Kawo ǝn Doro ɗa Ẽ Ɓǝna
Reading and writing Ɓǝna (Yungur)
A proposal for writing the
Ɓǝna (Yungur) Language
TRIAL EDITION
October 2012
Inviting your
comments and suggestions
Yungur Language Project
Song LGA, Adamawa
State
Table of Contents
Aims and objects: 2
Chapter 1 The Vowels of the Yungur language 3
Chapter 2 The Consonants of the Yungur language 13
Chapter 3 The alphabet of the Yungur
language 27
Chapter 4 Some notes on the grammar of Yungur 29
Chapter 5 Counting
and times in Yungur language 41
Chapter 6 Wetǝma
Ɓǝna Yungur (Proverbs) 45
Chapter 7 Traditional
stories 48
Aims and objectives
In this
booklet we are making recommendations to the Language Committee and to the
Yungur leaders and community on how to write the Yungur language. Our purpose is:
(1) To
seek to unite the Yungur people in using one spelling system and thus to
encourage the writing of new books for all Yungur people.
(2) To
develop a writing system that will help Yungur people who can already read
Hausa and English to be able to read and writeYungur language without
difficulty.
(3) To develop
a writing system simple enough for Yungur children to learn. They will be encouraged to use it in school.
(4) To
enable strangers and foreigners to learn to speak and read the Yungur language
easily.
Chapter 1
The vowels of the Yungur Language
Basic
vowels
The Ɓǝna
(Yungur) language has eleven (11) vowels. While six of them are oral, five are
nasalised. Five of these vowels are pronounced
and written in the same way as in Hausa.
These are: a, e, i, o, u. All five vowels, have their nasalised counter
parts, pronounced with part of the air coming through the nose.
The
five common oral vowels are illustrated below in all three positions in a word;
at the beginning of a word, in the middle of a word and at the end of a
word. However vowels at the beginning of
a word are not many. Most words in Yungur begin with a consonant.
a ara
wuta “ fire”
aradudu ragon maza “kind of bird”
koma dawa “guinea
corn”
kama iri “seed”
kankanda rance “loan”
e peke lallashi pacify
seno kogi “river”
hewe yabo “praise
ete mutum “man”
i inda mu we”
niti ba kome empty”
ɗikra taburma “mat”
rimbi cizo “bite”
siyo cuta “disease”
o ɓolta kabewa “pumkin”
ɗariyo alura “needle”
bòtò zarewa “to
remove out of”
o rana “sun”
ofa wata “moon”
u mbutu bakwai “seven”
wura damina “rainy season”
tumbe zomo “rabbit”
uzu shine “he is the one”
guro rumfa “closed shade”
The sixth vowel
Yungur has an additional vowel sound which
Hausa and English writing system do not use.
We recommend that it be written as ǝ.
ǝ kǝfǝ ci “eat”
dǝmkǝ nitso “sink”
fǝle fartanya “hoe”
fǝtǝ biyu “two”
kǝra kara “corn stalk”
kǝffǝ ka
ji da shi “you suffer it”
Nasalised vowels
Yungur
has some vowels which are pronounced partly through the nose. These are called nasalised vowels.
The nasalised vowels and their examples
are:
ã dãwitta riguna clothes
gwãra gari town
nggã ƙadangare kind of lizard
sã buhu sack
shãra gyaɗa G/ nut
ĩ zĩsa zuma honey
zĩyõ ƙudan zuma bee
sĩyo fara locust
dĩkra kwarya mai kauri “a thick calabash”
hĩ ajiye “to put down”
ẽ fǝkẽ ja “pull”
gwẽ ƙoshi “satisfaction”
hẽ cewa/sai “that/then”
kẽta abinci “food”
ngwẽ kunne “ear”
kẽ faɗi “to say”
õ nyõ gashi hair
tõra hanya road
hõra ruɓaɓɓe rotten
õ gona farm
ũ gũro rarrafe crawling
tũ ɓera mouse
dũra gungumen
itace log of wood
Contrasts (evidence that the two are separate or distinct
sounds) : u / ũ
1. tũ ɓera mouse
du hura hayaki to
smoke something
2. ɗura kai head
dũra gungumen
itace log of wood
3. gũro rarrafe crawling
guro rumfa a closed shade
Contrasts: a / ã
1. sa zane facial
marks
sã buhu sack
2. kaka kaka
(mace) grand mother
kã ƙaro gum
3. taa takalmi shoe
tãa maimayin noma 2nd
weeding
4. kyaɗa kwance untie it
kyãɗa faɗa
mashi tell him
Contrasts: o / õ
1. tota kunun giya gruel
/ porridge
tõta hanyoyi roads
2. hora kaska tick
hõra ruɓaɓɓe rotten
3. o rana sun
õ gona farm
Contrasts: i
/ ĩ
1. siyo cuta disease
sĩyo fara locust
2. sĩyã kifi fish
siya masulla a
corn stalk needle
3. ji a kai on
jĩ taimako help
4. wi ƙaiƙayawa scratching
wĩ faɗuwa falling
Contrasts: e / ẽ
1 ke gwanki antelope
kẽ faɗa tell
2. kera hazo harmatan
kẽra tuwo food
3. e bussashe dry
ẽ baki mouth
Long
vowels
There are
some words in the Yungur language that have long vowel sounds. All the oral
vowels have long counter parts. Some examples for contrast between the short
and long vowels are given below. There
is need to find more examples to see whether the list could be expanded.
