Google: Google ci Wolof

Read it at New York Times

October 17, 2011 12:38 PM

I have just uploaded the Janga Laaka Wolof/English Dictionary. It’s available for a minimal charge. Why am I charging for this? Well, because I have invested a lot of time and energy into this project and like everyone else I have to make a living! Don’t fret though, all the contents of this book will be available on this blog for FREE. The charge for the download is for the convience of owning your own personal copy that you can take with you anywhere regardless of internet availability. You can also print it out and have your own personal hardcopy to take with you even when you don’t have a computer or a smartphone handy.

PLEASE NOTE: This is a ROUGH DRAFT version !!! So, therefore there may be a few errors. Why am I offerring a rough version instead of a finished product? Because, due to lack of time and funding I don’t see me completing this project anytime soon, and since I’ve gotten many, many requests for this product I’ve decided to go ahead and share what I have so far. If after reading this you’ve decided to go ahead and download anyway then I thank you very much for your purchase!

Follow this link to download:

http://www.lulu.com/product/ebook/janga-laaka-wolof-dictionary/17265716

The purpose of French Friday is to expand your language capabilities while in West Africa (specifically Senegal). Many Wolof speakers can also understand French and sometimes using French to get your point across is easier than using Wolof since it’s a language closer to our own.

• attelage – coupling, hitch, team, harness, yoke
• calandre – radiator grill, calendar, mangle
• citadin/citadine – city dweller, town, city, urban
• collectionner – to collect
• crasse – grime, filth, crass
• défaillance – blackout, weakness, fault, failure
• enchère – bid
• entendre – to hear, to understand, to mean
• faune – wildlife, fauna, set, crowd
• file – line

Source: Collins French Concise Dictionary 5th Edition. (www.collinslanguage.com)

Doomi aadama yépp danuy juddu, yam ci tawfeex ci sag ak sañ-sañ. Nekk na it ku xam dëgg te ànd na ak xelam, te war naa jëflante ak nawleen, te teg ko ci wàllu mbokk. (listen to audio)

All human beings are born free and equal in dignity and rights. They are endowed with reason and conscience and should act towards one another in a spirit of brotherhood.

doom – child, doll, fruit, tablet (of medicine), ashes
doom i aadama – human being; doom i Aadama yi – human beings
Aadama – Adam (Ar.), a name given to a twin the other being Hawa (Eve)
yépp/yéppa – all
danuy/dañu – they
juddu – to be born
yam – ?
ci – to, in, at, a bit, some
tawfeex – ?
sag – honor, personality, charm
ak (ag) – and, with (used with nouns and pronouns)
sañ-sañ – to be authorized, to dare, to stop up (note: the sources I used only had ‘sañ‘ as a single word, not doubled, so uncertain if that changes the definition)
nekk/nekka/neka – to be at a place; ku nekka – everyone
na – he/she has, sign of optative, like, how (naka)
it – also
ku – article, relative form, or interrogative
xam – to know
dëgg/dégga – to hear, understand
te – to be stubborn, and, (as a suffix indicates repition of action)
ànd – together?
xelam – (to have?) intelligence, mind (my source only has ‘xel‘. I’m guessing the suffix ‘-am‘ indicates possession)
war – to mount (a horse, etc.), ought to, to have to
naa – I have
jëflante/jeflante – reciprocal, relationship (jéf/jëf – action, act, deed)
nawleen – (closest I could find was ‘naw‘ which means ‘to esteem highly’ & ‘breath’/’nawle‘ – person of the same rank, rival – ‘leen‘ is a plural form of ‘you’ so I’m guessing this is a compound word)
teg/tek – saddle; tega – to put down; teggin – politeness, courtesy; tegoo – to support
ko – him, it
wàllu (walla?) – share, part; (wollu?) – to save, help
mbokk/mbokka – relative, to be related

Sources: Omniglot.com, David P. Gamble dictionary, Firicat.com

Africa Phrasebook

This book should be available at your local bookstore. Travel and outdoor stores also often carry Lonely Planet titles. If you prefer to do all your book shopping online then Amazon or the Lonely Planet website should be your best bets.

