English "think" does several jobs. It names the act of using the mind (Be quiet, I am thinking). It gives an opinion (I think it is late). It points the mind at something (think about the future). In Bemba (iciBemba) the verb for all of this is tontonkanya, in the infinitive ukutontonkanya, "to think".
Tontonkanya is a verb like any other Bemba verb: the subject marker, the tense marker and the root stack up in front of the ending, as you have seen since Lesson 1. Ndetontonkanya is n- (I) + -le- (present) + tontonkanya: "I am thinking". You first met this verb in Lessons 8, 9, 16 and 25, and it has been waiting for its own lesson.
Four things are worth knowing from the start.
First, tontonkanya carries both "think" as an activity and "think" as an opinion. For an opinion, Bemba does what you saw in Lessons 16 and 25: it adds ukuti ("that") and a second clause. Ndetontonkanya ukuti abana balefwaya ukulya is "I think that the children want to eat."
Second, tontonkanya is not "know". To know is ukwishiba (Lesson 14). When Jesus "knows" what people are thinking in Matthew 9:4, the Bemba Bible uses a form of -shiba for the knowing and -tontonkanya for the thinking, in the same sentence.
Third, the Bible writes the thinking in the heart. In the five passages we opened for this lesson, four of them put the thinking in the mutima (heart): aletontonkanya mu mutima wakwe, "he thought in his heart". You will see this phrase in Section F.
Fourth, there are related words, and we say plainly how far we trust them. The Kitwe Online English–Bemba dictionary lists "Think" as Tontonkanya and "Thought" as Muntontonkanya. A published Bemba text we opened writes the plural noun as amatontonkanyo ("thoughts, mind"). The Bible also has -tontonkanisha and -tontonkanishisha in Mark 2:8 and Matthew 9:4. We explain the forms we are sure of in Section D, and we do not drill the others.
What does "think" mean in Bemba?
"Think" is tontonkanya: Ndetontonkanya (I am thinking), Aletontonkanya ukuti alemona Kalulu (he thinks that he sees Hare, Lesson 16). "Know" is ukwishiba. "Believe" and "remember" are different words, not taught here.
Vocabulary row for this lesson: number 53 in the Universal Language Learning list, "think", verb, frequency rank 53, category Mental, note "cognition", usage "mental process". We chose tontonkanya because the Kitwe Online dictionary gives "Think" as Tontonkanya, because the Bemba Bible uses it for thinking in Matthew, Mark and Luke, and because this course has already used it in four earlier lessons.
Key Takeaways:
- ukutontonkanya = "to think"; tontonkanya is the root and the imperative. - Present: ndetontonkanya (I think), uletontonkanya (you think), aletontonkanya (he or she thinks), tuletontonkanya (we think), muletontonkanya (you, plural), baletontonkanya (they think). - For an opinion, add ukuti and a second clause: Ndetontonkanya ukuti... (I think that...). - The imperative is tontonkanya! (to one person) and tontonkanyeni! (to several, or polite). - tontonkanya (think) is not ukwishiba (know).
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tontonkanya /to.nto.ŋka.ɲa/
- to /to/ a pure "o", as in Spanish to-. Do not glide it into "oh-oo". - nto /nto/ the n and t are one sound, said together: the tongue touches the ridge behind the teeth for both. Do not put a vowel between them. - nka /ŋka/ the n before k is the "ng" of English "finger", then k. Do not drop the k. - nya /ɲa/ the ny is one sound, like the "ni" in "onion" or Spanish ñ. It is not "n" followed by "ee-ya".
Syllables: to-nto-nka-nya. The infinitive ukutontonkanya /u.ku.to.nto.ŋka.ɲa/ has six. Bemba is a tonal language, but standard spelling does not write the tones, and neither does this lesson.
Other sounds that appear in this lesson:
- sh /ʃ/ as in "shoe": bushe /βu.ʃe/ (question word), shani /ʃa.ni/ (how), mashiwi /ma.ʃi.wi/ (words), nshi- /nʃi/ (the "I do not" marker, as in Lesson 20). - c /tʃ/ as "ch" in "church": cinshi /tʃi.nʃi/ (what), ciloto /tʃi.lo.to/ (dream), ndecita /nde.tʃi.ta/ (I am doing). - b /β/ is a soft bilabial sound, between English "b" and "v": abana /a.βa.na/, bwino /βwi.no/ (well). After m it is a hard /b/: nomba /no.mba/ (now, Lesson 51). - ng before a vowel /ŋg/ (alasunga /a.la.su.ŋga/ "she kept"), and nk /ŋk/ (tontonkanya, nkaya /ŋka.ja/). - ly /lj/ one smooth sound, as in Lesson 52: ilyo /i.ljo/ (when), elyo /e.ljo/ (then), ukulya /u.ku.lja/ (to eat). - w /w/ and y /j/ as in English: wakwe /wa.kwe/, yenu /je.nu/.
