Bura language for beginners 9789785519587

Citation preview

BURA LANGUAGE FOR BEGINNERS

AHMED D. BALAMI

i

Copyright © 2021 Ahmed D. Balami ISBN: 978-978-55195-8-7

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced in any form by any electronic or mechanical means (including photocopying, recording, or otherwise) without prior permission of the author.

ii

Preface The writing of this book was born out of the need to help the huge number of people learning, or desirous of learning the Bura language. It is intended to serve as a concise Bura language course, and has been systematically arranged to cover the major aspects of the language. Firstly, the Bura sounds are introduced, followed by common conversations, to help in day-to-day communication. The concise presentation of the Bura grammar, alongside the short lexicon, will empower beginners to express themselves more, by teaching them the techniques for making new sentences. To enable better grasping of both spoken and written Bura, an attempt has also been made to present the deep as well as the surface structures (were deemed necessary) of relevant phrases/sentences. In addition to the idiomatic approach, literal translations of phrases/sentesnces are also included to give a fair idea of the language’s thinking pattern. It is my prayer that this book locates every Bura home, and also serves the purpose for which it was produced.

iii

Acknowledgements I would like to acknowledge my mother, Hajiya Hamsatu, Balami, sister, Fatima Dahiru Balami (Hajiya), brother, Hassan Bukar Balami, and friend, Auwal Yerima, who were my main informants while compiling this text. Furthermore, a very old text (a Bura-English dictionary), which I accidentatlly came across, had come in very handy. It had no author’s name, no address, and no other means of identification. It was just a plain-cover book. I wish to acknowledge the author(s) and appreciate his/her/their effort, as the short lexicon at the end of this text was predominantly derived from his/her/their work. Above all, I wish to express my utmost gratitude to my father, teacher, and mentor, Prof. Hyeladzira Balami, for taking time out of his busy schedule to go through the whole text with me, while teaching me and giving me corrective feedback.

iv

Sur Kilar Kakaduni Iya ku kucheli ka duna saka tǝ likita Ahmed Dahiru Balami ku tsukwitira ki rubuta alari su te mdǝ ana kiga akwa mya nasara ‘foreword’ an abur su laga rakka atakira kakadu ti tsa rubuta ata kira hyipa mya Bura. Iya ana hyipa mya nasara ka tsuwa iya ana mya Bura, ambila mda ya ni ata nci. Tsa na Ahmed aɗi thlatu ka mya Bura ata kuta ki ɗa dzaw wa, am aka vu kir ka na duna aka hyipa mya ni anti tsa ku su si ka rubuta ata kira laku tǝ mda ata hyipa mya ni ka kithlir kugari ata kutaki, wala abila akwa kutadi, wala akwa vi kithlirayeri. Kakadu ar mya Bura wala na atakira mya Bura aɗi hang wa. Na aɗini ma mjir nasara an rubuta, ka tsuwa da aɗi ata kira hyipa mya ni wa. Iya asinda abǝr Carl Hoffman ku rubuta digiri na oltashang akwa muva 1952, i tamata, atakira mya Bura, ka mji damwayeri. Kamya ngini, mda a tsokta pila kithlir Dokta Ahmed atakira hyipa mya Bura a tsokta ndzi pal akwa nca kakaɗayeri na a dlar mji hang na akwa bara hyipa mya Bura ama da aɗi akwa vi hyipari wa. Akumazi iya akwa wula abur kithlir ngini ata si kila nca mji hang atar msirakur ka ɓɗakukur ar myar mjir Hawul, Biu, Shani, Kwaya Kusar, ka Bayo na akwa lardir Borno.

v

Foreword I was extremely joyous to be offered by the author the honour and privilege of writing the Foreword to Dr Ahmed Dahiru Balami’s Bura Language for Beginners, a textbook envisaged as an introduction to the Bura language for enthusiasts who wish to acquire a communicative ability in Bura. I teach English and I evidently speak the language, besides the fact he was born before my very eyes. So I know for a fact that, as is the case in a great number of urban Bura families, he did not grow in a compound that spoke enough Bura for him to be presumably well-grounded, but he pleasantly surprised me when he serially booked appointments for a rendezvous over his book to ‘teach yourself Bura’, in the office mostly. I have found out that his appetite for Bura is humongous. Books about the grammar of spoken Bura language are few as it lost its official status as a language of instructions after what was known in Buraland as Middle School era. Once in a while a dictionary or a pamphlet (on Bura names and their meaning, for instance) crop up here and there. The only work on Bura grammar that I know of was the one written by the late German structuralist scholar Carl Hoffman for his PhD in 1952, I think. Until he passed away 10 or so years ago, the thesis remained ‘untranslated’ into vi

Bura or English; besides, Hoffman’s PhD and other books did not have the deliberately pedagogic bent in Doctor Ahmed’s tour de force. For this reason it is reasonable to suggest or conclude that Bura Language for Beginners is possibly one of the books on the language that will greatly assist those with the desire to learn Bura but are not situated in the environment. This new addition to Bura linguistics in particular and scholarship in general will help open the eyes of interested readers to the mellifluous goodness of the language of the people of Hawul, Biu, Shani, Kwaya Kusar and Bayo local government areas of Borno State, Nigeria. Hyeladzira Ali Balami Maiduguri, July 2021

vii

Table of Contents Preface

iii

Acknowledgement

iv

Sur Kilar Kakaduni

v

Foreword

vi

Table of Contents

viii

BACKGROUND

1

BURA PHONOLOGY

2

THE CONSONANT SOUNDS

2

THE VOWEL SOUNDS

2

COMMON CONVERSATIONS

4

GREETINGS

4

INTRODUCING ONESELF

5

AT THE MARKET/SHOP?

7

AT THE RESTAURANT

8

AT THE HOSPITAL

10

HAIR CARE, MANICURE AND PEDICURE

14

WHERE ABOUTS

15

viii

COUNTING

18

TELLING THE TIME

19

DAYS OF THE WEEK

19

TIMES OF THE DAY

20

ASKING QUESTIONS

21

SENTENCE FORMATION

23

CONTRACTION

24

CONJUGATION OF VERBS

26

PRESENT SIMPLE TENSE

27

PRESENT CONTINUOUS TENSE

29

PRESENT PERFECT TENSE

31

SIMPLE PAST TENSE

33

SIMPLE FUTURE TENSE

34

NEGATION

36

PRESENT SIMPLE TENSE (NEGATIVE)

37

PRESENT CONTINUOUS TENSE (NEGATIVE)

39

PAST SIMPLE TENSE (NEGATIVE)

41

SIMPLE FUTURE TENSE (NEGATIVE)

43

SUBJECT PRONOUNS

45

OBJECT PRONOUNS

46

ix

DIRECT OBJECT PRONOUNS

47

INDIRECT OBJECT PRONOUNS

47

EXPRESSING POSSESSION

48

POSSESSIVE ADJECTIVES AND PRONOUNS

49

EXPRESSING POSSESSION USING THE VERB ‘TO HAVE’

51

VERB ‘TO BE’ IN PRESENT SIMPLE

52

DEFINITE ARTICLES

53

A SHORT ENGLISH-BURA LEXICON

54

NOUNS

54

VERBS

64

ADJECTIVES

73

ADVERBS

77

PREPOSITIONS

79

x

BACKGROUND Bura is a Chadic language, and alongside its major dialect, Pabǝr, forms the second major indigeneous language in Borno state, Nigeria, after Kanuri. It is the major language in many local government areas of southern Borno (Hawul, Biu, Shani, Bayo and Kwaya kusar), and also a few communities in the neighbouring states of Adamawa and Yobe. The major clans in Bura land include, Balami, Mshelia, Msheliza, Shalangwa, Tarfa, Dibal, Nggada, Mshelbila, Mshelbwala, Nganjiwa, Amaza, Durkwa, Dlakwa, Malgwi, Mbaya and others. Although minor dialectal variations exist between these communities, they are still mutually intelligible.

