na -la: Yere-dan ka fisa so-dan_ye. Saga_ malo_. . . . . Fanta Nyeba . . . Sagu BamakO . . . Misi-sogo_. . le-sogo_. . Bala Seku . . . Bila -ria -la: Kane ni segen_ye Seribafasa fo ktp.halaki. Nana ni sogo bonya . . . . tinye. Nkalonni . tooro . . . . fasa. Adama ni Bala 020- . nalon. Muso ni 4en_ layaala . . nun-finye 1)8. Na-s&1gOl-ko_pi hami . . . . nagasi. dagaya . . ba miseli-wo Bila-na-la: Kulusi ni dulaki, minw tun b'a fa, olu kera fini kolon ye. Fugula ni sabara, fen kolonw. S.ga ni niisi, a sara: Teri ni je-nyagan, a juguw Ye. Jiri ni minan, fu. Ella -as -la: A m'a den a bena miry. ke. kele. son. di fa. karafa. feere. ta. fili. - san. P54 intermediate Bambara Vocabulary bon threw dogo hide fasa become skinny galo-dugu big city ener5 pebble halaki destroy hide pity --- kono-gan be puzzled, bewildered misi-ba mother cow neen fool ny.e-sin concentrate tila half wele call 466 I Intermediate Bambara 255 GLOSSARY This glossary is based on vocabulary used in An ka bamanankan kalan: Intermediate Bambara. It is notintended to representan extensive, basic or in any way complete inventory of Bambara words. The definitions given serve likewise more as reminders to the expressions used in the lessons than as definitions covering the meaning ,of these terms. The.alphabetical order follows standard English usage with the following exceptions: 1. Vowels without grave accents within a series will precede those with accents; e.g. e comes before e 2. High tones within a series will precede low tones; e.g. e comes before e 3. 1 and 2 combined produce the following order: e, e, e, h. Prenasalized consonants are alphabetized directly with the letter n; e.g. na precedes nb which precedes nd which precedes ne 5. imand a are considered separate nasal consonants and are alphabetized in the order given. S. 267 Intermediate Bambara 257 bila v. leave, put, allow, let (var: bla) bila ... nya v. put (something) before (something else) X bila Y la to put X to Y, to assign X to Y labila v. let go, allow, permit bilakoro n. non-circumcized child bilakoroya n. childhood bin n. grass biro n. initiation but bOgO n. dirt, mud boll n. fetish, idol bolo n. arm, hand bololankolon empty-handed bolo-la-ntolatan n. basketball boloko v. circumcize bon v. throw ban v. spill bonya n. respect basi v. take away from bugs v. beat buguri n. dust bourinja n. ashes buluku v. plow, turn over soil buran n. in-law buruju n. lineage buruju-gosi n. lineage praising C bac rapalo n. wine ci?,n n. heritage c.._ya n. manhood ci v. send ci n. message ci-den n. messenger D da v. come after, follow da n. mouth dabila v. put aside, stop, cease ,race dade v. shut up da ba nyap la (lit. take the mouth away from millet) Exp: die da v. create dan-fen n. living thing (create-thing) daba n. hoe r dabanikurunni n. small hand hoe with short handle dabila v. put aside, stop, cease dade v. shut up daga n. pot, pottery, vase 269 Intermediate Bambara 257 bila v. leave, put, allow, let (var: bla) bila ... nya v. put (something) before (something else) X bila Y la to put X to Y, to assign X to Y labila v. let go, allow, permit bilakoro n. non-circumcized child bilakoroya n. 1 childhood bin n. grass biro n. initiation but bOgO n. dirt, mud boll n. fetish, idol bolo n. arm, hand bololankolon empty-handed bolo-la-ntolatan n. basketball boloko v. circumcize bon v. throw bOn v. spill bonya n. respect basi v. take away from bugs v. beat buguri n. dust buvuring n. ashes buluku v. plow, turn over soil buran n. in-law buruju n. lineage buruju-gosi n. lineage praising C bac Papal° n. wine cS.n n. heritage era n. manhood ci v. send ci n. message ci-den n. messenger D da v. come after, follow da n. mouth dabila v. put aside, stop, cease .race dade v. shut up da ba nya la (lit. take