The English word "and" is the conjunction that joins things of the same kind: "bread and water", "the man and the woman", "she came and he went". English uses one word for nouns, verbs and whole sentences alike. Bambara uses one word for nouns, and another way for verbs. The word for nouns is ni, and it is the word this lesson teaches.
The house list gives "and" as a conjunction, with the note "coordinator". The Bambara equivalent chosen here is ni, because the dictionaries give ni as "and; et" (and also "with"), because it is the word that stands between two nouns in written Bambara (Denis Creissels, in his work on argument structure in Bambara, gives Seku ni Musa nana, "Seku and Moussa came", as an example of joining two nouns), and because it is the "and" of the first greeting of Lesson 1 (I ni ce). It has a longer form, ani, which the dictionary treats as the same word. In the texts consulted, ani is the form that begins a new clause (see the Section F commentary and Section D, rule 7); ni is the form between nouns. Its neighbours are:
- ni (a second word, spelled the same) is "if" or "when" at the start of a clause: Ni sugu bɛ yan, n bɛ taa, "If there is a market here, I will go" (Lesson 2). The two are told apart by position: "if" opens a clause, and "and" stands between two nouns. - ni … ye is "with", the same word working in a pair: Na ni ji ye!, "Bring the water!", literally "Come with water!". - nka is "but", already met in Lesson 2. - ka before a second verb is how Bambara strings verbs together, where English says "and" between them: N taara sugu la ka tiga san, "I went to the market and bought peanuts" (Section D, rule 6).
The first thing to learn about ni is its position. It stands between the two nouns, and nothing else changes: cɛ ni muso, "the man and the woman" (or "man and woman"); tiga ni malo, "peanuts and rice". It is not put before the first noun, as "both … and" is in English, and it does not follow the second.
The second thing is that ni is repeated in a list. Where English writes "freedom, justice and peace" with commas and a single "and", Bambara puts ni between every pair: hɔrɔnɲa ni tilennenɲa ni lafiya (Section F). A list with a comma and no ni is not what the printed texts do.
The third thing is that ni joins nouns and noun phrases, not sentences and not verbs. To add a second verb, Bambara uses ka (rule 6); to add a second clause it uses ani or just a comma and nka ("but") for a contrast (rule 7).
The fourth thing is that ni before the pronouns a ("him, her, it, his, her, its") and u ("they, their") is written together with them and an apostrophe: n'a and n'u. Cɛ n'a muso is "the man and his wife". The same contraction is in Section F.
Orthographic points: ni is always a separate word, in lower case, and it is written with the plain letter i. It is not nin (Lesson 1, "this") and not ɲi ("good", Lesson 1, Ji in ka ɲi): the three look alike, and each is a different word. The contractions n'a and n'u have the apostrophe attached to both sides with no space. Tone is not written. This course teaches the standard Bambara of Mali; Section E says what is, and is not, known about the variants.
FAQ: How do you say "and" in Bambara?
Q: What is "and" in Bambara? A: Between nouns it is ni: cɛ ni muso, "the man and the woman". Between clauses the longer form ani is met. Between verbs, ka is used (rule 6).
Q: Where does ni go? A: Between the two nouns: tiga ni malo, "peanuts and rice". It is repeated between every pair in a list: kisi ni tanga ni hɔrɔnɲa.
Q: How do you say "and his" or "and their"? A: Write ni and the pronoun together with an apostrophe: n'a ("and his, and her") and n'u ("and their"): cɛ n'a muso, "the man and his wife".
Q: Is the "and" of "bread and water" the same word as the "if" of "if you come"? A: They are spelled the same, ni, but they are two words. "If" opens a clause (Ni sugu bɛ yan, …), and "and" stands between two nouns (Cɛ ni muso).
Key Takeaways
- Ni is "and" between two nouns: cɛ ni muso, tiga ni malo. - In a list, ni is repeated between every pair: hɔrɔnɲa ni tilennenɲa ni lafiya. - Before a and u, ni is written n'a and n'u: cɛ n'a muso. - Ni … ye means "with": Na ni ji ye!, "Bring the water!"; and ni at the start of a clause means "if". - Ni does not join verbs: a second verb takes ka, and a second clause may take ani or nka ("but").
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ni /ni/ is an n followed by a clear i, said through the mouth: "NEE". Unlike nin /nĩ/ of Lesson 1, the vowel is not nasal. ani /ani/ is two plain syllables, a-ni. The contractions are said as one syllable: n'a /na/ and n'u /nu/, with the vowel of ni lost before the vowel that follows it.