1

BURA PHONOLOGY THE CONSONANT SOUNDS b, Ɓ(ɓ), ch, d, Ɗ(ɗ), dl, dz, f, g, gh, h, k, l, m, mp, n, ng, nk, p, r, s, sh, t, thl, v, w, y, z, zh. THE VOWEL SOUNDS a, ǝ, e, i , o, u. The Bura consonant sounds are presented in the table below. As a few consonant sounds in Bura language do not exist in the English language, this attempt will assist in giving a fair idea of their proper pronunciations. Bura consonant Word example sound b bilin ɓ ɓǝɓal ch chandǝm d duna ɗ ɗǝɗu dl dlu dz dzikdziku f faku g gari gh ghǝnni 2

English translation new expensive monkey strength wise to receive fever farm discussion this one

h j k l m mp n ng nk p r s sh t thl ts v w y z zh

homba jiri kǝlfa laku mal mpa namta arnga nka pinju rakka sǝma shishi tuwa thlata tsi viri wuta yanki zumzum zhari

3

frog truth fish path oil fight repair yours return mosquito small eat hair cry rise kill night see trouser deep stop

COMMON CONVERSATIONS Common day-to-day conversations would be presented in this section. The abbreviations, ‘sing.’ and ‘pl.’ would respectively indicate that the sentence is either singular or plural. Where no indication of number is made, it means that the statement is about only one person. GREETINGS Good morning! Gǝr pi ya! (sing.) Pi giri! (pl.) Good afternoon/Good evening! Gǝr ɓukchiya! (sing.) Ɓukchir giri! (pl.) How are you? Mǝmǝ ga? (sing.) Mǝmǝ giri? (pl.) I am fine! Iya lapiya! We are fine! Yǝru lapiya! 4

Thank you! Iya kǝ gwaɗiti! (lit. I have thanked) Yaru kǝ gwaɗiti (lit. we have thanked) Good bye! Sei ɗanzi! (lit. until later) Welcome! Maraba! (sing.) Maraba giri! (pl.)

INTRODUCING ONESELF What is your name? Thlǝm a ga mǝ ri? (lit. name to you what?) (Thlǝmaga mǝri? – surface structure) My name is Usman. Thlǝm a iya Usman. (lit. name to me Usman) (Thlǝmi Usman – surface structure) How old are you? Mǝva a ga yidau ri? (lit. age to you how many?) (Mǝvaga yidauri? – surface structure) 5

I am ten years old. Mǝvi kuma. (lit. my age ten) Where do you live? Ki arnga ama ri? (lit. house for you where?) (Kignamari? – surface structure) I live in Shaffa. Ki arna aha Shaffa. (lit. house for me is in Shaffa) (Kinaha Shaffa – surface structure) What is your ethnicity? Dur arnga mǝ ri? (lit tribe for you what?) (Dururnga mǝri? – surface structure) I am Bura. Iya Bura. (I Bura – surface structure) What is your profession? Kǝthlǝr argna mǝ ri? (lit. work for you what?) (Kǝthlǝrǝrnga mǝri? – surface structure) I am a teacher. Iya malǝm. (I malǝm – surface structure) 6

AT THE MARKET/SHOP How much? Yiɗau ri? Do you have rice? Ga aka shinkafa ya? (lit. you with rice?) (Gaka shinkafa ya? – surface structure) Yes, I have. I, iya kǝga ri. (lit. yes, I am with it) (I, yakǝgari – surface structure) No, I don’t have. Awo, iya aɗi kǝga wa. (lit. no, I’m not with it) (Awo, yaɗikǝga wa – surface structure) No, it is finished. Awo, kǝ kuri. It is expensive/cheap. Kǝ hara ɓǝɓal/butu. (lit. it has do expensive/cheap) How many do you want? Yiɗau antǝ ga akwa bara ri? (Yiɗauntǝ gakwa bara ri? – surface structure) 7

I want five. Iya a bara ntǝfu. I want to buy rice. Iya a bara mast shinkafa. I also sell beans. Iya ana ɗǝl harga tsǝr. (lit. I sell in addition beans) (Ina ɗǝl harga tsǝr – surface structure)

AT THE RESTAURANT What would you eat? Ga a kwas mǝ ri? (lit. you will eat what?) I will eat rice. Iya a kwas shinkafa. What would you drink? Ga a sa mǝ ri? (lit. you will drink what?) I will drink tea. Iya a sa ti. 8

Do you eat beans? Ga ana kwas tsǝr ya? Yes, I eat beans. I, iya ana kwas tsǝr. No, I don’t eat beans. Awo, iya aɗi ana kwas tsǝr wa. (Awo, yaɗina kwas tsǝr wa – surface structure) How much is a plate? Yiɗau ri plet pal? Do you have drinking water? Girka yǝm ar sa ya? (lit. you with water for drinking) (Girka yǝmǝrsa ya? – surface structure) Yes, I have. I, iya kǝgari. (lit. yes, I am with it)

9

AT THE HOSPITAL I am not feeling fine. Iya aɗi akwa nggamsǝra (dzi) wa. (I’m not enjoying my body) (Yaɗikwa nggamsǝra (dzi) wa – surface structure) Where do you have pains? Vi mada a ga ana akwa kǝtǝnga ri? (lit. which place to you is paining you?) (Vi madaga nakwa kǝtǝngari – surface structure) I have a headache. Kǝri ana akwa kǝtǝra. (lit. my head is aching me) (Kǝrinakwa kǝtǝra – surface structure) My legs are swollen. Sǝli an kǝthla. I fell from the roof. Iya tǝri ata kǝra mbwa. (lit. I fell from head of room) (Itǝri takǝra mbwa – surface structure) I broke my leg. Sǝli ɓǝla. (lit. my leg broke)

10

I have fever. Iya ka dzǝkdzǝku. Since when did it start? Nawa antǝ baɗita ala ga ri? (lit. when did it start to you?) (Nawantǝ betalagari – surface structure) It started five days ago. Baɗita a li vir ntǝfu na tǝramta. (lit. it started to me five days ago) (Betali vir ntǝfu na tǝramta – surface structure) Are you feeling better now? Ga akwa nga hǝrku kulin-ni ya? Yes, much better! I, tsu hǝrku! I have been coughing. Iya akwa ɓuthla. I have lost my voice. Kuraki kǝ sha. Take it there! Mwanta anda! 11

Bring it here! Sǝnta azi! Go and get tested! Mwa kada nkǝrtǝnga! (lit. go, let them test you) Go into that room! Lukwa mbwa ghǝnda! (sing.) (lit. go into room that) Lukwa giri mbwa ghǝnda! (pl.) (lit. go into room that) Do you take your medications? Ga ana sa kuzukurnga ya? You should return when the medicines are almost finished! Kaga nka ma kuzukuyeri-ni abaka kuri! (lit. should-you return when medicines-the almost finished) You should return when the medicines are finished! Kaga nka mǝ kuzukuyeri-ni kǝ kuri! (lit. should-you return when medicines-the are finished) You should return if you do not feel better! Kaga nka mǝ gaɗi ngata hǝrku wa!