The IPA in this lesson is a broad transcription of citation forms. It does not mark tone or vowel length.
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Examples 53.1 to 53.15. Line a gives each word with its meaning. Line b adds the pronunciation and the grammar: SM = subject marker (the verb prefix that agrees with the subject), OM = object marker, PRES = present, PAST = past, FUT = future, IMP = imperative, INF = infinitive, NEG = negative, NARR = the narrative -la- (see Section D), ISH = a verb extension, found in Mark 2:8 (see Section D), LOC = locative ending, HON = honorific plural used to show respect (as in bamayo, "mother"), CL = noun class, Q = question word, PL = plural, SG = singular, PRON = independent pronoun. Examples 53.11, 53.12, 53.13 and 53.14 are taken from the Bemba Bible (Ishiwi Lyakwa Lesa 2015, as published on bible.com); the rest are constructed by us from verified words and patterns.
53.1a Ndetontonkanya I-am-thinking
53.1b Ndetontonkanya /nde.to.nto.ŋka.ɲa/ SM1SG-PRES-think
53.2a Uletontonkanya you-are-thinking
53.2b Uletontonkanya /u.le.to.nto.ŋka.ɲa/ SM2SG-PRES-think
53.3a Tontonkanya think!
53.3b Tontonkanya /to.nto.ŋka.ɲa/ think.IMP.SG
53.4a Tuletontonkanya we-are-thinking lelo today
53.4b Tuletontonkanya /tu.le.to.nto.ŋka.ɲa/ SM1PL-PRES-think lelo /le.lo/ today
53.5a Abana children baletontonkanya they-are-thinking
53.5b Abana /a.βa.na/ children.CL2 baletontonkanya /βa.le.to.nto.ŋka.ɲa/ SM2-PRES-think
53.6a Ndetontonkanya I-am-thinking ukuti that abana children balefwaya they-want ukulya to-eat
53.6b Ndetontonkanya /nde.to.nto.ŋka.ɲa/ SM1SG-PRES-think ukuti /u.ku.ti/ that abana /a.βa.na/ children.CL2 balefwaya /βa.le.fwa.ja/ SM2-PRES-want ukulya /u.ku.lja/ INF-eat
53.7a Nshitontonkanya I-do-not-think ukuti that umwana child ali he-is bwino well
53.7b Nshitontonkanya /nʃi.to.nto.ŋka.ɲa/ NEG.SM1SG-think ukuti /u.ku.ti/ that umwana /u.mwa.na/ child.CL1 ali /a.li/ SM1-be bwino /βwi.no/ well
53.8a Bamayo mother baletontonkanya she-is-thinking ukuti that tukabwela we-will-return mailo tomorrow
53.8b Bamayo /βa.ma.jo/ mother.HON baletontonkanya /βa.le.to.nto.ŋka.ɲa/ SM2.HON-PRES-think ukuti /u.ku.ti/ that tukabwela /tu.ka.βwe.la/ SM1PL-FUT-return mailo /mai.lo/ tomorrow
53.9a Nkatontonkanya I-will-think mailo tomorrow elyo then nkaya I-will-go ku to mushi village
53.9b Nkatontonkanya /ŋka.to.nto.ŋka.ɲa/ SM1SG-FUT-think mailo /mai.lo/ tomorrow elyo /e.ljo/ then.SEQ nkaya /ŋka.ja/ SM1SG-FUT-go ku /ku/ to mushi /mu.ʃi/ village.CL3
53.10a Abana children tontonkanyeni think! bwino well elyo then sendameni sleep!
