Religious Terms 2

Words & phrases with religious significance starting with the letter B.

Many of these terms may actually be Arabic or Wolofized Arabic. Many Wolof speakers practice Islam which uses the Arabic language.

baakaar, bakaar – sin, evil
baawaan – religious ceremony to pray for rain
Baay Faal – a type of Mourit (Mouride) follower, characterized by long hair (dreadlocks), [...]

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Travel Vocabulary IV

See Travel Vocabulary III
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Here are a few things that you may come across if traveling to Senegal or the Gambia.
bazin – dyed fabrics that are beaten to a shine with wooden clubs
campement – could be loosely translated as ‘hostel’, ‘inn’ or ‘lodge’, or even ‘motel’; it is not a camping ground (Senegal)
djembe – short, [...]

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Religious Terms

Words & phrases with religious significance starting with the letter A. 
Many of these terms may actually be Arabic or Wolofized Arabic. Many Wolof speakers practice Islam which uses the Arabic language.
ajaratu – title given to a woman who has made the pilgrimage to Mecca
aji Makka – to go to Mecca
aj gi – the pilgrimage
Aji – [...]

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Travel Vocabulary II

See Travel Vocabulary I
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Here are a few things that you may come across if traveling to Senegal or the Gambia.
alham – white Mercedes bus, also called N’Diaga N’Diaye in Dakar
beignet – simple deep-fried donut (Senegal)
calesh – horse-drawn taxi usually seating about three people behind the driver
demi-pension – half board (dinner, bed and breakfast) (Senegal)
essence – [...]

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Arabic/Islamic Phrases

Assalamu alaykum. – Peace be upon you.
Wa alaikumus salam. – And peace be upon you. (reply to above)
Allahu akbar. – Allah is greater. (takbir)
Al hamdu lilah wa shukru lillah. – Praise belongs to Allah and all thanks to Allah.
Bismillah ar rahman ar rahim. – In Allah’s name, most gracious, most merciful.
Insh’Allah. – If Allah [...]

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Notes on Orthography

What’s orthography? It is basically a spelling system. Answers.com defines it as:

The art or study of correct spelling according to established usage.
The aspect of language study concerned with letters and their sequences in words.
A method of representing a language or the sounds of language by written symbols; spelling.

There are groups such [...]

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Travel Vocabulary

Here are a few things that you may come across if traveling to Senegal or the Gambia.
afra – grilled meat, or grilled meat stall (Gambia)
benechin – rice baked in a thick sauce of fish and vegetables (Gambia)
cadeau – gift, tip, bribe or a hand-out (Senegal)
dash – bribe (noun); also used as a verb ‘You [...]

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Grrrreetings!

Proper greetings in the Wolof culture are very important. Often times one will spend several minutes with greetings and pleasantries before getting down to the purpose of their visit. Sometimes the whole visit will just be greetings. Even on Senegalese call-in radio shows the callers and hosts will exchange many greetings [...]

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