Unit 4 Vocab

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Unit 4

Dumunikɛyɔrɔ | Restaurant

I barika! / Barika!
interjection that is said after eating to say "thanks". [< Arabic word for "blessing"]
Barika Ala ye!
typical interjection used to respond to someone saying "Barika!". It literally means "Barika to/for God!"
ka diya
to please; to be pleasing
ga/gwa
hearth [as in, "the place where one cooks"; by extension, it can mean "cooking; cuisine"]
ka fa
to fill
k'i da/la
to lay (yourself) down; to go to bed
ka bonya
to fatten; to become fat/large
munna
why
ko
quotative copula [often used to express "to say"]
bawo
because
bonya
large-ness; respect
di
pleasing; sweet; tasty
À diyara
It was pleasing
tubabu
white/Western person
ka tubabuya
to become (like) a white/Western person
tubabuya
white-ness; Western-ness; the condition of being a white/Western person
i
formal reflexive marker
N ye n da
I laid (myself) down
À y'i/à da

He/she laid (him/herself) down

I y'i da?
Have you gone to bed? (Lit. "Have you laid yourself down?")
I tɔgɔ ko di?
What's your name?
Ko di?
Come again?; What do you say? (Lit. "Say how?")
Ko mun?
(So-and-so) says/said what?
I ko di?
You say/said what?
N ko "Na yan"
I said "Come here"
N m'à fɔ (ko) "Na yan"
I didn't say "Come here"
À ko n ka na ni dumuni ye
She said I should bring out food
À ko ko n ka na ni dumuni ye
She said that I should bring out food
Den ye kini bɛɛ dun ko à ta don
The child ate all the rice (as if he were saying to himself that it was his)
N ye kini san katugu kɔngɔ bɛ n na
I bought rice because I am hungry
X kosɔn
because of X
N ye kini san kɔngɔ kosɔn
I bought rice because of hunger
X kanma/kama
for X
N ye kini san kɔngɔ kanma
I bought rice for (the purposes of dealing with) hunger
Mun kosɔn?
What for? [as in, "Why (did you do it?)"]
Mun kanma?
Because of what? [as in, "Why (did you do it)?"
makaroni
pasta; cf. 'macaroni'
salati
salad (< Fr. salade)
na
sauce (vs. `ka na` "to come")
naji
soup
to
West African "swallow" dish that one dips into sauce
ka tila fɛn na
to finish with something
malo
rice [Jula]; uncooked rice [Bambara]
kini
(cooked) rice [Bambara]
cɛkɛ
attiéké (a steamed cassava based dish)
loko
plantains
foronto
spicy pepper
barisa
because
katugu
because
sabu(la)
because
pariseke/paseke

because [< Fr. _parce que_]

ka sababuya kɛ
because

Furusiri | Wedding

dusu

heart

diyagoya
requirement; necessity [Lit. "please-displease"]
don/lon
day
k'i sigi
to sit (yourself) down
kɔɲɔmuso
bride
appearance
bi
today
furu
marriage
su
night time
ka ko
to wash [used to with `su` to express the idea of "night falling"
Su kora
Night has fallen (Lit. "Night has washed")
dɔn
dance
ka ɲɛ
here, "well"
baasi
problem
fewu
at all
nisɔn
heart
diya
pleasure
ka kɛ
to occur; to take place
Furu kɛra kunun
The wedding was/occured yesterday
Mun kɛra?
What happened?
ka kɛ X ye
to become/be X
Bi kɛra donba ye!
Today is a big day!
Den kɛra cɛ ye
The child became a man
ni
if; when
Ni furu sirila, an bɛna dɔn kɛ
Once the wedding ceremony is complete, we will dance
N'i sera, i ka à fɔ n ye
When you arrive, you (should) tell me
N'i man kɛnɛ, i kana na
If you aren't healthy, you mustn't come
mugu
flour
ji
water
muguji
flour water
takisi
taxi
k'à boli
to drive sth
takisiboli
taxi-driving
yɛrɛ
self
k'à dɔn
to know sth
yɛrɛdɔn
knowledge of self
k'i da/la
to lay yourself down; to go to bed
yɔrɔ
place
dayɔrɔ/layɔrɔ
resting place
bolo
arm
nɛgɛ
metal; iron
bololanɛgɛ
bracelet
waajibi
obligation
mɛri
town hall [< Fr. _mairie_]
eglizi/eglisi
church [< Fr. _église_]
woro
kola nut [traditional gift at ceremonies such as weddings]
furunafolo
dowry [paid by the groom's family to bride's; lit. "marriage-goods"]
karamɔgɔ
teacher; Muslim cleric
alimami
imam
kɔɲɔkɛ/muso
groom/bride
jeli
"griot"; a traditional West African bard
ka fini/fani don
to wear/put on clothes
ka furu siri
to "tie" a marriage (as in, 'to complete vows' etc)
ka dɔn kɛ
to dance
bala
balafon
ka bala fɔ
to play the balafon
dɔnkili
song [Lit. "call to dance"]
X dusu bɛ diya
to rejoice; be happy [Lit. "X's heart is pleasing"]
ka ɲɛnajɛ/ɲɛnagwɛ kɛ
to rejoice
ɲɛnajɛ/ɲɛnagwɛ
rejoicing; celebration
fɛti
party [< Fr. _fête_]
ka laada kɛ
to practice local customs/traditions

Ɲɛnafin | Nostalgia

ɲɛnafin
nostalgia
ka na
to come
haan
"Amazing!"
ka sigi
to sit; to reside/live (somewhere)
yɔrɔ
place
sira
road; path
jan
far; long; tall
ka ban
to end
siga
doubt
dɔgɔkun/lɔgɔkun
week
ka se
to arrive
ko
affair; thing
k'à dɔn/lɔn
to know sth
fɔlɔ
yet
-len/nen
resultative participle ("-ed") [Bambara]
-nin
resultative participle ("-ed") [Jula]
I sigilen bɛ min?
Where do you live? [Lit. "You seated are where?"]
I dalen don?

Are you lying down? [Lit. "You laid.down it.is?"]

N ye Musa sigilen fo
I greeted Musa (who was) seated
-tɔ
progressive participle ("-ing")
I taatɔ don?
Are you (in the process of) going?
N ye Musa taatɔ fo
I greeted Musa (while he was) going
-bali
privative/negative participle ("-less"; "un-X-able")
kuma banbali
endless talk
malobali
shameless (person)
kalanbali
study-less (person) [i.e. "a person who didn't go to school"]
ko kɛbali
undoable affair/thing
Don ka jan, à sebali tɛ
A day is far (off from now), but it's not unarriving [Proverb: "No matter how far away a day is, it will arrive someday")
-ta
potential participle
dɔgɔkun nata
the week to come; "next week"
fɛn feereta
thing for sale; thing to sell
fɛn yeta
a thing to see
baara kɛta
work to be done; "task"
teri
friend
teriya
friendship
jɛɲɔgɔn
companion
somɔgɔw
family members
tunga

abroad; away from home; "adventure"

N bɛ tunga la
I am abroad; I am on an adventure (away from home)
so
home
faso
homeland; home town; motherland [Lit. "father-house"]
ka kasi
to cry
k'à wele/weele
to call sb
weleli
a (phone) call
dusukasi
sadness
N dusu bɛ kasi
I am sad [Lit. "My heart cries"]
bataki
letter
ka bɔ mɔgɔ ye
to visit sb
ka taa bɔ X
to (go) visit X [a place]
lɔgɔ [Jula]
longing
X lɔgɔ bɛ n na
I long for X
nege
desire; passion; craving
X nege bɛ n na
I have an intense desire for X