the mouth away from millet) Exp: die da v. create clan-fen- n. living thing (create-thing) daba n. hoe r dabanikurunni n. small hand hoe with short handle dabila v. put aside, stop, cease dade v. shut up daga n. pot, pottery, vase 269 258 Intermediate Bambara dahirim adj. living dalaj?! v. gather, meet dalilu n. secret knowledge, specihl means, dan v. count dan n. limit dan-kun n. border, outskirts, crossroadq, limit, boundary danmateme v. exaggerate dan v. plant, sow 4 danni n. planting dan-fen n. living thing (create-thing) dege v. learn, teach ladege v. imitate dege n. a sort of porridge deli v. beg * deli v. get used to den n., child den-batigi n. mother with children den-misenya n. childhood di v. shave diina n. faith, character, religion . (var. diine) dimi kOr8 v. be angry at (someone) dinge n. hole (in ground) (var. dinga) dinye n. world (var. duniya, duna, diyen, Jen) diya n. goodness, pleasantness diya-n-ye-m3g8 n. loved one do n., quan. one, certain, someone; some, somet duo v. hide -a6g8-da v. set a date for (lit,, set up market n. wood-chopping dag8-siri n. measure of firewood dOIe, &Ora n. reel, spool c1-2)-0 n. star don v. enter;(ext.) bury (a body) doni n. load n. song (var. gln-gili) donso hunter donsoba n. chief hunter donsoya n. hunting donso-ladege n. so-called hunter du n. courtyard .du-tigi (courtyard-man) head of househol dugu n. land duguseje n. dawn dugu-kolo n. land dugu-kolo-tigi n. owner of the .land dugu-tigi n. chief of town 270 intermediate Bambara 259 duguseje n. dawn duniya n. world.______.. _ .. _ . _ -duniya to s, Exp: die (lit. leave the world) aunun n. drum dunun-fO drumming durusi v. ads, memorize E esansi (4Fr. ) n. gasoline F . faga v. ,:-.A" kill fajiri 'n. dawn fate n. home-spun thread falen v. grow (up), germinate fan n. forge fan-da n. ---torge-mouth. - fan n. side fanga n. power, authority fara v. split off, tear, turn farin adj. fierce, bold farinya n. ferocity, boldness fasa n. praise song fasa v. become skinny fatu v. die fereba n. cloth, clothing fila n. Fulani .omet filan n. peer, filen n. calabash, gourd rket ml v. mistake, be mistaken fine n. particular caste in Mande culture (var. fune) They are functionally ill-defined in comparison to blacksmiths and bards. finfin n. charcoal fini n. cloth fini to n. dress-(manner)- (var. fini don) fisa better than X fisa Y ye X better than Y fisaya v. prefer fitiri -.n. dusk . fiye v. blow sehol fiyen n. light fiyenya n. ease fa...ka v. find (someone) gone, come in (someone's) absence fobonda n. period of the year in September-October fonene n. cold season 271 260 Intermediate Bambara foro n. field _Coro ix) v. clear a field Voroko n. leather bag foron n. sheath, scabbard Toronto 11. hot pepper fmgari n. worthless person funteni n. heat fura n. medicine, leaf fura bO v. make medicine for mOg8-tanga-fura n. reputation medicine'- furan v. sweep furu v. marry ^4:4> furu-boloma n. marriage broker furu-nafolo n. dowry furu-siri n. modern, religious marriage furuja n. mourning time futa n. Region of Mali, Senegal, Guinea G A, gaari thread gale adj. first galo-dugu n. big city garanke n. leather worker garibu n. Koranic student; beggar garibuya n. begging gasi n. consideration gen, v. chase, expel geren adj. green, fresh, unripe gese n. thread gesedala n. weaver gintan n. ceremony gita-fO n. calabash playing during wedding Celebration enger8 n. pebble; clod of dirt (var. gotigonron) gundo n. secret gundo mara v. keep a secret _gungurun n. stump- H hake n. sum, amount, number of halaki v. destroy hall even halibi up to now hami v. worry hine pity hOriin n. noble, non-casted person ber 272 or Intermediate Bambara 261 J shadow, image, soul ja n. (lit. move the spirit) to upset ja wuli v. ja v. warm oneself ja dry