12

With whom did you come to the hospital? Ga si akwa mbwakuzuku-ni ka wari? (sing.) (lit. you came to hospital-the with who?) How many are you? Giri yiɗau ri? Take it to the Doctor! Mwanta aka dokta-ni! (lit. take to doctor-the) S/he has been unconscious since yesterday. Tun naha tsa akwa thlivamtadzi. (lit. since yesterday s/he has been unconscious) S/he was given injection. Ndi hara a la liɓǝra. (lit. it was done to her/him injection) S/he was given intra-venous fluids. Ndi vita a la yimǝr dirip. (lit. it was put to her/him water of drip) The woman who was brought in has given birth. Mwala ti ndi sintǝni-ni kǝ ya.

13

HAIR CARE, MANICURE AND PEDICURE I am going for a haircut. Iya a mwa pamta shishǝr kǝri. (lit. I shall go to cut hair of my head) Where can I get a haircut? Iya a mwa pa kǝri-ni ama ri? (lit. I shall go to cut my headthe where?) I am going to plait my hair. Iya a mwa ɗǝm kǝri. Where is the plaiting house? Ki-ar ɗǝm kǝr-ni ama ri? (lit. house for plaiting head-the where?) How much is the hair plaiting? Ɗǝm kǝr-ni yiɗau ri? (lit. the plaiting hair costs how much?) I want to cut my nails. Iya akwa bara pamta mpǝli.

14

Where can one get a manicurist/pedicurist? Iya a wuta ama mdir mpa mpǝl ri? (lit. I will see where, the person who cuts nails?)

WHERE ABOUTS Where are you going? Ga a la ama ri? (lit. you will go where?) (Ga lǝma ri? – surface structure) I am going to the market. Iya a lukwa kasuku. (Ya lukwa kasuku – surface structure) Where are you coming from? Gǝ thlata ama ri? (lit. you left from where) I am coming from the hospital. Iya thlata akwa mbwakuzuku. (lit. I left from hospital) (Ithlatakwa mbwakuzuku – surface structure) Where will we meet today? Mburu a kǝɓa ama ri ashina? (lit. we will meet where today?) (Mbura kǝɓamari ashina? – surface structure) 15

Where can I get a shop? Ama anta iya a wuta shago ri? (lit. where that I will get shop?) (Amantǝ ya wute shago ri? – surface structure) I want to take a walk. Iya a bara kadla. I am lost. Iya kǝ sha. (Ikǝ sha – surface structure) How can I get back home? Iya a nka a vi ata laku madǝ ri? (lit. I will return to home at road-which?) (Yanka vi ta laku madǝ ri? – surface structure) How can I get to the market? Iya a nu laku madǝ ki lukwa kasuku ri? (lit. I will follow which path to go to the market?) Take a taxi here! Lukwa takzi azi! (lit. enter taxi here)

16

I am stopping at the end of the road. Iya a lihyi ata vi-tǝ kwalta ɓǝlta. (lit. I will disembark at place-that road ends) (Ya lihyita vitǝ kwalta ɓǝlta – surface structure) The road is bad. Laku-ni aɗi ɓɗaku wa. (lit. road-the is not good) The place is far. Vi-ni chiju. (lit. place-the far) Cross the road! Fǝlɓǝla laku-ni! (lit. cross road-the) Go straight! Tǝra doɗu! Take the turn to your right! Kaga pǝra abwa mazǝm! The last house on the street. Ki ana ahiltashang akwai lei-ni. (lit. house that is last on the street) How much will I pay to be taken to the Market? Iya a nta yiɗau ri kaga mwantǝra akwa kasuku? 17

COUNTING 1- Ntang/Pal 2- Suɗa 3- Makǝr 4- Nfwar 5- Ntǝfu 6- Nkwa 7- Murfa 8- Nchisu 9- Ǝmdla 10- Kuma 11- Kum ka ntang 12- Kumnya suɗa 19- Kumnya ǝmdla 20- Surkumari 21- Surkuma ka ntang 30- Makǝmari 40- Nfwarkumari 50- Ntǝfkumari 60- Nkwakumari 70- Murfǝkumari 80- Nchiskumari 90- Ǝmthlǝkumari 100- Aru (pal) 1000- Dubu pal 2000- Dubu suɗa 101- Aru ka pal 111- Aru ka kum ka ntang 1111- Dubu pal ka aru ka kum ka ntang 18

TELLING THE TIME

What is the time? Saka yiɗau ri? (lit. time how much) Do you have a watch? Gǝka saka ya? (lit. you are with a watch?) 1:00 – Saka pal (ntang) (lit. time one) 1:13 – Saka pal ka minti kumnya makǝr (lit. time one with thirteen minutes) 1:15 – Saka pal ka kumnya ntǝfu 1:30 – Saka pal ka reta (lit. time one with half) 1:35 – Saka suɗa mbil minti surkuma ka ntǝfu 1:40 – Saka suɗa mbil minti surkumari (lit. time two remaining twenty) 1:45 – Saka suɗa mbil minti kumnya ntǝfu

DAYS OF THE WEEK English Sunday Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Friday Saturday

Bura Laduwa Litinǝwa Talakǝwa Laraba Lemsuwa Dlǝmawa Sǝbduwa 19

TIMES OF THE DAY English Morning Afternoon Evening Night

Bura Ɗǝɗǝpa Tǝpchi Tahu Viri

I will be leaving in the morning – Ya a tǝra ɗǝɗǝpa I will be leaving at dawn – Ya a tǝra ɗǝɗǝpa mbing Come tomorrow afternoon! – Si ɗǝpa tǝpchi! It is now evening in Nigeria – Tahu kǝ hara akwa Nigeria It is now night in Sudan – Viri kǝ hara akwa Sudan

20

ASKING QUESTIONS The words listed in the table below comprise of pronouns (what, who) and interrogative adverbs (how, where, why, when) which could be used to ask questions in Bura. Note that each of these has a tag ‘ri’ English What? Who? How? Where? Why? When? How many?

Bura Mǝ ri? Wa ri? Mǝmǝ ri? Ama ri? Kamyar mǝ ri? Nawa ri? Yiɗau ri?

Even though the tag, ‘ri’, can be placed at different positions in a sentence, beginners are advised to always place the interrogative adverb or pronoun as a lump word, at the end of the sentence, as the other positions could be tricky. Below are a few illustrations. You will come. Ga a si. When will you come? Ga a si nawa ri? (lit. you will come when?) Nawa antǝ ga a si ri? (lit. when that you will come?) Nawa ri antǝ ga a si? (lit. when that you will come?)