53.10b Abana /a.βa.na/ children.CL2 tontonkanyeni /to.nto.ŋka.ɲe.ni/ think.IMP.PL bwino /βwi.no/ well elyo /e.ljo/ then.SEQ sendameni /se.nda.me.ni/ sleep.IMP.PL
53.11a Ilyo when acili he-still aletontonkanya he-was-thinking ifi these malaika angel wa of Mfumu Lord amumonekela appeared-to-him mu in ciloto dream
53.11b Ilyo /i.ljo/ when acili /a.tʃi.li/ SM1-still aletontonkanya /a.le.to.nto.ŋka.ɲa/ SM1-PRES-think ifi /i.fi/ these.CL8 malaika /ma.la.i.ka/ angel wa /wa/ of Mfumu /mfu.mu/ Lord amumonekela /a.mu.mo.ne.ke.la/ SM1-OM1-appear mu /mu/ in ciloto /tʃi.lo.to/ dream.CL7
53.12a Elyo then alatontonkanya he-thought mu in mutima heart wakwe his ati saying Bushe Q ndecita I-am-doing shani how
53.12b Elyo /e.ljo/ then.SEQ alatontonkanya /a.la.to.nto.ŋka.ɲa/ SM1-NARR-think mu /mu/ in mutima /mu.ti.ma/ heart.CL3 wakwe /wa.kwe/ his.CL3 ati /a.ti/ saying Bushe /βu.ʃe/ Q ndecita /nde.tʃi.ta/ SM1SG-PRES-do shani /ʃa.ni/ how
53.13a Cinshi what muletontonkanisha you-are-thinking ifi these mu in mitima hearts yenu your
53.13b Cinshi /tʃi.nʃi/ what muletontonkanisha /mu.le.to.nto.ŋka.ni.ʃa/ SM2PL-PRES-think-ISH ifi /i.fi/ these.CL8 mu /mu/ in mitima /mi.ti.ma/ hearts.CL4 yenu /je.nu/ your.PL.CL4
53.14a Maria Mary ena she alasunga she-kept aya these mashiwi words yonse all mu in mutima heart wakwe her no and kulayatontonkanyapo to-think-on-them
53.14b Maria /ma.ri.a/ Mary ena /e.na/ she.PRON alasunga /a.la.su.ŋga/ SM1-NARR-keep aya /a.ja/ these.CL6 mashiwi /ma.ʃi.wi/ words.CL6 yonse /jo.nse/ all.CL6 mu /mu/ in mutima /mu.ti.ma/ heart.CL3 wakwe /wa.kwe/ her.CL3 no /no/ and kulayatontonkanyapo /ku.la.ja.to.nto.ŋka.ɲa.po/ INF-NARR-OM6-think-LOC
53.15a Ilyo when abana children bafika they-arrived ku at mushi village bamayo mother baletontonkanya she-was-thinking ukuti that balefwaya they-want ifyakulya food
53.15b Ilyo /i.ljo/ when abana /a.βa.na/ children.CL2 bafika /βa.fi.ka/ SM2-PAST-arrive ku /ku/ at mushi /mu.ʃi/ village.CL3 bamayo /βa.ma.jo/ mother.HON baletontonkanya /βa.le.to.nto.ŋka.ɲa/ SM2.HON-PRES-think ukuti /u.ku.ti/ that balefwaya /βa.le.fwa.ja/ SM2-PRES-want ifyakulya /i.fja.ku.lja/ food.CL8
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53.1 Ndetontonkanya. → "I am thinking."
53.2 Uletontonkanya. → "You are thinking."
53.3 Tontonkanya! → "Think!"
53.4 Tuletontonkanya lelo. → "We are thinking today."
53.5 Abana baletontonkanya. → "The children are thinking."
53.6 Ndetontonkanya ukuti abana balefwaya ukulya. → "I think that the children want to eat."
53.7 Nshitontonkanya ukuti umwana ali bwino. → "I do not think that the child is well."
53.8 Bamayo baletontonkanya ukuti tukabwela mailo. → "Mother thinks that we will return tomorrow."
53.9 Nkatontonkanya mailo, elyo nkaya ku mushi. → "I will think tomorrow, then I will go to the village."
53.10 Abana, tontonkanyeni bwino, elyo sendameni. → "Children, think well, then sleep."
53.11 Ilyo acili aletontonkanya ifi, malaika wa Mfumu amumonekela mu ciloto. → "While he was still thinking about these things, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream." (Matthew 1:20)
53.12 Elyo alatontonkanya mu mutima wakwe ati, "Bushe ndecita shani?" → "Then he thought in his heart, 'What shall I do?'" (Luke 12:17)
53.13 Cinshi muletontonkanisha ifi mu mitima yenu? → "Why are you thinking these things in your hearts?" (Mark 2:8)
53.14 Maria ena alasunga aya mashiwi yonse mu mutima wakwe no kulayatontonkanyapo. → "Mary kept all these words in her heart and thought them over." (Luke 2:19)
53.15 Ilyo abana bafika ku mushi, bamayo baletontonkanya ukuti balefwaya ifyakulya. → "When the children arrived at the village, mother thought that they wanted food."