IPA in this lesson is a simple transcription of each word on its own. Bambara has two tones, high and low, and they matter for the meaning of some words; ordinary writing does not show them, and neither does this lesson.
Sounds in this lesson that English lacks or treats differently:
- ɲ is one sound, /ɲ/, like the "ni" of English "onion": ɲi /ɲi/ "good", hɔrɔnɲa /hɔrɔɲa/, tilennenɲa /tilẽnẽɲa/. Do not confuse ni /ni/ with ɲi /ɲi/. - ɛ /ɛ/ and ɔ /ɔ/ are open vowels, as in Lessons 1 and 2: cɛ /tʃɛ/, kɔnɔ /kɔnɔ/, mɔgɔ /mɔɡɔ/, awɔ /awɔ/. - c = /tʃ/ and j = /dʒ/: cɛ /tʃɛ/, ji /dʒi/. g is always hard /ɡ/: tiga /tiɡa/, sugu /suɡu/. r is a quick tap, and y = /j/. - A vowel followed by n at the end of a syllable is nasal, and the n is not said as a separate stop: san /sã/ "buy", caman /tʃamã/ "many", an /ã/ "we", kan /kã/ "on". - A doubled vowel is long: taa /taː/, feere /feːre/, bɛɛ /bɛː/. - N on its own, the word for "I" and "my", is a syllabic nasal /n̩/, said as a hum before the next word: N bɛ tiga ni malo san, n ba "my mother". It is capital at the start of a sentence and lower case in the middle. - Stress is light, and every syllable is said clearly.
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Examples 3.1–3.15 are pedagogical constructions built from vocabulary and patterns attested in the standard references consulted for this lesson. They are not quotations, and they have not been read by a native speaker. Two follow published models: 3.3 follows the example Seku ni Musa nana, "Seku and Moussa came", given by Denis Creissels in his work on argument structure in Bambara (the tone marks are omitted here), and 3.4 follows the dictionary example Na ni ji ye! "Bring the water!" of the An ka taa dictionary. In line a, ni is glossed and between nouns, if at the start of a clause, and with in the pair ni … ye, where the closing ye is glossed (with); n'a is glossed and-his and n'u and-their (one form each). The word wife glosses muso in 3.5, where a muso is "his woman, his wife". Line b uses these abbreviations: CONJ (ni, "and"), CONJ.3SG.POSS (n'a, "and his, and her"), COND (ni, "if"), COM and COM.PP (the pair ni … ye, "with"), IPFV (imperfective bɛ), PFV.TR (perfective transitive marker ye), PFV (perfective suffix -ra, -na), NEG.PFV (negative perfective ma), INF (the infinitive marker ka), IMP (imperative), COP.LOC (bɛ, the predicate of location and existence), NEG.COP (tɛ), QUAL (qualitative marker ka), DEM (postposed demonstrative in), LOC (the postposition la, na), PP (postposition), CONJ.BUT (nka), Q (the question particle wa), 1SG, 2SG, 3SG, 1PL, 3PL (first, second and third person singular; first and third person plural) and POSS (possessor).