21

I will give you. Iya a na ala ga. (Ya nalaga – surface structure) How much will I give you? Iya a na ala ga yiɗau ri? (lit. I will give to you how much?) (Ya nalaga yiɗau ri? – surface structure) In Bura, the tags ‘ri’ and ‘ya’ are equivalents of a question mark. Irrespective of the tone used while speaking, the presence of any of these words in a statement, renders it a question. To transform an indicative sentence into an interrogative one, ‘ya’ can be placed at the end of the sentence, as shown below. Ga si ɗǝpa – You will come tomorrow (indicative sentence) Ga si ɗǝpa ya? – Will you come tomorrow? (interrogative sentence)

22

SENTENCE FORMATION Similar to the English language, a complete sentence in Bura language consists of a subject and a predicate. The subject refers to the person (who or what) being talked about, while the predicate tells something about the subject. There are a variety of sentence structures in Bura, as will be shown below. Subject + Verb: Ta kǝ lungu – He has travelled

Subject + Verb + Adverb: Ta lungu naha – He travelled yesterday Subject + Verb + Object: Ta kǝga Musa – He called Musa Subject + Adjective: Ki-ni ola-laka – The house is very big

23

CONTRACTION Contraction occurs when sounds or letters are lost or omitted while retaining the exact meaning. To understand this, we will briefly explain what the deep and surface stuctures of phrases/sentesnces mean. Consider the examples below in English: Sentence 1: I do not know (deep structure) Sentence 2: I don’t know (surface structure) Sentence A: I am happy (deep structure) Sentence B: I’m happy (surface structure) Sentences 1 and 2 mean exactly the same thing, just like sentences A and B. However, it can be noted that in the surface structure, words are coalesced and some letters are omitted. Native and/or proficient speakers of a language usually use the surface structure in their everyday speaking, while the deep structure is usually reserved for formal purposes. Like many Afican languages, Bura is an agglutinative language, which means that while speaking, most of the words are coalesced, and some sounds omitted. This results in frequent variations between the deep and surface structures of sentences in Bura language. As much as possible, the deep structure of writing has been used in this text. In so doing, an attempt has been made to

24

clearly present every word contained in the Bura sentence. Bura speakers commonly use contractions when the ending of a word, and the beginning of the next word happen to be vowels. The second vowel is usually dropped, and the two words merged, and pronounced as a single one. A few examples of such contractions are presented here: Deep: Surpi arnga. (Your mat) Surface: Surpirnga. Deep: Iya aɗi ana hara wa. (I don’t do it) Surface: Yaɗina hara wa. Deep: Iya thlata akwa mbwakuzuku (I’m coming from the hospital) Surface: Ithlatakwa mbwakuzuku Deep: Mburu a kǝɓa ama ri ashina? (Where will we meet today?) Surface: Mbura kǝɓama ri ashina? Deep: Kǝri ana akwa kǝtǝra. (My head is aching) Surface: Kǝrinakwa kǝtǝra. Note that in the examples above, the vowels highlighted in red are dropped in the surface structures.

25

CONJUGATION OF VERBS For convenience, verb conjugation is preferably done in the order below. First person singular First person plural Second person singular Second person plural Third person singular Third person plural

I We You (sing.) You (pl.) She/He/It They

Verbs appear in their “infinitive forms” in the lexicon provided in this book. To conjugate a verb to a particular tense, the appropriate tense-prefix is added to its infinitive form.

26

PRESENT SIMPLE TENSE This tense is used for actions performed abitually/regularly. The prefix of this tense is ‘ana’. The mechanism for forming this tense is presented in the table that follows.

1 2

Person I We

3 4 5

You (sing.) You (pl.) She/He/It

6

They

27

Mechanism Iya ana… Mwa ana… Mburu ana… Yǝru ana… Ga ana… Giri ana… Tsa ana… Ta ana… Da ana…

Below is an example of how the present simple tense can be formed with the verb ‘ha’, meaning ‘to sing’. English 1 I sing 2 We sing

3 You sing (sing.) 4 You sing (pl.) 5 She/He/It sing 6 They sing

Deep structure Iya ana ha Mwa ana ha Mburu ana ha Yǝru ana ha Ga ana ha

Surface structure Ina ha Mwana ha Mburana ha Yǝrana ha Gana ha

Giri ana ha

Girina ha

Tsa ana ha Ta ana ha

Tsana ha Tana ha

Da ana ha

Dana ha

28

PRESENT CONTINUOUS TENSE These are actions taking place at the time the statement is being made. They can also be used for actions taking place over a period covering the past, present, and future, e.g. building a house. The tense-prefix for this is ‘akwa’. The mechanism for forming this tense is presented in the table that follows.

1 2

Person I We

3 4 5

You (sing.) You (pl.) She/He/It

6

They

29

Mechanism Iya akwa… Mwa akwa… Mburu akwa… Yǝru akwa… Ga akwa… Giri akwa… Tsa akwa… Ta akwa… Da akwa…

We will see an example of how the present continuous tense can be formed with the verb ‘kǝthlǝr’, which means ‘to work’. English 1 I am working 2 We are working

3 You are working (sing.) 4 You are working (pl.) 5 She/he/It is working 6 They are working

Deep structure Iya akwa kǝthlǝr

Surface structure Ikwa kǝthlǝr

Mwa akwa kǝthlǝr Mburu akwa kǝthlǝr Yǝru akwa kǝthlǝr Ga akwa kǝthlǝr

Mwakwa kǝthlǝr Mburakwa kǝthlǝr Yǝrakwa kǝthlǝr Gakwa kǝthlǝr

Giri akwa kǝthlǝr

Girakwa kǝthlǝr

Tsa akwa kǝthlǝr Ta akwa kǝthlǝr

Tsakwa kǝthlǝr Takwa kǝthlǝr

Da akwa kǝthlǝr

Da akwa kǝthlǝr

30

Here are a few examples of sentences with verbs in the present continuous tense and with nouns as the subject. Usman akwa kǝthlǝr – Usman is working Sarah akwa ɓathla – Sarah is dancing Maɗankyeri-ni akwa geli – The children are playing

PRESENT PERFECT TENSE This tense is used to indicate an action that has just been completed, or completed long ago but are still relevant at the moment. Its tense prefix is, ‘kǝ’.

1 2

Person I We

3 4 5

You (sing.) You (pl.) She/He/It

6

They

31

Mechanism Iya kǝ… Mwa kǝ… Mburu kǝ… Yǝru kǝ… Ga kǝ… Giri kǝ… Tsa kǝ… Ta kǝ… Da kǝ…

Below is an example of how the present perfect tense can be formed with the verb ‘wuta’, meaning ‘to see’. English 1 I have seen 2 We have seen

3 You have seen (sing.) 4 You have seen (pl.) 5 She/He/It has seen 6 They have seen

Deep structure Iya kǝ wuta Mwa kǝ wuta Mburu kǝ wuta Yǝru kǝ wuta Ga kǝ wuta

Surface structure Ikǝ wuta Mwakǝ wuta Mburkǝ wuta Yǝrkǝ wuta

Giri kǝ wuta Tsa kǝ wuta Ta kǝ wuta Da kǝ wuta

Girkǝ wuta Tsakǝ wuta Takǝ wuta Dakǝ wuta

Gakǝ wuta

Here are a few examples of sentences with verbs in the present perfect tense and with nouns as the subject. Usman kǝ wuta ki-ni - Usman has seen the house Ali kǝ hara kǝthlǝr-ni – Ali has done the work Mwaɗa kǝ tǝra - Mwaɗa has left

32

SIMPLE PAST TENSE This is used to express an action performed in the past. To form this tense, there is no need for a tense prefix. The verbs are used as they are in their infinitive forms. Below is an example of how the simple past tense can be formed using the verb ‘wuta’ (meaning, ‘to see’).