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53.1 Ndetontonkanya.
53.2 Uletontonkanya.
53.3 Tontonkanya!
53.4 Tuletontonkanya lelo.
53.5 Abana baletontonkanya.
53.6 Ndetontonkanya ukuti abana balefwaya ukulya.
53.7 Nshitontonkanya ukuti umwana ali bwino.
53.8 Bamayo baletontonkanya ukuti tukabwela mailo.
53.9 Nkatontonkanya mailo, elyo nkaya ku mushi.
53.10 Abana, tontonkanyeni bwino, elyo sendameni.
53.11 Ilyo acili aletontonkanya ifi, malaika wa Mfumu amumonekela mu ciloto.
53.12 Elyo alatontonkanya mu mutima wakwe ati, "Bushe ndecita shani?"
53.13 Cinshi muletontonkanisha ifi mu mitima yenu?
53.14 Maria ena alasunga aya mashiwi yonse mu mutima wakwe no kulayatontonkanyapo.
53.15 Ilyo abana bafika ku mushi, bamayo baletontonkanya ukuti balefwaya ifyakulya.
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These are the grammar rules for tontonkanya in Bemba:
1. The verb. The root is -tontonkanya; the infinitive is ukutontonkanya, "to think", with the infinitive prefix uku- you know from ukulya and ukuya. The root keeps the final -a, as most Bemba verbs do. The bare root is also the imperative to one person: Tontonkanya! (53.3). The Kitwe Online dictionary lists "Think" as Tontonkanya, and the same form stands in published Bemba teaching text as an imperative.
2. The present, with -le-. Add the subject marker and -le- in front of the root. After n- the l of -le- becomes d (nde-), as in ndeya (Lesson 52) and ndefwaya (Lesson 12):
- Ndetontonkanya: I am thinking, I think (53.1). - Uletontonkanya: you (one person) are thinking (53.2). - Aletontonkanya: he or she is thinking (53.11; Lesson 16). - Tuletontonkanya: we are thinking (53.4). - Muletontonkanya: you (several, or polite) are thinking. - Baletontonkanya: they are thinking; also the polite "he or she" for an elder, as with bamayo (53.8).
The Bible also uses this present form inside a past story, to say "were thinking": ifyo baletontonkanya "what they were thinking" (Matthew 9:4; Mark 2:8), and Ilyo acili aletontonkanya ifi "while he was still thinking these things" (53.11). So the -le- form can be "is thinking" or "was thinking", and the sentence around it decides. We found it this way in the passages we opened; the course's earlier lessons also give it as a present.
3. The negative. For "I do not think" the course's negative marker from Lesson 20 goes in front of the root: Nshitontonkanya (53.7), as nshimona "I do not see" and nshiya "I do not go". We did not find the other persons of this negative in the texts we opened, and we do not drill them here.
4. The future, with -ka-. Nkatontonkanya is n- + -ka- + tontonkanya, "I will think" (53.9), formed like nkaya "I will go" and like tukabwela in Lesson 52.
5. The narrative -la-. In Bible narrative a verb with -la- moves the story on. Luke 12:17 has alatontonkanya, "he thought" (53.12), and Luke 2:19 has kulayatontonkanyapo (53.14). We gloss it NARR, as in Lesson 52, and do not claim more. In 53.14 the ending -po is glossed LOC; "thought them over" comes from the sense of the verse, and we did not find a grammar that states the range of -po.
6. The imperative. To one person: Tontonkanya! To several people, or politely to one, the ending changes from -a to -eni: tontonkanyeni (53.10). This is the regular rule you have seen in lya / lyeni and sendama / sendameni (Lesson 52). We did not find tontonkanyeni itself in the texts we opened; it is formed by the rule.
7. "That" after think: ukuti. An opinion is a second clause joined by ukuti (53.6, 53.7, 53.8, 53.15). Lesson 16 spells the same word ukutila (Aletontonkanya ukutila akalilwe). We use ukuti, the form of Lesson 25. The verb in the second clause carries its own tense: tukabwela (future) in 53.8, balefwaya (present) in 53.6 and 53.15.