3.1a Cɛ man ni and muso woman
3.1b Cɛ /tʃɛ/ man ni /ni/ CONJ muso /muso/ woman
3.2a Tiga peanut ni and malo rice
3.2b Tiga /tiɡa/ peanut ni /ni/ CONJ malo /malo/ rice
3.3a Seku Seku ni and Musa Musa nana came
3.3b Seku /seku/ Seku ni /ni/ CONJ Musa /musa/ Musa nana /nana/ come.PFV
3.4a Na come ni with ji water ye (with)
3.4b Na /na/ come.IMP ni /ni/ COM ji /dʒi/ water ye /je/ COM.PP
3.5a Cɛ man n'a and-his muso wife
3.5b Cɛ /tʃɛ/ man n'a /na/ CONJ.3SG.POSS muso /muso/ wife
3.6a Cɛ man ni and muso woman bɛ are-at so house kɔnɔ inside
3.6b Cɛ /tʃɛ/ man ni /ni/ CONJ muso /muso/ woman bɛ /bɛ/ COP.LOC so /so/ house kɔnɔ /kɔnɔ/ inside.PP
3.7a Cɛ man in the ni and muso woman in the taara went sugu market la to
3.7b Cɛ /tʃɛ/ man in /ĩ/ DEM ni /ni/ CONJ muso /muso/ woman in /ĩ/ DEM taara /taːra/ go.PFV sugu /suɡu/ market la /la/ LOC
3.8a Wari money ni and dumuni food bɛ are n me fɛ at
3.8b Wari /wari/ money ni /ni/ CONJ dumuni /dumuni/ food bɛ /bɛ/ COP.LOC n /n̩/ 1SG fɛ /fɛ/ at.PP
3.9a Muso woman in the ye did tiga peanut ni and malo rice feere sell
3.9b Muso /muso/ woman in /ĩ/ DEM ye /je/ PFV.TR tiga /tiɡa/ peanut ni /ni/ CONJ malo /malo/ rice feere /feːre/ sell
3.10a Musa Musa ni and Fanta Fanta bɛ are-at dugu village in the kɔnɔ inside
3.10b Musa /musa/ Musa ni /ni/ CONJ Fanta /fanta/ Fanta bɛ /bɛ/ COP.LOC dugu /duɡu/ village in /ĩ/ DEM kɔnɔ /kɔnɔ/ inside.PP
3.11a Mɔgɔ person caman many ni and den child caman many bɛ are-at sugu market in the na at
3.11b Mɔgɔ /mɔɡɔ/ person caman /tʃamã/ many ni /ni/ CONJ den /dẽ/ child caman /tʃamã/ many bɛ /bɛ/ COP.LOC sugu /suɡu/ market in /ĩ/ DEM na /na/ LOC
3.12a Ni if cɛ man ni and muso woman nana came an we bɛ are taa go sugu market la to
3.12b Ni /ni/ COND cɛ /tʃɛ/ man ni /ni/ CONJ muso /muso/ woman nana /nana/ come.PFV an /ã/ 1PL bɛ /bɛ/ IPFV taa /taː/ go sugu /suɡu/ market la /la/ LOC
3.13a Cɛ man in the ye did wari money ni and dumuni food di give muso woman in the ma to
3.13b Cɛ /tʃɛ/ man in /ĩ/ DEM ye /je/ PFV.TR wari /wari/ money ni /ni/ CONJ dumuni /dumuni/ food di /di/ give muso /muso/ woman in /ĩ/ DEM ma /ma/ to.PP
3.14a Cɛ man in the ni and muso woman in the nana came nka but den child in the ma did-not na come
3.14b Cɛ /tʃɛ/ man in /ĩ/ DEM ni /ni/ CONJ muso /muso/ woman in /ĩ/ DEM nana /nana/ come.PFV nka /ŋka/ CONJ.BUT den /dẽ/ child in /ĩ/ DEM ma /ma/ NEG.PFV na /na/ come
3.15a N I taara went sugu market la to ni with n my ba mother ye (with) ka to tiga peanut ni and malo rice san buy
3.15b N /n̩/ 1SG taara /taːra/ go.PFV sugu /suɡu/ market la /la/ LOC ni /ni/ COM n /n̩/ 1SG.POSS ba /ba/ mother ye /je/ COM.PP ka /ka/ INF tiga /tiɡa/ peanut ni /ni/ CONJ malo /malo/ rice san /sã/ buy
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3.1 Cɛ ni muso. → "The man and the woman." (or "Man and woman.")
3.2 Tiga ni malo. → "Peanuts and rice."
3.3 Seku ni Musa nana. → "Seku and Musa came."
3.4 Na ni ji ye! → "Bring the water!" (literally "Come with water!")
3.5 Cɛ n'a muso. → "The man and his wife."
3.6 Cɛ ni muso bɛ so kɔnɔ. → "The man and the woman are in the house."
3.7 Cɛ in ni muso in taara sugu la. → "The man and the woman went to the market."
3.8 Wari ni dumuni bɛ n fɛ. → "I have money and food."
3.9 Muso in ye tiga ni malo feere. → "The woman sold peanuts and rice."
3.10 Musa ni Fanta bɛ dugu in kɔnɔ. → "Musa and Fanta are in the village."
3.11 Mɔgɔ caman ni den caman bɛ sugu in na. → "Many people and many children are at the market."
3.12 Ni cɛ ni muso nana, an bɛ taa sugu la. → "If the man and the woman come, we will go to the market."
3.13 Cɛ in ye wari ni dumuni di muso in ma. → "The man gave the woman money and food."
3.14 Cɛ in ni muso in nana, nka den in ma na. → "The man and the woman came, but the child did not come."
3.15 N taara sugu la ni n ba ye ka tiga ni malo san. → "I went to the market with my mother and bought peanuts and rice."