I’m a fan of Lonely Planet publications. In my opinion they are the best. Their products are visually appealing and packed with information in a very easy to find format. They use a very simple pronunciation key to aid in the pronunciation of every word in the book.

The only problems I have with this book is that the Wolof section is rather small (as are all the sections) but what they do have is very good. Much of the Wolof used is actually Wolofized French and not traditional Wolof…which is fine considering this is not a “lesson book” but a book designed for easy communication for travellers. The book also includes sections for French & Arabic among several other African languages.

Sample entry from book:

I need a doctor (who speaks English).   Dama soxla doktoor (bu dégg angale).   da•ma sokh•la dok•tohr (boo deg an•ga•le)

Contents:

• Pronunciation
• Introduction
• Language Difficulties
• Time, dates & numbers
• Border Crossing
• Tickets
• Transport
• Directions
• Accommodation
• Banking & Communications
• Tours
• Shopping
• Making Conversation
• Eating Out
• Emergencies
• Medical Needs
• Dictionary

Wolof does not have a natural way to say “please”, but the phrases given here are all polite ways of asking for help or placing your order.

I am hungry – Da maa xiif [da maa - I am, xiif - hungry]
I am thirsty – Da maa mar [mar - thirsty]

Excuse me… – Baal ma…
Where is the nearest restaurant? – Fan moo am restoraan? [fan - where, am - indefinite article]
Where is the toilet/restroom? – Fan mooy seen wanaag? [seen - your, wanag/wanok - washing place/toilet]

Thank you – Jërë-jëf

Phrases from ‘Say It In Wolof’ by A. Gueye, word definitions from dictionary by D.P. Gamble.

Hassaniyya (Klem El Bithan) is the variety of Arabic originally spoken by the Beni Hassan Bedouin tribes, who extend their authority over most of Mauritania and the Western Sahara between the fifteenth and seventeenth centuries. It has almost completely replaced the Berber languages spoken in this region. Though clearly a western dialect, Hassaniya is relatively distant from other North African variants of Arabic. Its geographical location exposed it to influence from Zenaga and Wolof. There are several dialects of Hassaniya. The primary differences among them are phonetic. Today Hassaniya is spoken by inhabitants of Algeria, Morocco, Mauritania, Mali, Niger, Senegal and the Western Sahara. – Wikipedia

Greetings:

Some of these terms may be familiar to some of us as many of these are also used by Wolof speakers but perhaps pronounced a bit differently.

Is-selaamu aleykum – Peace be upon you
- We aleykum is-selaam – And on you, too
Ish haal is-sbaah – Good morning
Ish haal li-mgiil – Good afternoon
Ish haal li-mbaat – Good evening
Eyaak il-khayr? – Are you in peace?
- Il-khayr il-hamdulillaah – Peace only
Ish haalak? – How are you?
- Lebaas meshaallaah – I am fine
Ish haal usrtak? – How is the family?
- Lebaas liihum – They are fine
Ish haal ish-shaqle? – How is the work?
- Lebaas meshaallaah – It is fine
Ish haalak ma il-vetre? – How are you with tiredness?
- Lebaas meshaallaah – I am fine
Ish haal Soukeyna? – How is Soukeyna?
- Soukeyna lebaas liihe – Soukeyna is fine
Ish haal ishaashrtak? – How are your children?
- Lebaas liihum – They are fine
Merhbe! – Welcome!
Shukran! – Thank you!

From the Peace Corps. Go to: Hassaniya_Language_Lessons.pdf for more (PDF).

moom – in this sence means ‘he/she‘ (emphatic form) but can also mean ‘to own‘.
it/itam – also (as a suffix ‘-it‘ indicates ‘again‘; it can also be a suffix for the result of an action – added to a verb root. Ex. damma ‘to break‘. dammit ‘pieces‘).
dina – (di + na); di indicates a future action “he will“; di + noun makes a positive statement (he is, etc.); di as a prefix to -oon (doon) = past completed, -aan (daan) = past habitual
ñow – to come/arrive; can also mean ‘to be sharp‘ (sometimes written as ñaw)

Definitions from David P. Gamble’s Gambian Wolof-English Dictionary 1990. I don’t think this book has ever been professionally published. My copy is a typed (typwriter NOT computer) photocopy with hand-written diacritical marks in a three-ringed binder. You may be able to find a copy at your local university.