8. The direct object. In Matthew 1:20 the thing thought is the direct object, with no preposition: aletontonkanya ifi "he was thinking these things", and in Mark 2:8 muletontonkanisha ifi "you are thinking these things". We found no preposition for "think about" in the passages we opened, so we do not teach one.
9. The place of thinking: mu mutima. Where English says "in his heart", Bemba says mu mutima wakwe (53.12) or, for several people, mu mitima yenu (53.13). The word mutima (heart, class 3) takes the possessive of class 3, wakwe "his, her". The plural mitima (class 4) takes yenu "your (plural)".
10. Extended forms: -tontonkanisha. In Mark 2:8 the verb is muletontonkanisha, and in Matthew 9:4, where Jesus asks the same question, it is muletontonkanishisha. The extra ending -ish- is a known Bantu verb extension and we gloss it ISH; we do not know that the two forms differ in meaning, so we give both as the Bible has them and teach the plain verb for everyday use.
11. The nouns. Kitwe Online lists "Thought" as Muntontonkanya; a published Bemba text writes the plural as amatontonkanyo. We did not find the two together in one source, so we do not build examples on them. The learner who sees either one should know it belongs to the same family as the verb.
Common Mistakes
- Using tontonkanya for "know". To know is ukwishiba (Lesson 14); tontonkanya is the act of thinking. - Leaving out ukuti and joining two clauses with nothing between them. English says "I think she is well"; Bemba says Ndetontonkanya ukuti ali bwino. - Saying uletontonkanya to an elder or a stranger. Use the plural, muletontonkanya (and tontonkanyeni), as you did with iseni and lyeni. - Putting the thinking "in the head". The passages we opened say mu mutima (in the heart). We do not know whether "in the head" would sound natural, so use the heart. - Saying tontonkanyeni for one child. For one person, use tontonkanya. - Splitting the ny: tontonkanya ends in /ɲa/, one sound. Do not say ton-ton-kan-ee-ya. - Using tontonkanya where Bemba teaches: abasambilisha are teachers (Lesson 24), and ukusambilila is to study (Lesson 52). Thinking is not teaching.
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Frequency and register. Tontonkanya is an everyday word with no formal or informal form of its own. It is in the dictionary, in published teaching text and in the Bible, from Matthew to Luke. What changes with the social setting is the pronoun and the verb: with elders and strangers, speakers use the plural (mu-, ba-), as in Cinshi muletontonkanya? and Bamayo baletontonkanya.
The heart as the place of thought. In four of the five Bible passages we opened for this lesson, thinking is placed in the heart: aletontonkanya mu mutima wakwe, mu mitima yenu, mu mutima wakwe no kulayatontonkanyapo. English Bibles say "heart" in some of these verses too, so this may be a feature of the Bible's style as well as of Bemba. We have not studied everyday Bemba speech on this point, and we do not say how far it holds outside the written text. The learner can try the phrase mu mutima wakwe (in his or her heart) and watch where the verb goes.
Two kinds of pondering. Luke 12:17 shows a man thinking to himself, with a question: Bushe ndecita shani? "What shall I do?" Luke 2:19 shows Mary keeping the words and thinking them over, with alasunga (she kept) and kulayatontonkanyapo. The verb is the same; the situation is different. English needs "wonder", "ponder", "reflect" and "muse" for these; in the verses we opened, the Bemba Bible uses tontonkanya for both.
Variety. This lesson follows the written standard used in the dictionary and teaching materials we consulted, and the spelling of the Bemba Bible published as Ishiwi Lyakwa Lesa (2015). Bemba is spoken across Zambia's Northern, Luapula, Muchinga and Copperbelt provinces and beyond. We did not find a source that says whether tontonkanya differs from region to region, and we do not claim that it does.
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The passage chosen for this section is Luke 12:17 in Bemba (Luka 12:17), from the Ishiwi Lyakwa Lesa (2015) text published on bible.com. It shows a man who has more crops than he has room to store. He stops, and he thinks. The glosses are ours; the English in F-B is our own rendering, not a quotation.
