Bɔkolo

Intro

The following audio recording comes from the "Jeli ASR" dataset that was produced by RobotsMali and Google as part of an effort to aid the development of automated speech recognition (ASR) software.

(NOTE: If you are curious, you can read more about Jeli ASR and find various links for it in this write-up that I did.)

The recording is a roughly two-minute segment from a longer narration of nearly one hour produced one of 30 narrators that were recruited for the project.

(The project refers to them as "griots", They use this term rather loosely. A number of them are not actual griots [jeli in Bambara].)

The narrator in question is Nakunte Kantɛ. I have selected his narration because his speech is very clear and easy to understand.

 The Jeli ASR project lists his narration as being in "Siby Maninka". This is an exaggeration. While his speech has traces of non-standard Bambara in it, it is essentially standard Bambara.

His overall narration is a commentary on some of the mythical ancestral figures of Manden, a region and historical polity that is often referred to as the "Mali Empire" in English and French.

The two-minute segment selected here is the very beginning of his narration, which he addresses to both an imagined audience (since he knows that he is being recorded) and an interlocutor, Sidiki Tarawele, that seems to have been sitting beside him to listen to his narration.

This audio recording is of interest for students of Bambara in a few ways.

Language-wise, it introduces you to:

• stylistic conventions of oral historical commentary and story-telling
• vocabulary associated with lineages and cultural practices and traditions

Culturally, it points to:

• the historical place and polity of Manden
• the historical figures of Sumaworo Kantɛ and Sunjata Keyita
• praise-names

Listen

Audio file

(If it's way too fast for you, you can try right-clicking on the player to user a slower playback speed!)

Listen & Read

Audio file

01 Ayiwa! N baden Farafinjamana cɛ ani muso, den ani mɔgɔba, aw balimakɛ, aw denkɛ, aw dɔgɔkɛ Nakuntɛ Kantɛ ka bɔ Narena.
02 N sigilen don Bamakɔ Sebenikɔrɔ. Kinda wɔlɔnfilanan na.
03 Bi ka bɔ ka baro kɛ an bɔkolo an'an danbe kan.
04 An bɔra bɔkolo minnu na ani an ka danbelakow, ɔ, ani an bɛnbakɛ minnu tɛmɛna minnu ye kobaw kɛ ka ko gɛlɛnw kɛ.
05 I n'a fɔ Sumaworo Kantɛ n'a ɲɔgɔnnaw.
06 I n'a fɔ Makan Sunjata n'a ɲɔgɔnnaw.
07 Bi, an bɛna baroɲɔgɔnya kɛ o kɔnɔna de la.
08 Ɛ, ne balimakɛ Sidiki Tarawele!
09 Bi, ka baroɲɔgɔnya kɛ i fɛ kamasɔrɔ an ka danbew la i b'a sɔrɔ masakɛw tɛmɛna minnu ka tariku maralen b'an bolo.
10 Ɔ! Don dɔw la, an ka kan ka se ka baroɲɔgɔnya kɛ ɲɔgɔn fɛ.
11 E yɛrɛ benbakɛ ko o ye Tarawele de ye, Turamagan.
12 An b'a fɔ ko Turamagan ani Kankejan, Muke Musa ni Muke Dantuma.
13 Olu ye Turamakan bɔnsɔnw de ye.
14 Ne yɛrɛ fana ye cɛ min bɔnsɔn ye, o ye Sumaworo Kantɛ de ye.
15 A bɛ fɔ Sumaworo Kantɛ ma ko Kokoba ni Bantaba Ɲaniɲani ani Kanbasiga.
16 O ye Sumaworo majamu cogo ye.
17 Mais an bɔra bɔkolo dɔ de la.
18 A ka kan an ka se k'o baroɲɔgɔnya kɛ ɲɔgɔn ye sabula mɔgɔ n'i m'i bɔkolo dɔn, i tɛ se k'i ka kɛta yɛrɛ dɔn.
19 Donc, an ka danbelakow bɛ an bɔkɔlow de bolo.
20 Bɔkolow fana, taabolo de bɛ bɔkolo nin kelen-kelenna bɛɛ la.
21 Donc n'i y'i ka taabolo dɔn, i ka fili bɛ dɔgɔya.
22 O la, e ye Mandenka ye.
23 Ne yɛrɛ fana ye Mandenkaya lasɔrɔ waati min Sumaworo nana Manden ka na Manden mara ka Mandenkaw ka sayiraw falen.
24 Ka sariya di Manden ma min bɛ ɲɛtaa di Manden ma.
25 Donc, e ni ne ye jɛɲɔgɔn kɔrɔ de ye. An benbakɛw ye jɛɲɔgɔn kɔrɔ de ye.

Listen & Read With Notes

Audio file

01 Ayiwa! N baden Farafinjamana cɛ ani muso, den ani mɔgɔba, aw balimakɛ, aw denkɛ, aw dɔgɔkɛ Nakuntɛ Kantɛ ka bɔ Narena.

