Warm-up
- N'i mako bɛ dɛmɛni na, i bɛ jɔn ɲininka?
- Jɔn b'i dɛmɛ ka julakan walima bamanankan kalan? I y'o ɲininka k'i dɛmɛ?
Text
SITUATION: Don is talking to Vakaba about being his teacher. He wants Vakaba to help him learn more of the Jula language.
DON: Vakaba! E bɛna sɔn ka n kalan julakan na?
VAKABA: Ɛ Don! Nin ye mun ɲininkali sugu ye?
DON: Aa! À bɛ di? N bada kuma jugu dɔ fɔ wa?
VAKABA: O tɛ! Nka i ka ɲinikali ko ni n bɛ se ka i kalan julakan na, ole bɛ n kɔnɔnɔbanna.
DON: Di? Mun kosɔn?
VAKABA: À daminɛ bɛ min ye, i bɛ julakan mɛn kosɛbɛ. Ani i b'à fɔ. O kɔ, n'i b'à fɛ ka dɔ fara i ka lɔnni kan, o fɔ n ye dɔrɔn.
DON: Nka n ka kan ka i ɲininka fɔlɔ n'i bɛ sɔn.
VAKABA: Nka ele fana! N tɛ sɔn mun kosɔn? An ka teriya tɔnɔ bɛ kɛ mun ye n'i an tɛ se ka ɲɔgɔn dɛmɛ?
DON: I ni ce, Vakaba. O diyara n ye kosɛbɛ.
VAKABA: Come on, Don! What kind of question is that?
DON: Ah! How's that? Did I say something wrong?
VAKABA: It's not that! But your question asking if I can teach you Jula, that stumps me.
DON: How? Because of what?
VAKABA: For starters, you understand Jula really well. And you speak it. After that, if you want to add some to your knowledge, just say it to me.
DON: But I need to ask you first if you accept.
VAKABA: Man, you too! Why wouldn't agree? What's the good of our friendship if we can't help each other?
DON: Thanks, Vakaba. This has pleased me a lot.
Vocab
- bada/bara
- predicate marker for the past that is used in Maninka and occasionally in Jula
- k'à kɔnɔnɔban/kɔnɔnaban
- to stump sb (lit. 'to end the inside of someone's stomach')
- lɔnni
- cf. dɔnni
- tɔnɔ
- profit
- Nka ele fana!
-
fana('too; also') is sometimes used in interjections like this to express exasperation with someone - bɛ...ye
-
ye...yein standard Bambara
Notes
Activity
Vakaba is really stumped by Don's behavior. Acting as him send a message to a mutual friend where he vents and tries to figure our what the deal is. Create the scene!