F.1a Elyo then alatontonkanya he-thought mu in mutima heart wakwe his ati saying Bushe Q ndecita I-am-doing shani how
F.1b Elyo /e.ljo/ then.SEQ alatontonkanya /a.la.to.nto.ŋka.ɲa/ SM1-NARR-think mu /mu/ in mutima /mu.ti.ma/ heart.CL3 wakwe /wa.kwe/ his.CL3 ati /a.ti/ saying Bushe /βu.ʃe/ Q ndecita /nde.tʃi.ta/ SM1SG-PRES-do shani /ʃa.ni/ how
F.2a Nshikwete I-do-not-have mwakututila place-for-storing ifisabo crops fyandi my
F.2b Nshikwete /nʃi.kwe.te/ NEG.SM1SG-have mwakututila /mwa.ku.tu.ti.la/ place.of.INF-store ifisabo /i.fi.sa.βo/ crops.CL8 fyandi /fja.ndi/ my.CL8
F.1 Elyo alatontonkanya mu mutima wakwe ati, "Bushe ndecita shani?" → "Then he thought in his heart, 'What shall I do?'"
F.2 Nshikwete mwakututila ifisabo fyandi. → "I have nowhere to store my crops."
F.1 Elyo alatontonkanya mu mutima wakwe ati, "Bushe ndecita shani?"
F.2 Nshikwete mwakututila ifisabo fyandi.
Look at how the verse is built. It opens with Elyo, the sequence word of Lesson 52, and the verb alatontonkanya is the narrative form with -la- (Section D 5): the man stops and thinks. The verse does not give the thought as a statement. It gives it as a question that has no answer yet, Bushe ndecita shani? (bushe is the question word; ndecita is n- + -le- + cita, "I am doing"; shani is "how"). The second sentence gives the reason for the question: he has no place for the harvest. In the next verse (Luke 12:18) he answers himself with Nkatutila ifisabo fyandi fyonse, "I will store all my crops": the verb -tutila (store) appears to be the same root as the mwakututila of our verse.
mwakututila is glossed "place for storing" from the shape of the word (mwa-, a place word, + ku-, the infinitive, + tutila, store) and from the English rendering of the verse; we did not find it in a dictionary, so a learner should not use it outside this verse without checking. Nshikwete is nshi- (I do not) + kwete (have), as in Lesson 20 and in Nkwete "I have" (Lesson 27). Ifisabo is glossed "crops" from the sense of Luke 12:17 and 12:18, where it is the thing the man must store; we did not confirm it independently in a dictionary. Fyandi (my, class 8) agrees with ifisabo.
The phrase mu mutima wakwe is the same phrase as in 53.14, where Mary keeps the words mu mutima wakwe. The Bible gives the heart as the place where a person is alone with their thinking, for the man in the field as for Mary.
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Examples 53.16 to 53.30. A short story of a day, told in the present tense. Bamayo (mother) takes the honorific plural throughout, and bati is "said" in the same respectful form. A speech is introduced with bati. The story is constructed by us from verified words.
53.16a Lelo today bamayo mother baleya she-is-going ku to munda field
53.16b Lelo /le.lo/ today bamayo /βa.ma.jo/ mother.HON baleya /βa.le.ja/ SM2.HON-PRES-go ku /ku/ to munda /mu.nda/ field.CL3
53.17a Abana children baleya they-are-going ku to sukulu school
53.17b Abana /a.βa.na/ children.CL2 baleya /βa.le.ja/ SM2-PRES-go ku /ku/ to sukulu /su.ku.lu/ school
53.18a Bamayo mother balebomba she-is-working mu in munda field
53.18b Bamayo /βa.ma.jo/ mother.HON balebomba /βa.le.βo.mba/ SM2.HON-PRES-work mu /mu/ in munda /mu.nda/ field.CL3
53.19a Elyo then bamayo mother baletontonkanya she-is-thinking
53.19b Elyo /e.ljo/ then.SEQ bamayo /βa.ma.jo/ mother.HON baletontonkanya /βa.le.to.nto.ŋka.ɲa/ SM2.HON-PRES-think
53.20a Bamayo mother baletontonkanya she-is-thinking ukuti that abana children balefwaya they-want ifyakulya food
