Optatives

In this chapter, we're going to cover the optative tense of verbs using the predicate marker ka and its negative counterpart kana, so that you can things equivalent to "Let's go!", "You ought to go!", or "She mustn't go!".

Specifically, we're going to cover the following:

• What I mean by the "optative tense'"
• How it is used to say things like "Let's" or "Let's not"
• How to use it affirmatively to express "Ought to/should/etc"
• How to use it negatively to express "Mustn't" or weakened orders
• How it figures into benedictions

The optative predicate markers ka and kana

Earlier we learned how to use verbs in the past and the present by using different predicate markers—the special helper words like bɛ/tɛ and ye/ma that change the tense of a verb.

(NOTE: I use "tense" as convenient shorthand. Technically, predicate markers act upon a combination of what linguists distinguish as tense, aspect and mood.)

In this chapter, we will pick up a new set of predicate markers: ka and kana. Together they express what I will call the the optative tense. You may also hear or see this referred to as things like the "subjunctive", "hortative" or "projective" by linguists. I will use the term "optative" because it includes a transparent hint about its meaning for laypeople: the idea of "opting" for something.

One of the reasons it has a bunch of fancy names is because it doesn't line up one-to-one with a single turn of phrase in English or French. It does, however, express a range of meanings that all have to do with encouraging (or, when used negatively with kana, discouraging) an action.

With an: "Let's …" and "Let's not …"

One of the key usages of the optative is to express what is the equivalent of "Let's …" in English. As you might have figured out already given the name of my website and YouTube channel, this is done by using the third person plural pronoun (an) and the optative predicate marker (ka) together followed by a verb, etc.

For instance (to take the best example possible):

An ka taa!

"Let's go!"

Or:

An ka balon tan!

"Let's kick the ball!"

(as in, "Let's play soccer!")

Both of these sentences can be made negative by simply switching ka to kana.

For instance:

An kana taa!

"Let's not go!"

Or:

An kana balon tan!

"Let's not play soccer!"

With other subjects: affirmative ("ought to/should/had better")

What's special about the optative (compared to "Let's" in English) is that it's not limited to being used with only an ('we'). We can also use ka and kana with other people or subjects.

The exact translation into English will vary, but, as I said, in the affirmative it always has something to do with encouraging a particular action.

One possible translation is "should". For instance, if you were struggling with a heavy sack of rice that you bought at the market, you might look for someone younger than you and say to them:

I ka n dɛmɛ!

'You should help me!'

(as in, "I'd like for you to help me!" or, more bluntly, "Help me!")

In other cases, the meaning can be closer to "had better". For instance, if you were mad at your friend Musa and he seemed to be avoiding you, you might say something like:

Musa ka n wele!

'Musa had better call me!'

Another possibility is "ought to". For example, if you and your family were discussing a friend of yours who lived in a place that was increasingly threatened by the effects of climate change (sorry), you might suggest something like:

À ka na yan!

'He/she ought to come here!'

With other subjects: negative ("mustn't")

Optative sentences can all be made negative simply by switching ka to kana. Finding a single one-to-one English translation remains tricky in this case too. One possibility is "mustn't".

For instance:

Musa kana n wele!

"Musa mustn't call me!"

(as in, "Musa had better not" or "should not call me!")

Of course, "mustn't" can sound a bit old-fashioned in English today. As such, when kana is used with the second person pronouns i ('you') or aw ('you all'), the best colloquial translation is often just a simple imperative.

For instance:

I kana n dɛmɛ!

"You mustn't help me!"

(or more naturally in English, "Don't help me!")

Translating things like this is fine, as long as you remember that there is a formal difference between kana used to express the optative tense and kana used to express an imperative.

Compare, for instance, the following:

I kana n dɛmɛ!
'You mustn't help me!''

VS

Kana n dɛmɛ!
'Don't help me!''

In benedictions

Finally, in case you haven't made the connection, it is worth pointing out that we already encountered the optative way back when you learned benedictions!

The ka in the Ala ka or Ka of benedictions are all instances of the optative predicate marker being put to use. But with a slightly different meaning in English: "May God …".

Overwhelmed? Here's a final example that you can put to use in difficult times:

Ala ka an dɛmɛ! → Ala k'an dɛmɛ!
God + OPT + us + help

'May God help us!'

Summary

Ayiwa! In this chapter, we covered the following:

• The optative predicate markers ka/kana are used to encourage/discourage actions.
• The exact translation can vary in English, but some of the most common ones are:
  • Let's (not): as in, An ka taa ("Let's go") or An kana taa ("Let's not go")
  • ought to / should / had better: as in, I ka taa ('You ought to go'), À ka bamanankan fɔ ('He/she should speak [in] Bambara')
  • mustn't: as in, U kana taa ("They mustn't go") or N kana kuma ("I mustn't speak")
  • "May God…": as in, Ala ka an dɛmɛ ('May God help us') or Ala ka sira diya ('May God make the road pleasing')