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3.1 Cɛ ni muso.
3.2 Tiga ni malo.
3.3 Seku ni Musa nana.
3.4 Na ni ji ye!
3.5 Cɛ n'a muso.
3.6 Cɛ ni muso bɛ so kɔnɔ.
3.7 Cɛ in ni muso in taara sugu la.
3.8 Wari ni dumuni bɛ n fɛ.
3.9 Muso in ye tiga ni malo feere.
3.10 Musa ni Fanta bɛ dugu in kɔnɔ.
3.11 Mɔgɔ caman ni den caman bɛ sugu in na.
3.12 Ni cɛ ni muso nana, an bɛ taa sugu la.
3.13 Cɛ in ye wari ni dumuni di muso in ma.
3.14 Cɛ in ni muso in nana, nka den in ma na.
3.15 N taara sugu la ni n ba ye ka tiga ni malo san.
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These are the grammar rules for ni in Bambara:
1. Ni stands between two nouns. The first noun, then ni, then the second. Nothing else in the sentence changes: - cɛ ni muso (3.1), tiga ni malo (3.2), Seku ni Musa (3.3), wari ni dumuni (3.8) - with a noun phrase on either side: mɔgɔ caman ni den caman (3.11), "many people and many children"
2. Ni is repeated in a list. Bambara puts ni between every pair, where English uses commas and one "and". The Declaration of Section F has hɔrɔnɲa ni tilennenɲa ni lafiya ("freedom and justice and peace"), and Lesson 1 had kisi ni tanga ni hɔrɔnɲa. For two items, as in 3.1–3.15, there is one ni.
3. N'a and n'u. Before the pronoun a ("his, her, its") or u ("their"), ni loses its vowel and is written with an apostrophe: - Cɛ n'a muso (3.5), "the man and his wife" - Hadamaden danbe n'a kiimɛ (Section F), "the dignity and worth of the human person" (literally "human-being dignity and-its worth")
The same drop of a vowel is in Lesson 2 (b'u, for bɛ u). Writers do not always use the apostrophe, and the full form ni a may be met in print.
4. The verb does not change. A subject made of two nouns takes the same verb as any other subject. Bɛ is the same for one person or two: Cɛ ni muso bɛ so kɔnɔ (3.6), Musa ni Fanta bɛ dugu in kɔnɔ (3.10). The perfective ending is added as usual: Seku ni Musa nana (3.3) has na + -na, as in Lesson 1.
5. In and the joined nouns. The demonstrative in of Lesson 1 follows the noun it marks. When both nouns are known, each gets its own in: cɛ in ni muso in (3.7, 3.14), "the man and the woman". When only the second is marked, as in dugu in (3.10), the in belongs to that noun. The Genre Section has tiga in ni malo in (3.25).
6. Ni … ye is "with"; ka joins a second verb. The pair ni … ye wraps the noun it governs: Na ni ji ye! (3.4), "Bring the water!", literally "Come with water!", and N taara sugu la ni n ba ye (3.15), "I went to the market with my mother". The ye is part of the pattern and stays at the end. In the same sentence ka tiga ni malo san is "(and) bought peanuts and rice": a second verb is not joined by ni. It takes the infinitive marker ka, and its object stands before it. This is the construction that studies of Bambara call clause chaining: the first verb carries the tense, and the later verbs are in the infinitive. The Declaration has the same ka before a verb, in the clause that follows the third phrase of Section F (ka taa ɲe, "to go forward").
7. Ani and nka join clauses. Two whole clauses may be joined with the longer form ani, as in the Genre Section: Tiga in ni malo in bɛ yan, ani ji bɛ yan (3.25), "The peanuts and the rice are here, and there is water here". The dictionary treats ani as a form of ni. In the Declaration it is the word that begins a new clause (ani ko …, Section F). A contrast takes nka, "but": Cɛ in ni muso in nana, nka den in ma na (3.14). Some clauses are simply put side by side with a comma.
8. Ni "if" is a different word. At the start of a clause, ni is "if" or "when". In 3.12 both are in one sentence: Ni (if) cɛ ni (and) muso nana, an bɛ taa sugu la. The first ni opens the clause, and the second stands between two nouns.