• Narena = A town in Mali

02 N sigilen don Bamakɔ Sebenikɔrɔ. Kinda wɔlɔnfilanana na.

• kinda = neighborhood

03 Bi ka bɔ ka baro kɛ an bɔkolo an'an danbe kan.

• bɔkolo = lineage (Lit. "exit-bone")
• danbe = honor; dignity

04 An bɔra bɔkolo minnu na ani an ka danbelakow, ɔ, ani an bɛnbakɛ minnu tɛmɛna minnu ye kobaw kɛ ka ko gɛlɛnw kɛ.

• Use of the relative min
• danbelako = dignity affairs (< danbe.la.ko "dignity.at.affair")
• bɛnba = ancestor

05 I n'a fɔ Sumaworo Kantɛ n'a ɲɔgɔnnaw.

• i n'à fɔ = like; as if (lit. "you will say it")
• ɲɔgɔnna = counterpart (< ɲɔgɔn.na)
• Sumaworo Kantɛ = mythical figure who ruled over the Soso empire (normally considered to be in modern-day Guinea), a polity which controlled Manden before it was liberated and founded as its own empire by Sunjata Keyita

06 I n'a fɔ Makan Sunjata n'a ɲɔgɔnnaw.

• Makan Sunjata = praise-name of Sunjata Keyita

07 Bi, an bɛna baroɲɔgɔnya kɛ o kɔnɔna de la.

• baroɲɔgɔnya = mutual exchange/conversation (< baro.ɲɔgɔn.ya = chat.each-other-ABST)
• kɔnɔna = Lit. "inside-at"

08 Ɛ, ne balimakɛ Sidiki Tarawele!

09 Bi, ka baroɲɔgɔnya kɛ i fɛ kamasɔrɔ an ka danbew la i b'a sɔrɔ masakɛw tɛmɛna minnu ka tariku maralen b'an bolo.

• kamasɔrɔ = because
• i b'à sɔrɔ = perhaps; maybe (lit. "You find it")
• tariku = history
• maralen = kept (< mara.len "keep.ed")

10 Ɔ! Don dɔw la, an ka kan ka se ka baroɲɔgɔnya kɛ ɲɔgɔn fɛ.

• ɔ = interjection akin to "so"
• ka kan ka = need to
• ɲɔgɔn fɛ = together

11 E yɛrɛ benbakɛ ko o ye Tarawele de ye, Turamagan.

• Turamagan Tarawele = foundational ancestor of the Tarawele (Fr. Traoré) clan. He was a faithful general of sorts under Sunjata Keyita

12 An b'a fɔ ko Turamagan ani Kankejan, Muke Musa ni Muke Dantuma.

• Turamagan ani Kankejan, Muke Musa, Muke Dantuma = praise names and/or ancestors of Turamagan Tarawele

13 Olu ye Turamakan bɔnsɔnw de ye.

• bɔnsɔn = descendent

14 Ne yɛrɛ fana ye cɛ min bɔnsɔn ye, o ye Sumaworo Kantɛ de ye.

15 A bɛ fɔ Sumaworo Kantɛ ma ko Kokoba ni Bantaba Ɲaniɲani ani Kanbasiga.

• ka fɔ X ma = to refer to X as
• Kokoba ni Bantaba Ɲaniɲani ani Kanbasiga = praise names for Sumaworo Kantɛ

16 O ye Sumaworo majamu cogo ye.

• k'à majamu = to praise sb (via their lineage, etc) [cf. jamu = last name]

17 Mais an bɔra bɔkolo dɔ de la.

18 A ka kan an ka se k'o baroɲɔgɔnya kɛ ɲɔgɔn ye sabula mɔgɔ n'i m'i bɔkolo dɔn, i tɛ se k'i ka kɛta yɛrɛ dɔn.

• À ka kan = Lit. "It is equal" --> "It is normal/appropriate")
• sabula = because
• kɛta = "(things) to do" (< kɛ.ta = do.POTENTIAL-PARTICIPLE)

19 Donc, an ka danbelakow bɛ an bɔkɔlow de bolo.

20 Bɔkolow fana, taabolo de bɛ bɔkolo nin kelen-kelenna bɛɛ la.

• taabolo = modus operandi; path; way of being (< taa.bolo = go.arm)

21 Donc n'i y'i ka taabolo dɔn, i ka fili bɛ dɔgɔya.

• fili = mistake; error

22 O la, e ye Mandenka ye.

• Mandenka = person of Manden

23 Ne yɛrɛ fana ye Mandenkaya lasɔrɔ waati min Sumaworo nana Manden ka na Manden mara ka Mandenkaw ka sayiraw falen.

• sariya = law

24 Ka sariya di Manden ma min bɛ ɲɛtaa di Manden ma.

• ɲɛtaa = progress (< ɲɛ.taa = forward.go)

25 Donc, e ni ne ye jɛɲɔgɔn kɔrɔ de ye. An benbakɛw ye jɛɲɔgɔn kɔrɔ de ye.

• jɛɲɔgɔn = companion; friend (< jɛ.ɲɔgɔn = unite-fellow)

Comprehension Questions

Try to answer the following questions. We will use them for discussion during class.

1. Jɔn bɛ kuma?
2. À bɛ bɔ min?
3. Kumabaga b'à fɛ ka baro kɛ mun kan?
4. Fɔlɔfɔlɔmɔgɔ jumɛnw tɔgɔ fɔra?
5. K'i bɔkolo dɔn, kumabaga bɛ mun fɔ o kan?
6. Sidiki Tarawele ye jɔn ye?
7. Sumaworo bɛ majamu cogo di?
8. Sumaworo ye sariya minnu falen Manden, kumabaga bɛ mun fɔ olu kan?
9. Kumabaga bɛnbaw ni à lamɛnbaga bɛnbaw cɛsira tun bɛ di?
10. "Taabolo" kɔrɔ ko di bɔkolokow la?
11. Kumabaga bɛ mun fɔ bɔkolodɔn ani ni fili kan?