Ferries cross every day from Banjul to Barra, and to Dakar, the capital of Senegal. The accomodations range from basic to luxury. Schedules vary, but the ferries are quick and reliable. – Nyima Kantorek

Note that the source for these use an unusual orthography…

Where is the ferry going? – Fern la ferry be de dem?
fern/fan = where (also: day/date), ferry = ferry (chalupe in Senegal), be/bi = the, dem = go

I want to go to… – Dama buga dem…
dama = I would like, buga/bëgg = desire/like/need/want/intend/intent

How long would it take to get to…? – Fe beh…nyarta wahhtu lar jaile?
fe/fi = here, beh = until, nyarta/ñaata = amount/cost/many/much, wahhtu/waxtu = hour/time, jaile = take

How many passengers does the ferry take? – Ferry be nyarta nitt lar ebb?
nitt = person/people, ebb = load/pack

How long does the ferry stay in…? – Ferry be de na yarga…?
na/naka = how, yarga = last

What time is it returning? – Bern wahhtu lar lay dealusy?
bern/ban = which/what, dealusy = come back

Phrases and definitons from the Wolof Dictionary & Phrasebook by Nyima Kantorek, published by Hippocrene. The only Wolof/English dictionary in mass publication as far as I can tell; For that alone it makes the book a worthwhile purchase, however the book uses a very non-standard orthography that, although specially designed for English speakers, makes it more difficult to learn the language. Every Wolof speaker that I’ve shown it to, whether native or as a second language, did not recognize it as Wolof and even they had a hard time with it. The book is primarily Gambian dialect.

Wolof / English / French 

Kan?   Who?   Qui?
Lan?   What?   Quoi?
Ban?   Which?   Quel?
Nan? Naka?   How?   Comment?
Ñaata?   How much?   Combien?
Fan? Ana?   Where?   Oû?
Kañ?   When?   Quand?
Mbaa…?   …?   Est-ce que…?
Lutax?   Why?   Pourquoi?
Mootax, Ndaxte…   Because…   Parce que…

I got busted for not giving credit to the YouTuber’s whose videos I post (my bad, I thought since the videos are basically links that it’s all good?) So to be a good citizen of the blogosphere and of the Internet at large I will do my civic duty and give credit to Languages1001 for posting this on YouTube.

From Lonely Planet’s French Phrasebook (which I highly recommend) available at Lonelyplanet.com

The Pulaar dialect is not uniform and some sources cite three different subvarieties; Fuutankoore, Jeerinkoore & Southern Pulaar.

• fanaa – midday
• liggude – hang up; hang. Liggu wutte maa. Hang your gown.
• naafki – armpit. Naafki ma ina sicci. Your underarm smells badly. naafde pl.
• sayeede – be rabid. rawaandu sayaandu a rabid dog
• talde – cut a big piece of raw meat (v.)/big piece of raw meat (n.)

BSDA No. 8531150404 3rd Edition (English) – Also available in French. ©2005

As far as I know it is not available online or anywhere outside of Senegal. It might be possible to special order it from the contact info below:

Lakki Reew Mi Project 1
568 Av. Abebe Bikila Grd Dakar. SN.
Mobile phone: 571.59.92
Email: lakkireewmib@yahoo.fr

My review:

It’s a very short book but has a lot of useful phrases for everyday life in Dakar. The one minor flaw of this book is that there are a few typos. There is even an omission of a letter in the pronunciation section – there’s a description of how to pronounce the letter but where the letter should be is blank.

Sample phrase from book:

Three. How much is that? Ñett. Ñaata la?