53.20b Bamayo /βa.ma.jo/ mother.HON baletontonkanya /βa.le.to.nto.ŋka.ɲa/ SM2.HON-PRES-think ukuti /u.ku.ti/ that abana /a.βa.na/ children.CL2 balefwaya /βa.le.fwa.ja/ SM2-PRES-want ifyakulya /i.fja.ku.lja/ food.CL8
53.21a Bamayo mother bati she-says Nkapika I-will-cook ifyakulya food
53.21b Bamayo /βa.ma.jo/ mother.HON bati /βa.ti/ SM2.HON-say Nkapika /ŋka.pi.ka/ SM1SG-FUT-cook ifyakulya /i.fja.ku.lja/ food.CL8
53.22a Elyo then bamayo mother baleya she-is-going ku to mushi village
53.22b Elyo /e.ljo/ then.SEQ bamayo /βa.ma.jo/ mother.HON baleya /βa.le.ja/ SM2.HON-PRES-go ku /ku/ to mushi /mu.ʃi/ village.CL3
53.23a Bamayo mother balepika she-is-cooking ifyakulya food
53.23b Bamayo /βa.ma.jo/ mother.HON balepika /βa.le.pi.ka/ SM2.HON-PRES-cook ifyakulya /i.fja.ku.lja/ food.CL8
53.24a Abana children balefika they-are-arriving ku at mushi village
53.24b Abana /a.βa.na/ children.CL2 balefika /βa.le.fi.ka/ SM2-PRES-arrive ku /ku/ at mushi /mu.ʃi/ village.CL3
53.25a Bamayo mother bati she-says Iseni come! lyeni eat! ifyakulya food
53.25b Bamayo /βa.ma.jo/ mother.HON bati /βa.ti/ SM2.HON-say Iseni /i.se.ni/ come.IMP.PL lyeni /lje.ni/ eat.IMP.PL ifyakulya /i.fja.ku.lja/ food.CL8
53.26a Elyo then abana children balelya they-are-eating ifyakulya food
53.26b Elyo /e.ljo/ then.SEQ abana /a.βa.na/ children.CL2 balelya /βa.le.lja/ SM2-PRES-eat ifyakulya /i.fja.ku.lja/ food.CL8
53.27a Bamayo mother bati she-says Cinshi what muletontonkanya you-are-thinking
53.27b Bamayo /βa.ma.jo/ mother.HON bati /βa.ti/ SM2.HON-say Cinshi /tʃi.nʃi/ what muletontonkanya /mu.le.to.nto.ŋka.ɲa/ SM2PL-PRES-think
53.28a Abana children bati they-say Tuletontonkanya we-are-thinking ukuti that tukabwela we-will-return ku to sukulu school mailo tomorrow
53.28b Abana /a.βa.na/ children.CL2 bati /βa.ti/ SM2-say Tuletontonkanya /tu.le.to.nto.ŋka.ɲa/ SM1PL-PRES-think ukuti /u.ku.ti/ that tukabwela /tu.ka.βwe.la/ SM1PL-FUT-return ku /ku/ to sukulu /su.ku.lu/ school mailo /mai.lo/ tomorrow
53.29a Bamayo mother bati she-says Ee yes tontonkanyeni think! bwino well
53.29b Bamayo /βa.ma.jo/ mother.HON bati /βa.ti/ SM2.HON-say Ee /e.e/ yes tontonkanyeni /to.nto.ŋka.ɲe.ni/ think.IMP.PL bwino /βwi.no/ well
53.30a Elyo then abana children balesendama they-are-sleeping
53.30b Elyo /e.ljo/ then.SEQ abana /a.βa.na/ children.CL2 balesendama /βa.le.se.nda.ma/ SM2-PRES-sleep
53.16 Lelo bamayo baleya ku munda. → "Today mother is going to the field."
53.17 Abana baleya ku sukulu. → "The children are going to school."
53.18 Bamayo balebomba mu munda. → "Mother is working in the field."
53.19 Elyo bamayo baletontonkanya. → "Then mother is thinking."
53.20 Bamayo baletontonkanya ukuti abana balefwaya ifyakulya. → "Mother is thinking that the children want food."
53.21 Bamayo bati, "Nkapika ifyakulya." → "Mother says, 'I will cook food.'"
53.22 Elyo bamayo baleya ku mushi. → "Then mother is going to the village."
53.23 Bamayo balepika ifyakulya. → "Mother is cooking the food."
53.24 Abana balefika ku mushi. → "The children are arriving at the village."
53.25 Bamayo bati, "Iseni, lyeni ifyakulya." → "Mother says, 'Come, eat the food.'"
53.26 Elyo abana balelya ifyakulya. → "Then the children are eating the food."
53.27 Bamayo bati, "Cinshi muletontonkanya?" → "Mother says, 'What are you thinking?'"
53.28 Abana bati, "Tuletontonkanya ukuti tukabwela ku sukulu mailo." → "The children say, 'We are thinking that we will return to school tomorrow.'"