9. Numbers. The same ni joins the parts of a number: mugan ni saba is "twenty and three", 23. For the larger breaks, one of the references gives ani; a learner need not use it yet.
Common Mistakes
- Putting ni before the first noun or after the second. Wrong: ni cɛ muso, cɛ muso ni. Right: cɛ ni muso. - Using ni between verbs. Wrong: N taara ni tiga san, meant as "I went and bought peanuts". Right: N taara sugu la ka tiga san. The second verb takes ka, and its object comes before it. - Using commas alone in a list. Wrong: kisi, tanga, hɔrɔnɲa. Right: kisi ni tanga ni hɔrɔnɲa. Repeat ni. - Making the verb plural. Wrong: Cɛ ni muso bɛw so kɔnɔ. The verb never changes: bɛ. - Writing the contraction wrongly. Wrong: cɛ na a muso, or cɛ n a muso with a space. Right: cɛ n'a muso, with the apostrophe attached on both sides. (The full form cɛ ni a muso may also be met in print, as Section D, rule 3, says.) - Forgetting the ye. Wrong: N taara sugu la ni n ba, meant as "I went to the market with my mother". Right: ni n ba ye. - Confusing ni, nin and ɲi. Ni is "and" or "if", nin is "this" (Lesson 1), and ɲi is "good". Check each letter. - Reading every ni as "and". At the start of a clause, ni is "if" or "when": Ni sugu bɛ yan, n bɛ taa (Lesson 2).
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Frequency and register. Ni is among the commonest words in everyday Bambara. It is the same in speech and in print, and it is one of the first words a learner meets, because the greeting is built on it.
Greetings. The usual greeting and the usual thanks, I ni ce (Lesson 1), has this ni in it: literally "you and …", with the second word a fixed greeting-word. The greetings for parts of the day are built the same way, with I ni and the name of the time: I ni sɔgɔma is the morning greeting, I ni tile the afternoon one and I ni wula the evening one. A learner can hear in them the word of this lesson.
Joining people. Two people are named together with ni: Seku ni Musa, Musa ni Fanta. A person and a relation are joined in the same way, and the pronoun contracts: cɛ n'a muso, "the man and his wife".
Lists. Bambara repeats ni between every item: tiga ni malo ni dumuni, "peanuts and rice and food". The Declaration does the same in print, as Section F shows.
Numbers. Counting uses the same word. The reference consulted gives mugan ni saba for 23, "twenty and three", and says that the larger breaks in a big number are joined with ani instead. The numbers are taught in later lessons.
Standard Bambara and the variants. The variety taught here is the standard Bambara of Mali. Bambara, Jula (Dioula) and Maninka are Manding languages, and the dictionary used for this lesson covers Bambara and Jula together, and its entry for ni ("and", "with") names ani as a variant and mentions no difference between the two. No difference of spelling or use was confirmed in the sources for this lesson, and so none is named. Lessons will give a difference only where one is checked.
Spelling. The apostrophe in n'a and n'u is the written sign that the vowel of ni is lost. Writers do not always use it, and the full forms may be met in print. In this course the contracted forms are used where they were found in a published text (Section F).
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United Nations, Universal Declaration of Human Rights (General Assembly, Paris, 10 December 1948), in the Bambara translation Hadamaden josiraw dantigɛkan, published by the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) and reproduced on Wikisource, "Hadamaden josiraw dantigɛkan". The three passages are phrases from the preamble, which the page sets out under the heading ɲebila: a phrase of its first paragraph, and two phrases of its fifth. They are not whole sentences. The Bambara is given as printed there; the English translation is ours.
The Declaration is a document of the United Nations, and the Bambara text is a translation of it, not an original work in Bambara. It is chosen because it is published written Bambara, it can be checked against the English original, and it shows ni in three ways: in a list of three (F.1), in the contraction n'a (F.2), and between two nouns (F.3).