Book contents:

• Introduction
• Pronouncing and writing certain sounds
• Greetings and basic chit-chat
• Numbers
• Money
• Negotiating prices
• Taxis
• Restaurant
• Family
• Times of day
• Telling the time
• Remarks
• Thanks

Say It In Wolof! by Ababacar Gueye

If you would like to follow Janga Wolof on Twitter then here ya go…

http://twitter.com/jangawolof

Read her blog about the concert here:

http://katiekrueger.com/blog/2008/07/15/video-embedding-success/ 

While I was perusing her great blog I thought I would jack a few videos from her while I was at it

And be sure to buy one (or several!) of her wonderful postcards:

http://snippetsofgratitude.myshopify.com/

Oh, and she has a new book for sale…check it out:

www.givewithgratitude.com

How to convert English numbers to Wolof:

(This only works for numbers 21 & higher and not for numbers evenly divided by 10.)

Take the number you want to convert to Wolof & divide by 10.

Take the whole number before the decimal, convert to Wolof & put ‘fukk ak’ after it.

Multiply the number that you dropped the decimal from by 10 & subtract from original number you wish to convert.

Convert this remaining number to Wolof and place after the ‘fukk ak’ for the complete Wolof number.

In Senegal they use the franc CFA. But the traditional unit of currency is the dërëm which is counted by fives. Usually when dealing with money most people will deal strictly with the French terms for simplicity. If Wolof is used the dërëm is implied if not specifically said. So for example junni is 5000, not 1000, even though dërëm has been left off. The generic Wolof term for money is xaalis.

BASIC EXCHANGE RATES - This is just for a general idea, exchange rates fluctuate constantly, with the exception of the euro which has a fixed rate of 655.957 CFA to 1 euro.

Use www.xe.com for up to date currency exchange rates.

What is the exchange rate? Quel est le taux de change?

CONVERTING DËRËM TO CFA - When talking money, the number ñaari teemeeri (200) is the same as ñaari teemeeri dërëm (1000 CFA). To get the CFA equivalent of dërëm, take the number of dërëm and multiply it by 5, for example, teemeeri dërëm – 100 dërëm or 100 x 5, is 500 CFA.

Sometimes CFA is written as FCFA or just F.

A comma is often used to indicate decimals. For example – 1,5 is the same as 1.5.
Also, a period is often used to indicate thousands. For example – 10.000 is the same as 10,000.

Common French terms for money: l’argent means money, bills/notes are called les billets or les factures and change/coinage is called pièces de monnaie.

What is the price? Quel est le prix?
How much does it cost? Combien est-ce là?

Text excerpt from the upcoming Janga Wolof produced Senegalese Phrasebook & Information Guide. Publish date TBA.

Customs & Duties - Some items are not allowed into the country without proper clearance by Senegalese customs officials. Although the list includes computers and cameras it is unlikely that you won’t be allowed in the country or that your items will be confiscated if you have them. If you are concerned about anything you may wish to bring you should contact the Senegal Embassy in your country or visit the Senegal Tourism Authority’s official website.

Senegal Embassy, Canada +1 613 238 6392
Senegal Embassy, UK +44 (0)20 7937 7237
Senegal Embassy, USA +1 202 234 0540
Senegal Tourism Authority www.senegal-tourism.com

Text excerpt from the upcoming Janga Wolof produced Senegalese Phrasebook & Information Guide. Publish date TBA.

This looks like a great promising dictionary…the only thing is that it’s mostly all in French but on the other hand this can be very helpful in learning the French along with your Wolof as you Google Translate the French into English!

Oh, and the address for the website? It is http://wolofici.wordpress.com

Starsky: Kii naka la tudd?
Hutch: Kii Vera Green la tudd.
Hutch: Kii vera la tudd.
Starski: Kii naka la sant?
Hutch: Kii Green la sant. / Vera Green la sant.

Kii naka la tudd?

naka — the equivalent of “what” in this case
tudd — verb: to be called

This question is answered either by giving the person’s first name, or the person’s first and last names:

Kii Vera la tudd.
Her name is Vera.
(This person here Vera is called.)

sant — verb: to be called (family name)

This question is answered by giving the person’s family name only:

Kii Green la sant.
Her family name is Green.
(lit.: This person here, Green is called.)

Do not use kii if you already know first name.
Ex. (Vera) naka la sant?