English 1 I saw 2 We saw

3 You saw (sing.) 4 You saw (pl.) 5 She/He/It saw 6 They saw

Deep structure Iya wuta Mwa wuta Mburu wuta Yǝru wuta Ga wuta Giri wuta Tsa wuta Ta wuta Da wuta

Surface structure I wuta Mwa wuta Mbur wuta Yǝr wuta Gǝ wuta Gir wuta Tsa wuta Ta wuta Da wuta

Here are some examples of sentences with verbs in the past simple tense, and with nouns as the subject. Usman wuta ki-ni - Usman saw the house Ali hara kǝthlǝr-ni – Ali did the work

33

SIMPLE FUTURE TENSE This tense is used to demonstrate that the action would be pefomed later. The tense prefix here is ‘a’.

1 2

Person I We

3 4 5

You (sing.) You (pl.) She/He/It

6

They

34

Mechanism Iya a… Mwa a… Mburu a… Yǝru a… Ga a… Giri a… Tsa a… Ta a… Da a…

Below are examples of how the simple future tense can be formed with the verb ‘lungu’, meaning ‘to travel’. English 1 2

I shall leave We shall leave

3

You will leave (sing.) You will leave (pl.) She/He/It will leave They will leave

4 5 6

Deep structure Iya a lungu Mwa a lungu Mbrur a lungu Yǝru a lungu Ga a lungu

Surface structure Ya lungu Mwaa lungu Mbura lungu Yǝra lungu Gaa lungu

Giri a lungu

Gira lungu

Tsa a lungu Ta a lungu

Tsaa lungu Taa lungu

Da a lungu

Daa lungu

35

NEGATION Verb conjugation could also be in the negative form, for each of the tenses discussed ealier. The two words which characterise the negative form are ‘aɗi’ and ‘wa’, with ‘aɗi’ positioned just before the tense-prefix, and ‘wa’ at the end of the sentence. The basic structure of forming a negation in any tense is presented below.

1 2

Person I We

3 4 5

You (sing.) You (pl.) She/He/It

6

They

Mechanism Iya aɗi + tense-prefix + verb…wa Mwa aɗi + tense-prefix + verb…wa Mburu aɗi + tense-prefix + verb…wa Yǝru aɗi + tense-prefix + verb…wa Ga aɗi + tense-prefix + verb…wa Giri aɗi + tense-prefix + verb…wa Tsa aɗi + tense-prefix + verb…wa Ta aɗi + tense-prefix + verb…wa Da aɗi + tense-prefix + verb…wa

36

PRESENT SIMPLE TENSE (NEGATIVE) This tense is used to describe an action that does not happen. The action is not presently happening, has not happened, or has happened but no longer relevant presently. Below is an outline of the structure for forming this tense.

1 2

Person I We

3 4 5

You (sing.) You (pl.) She/He/It

6

They

Mechanism Iya aɗi ana…wa Mwa aɗi ana…wa Mburu aɗi ana…wa Yǝru aɗi ana…wa Ga aɗi ana…wa Giri aɗi ana…wa Tsa aɗi ana…wa Ta aɗi ana…wa Da aɗi ana…wa

37

Below is an illustration of how the negation can be formed in the present simple tense with the verb ‘thlandǝr’, which means ‘to lie’. English 1 I do not lie 2 We do not lie

3 You do not lie (sing.) 4 You do not lie (pl.) 5 She/He/It does not lie

6 They do not lie

Deep structure Iya aɗi ana thlandǝr wa Mwa aɗi ana thlandǝr wa Mburu aɗi ana thlandǝr wa Yǝru aɗi ana thlandǝr wa Ga aɗi ana thlandǝr wa

Surface structure Yaɗina thlandǝr wa Mwaɗina thlandǝr wa Mburaɗina thlandǝr wa Yǝraɗina thlandǝr wa Gaɗina thlandǝr wa

Giri aɗi ana thlandǝr wa

Giraɗina thlandǝr wa

Tsa aɗi ana thlandǝr wa Ta aɗi ana thlandǝr wa Da aɗi ana thlandǝr wa

Tsaɗina thlandǝr wa Taɗina thlandǝr wa Daɗina thlandǝr wa

38

PRESENT CONTINUOUS TENSE (NEGATIVE) This tense is used to state that the action in question is not happening at the moment. Its tense prefix is ‘aɗi akwa’. Below is an outline of how this tense is formed. 1 2

I We

3 4 5

You (sing.) You (pl.) She/He/It

6

They

Iya aɗi akwa…wa Mwa aɗi akwa…wa Mburu aɗi akwa…wa Yǝru aɗi akwa…wa Ga aɗi akwa…wa Giri aɗi akwa…wa Tsa aɗi akwa…wa Ta aɗi akwa…wa Da aɗi akwa…wa

39

Below is an example of how the negation in present continuous can be formed with the verb ‘kǝthlǝr’, which means ‘to work’. English 1 I am not working 2 We are not working

3 You are not working (sing.) 4 You are not working (pl.) 5 She/He/It is not working

6 They are not working

Deep structure Iya aɗi akwa kǝthlǝr wa

Surface structure Yaɗikwa kǝthlǝr wa

Mwa aɗi akwa kǝthlǝr wa Mburu aɗi akwa kǝthlǝr wa Yǝru aɗi akwa kǝthlǝr wa Ga aɗi akwa kǝthlǝr wa

Mwaɗikwa kǝthlǝr wa Mburaɗikwa kǝthlǝr wa Yǝraɗikwa kǝthlǝr wa Gaɗikwa kǝthlǝr wa

Giri aɗi akwa kǝthlǝr wa

Giraɗikwa kǝthlǝr wa

Tsa aɗi akwa kǝthlǝr wa Ta aɗi akwa kǝthlǝr wa Da aɗi akwa kǝthlǝr wa

Tsaɗikwa kǝthǝr wa Taɗikwa kǝthlǝr wa Daɗikwa kǝthlǝr wa

40

PAST SIMPLE TENSE (NEGATIVE) This tense is used to state that an action did not happen. As the past simple tense has no tense-prefix, only ‘aɗi’ and ‘wa’ are added to the verb to indicate negation in this tense. Below is an outline of how this tense is formed.