F-A: Interlinear Construed Text
F.1a dine world hɔrɔnɲa freedom ni and tilennenɲa justice ni and lafiya peace
F.1b dine /dine/ world hɔrɔnɲa /hɔrɔɲa/ freedom ni /ni/ CONJ tilennenɲa /tilẽnẽɲa/ justice ni /ni/ CONJ lafiya /lafija/ peace
F.2a hadamaden human-being danbe dignity n'a and-its kiimɛ worth na in
F.2b hadamaden /hadamadẽ/ human.being danbe /dãbe/ dignity n'a /na/ CONJ.3SG.POSS kiimɛ /kiːmɛ/ worth na /na/ LOC
F.3a cɛ man ni and muso woman josiraw rights kɛɲɛni equality na in
F.3b cɛ /tʃɛ/ man ni /ni/ CONJ muso /muso/ woman josiraw /dʒosiraw/ right.PL kɛɲɛni /kɛɲɛni/ equality na /na/ LOC
F-B: Original → Translation
dine hɔrɔnɲa ni tilennenɲa ni lafiya → "freedom, justice and peace in the world"
hadamaden danbe n'a kiimɛ na → "in the dignity and worth of the human person"
cɛ ni muso josiraw kɛɲɛni na → "in the equal rights of men and women"
F-C: Original Only
dine hɔrɔnɲa ni tilennenɲa ni lafiya
hadamaden danbe n'a kiimɛ na
cɛ ni muso josiraw kɛɲɛni na
F-D: Grammar and Literary Commentary
- hɔrɔnɲa ni tilennenɲa ni lafiya: the list of Section D, rule 2. English writes "freedom, justice and peace", with two commas and one "and"; Bambara puts ni between every pair. The words are abstract nouns made with -ya/-nya, and we follow the sense of the English original for each. Dine "world" stands first and governs the three, as "of the world" does in English. - danbe n'a kiimɛ: the contraction of Section D, rule 3. N'a is ni + a, "and its", and the apostrophe is the printed sign that the vowel is lost. The English original has "the dignity and worth", and the Bambara says "dignity and its worth". The English "worth" is the sense we give kiimɛ, following the English original, and we do not analyse the word further. Danbe is the word of Lesson 2, in danbe ni josira la. - na: the postposition appears as na here, and not as la, after the syllables mɛ and ni, which have a nasal consonant (Lesson 1, rule 9). - cɛ ni muso josiraw kɛɲɛni: the plainest case of the lesson, ni between two nouns. Cɛ ni muso is "man and woman", and it governs josiraw "rights" (the plural of josira, "right", with -w) as a possessor does: "man-and-woman's rights, equality". The English original has "equal rights of men and women". The word kɛɲɛni is glossed "equality" after the English original, and not analysed further. - ani: the same paragraph goes on after the third phrase with ani ko …, "and that …", where ani opens a new clause and ko introduces what follows (Section D, rule 7). That clause is not part of this lesson, and it is not quoted here.
The three phrases make the point of the lesson: in published Bambara, ni stands between the nouns of a pair or a list, it is repeated between every item, and before a it is written n'a; and a new clause begins with ani.