53.29 Bamayo bati, "Ee, tontonkanyeni bwino." → "Mother says, 'Yes, think well.'"
53.30 Elyo abana balesendama. → "Then the children are sleeping."
53.16 Lelo bamayo baleya ku munda.
53.17 Abana baleya ku sukulu.
53.18 Bamayo balebomba mu munda.
53.19 Elyo bamayo baletontonkanya.
53.20 Bamayo baletontonkanya ukuti abana balefwaya ifyakulya.
53.21 Bamayo bati, "Nkapika ifyakulya."
53.22 Elyo bamayo baleya ku mushi.
53.23 Bamayo balepika ifyakulya.
53.24 Abana balefika ku mushi.
53.25 Bamayo bati, "Iseni, lyeni ifyakulya."
53.26 Elyo abana balelya ifyakulya.
53.27 Bamayo bati, "Cinshi muletontonkanya?"
53.28 Abana bati, "Tuletontonkanya ukuti tukabwela ku sukulu mailo."
53.29 Bamayo bati, "Ee, tontonkanyeni bwino."
53.30 Elyo abana balesendama.
The story's chain. The story is told in the present: going (53.16, 53.17), working (53.18), thinking (53.19, 53.20), a promise (53.21), cooking (53.22, 53.23), the children's arrival (53.24), the meal (53.25, 53.26), a question about their thoughts (53.27, 53.28) and sleep (53.30). Elyo (Lesson 52) marks the new steps (53.19, 53.22, 53.26, 53.30).
Thinking in the story. Three people think. Mother thinks about the children (53.20); she asks them what they are thinking (Cinshi muletontonkanya?, 53.27); and they answer, Tuletontonkanya ukuti... (53.28). The question uses the plural mu- because mother speaks to several children; the answer uses tu- "we".
Tense in the story. Present: baleya, balebomba, baletontonkanya, balepika, balefika, balelya, balesendama (-le-). Future: Nkapika (53.21), tukabwela (53.28). Imperative: iseni, lyeni, tontonkanyeni (plural, polite). Note balefika (53.24): the plain bafika of Lesson 52 is the past, "they arrived", so the present story uses the -le- form.
Respect. Bamayo is "mother" with the respectful ba-, and everything that goes with it takes the ba- of class 2: baleya, bati, balepika. The children take the same ba-, and only the nouns tell you who is meant. Mother speaks to the children in the plural (iseni, lyeni, muletontonkanya, tontonkanyeni), as she speaks to several.
Speech. Bati opens a quotation (53.21, 53.25, 53.27, 53.28, 53.29). The speaker's words follow.
Word order. Subject, verb, object, with the time word (lelo, mailo) at the start or the end of its clause. Elyo comes first in its clause.
Useful vocabulary: ukutontonkanya (to think), ukuya (to go), ukubomba (to work), ukupika (to cook), ukufika (to arrive), ukulya (to eat), ukusendama (to sleep), ukubwela (to return), ukwishiba (to know), mutima (heart).
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- tontonkanya /to.nto.ŋka.ɲa/: nt and nk are prenasalized, said as one sound; ny is /ɲ/. The infinitive is ukutontonkanya. - Do not confuse tontonkanya (think) with ukwishiba /u.kwi.ʃi.βa/ (know). - Digraphs: sh /ʃ/, ng /ŋg/, nsh /nʃ/, c /tʃ/, ny /ɲ/. The letter b is /β/ except after m. - Capitals: Elyo and Bushe at the start of a sentence; the Bible spells the word for angel malaika with a small letter and the Lord Mfumu with a capital. The name of the language is written iciBemba (the Bemba language), or simply Bemba in English. - The imperative plural ends in -eni (tontonkanyeni, lyeni, sendameni, iseni). - Spelling of the Bible text: we have kept the spelling of Ishiwi Lyakwa Lesa (2015) exactly (mashiwi, Mfumu, kulayatontonkanyapo), including the form mashiwi in Luke 2:19, where the other lessons have amashiwi.
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Course Index: [latinum.substack.com/p/index](https://latinum.substack.com/p/index)