up jaba n. onion henna tree, the leaves of which are jabi n. used as makeup by women on their hands and feet Sago n. trade, commerce jago-ke-kan n. trade language Senegalese mahogany (cashew) jala n. mistake, error, fault jalaki n. crowd jama n. jatigi-muso n. hostess immoral person. jat8 n. white g n. --whiten...... ___ v. clear tie become clear to X je.X ma collect, gather 34 v. axe jele n. griot,, bard jeli n. entertainment with drum jenbe-f6 n. burn jeni spread, spread out, distribute, jedgen v. broadcast, announce (var. janjen) n. water ii water-carrying ii -ta n. lower; descend jigin v. lower; cause to descend lajigin v. give birth to jigin v. give birth to jigin v. granary jigin . hope jigiya n. wood, tree jiri n. right jo n. You are right . -I jo b' a. la-. I jo don. stand, build, stand up, erect, v. ticl straighten up, stop I JO! Stop! cause to stop laj8_ v. place to stand, standing-room jil-yOra, n. (Ext., role) wound, cut joli n. medicine for cuts joli-fura n. Niger River jaliba/jaliba n. slave jOn n. juguni n. hedgehog 273 262 Intermediate Bambara K kaburu n. grave kaburu-don n. cemetery kala v. sew kali v. swear kalifa v. entrust kalifa mina (Exp) die (lit. seize that which was entrusted) kamisoli (SFr.) blouse kan v. cut (grass), scythe kanu n. love, desire, adoration kanubaganci n. fan, admirer kari v. break karisa. ._ n. such person, somebody kasa n. woollen cloth kasanke n. funeral cloth Kati n. city in. Mali Aele- fight,, war kelen num. one kelennama adj. by oneself kene n. open space' keninge n. millet, white millet kewale n. deed, action kibaru n. news kibaruya n. news, information quarter, area of city kin n. kise n. seed, grain, nucleus marafa-kise n. bullet kofo v. tell about X kof8 Y ye v. tell Y about X ripen, age, mature, grow up leoga v. koli v. fail Bambara initiation society kOma n. var: Ica:no Chief of kOma kOna n. inside kan8-gan v. be puzzled, bewildered kOna v. wait mak8nO v. wait for koori n. circle koori v. surround koori n. cotton koori -foroni n. little cotton farm kOra n. 21 string harp-lute underneath, meaning (meaning-say kOra n. kOra fa explanation, speak of meaning n. conversation, speech kOra-ta v. raise, raise up, life lit. under-scratch, to hoe, w: kiirCi-shiyen v. karO matige v. criticize 7 4 Intermediate Bambara 263 koran east X keriin-yan-fan to east of X koroninfin n. tree with sweet black fruit (Vitex Cuneata) keskas idiophone for dryness A jara koskos It got very dry. kOsEn n. and p. reason, cause A taara o kOsOn. He left because of that. kube n. government-building- kulan n. anvil kulo v. scream, yell, cry out Kuluba n. hill on outskirts of Bamako,Mali, housing government offices kuma v- speak kuma-sasela v. interpret kun n. head kun-da v. do (someone's) hair kun-di v. shave the head kunko n. problem, affair kurana n. koran laada n. custom, tradition laben v. prepare labila v. let go, allow, permit Iaaege v. imitate lagare n. last born child laje n. watch lajigin. V4 lower, cause to descend. lagi v. cause to stop lamaga v. whip lankolon adj. empty, naked, worthless lasali v. lead in prayer Jatunun v. cause to be lost, stop layidu n. promise M maabe n. casted Fulani person maana n. epic, history, detailed literary ex- planation =file v.. look at Maka n. Mecca mako n. need . makono v. wait for makun n. shut up, 4teep quiet malo v. shame malaya n. shame 275 26b intermediate Bambara mamine v. become engaged to a woman. markt n. rubber mana-dunun n. drum with rubber head manamana-kan n. casual talk, worthless talk mankan n. noise manyomagan -muso n. bride's maid mara v. keep, rule, control, master marafa v. gun, rifle marafa-kise n. bullet marato ('Fr.) n. hammer- masina n. region of Mali masiri n. decorations, ornaments matige v. cut down 1(31..8 