1 2

Person I We

3 4 5

You (sing.) You (pl.) She/He/It

6

They

41

Mechanism Iya aɗi…wa Mwa aɗi…wa Mburu aɗi…wa Yǝru aɗi…wa Ga aɗi…wa Giri aɗi…wa Tsa aɗi…wa Ta aɗi…wa Da aɗi…wa

Below is an example of how the negation in past simple tense can be formed with the verb ‘wuta’, which means ‘to see’. English 1 I did not see 2 We did not see

3 You did not see (sing.) 4 You did not see (pl.) 5 She/He/It did not see

6 They did not see

Deep structure Iya aɗi wuta wa Mwa aɗi wuta wa Mburu aɗi wuta wa Yǝru aɗi wuta wa Ga aɗi wuta wa

Surface structure

Giri aɗi wuta wa

Giraɗi wuta wa

Tsa aɗi wuta wa Ta aɗi wuta wa Da aɗi wuta wa

Tsaɗi wuta wa

42

Yaɗi wuta wa Mwaɗi wuta wa Mburaɗi wuta wa Yǝraɗi wuta wa Gaɗi wuta wa

Taɗi wuta wa Daɗi wuta wa

SIMPLE FUTURE TENSE (NEGATIVE) This tense is used to show that the action would not take place in the future. It should be recalled that the tenseprefix for the simple future tense is ‘a’. Below is an outline of how this tense is formed.

1 2

Person I We

3 4 5

You (sing.) You (pl.) She/He/It

6

They

43

Mechanism Iya aɗi a…wa Mwa aɗi a…wa Mburu aɗi a…wa Yǝru aɗi a…wa Ga aɗi a…wa Giri aɗi a…wa Tsa aɗi a…wa Ta aɗi a…wa Da aɗi a…wa

Below is an example of how the negation can be formed in the simple future tense with the verb ‘tǝra’, which means ‘to leave’.

English 1 I will not leave 2 We will not leave

3 You will not leave (sing.) 4 You will not leave (pl.) 5 She/He/It will not leave 6 They will not leave

Deep structure Iya aɗi a tǝra wa Mwa aɗi a tǝra wa Mburu aɗi a tǝra wa Yǝru aɗi a tǝra wa Ga aɗi a tǝra wa

Surface structure Yaɗia tǝra wa Mwaɗia tǝra wa Mburaɗia tǝra wa Yǝraɗia tǝra wa Gaɗia tǝra wa

Giri aɗi a tǝra wa

Giraɗia tǝra wa

Ta aɗi a tǝra wa

Taɗa tǝra wa

Da aɗi a tǝra wa

Daɗia tǝra wa

44

SUBJECT PRONOUNS The Bura subject pronouns are outlined in the table that follows. I We

You (sing.) You (pl.) She/He/It They

Iya Mwa Muburu Yǝru Ga Giri Tsa Ta Da

There are differences between the English and Bura subject pronouns. For example, while English language has three different options for the third person singular (he, she and it), Bura does not differentiate between them. However, there are two options for the third person singular in Bura language (tsa and ta) which can be used interchangeably. In contrats to English, Bura differentiates between the different forms of the first person plural which are: mwa, mburu, and yǝru. To understand the differences between these pronouns, let us consider a scenario with three or more people (the speaker, listener, and some other person/people): 45

-

-

mwa – this is also referred to as the ‘dual we’, and it basically means ‘both of us’. It is used to refer to the speaker and listener only. mburu – this is used to include the speaker, listener, and some other person/people. yǝru – this is used to include the speaker and some other person/people (excluding the listener).

OBJECT PRONOUNS Consider the following sentences: i. ii.

I washed it. I gave it to him.

In the first sentence, ‘it’ is the object of the verb, ‘washed’, and it is a direct object. In the second sentence, both, ‘it’ and “him” are objects, but while ‘it’ is a direct object, ‘him’ is an indirect object. It should be noted that there is usually a preposition before an indirect object. The object pronouns, with their Bura equivalents, are shown in the table that follows.

46

DIRECT OBJECT PRONOUNS English Me Us You (sing.) You (pl.) Him/Her/It Them

Bura Ra Mwa/Mburu/Yǝru Ŋa Giri Ni Ɗa

Below are some sentences with direct object pronouns. Musa kǝga ra – Musa called me Iya kǝ kǝdla ɗa – I have chased them

INDIRECT OBJECT PRONOUNS Indirect object pronouns are usually preceded by a preposition. The indirect object pronouns are listed in the table below. English Me Us You (sing.) You (pl.) Him/Her/It Them

Bura Iya Mwa/mburu/yǝru Ga Giri Ri Da 47

In the examples of sentences with indirect complements below, ‘ala’ is the preposition, which basically means, ‘to’. Ta hipta ala iya Hausa – He taught me Hausa (Ta hiptali Hausa – surface structure) Iya kǝ na ala ri kakaɗun-ni– I have given the book to him Iya a pǝla ala ga gari-ni – I will tell to you the story (Ya palaga gari-ni – surface structure) Iya kǝ kǝchimta ala giri kari-ni – I have washed the clothes for you

EXPRESSING POSSESSION The word ‘ar’ which literally means ‘of’ or ‘for’, forms the bedrock of expressing possession in Bura language. This word (ar) however gets contracted by losing its ‘a’ if the last letter of the object possessed is a vowel. However, if the last word of the object is a consonant, the ‘a’ gets transformed to ‘ǝ’. This type of possession is very similar to the ‘apostrophe s’ used to indicate possession in English. Some examples are presented below: Usman’s book Kakaɗu ar Usman (lit. book for Usman) (Kakaɗur Usman – surface structure) Fati’s husband 48

Sal ar Fati (lit. Husband for Fati) (Salǝr Fati – surface structure)

POSSESSIVE ADJECTIVES AND PRONOUNS In Bura, the same set of words serve as both possessive adjectives as well as possessive pronouns. These words are a complex of ‘ar’ which means ‘of’ or ‘for’, and the appropriate pronoun. When used as stand-alones, they serve as possessive pronouns. However, when they serve as possessive adjectives, they get contracted and coalesced into the object being possessed. 1 2

3 4 5 6

My

Our Your (sing.) Your (pl.) His/Her/Its Their

Mine Ours

ar + na ar + yaru

Yours (sing.) Yours (pl.) His/Hers/Its Theirs

ar + nga ar + giri ar + ni ar + ɗa

49

arna armwa armburu aryǝru arnga argiri arni arɗa

Below are a few examples of their use as possessive adjectives. Note that the ‘ar’ gets contracted and loses its ‘a’ if the object end in a vowel, while the ‘a’ changes to ‘ǝ’ if the object ends in a consonant. My mat – Surpirna (lit. mat for me) Your mat – Surpirnga (lit. mat for you) His/her/its mat – Surpirni (lit. mat for him/her/it) Our mat – Surpiryǝru (lit. mat for us) Your mat – Surpirgiri (lit. mat for you) Their mat – Surpirɗa (lit. mat for them) Further examples of their use as possessive pronouns are presented: Whose book is this? Kakadur wari ghǝnni? (lit. book for who this?) Mine. Arna (lit. for me) This house is mine. Ki ghǝnni arna.

50

EXPRESSING POSSESSION USING THE VERB ‘TO HAVE’ The word, ‘ka’, can be used to express possession in the present or past. The context of the discussion, or a specific time mentioned, would indicate whether the possession is in the present or past. The verb conjugation is presented below.