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A short dialogue written for this lesson, between a child ("Child") sent to the market and the seller ("Seller"). The child asks for peanuts and rice, and the seller asks about money. The turns alternate: the child speaks the even-numbered lines, 3.16 to 3.30, and the seller the odd-numbered ones. It is a pedagogical text built from attested patterns, and it has not been read by a native speaker. Ni joins nouns throughout, joins "with" in the pair ni … ye, and begins a clause once, in the longer form ani.
Part A: Interlinear Construed Text
3.16a Tiga peanut ni and malo rice bɛ are yan here wa Q
3.16b Tiga /tiɡa/ peanut ni /ni/ CONJ malo /malo/ rice bɛ /bɛ/ COP.LOC yan /jã/ here wa /wa/ Q
3.17a Awɔ yes tiga peanut ni and malo rice bɛ are yan here
3.17b Awɔ /awɔ/ yes tiga /tiɡa/ peanut ni /ni/ CONJ malo /malo/ rice bɛ /bɛ/ COP.LOC yan /jã/ here
3.18a U they bɛɛ all ka are ɲi good wa Q
3.18b U /u/ 3PL bɛɛ /bɛː/ all ka /ka/ QUAL ɲi /ɲi/ good wa /wa/ Q
3.19a Awɔ yes u they bɛɛ all ka are ɲi good
3.19b Awɔ /awɔ/ yes u /u/ 3PL bɛɛ /bɛː/ all ka /ka/ QUAL ɲi /ɲi/ good
3.20a N I bɛ am tiga peanut ni and malo rice san buy
3.20b N /n̩/ 1SG bɛ /bɛ/ IPFV tiga /tiɡa/ peanut ni /ni/ CONJ malo /malo/ rice san /sã/ buy
3.21a Wari money bɛ is i you fɛ at wa Q
3.21b Wari /wari/ money bɛ /bɛ/ COP.LOC i /i/ 2SG fɛ /fɛ/ at.PP wa /wa/ Q
3.22a Ayi no wari money tɛ is-not n me fɛ at nka but n my ba mother bɛ is na come ni with wari money ye (with)
3.22b Ayi /aji/ no wari /wari/ money tɛ /tɛ/ NEG.COP n /n̩/ 1SG fɛ /fɛ/ at.PP nka /ŋka/ CONJ.BUT n /n̩/ 1SG.POSS ba /ba/ mother bɛ /bɛ/ IPFV na /na/ come ni /ni/ COM wari /wari/ money ye /je/ COM.PP
3.23a Wari money caman many bɛ is i your ba mother fɛ at wa Q
3.23b Wari /wari/ money caman /tʃamã/ many bɛ /bɛ/ COP.LOC i /i/ 2SG.POSS ba /ba/ mother fɛ /fɛ/ at.PP wa /wa/ Q
3.24a Awɔ yes wari money caman many bɛ is a her fɛ at a she bɛ is-at sira road kan on
3.24b Awɔ /awɔ/ yes wari /wari/ money caman /tʃamã/ many bɛ /bɛ/ COP.LOC a /a/ 3SG fɛ /fɛ/ at.PP a /a/ 3SG bɛ /bɛ/ COP.LOC sira /sira/ road kan /kã/ on.PP
3.25a Tiga peanut in the ni and malo rice in the bɛ are yan here ani and ji water bɛ is yan here
3.25b Tiga /tiɡa/ peanut in /ĩ/ DEM ni /ni/ CONJ malo /malo/ rice in /ĩ/ DEM bɛ /bɛ/ COP.LOC yan /jã/ here ani /ani/ CONJ ji /dʒi/ water bɛ /bɛ/ COP.LOC yan /jã/ here
3.26a Ji water in the ka is ɲi good wa Q
3.26b Ji /dʒi/ water in /ĩ/ DEM ka /ka/ QUAL ɲi /ɲi/ good wa /wa/ Q
3.27a Awɔ yes ji water in the ka is ɲi good
3.27b Awɔ /awɔ/ yes ji /dʒi/ water in /ĩ/ DEM ka /ka/ QUAL ɲi /ɲi/ good
3.28a N my ba mother nana came ni with wari money ye (with)
3.28b N /n̩/ 1SG.POSS ba /ba/ mother nana /nana/ come.PFV ni /ni/ COM wari /wari/ money ye /je/ COM.PP
3.29a Awɔ yes tiga peanut ni and malo rice bɛ are i you fɛ at
3.29b Awɔ /awɔ/ yes tiga /tiɡa/ peanut ni /ni/ CONJ malo /malo/ rice bɛ /bɛ/ COP.LOC i /i/ 2SG fɛ /fɛ/ at.PP