matige v. criticize Mawuluti n. Mosleth celebration of Mohamed's b meri ('Fr.) n. courthaise miiri v. think minan n. utensils, tools, dishware . misen adj. slim, thin misi-ba n. cow with calf mo v. ripen mOgO n. person mW-tanga-fura n. reputation medicine mori n. holyman moriya n. activity of a holyman munyu v. support musaka n. expenses, cost mus6r3 n. scarf' N nafigi n. tell -tale nafigiya v. tell -tales nafolo n. wealth nagasi v. destrOy, fall in misery nakan n. destiny naka n. garde0 naloma adj. stupid, ignorant naloma n. stupid fellow nare n. butter nasi n. magic ',potion nburu n. bread nee -fin n. iron ore negen v. fool, cajole, flatter neni k n. curse -% ngon n. baboont ni n. soul, spirit ni-sOng6 n. (soul-price) tax, head-tax ni-y6r3 v. share Intermediate Bambara 265 ni v. grant, offer nili-fen n. offering, gift nimisa v. regret nimogo n. younger in-laws nisediya, nisandiya n. joy, contentment nkalon v.' lie (var. ngalon, wuya (wasulu), kalon nkani n. stringed instrument (generic) nkOpi n. bitter tomato nagaya v. become easy, better, improve nani/neoni v. mix npogotigi n. young girl ntamani n. talking drum ntami-fa v. playing the talking drum ntamaro n. date (fruit) ntola n. ball ntola-tan n. (kick-ball) soccer, football ntola - tan -yore n. soccer field sen-na-ntola-tan n. football, soccer ntori n. frog ntugun n. mound, hill ntumu n. worm ntura n. bull numu n. blacksmith numuya n. blacksmithing fly nya-na-muso n. preferred woman nyagin, nyangi v. sentence, puniSh nyama n. power, energy for action nyama-fura n. power medicine nyama-kala n. casted person nye n. eye nye-mega n. "("front- person) leader nye - mogoya n. leadership nya-na-muso n. preferred woman nye-mega n. . (front-person) leader nye - mogoya n. leadership, nyenaje n. partyr.entertainment, amusement nye-sin v. concentrate nyigin v. wet,,, soak nyimi v. chew nyin-susu v. blacken someone's gums (for cosmetic purposes) nyini find out, ask of, want I be mun nyimi Baba fa? What do you want from Baba? nyagan together, each other_ nyogon -rye n. (see each other) meeting X ni nyagen ce between X, amongst X 27,7 266 Intermediate Bambara 0 Banyan n. bush gomi n. fritter 0 Orbbu ((Fr.) dress P pakati n. box, small carton pake ((Fr.) n. small box, package parata v. spin peren v. yell. scream pewu i;diophone accentuating finish polos L.(Fr.) n. policeman, policewoman var. polisi poti ((Fr.) n. pot S sa n. snake sa -kin -fura n. -snake bite medicine' sa v. die sl.ya n. death sababu n. and v. cause var. saabu, sabu sa- kin -fora n. snake bite medicine sabali, sabati, sabari V. calm down, be patient, settle do have patience, reinforce saheli n. Sahel region, north "'' X saheli-yan-fan the north of X sale-dinga n., grave salon n. last year .salonnasini n. year before last sama v. bring back a gift for samiya n. rainy season san n. sky n. rain(sky-water) san-fin n. cloud san-kilo-bore n. 100 kg. bag sanga n. death sanga lagosi v. spread the news of the death pange n. mosquito net saraka n. alm saraka b8 v. make a sacrifice saribilenni small ox-drawn plow (lit. little r plcw) sariya n. law saya n. death 2,78 Intermediate Bambara 267 se v. arrive, be able X se Y k6r6 X can support Y se-ko n. possibility sehe, s6be serious; true, wise seben v. write seben n. writing seben n. gris-gris, amulet, talisman, charm containing Arabic writing seben n. tiredness, poverty segenbagata n. poor one segesege v. inves:;igatg, analyse, examine segi n. basket segin v. return Ext. die sell. v. pray lasali v. lead in prayer sell X kan v. pray over X sen n. leg sen-na-ntola-tan n. football, soccer sen ni bolo n. Exp. child, offspring (lit. leg and arm) sen v. dig sen,na-ntola-tan n. football, soccer Zenegali n. Senegal sbiyen v. scratch kOrO-shiyen