English 1 2

I have/had We have/had

3

You have/had (sing.) You have/had (pl.) She/He/It has/had They have/had

4 5 6

Deep structure Iya ka Mwa ka Mbura ka Yǝru ka Ga ka

Surface structure Ika Mwaka Mburǝka Yǝrǝka Gaka

Giri ka

Girka

Tsa ka Ta ka

Tsaka Taka

Da ka

Daka

Here is an example of how this verb can be used with a proper noun: Usman ka kwaba – Usman has money

51

VERB ‘TO BE’ IN PRESENT SIMPLE To express the verb ‘to be’ in present simple, the word ‘an’ is used. This verb is presented together with the appropriate pronouns below. English 1 2

I am We are

3

5

You are (sing.) You are (pl.) She/He/It is

6

They are

4

Deep structure Iya an Mwa an Mburu an Yǝru an Ga an

Surface structure In Mwan Mburan Yǝran Gan

Giri an

Giran

Tsa an Ta an Da an

Tsan Tan Dan

Here is another example of how it can be used with a proper noun: Usman an mthlakur kini – Usman is the owner of the house

52

DEFINITE ARTICLES The This That These Those

Ni Ghǝnni Ghǝnda Ghǝnni yeri Ghǝnda yeri

The book

– Karkaɗu-ni

This book

– Karkaɗu ghǝnni

That book

– Karkaɗu ghǝnda

These books

– Karkaɗu ghǝnni yeri

Those books – Karkaɗu ghǝnda yeri

53

A SHORT ENGLISH-BURA LEXICON In this short lexicon, the words have been grouped according to the parts of speech to which they belong: nouns, then verbs, adjectives, adverbs, and finally prepositions. The verbs are given in their infinitive forms, so they can be conjugated to the correct tense and person, accoding to the rules covered earlier in the book. NOUNS abdomen ant antelope arm beans bed Bee (honey bee) blood bone boy broom camel cat chance chest cockroach canoe cow disease (sickness)

kuta angil mǝtǝpi jikǝl tsi tsǝr dǝkǝl chir mǝma mamshi iyathlu bzirsal shimtu thlǝkmau ngghyawi laku kǝrathlu pǝpathla shar thla shilku 54

dog door duck duku dust egg evening eye face family farm fast (religious) feather feet female fence fever finger fire fish flag flood flour flower fly (housefly) fog food foot print forest

kila nyar mbwa handa eagle bǝrbǝr/kalau hyihyi taaku ncha kǝma mjir ki faku asham shishir mtǝka sǝl mwalari kadaka dzǝkdzǝku kuleng tsi u’u kǝlfa alam pǝrtu mpwa pugdla chiri ɗuza susǝma kursǝl kuɓǝrnfwa 55

friend frog fruit funeral gain gamble game

pazhi homba yarnfwa tuwa riɓa chacha geli (sports); kam taku (bush meat) tarku nyarfu chauta bzirnkwa kwi haptu Hyel gwal kǝka kǝka kusar kula/kul di hwada mndǝr sǝka tsumpwi mǝtǝpi tǝba shishi tsi kuli

garden egg gate gift girl goat god God gold grand child grad father grass grave ground groundnut guard guess (noun) guest gum (glue) hair hand handle 56

harmattan head health heart heat hibiscus (roselle) hill hip hoe hole honey humility hunger husband hyena injury insect intestine iron itch jealousy joint (body) journey joy key kidney king knee knife

pǝrɗu kǝr lapiyakur ɗǝfu gǝrgǝrkur/bwarbwarkur tabwa gar bwang mǝnzǝha nku mǝma tǝrhi-kǝr mi sal mwaɓulu mbǝlku fuvǝng hel liya ɓǝɓa sǝlka mungdla lungwa kucheli tsukuram kulshi kuhyi ɓunji ingghya 57

lake language lap latrine leaf leather leg length lid (cover) lie (false) life lion liver lizard load loss

manda mnya humba vi njikini kǝ vi tik chivi thali kisǝm sǝl saɓǝlkur kǝr thlandǝr mpika tsǝngi mir tawul kǝla asar (any type); tǝri (transactional) jankar hyirkur/hyirdzi/hira fufu injin babǝna pǝnau dzǝkdzǝkur pinju sal kuɓa kasuku kǝldzi surpi

louse love lung machine magic maize malaria man manure market marriage mat 58

meat medicine midnight milk millet mirrow money monkey month moon mosque mosquito mother mountain mouse mouth mucus mud nail name navel neck needle neighbour news night noise noon nose

kum kuzuku kǝrathlir viri u’uwa yari kutǝram kwaba chandǝm thliya thliya mashiɗu pinju miya/maya gar kilang mnya jang ghi mpil (finger); kusa (metal) thlǝm shimbur wulya liɓǝra ntuwula labar viri kuraku tǝpchi kuchir 59

oil okra onion opportunity orphan ostrich owner pad lock path patience people pepper person pestle picture pigeon place pocket poison pond possessions pot power pride prince profit promise property purpose

mal mizha antǝm laku muuta zhimnaku mthlakari kwaɗo laku kanaɗi mji chimba mda dǝla fwata katapar vi hyibu gwar kufa kari tuhum duna kǝr uwalkur maina riɓa alkawal kari nufi 60

pus queen rabbit rag rain rat river road room root rope sack saliva salt season secret seed sense shade/shadow shame sheep shephered shirt shoe shoulder sign sin sister skin

lu mwalar kuhyi mpti dina yimir hyel kilang hyaha laku mbwa nggilang suwa thlǝvu/bufu/ thlili una afaku (rainy); aviya (dry) ashir munya hangkal shanggur sǝli tǝma mdir ɓǝla lǝptu ɓaɓi pathlahu seɗa biku nkwarmaya/nkwarma kǝsǝm 61

smoke snail snake soap son song sound soup spider spoon star stick stomach stone stool story stove stranger strength sun sweat tail talk tapeworm teeth termite thief thing thorn

ɗyer muhyetu pwapu sabul/shabul bzir ha kuraku sukwar tǝtau chagwali sasǝlka zwal kuta pela kulahu labar/makumdla lindi mitipi duna pchi vi ufu nkur gari kulamnya kuta hyir lǝma/dǝktiya hǝla su mtǝhǝra 62

thread thunder tick time toe toilet tongue tortoise town trap tree tribe triplet trousers twin uncle up urine vein village visitor voice wage waist wall war watch/clock water wealth

puwa dlǝrǝr-hyel bashikum saka kuleng sǝl vi njikini kǝ vi tik chivi kyenggir chǝma di dǝrku nfwa dur ɓuli makǝr yanki ɓuli msika amta kini pǝrɗa di mǝtǝpi kuraku watsǝɓa kusar dzambwa mpa/dlǝra saka yimi gǝna 63

week well(water) whip(noun) wife wind wing witch woman women wood wrapper yam

sati jǝba purpu mwala shambar ɓǝɓǝku muta mwala mwanki udzǝm zhaɓi ɓǝlǝm

VERBS absorb ache admit afraid agree assemble amaze answer ask argue awake bark (dog’s)

samnya kǝta kǝlǝnkǝr (confess); kǝta (into school) hyivǝra kǝlǝnkǝr tsapta ndata amsa yu byeɗi thlata mbuha 64