3.30a I you ni and ce thanks
3.30b I /i/ 2SG ni /ni/ CONJ ce /tʃe/ greeting
Part B: Natural Sentences
3.16 Tiga ni malo bɛ yan wa? → Child: "Are there peanuts and rice here?"
3.17 Awɔ, tiga ni malo bɛ yan. → Seller: "Yes, there are peanuts and rice here."
3.18 U bɛɛ ka ɲi wa? → Child: "Are they all good?"
3.19 Awɔ, u bɛɛ ka ɲi. → Seller: "Yes, they are all good."
3.20 N bɛ tiga ni malo san. → Child: "I am buying peanuts and rice."
3.21 Wari bɛ i fɛ wa? → Seller: "Do you have money?"
3.22 Ayi, wari tɛ n fɛ, nka n ba bɛ na ni wari ye. → Child: "No, I have no money, but my mother is coming with money."
3.23 Wari caman bɛ i ba fɛ wa? → Seller: "Does your mother have a lot of money?"
3.24 Awɔ, wari caman bɛ a fɛ, a bɛ sira kan. → Child: "Yes, she has a lot of money; she is on the road."
3.25 Tiga in ni malo in bɛ yan, ani ji bɛ yan. → Seller: "The peanuts and the rice are here, and there is water here."
3.26 Ji in ka ɲi wa? → Child: "Is the water good?"
3.27 Awɔ, ji in ka ɲi. → Seller: "Yes, the water is good."
3.28 N ba nana ni wari ye! → Child: "My mother has come with the money!"
3.29 Awɔ, tiga ni malo bɛ i fɛ. → Seller: "Yes, you have peanuts and rice."
3.30 I ni ce. → Child: "Thank you."
Part C: Target Language Only
3.16 Tiga ni malo bɛ yan wa?
3.17 Awɔ, tiga ni malo bɛ yan.
3.18 U bɛɛ ka ɲi wa?
3.19 Awɔ, u bɛɛ ka ɲi.
3.20 N bɛ tiga ni malo san.
3.21 Wari bɛ i fɛ wa?
3.22 Ayi, wari tɛ n fɛ, nka n ba bɛ na ni wari ye.
3.23 Wari caman bɛ i ba fɛ wa?
3.24 Awɔ, wari caman bɛ a fɛ, a bɛ sira kan.
3.25 Tiga in ni malo in bɛ yan, ani ji bɛ yan.
3.26 Ji in ka ɲi wa?
3.27 Awɔ, ji in ka ɲi.
3.28 N ba nana ni wari ye!
3.29 Awɔ, tiga ni malo bɛ i fɛ.
3.30 I ni ce.
Part D: Grammar Notes for the Genre Section
- Ni between two nouns. Tiga ni malo (3.16, 3.17, 3.20, 3.29) is the pair of Section D, rule 1, repeated through the dialogue because it is what the child has come for. The verb after it is the same bɛ as for a single noun (rule 4). - Ni … ye, "with". N ba bɛ na ni wari ye (3.22) and N ba nana ni wari ye (3.28) are the pattern of rule 6: the verb of coming, then ni, the noun and ye. The mother arrives "with money". The same sentence in 3.22 sets the child's wari tɛ n fɛ ("I have no money", Lesson 2) against it with nka. - Ani joins two clauses. Tiga in ni malo in bɛ yan, ani ji bɛ yan (3.25) has two whole clauses, each with its own subject and bɛ, joined by ani. The ni in the first clause joins the two nouns, and the ani joins the clauses: both are the same word in two forms (rule 7). - In on each noun. In 3.25 the speaker means two known things, and each gets its in: tiga in ni malo in (rule 5). - U bɛɛ. U bɛɛ ka ɲi (3.18, 3.19) is "they all are good", with the quantifier after the pronoun, as u bɛɛ la in Lesson 2. It refers back to tiga ni malo in 3.17 without repeating the nouns. - Having. Wari bɛ i fɛ (3.21) and wari caman bɛ a fɛ (3.24) are the possession pattern of Lesson 2: the thing, bɛ, the owner and fɛ. In 3.23 the possessor comes before the thing possessed: i ba, "your mother". - The closing formula. I ni ce (3.30) is the fixed phrase of Lesson 1 and Section E, "thank you", with the ni of this lesson inside it.
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Check these in every sentence:
- ni /ni/: a plain, oral vowel. It is not nin /nĩ/ ("this") and not ɲi /ɲi/ ("good"); check the first letter of each. - n'a /na/ and n'u /nu/: the apostrophe marks the lost vowel of ni. Check that no space is left on either side of it. - ani /ani/: one word, written with no space and no apostrophe. - ɛ and ɔ are separate letters from e and o, and the difference changes words. Check each: cɛ, bɛ, tɛ, fɛ, kɔnɔ, mɔgɔ, awɔ, kiimɛ, kɛɲɛni. - ɲ is one letter and one sound, /ɲ/: ɲi, hɔrɔnɲa, tilennenɲa, kɛɲɛni. - Doubled vowels are long, not two syllables: taa, bɛɛ, feere, kiimɛ. - A vowel before a final n is nasal: san /sã/, caman /tʃamã/, kan /kã/, an /ã/, den /dẽ/. - N alone ("I", "my") is a syllabic nasal /n̩/. It is capital at the start of a sentence (N bɛ tiga ni malo san) and lower case in the middle (Wari bɛ n fɛ). - La after an oral syllable, na after a nasal one: sugu la, sugu in na, kiimɛ na, kɛɲɛni na. - Tone is not written in ordinary Bambara, and it is not marked in this lesson. - Punctuation is as in English: the comma, full stop, question mark, exclamation mark, colon and quotation marks. - Capitals begin sentences and names. Seku, Musa and Fanta are capital in the middle of a sentence, as names; cɛ, muso, tiga are not. - Special letters used in this lesson: ɛ ɔ ɲ. The letter ŋ is also in the alphabet and appears in later lessons.
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