v. (lit. under-scratch) hoe, weed si n. age, life (as a passage of time) sigiv. sit sigi-ny6din n. neighbor (lit. sit-together) sigi-yara .n. seat, place to sit silame n. Muslim, a believer in Islam silameya n. Islam, the Moslem religion . sira n. tobacco siran afraid "ka siran X nye be afraid_ of X siri v. attach; tie sisi n. smoke siya n. sort, kind, race, species sogo n. wildlife, vuma soli v. wake up very early solima n. newly circumcized son v. worship s6n v. give,, grant, make an offering to, sacrifice San n. character, heart (abstract) acinsoron V. kneel s&an n. verse su n. corpse 279 268 Intermediate Bambara suda v. give*notice, forewarn sdgu n. market sugu-la-sigi n. a sale sukAndi, sugandi v. select, choose sukaro_(4Fr.) n. sugar Sukii n. female form of Keyita, a family n suman n. measure suman adj. cool, cold, slow sumaya v. slow down, diminish suman n. food, crops ...- sumaya v. slow down, diminish sun v. fast sunya v. steal, rob (var. sonya, shuwen) sunyali 'n. theft, robbery suraka n. Moor surunya v. become short, near, approach sutura v. hide (someone's shame) T to v. carry, take to v. hire taa v. go taa ka v. succeed taa-ka-segin n. goings and comings taafe n. standard measure of cloth, a woma wrapped skirt (Fr. pagne) taama v. travel (var. Uig8ma) taamala n. traveller, voyager taasi n. shame tamati n. tomato tan v. kick,. play sen-na-ntola-tan ,n. footballsoccer tanga v. respect, prevent mho -tanga-fura n. reputation medicine tasa n. bowl tasuma n. fire tasuma-kemu n. red hot coals tee n. hand tag6re n. applause, clapping of hands ka teere f6 to applaud tenon -muse n. father's sister also binki tewutewu idiophone for full a fara"tewutewu He's full to the top. till, v. finish a tilala baara la. He finished the work ila n. half tile-bin n. west, sunset X til-bin -yan-fan the west of X Intermediate Bambara 269 Q`P.ma (tile + ma) adj. sunny tilema-tuma n hot season tin n. labor, childbirth, delivery tints n. woman in labor tiny n. tsuth, right var. then, tonya, tunya, cell Tinye b'i fe. You're right. to n. remainder, rest, leftover Mali fan is bee. all the remaining areas of Mali a is lila the two remaining (of it) a is man oa tho rust is nat mueb a ye kini IA dun Ho aC th lovr ivo. tO V. to ... 1,,') v. remain, leave, stay behind tc1Q; v. fatten var. cis, kia, tun tamS . . pick up ton v. make into a pile, mound, pile up tan n. 1. group, association, team, club 2. quiver t6n-sigi (group-sit) conference, meeting tu n. forest tu v. . enclose in a ye sean tu. ---ire-enElosea -th-e-"gris-gris". tu v. bump into Sagaw be nyaen tu. The sheep bump into each other. tnli_ v. to put an amulet into its case or bag Garanke be tali ka. The leatherman puts [an amulet into its case]. fmi U n. oil adj. bo geany 1,A);;Au14) . tnnun v. lose latunun v. cause to be lost, stop 41 wajibi n. obligation wala eonj. or -walaka v. destroy var. waranka 0;undo walaka v. inform, let the cat out of the bag walan n. wooden slate walasa so that, in order to wele v. call wo n. b^le (in a vertical plane, as in'a wall, see dingo or in a moveable plane, as in paper, cloth) wolo n. skin, leather var. Fele wore n. kola nut 281 I 114 270 Intermediate Bambara woro-dugu n. kola-country, Ivory-Coast, the X worn-dugu-yan-fan the south of X woro-songo n. price of kolas, a tip, gratui h. shell Ob. var. wirr)n X worn i ko tiga speakXtfluently woso n. sweet potato wotoro n. wagon wulusi v. take seeds out of, as to gin cot' wusu n. smoke wusu v. smoke (as e.g. fish,mmt) wusulan n. incense wusulan-daga incense burner (pot) Y yaasa so that, in order to ye16-ma v. transform, change, move yelen melt yarke v. spread out yer.e-kun n. one's self, one yere -mine n. yiranyiran/yilanyilan v. hesitate, be perplexed y6li-yali n. seclusion g to r- `2.182 _ ....