bathe beat beg begin betray bite boast bother break breathe bring burn bury buy call catch can carry chase chew choose circumcise climb close collect come comfort conceive (pregnancy) cook

pǝra tsa kǝr baɗita ɓǝli kal gaya damita ɓǝli mpika sǝnta mba haramta masa kǝga ngki tsokta kǝta kǝdla ɓɗa chara thla kachiya fǝla harta dluwa si shikta kǝta hur ta 65

co-operate cough count cover cry cut dance decay deceive decrease deliver (birth) destroy deweed disappear discuss divide do drag dream drink drive (away) eat elect embarrass endure enjoy enter envy erase

paktǝkǝr ɓuthla jika har tuwa nthli ɓathla hyiɗa pokta kǝmta ya bzamta tsuhwa sha gari ndǝki hara ndǝkǝra suni sa kǝdla sǝma chara hara sǝli nggita nga-msǝra lukwa sǝlka fovumta 66

escape escort examine exchange explain fail (exams or test) false fall fear feed feel fight fill find finish fix fly fry fold follow forget get gossip greet grind groan grow guess (verb) hail

msǝra/hwi pwar wuli pali nkǝr tǝri jiri wa tǝri hyivǝra na susǝma nggata mpa ngghyenta wuta kuri namta fǝla sula pata nu fori wuta mnyawiyim thlawa hadla ngginggya kǝla tamata handzǝkla 67

happen heal hear heat help hide hinder hit hold hunt hurry hurt inquire itch jump keep kick kneel know laugh lay leak learn leave lick lift like lock

hara mbanta nggata tǝlanta dlar ɗuwar nkata tsa kisi ngwar hankǝra kǝta yuwa ɓǝɓa fǝla vi tsa zuzuri sǝnda kumshi pieri (down); psǝ hyihyi (lay egg) njinja hyippa tǝra mnyara hapta hyira harta 68

look lose make mark (design) marry measure melt mercy mourn obey obtain occur open pardon pay peel pick pity plant play plead point pour (away) pray praise press prevent promise pull

wul shamta namta ɗǝha kǝla nkǝrta losa kǝtadza tuwa kǝlǝnkǝr wuta hara kǝla/mbura (only for door) yafeta ntimta hyirǝmta ɗǝm; kǝta kǝtadza thlǝka geli kiɗa ncha pumta hara addua huwa mtsara nkata hara alkawal ndǝkǝra 69

punish put quarrel quit raise reach read receive refuse rejoice release repair resemble respect return ride rinse rise roast rub run say scatter scrape scratch (for itch) search see seize sell

ɗya vi jikamya zheri hapta/ɓila (raising animals) mzhita kǝrata dlu nggǝla hara kucheli psi namta dludzi na-uwalkur nka fǝl yimta thlata ptsa fovwa hwi pǝla chichǝlǝmta hyirǝmta ɓǝɓa paka wuta ngki ɗǝla 70

send separate sew shake

shave shoot show sing sink sit skin sleep smell sneeze snore sow speak spend spit spoil squeeze stammer stand

start stay

hyengta ndiki ndǝɓwa kǝnggǝranta (more physical); kǝnggǝrta (more metaphorical) shǝmta shi ncha ha lǝghi ndzindzi hǝnǝmta heni nggota shura wachihi zawuli thlǝka ndǝra shamta/tsi tifǝmta zamta mtsara kǝka thlata (stand up); thlǝthlatu (remain standing) baɗita nzi 71

steal stir stop study stumble suffer swallow sweep swell sympathise take talk taste teach tear tell thank think thirst throw tie tire touch travel tremble try turn twist understand

hǝla nggwarta zheri hyippa tsa sǝl boni/ɗa-boni ndaata tsaramta mbika kǝtadza dluwa gari ɗa hyippa kwaha pǝla usar dzama ngga-thǝli nziha mbwi/mbwaha ghǝra tsukwa lunggu kǝdza nkǝrta shinanta ndola nggaɓǝla 72

vomit wait wake walk want warm wash watch wear wipe

tapǝra sǝka thlata mwa bara tǝlanta kǝcha wula hata fovǝmta

ADJECTIVES accurate/correct afraid alike all bad beautiful big bitter black blind brief broad cheap

kalkal/chipchip hyivǝra dludzi shan ɓɗaku wa ɓɗaku ola ɗǝɗahu mǝngǝl mhyang kwadang bau butu 73

clever/smart cold crazy cruel dead deaf deep delicious different difficult dirty dizzy dry empty enough excellent

ɗǝɗu mtathlaku ka chǝchu movǝr/imi mtǝmtari tongtong zulang msǝra zumzum movir ka diɗi kǝlkǝl kǝr ul’ulari Kula-su-akwa kǝmzhi ɓɗaku ka duna/ ɓɗaku karkar ɓǝɓal hang wa ɓǝɓal ntangkǝma choku nghhyinghhyari ɓɗaku ngga pinjupinju reta ɓǝɓal gǝgǝɓu

expensive few firm first foolish fill good great grey half hard heavy 74

height hot independent last late lazy like little liquid long loud mad many much naughty new old open other pleasant plenty pregnant proper pure ready red rich rough same

nalkur gǝrgǝr/borbor/jiji mdir kǝrni ahil ta shang ɗem wa harwa apa rakka yimi-yimi saɓǝl ka-kuraku/mbwang ka-chichu hang hang bzibzari bilin hala bwang damwa msǝra hang ka hur kalkal kula gwarta ɗǝmhaɗǝmhari mamza ka gǝna sǝsǝhu duku 75

sharp short sick slippery slow small smart soft sour spoilt

ata sǝma kwadang nggawa lǝlǝɓu samsama rakka ɗǝɗu nyinyaɓu mumwasu hilhilari(e.g. food); bzibzari (child) doɗu ɓǝɓal mulmulari/ndyang zoli nǝnǝm saɓǝl ghǝnda ghǝniyeri hhyihyahu ghǝni ghǝndayeri pakpakari ɓǝɓal jiri imi lǝffa ɓuɓushu lapiya/ngga

straight strong stubborn stupid sweet tall that these thin this those together tough true ugly warm weak well (healthy) 76

wet white wicked wide wise yellow

lǝɓlǝɓari mwapu imi/movir bau ɗǝɗu pǝnau-pǝnau

ADVERBS again always before between close early easy east far fast frequently gently here high late later left (side) low

ka damwa kǝlara saka akǝma akwa daɓwa kudzǝha ɗǝm; mbing (early in the morning) kasila/butu raghi chǝju tartar ka han ka-hangkal azi amta ahili daandzi matsikar aghi 77

morning nearly north now once outside purposely quickly recently right (side) singly slowly sometimes somewhere south there today tomorrow twice west

ɗǝɗǝpa abaka yela kulini ka duku aɓǝla dzakdzaku tartar haɗahaɗa mazǝm duk duku ka hangkal saka laka vi laka anum anda ashina ɗipa kasuɗa ramta

78

PREPOSITIONS behind beside between in infront on outside under

abwahila adzi akwa daɓwa akwa akǝma ata aɓǝla akira

79

1

View publication stats