Most
long vowels occur in words that have the pattern Consonant Vowel (CV), or as
first vowel in a Consonant Vowel Consonant vowel (CVCV) wordvv.
We
recommend that in these words the vowel letter should be written doubled. Here are some examples of words with long
vowels:
aa gbaa babba “big”
Compare with: gba
sunkuyad da kai “bow”
zaanga marke “black afara”
Compare
with:
zanga girma ”grow”
ii kiita shari’a “judgement”
Compare with:
kito faɗa “fight”
oo sooko ƙarawa “to increase”
compare with soko daka/kirɓawa “pound”
too randa “big pot”
compare with to ɗauka “take”
uu buura gurgu “cripple”
Compare with: ɓura kunu “porridge”
kuura igiya “rope”
compare
with
kura ji “hear”
ee keete baza “scatter”
compare
with
kete yatsa “finger”
ween nuna “ripe”
compare
with
wen ya nuna “cooked”
The
writing of long vowels as double letters will help people to read the language
more easily. It will also help
foreigners who are learning Yungur to pronounce these words correctly.
Vowel combinations (diphthongs)
There are many occurences where two vowel sounds occur
together in Yungur words. There are three sets so far found:
1. au, iu,
eu
2. ai
oi ui;
3. ãu,
ẽu
Examples:
au kau karye to
break
gbau tara gather
gaura ihu shout
yanau wanene who
rau/wau kalmar
tambaya question marker
eu leuleu matashi/matashiya “youth”
areu yaryau corn
cake
keumwan sunan mutum name of a person
iu liura sama heaven
liuta gajimare clouds
mbiu menene what
ai ai shi / ita he
/ she
oi oi kuka don jin zafi a cry of pain
hoi da yawa many
ẽu sẽu shiru silent
dẽuro tsiro a
shrub
ãu sãu tonawa to dig out
zãusǝma hauka madness
zãugumo mesa python
Chapter 2
The consonants of the Yungur language
The Yungur language has 25 consonant
sounds. Most of them are written in the
same way as in Hausa or English. A few
consonant sounds are written with two letters, for example, ch, kp, gb, ny, ng and sh. This letter combination represents a single
consonant sound.
Here are
some examples of each consonant at the beginning, middle and end of a word. However, the only consonants that occur at
the end of the word are: p, d, k, l, m, n, ng and r.
b bare jarumi “hero”
ɗǝmba haƙori “tooth”
gǝbǝdto ragonci “laziness”
lepta ganye “leaf”
teptep baƙi “black”
bara reshe “branch”
ɓ ɓeta mutane “people”
ɓuku bugun
hatsi “thresh”
ɓerɓer ɓarawon
hanya “a narrow road”
ɓongɓong wayo “wise”
ɓe sauri “fast”
ɓe zafi “hot”
ɓol dabam “distinct”
d dala ketarewa/tsallakewa “cross over”
dalwara gaggafa “eagle”
dǝk jefa “to stone”
mbud a cire “pull out”
dodoto jin daɗi “enjoyment”
du busa
hayaƙi “to
force a smoke into a hole”
ɗ ɗo watsarwa disperse”
ɗukɗukra tsaka gecko”
ɗǝmba haƙori tooth”
mbǝɗǝ bin
baya follow”
ɗenɗera safiya morning”
f fa mara kamewa “aloose person”
fifi sabo “new”
fǝtǝ biyu “two”
tǝfǝr zamba “fraud”
fǝkẽ ja “pull”
g gege daidai “equal”
gek gusawa “shift aside”
gonggon ya gaji “tired”
gũro rarrafe “crawling”
zaũguno mesa “python”
gb gba sunkuyar
da kai “bow”
gbende kurege “squirrel”
gbomo goggon biri “baboon”
gbanggo ƙadangare “lizard”
gbo rantsuwa “swearing”
h hẽ sai “then”
hora kaska “tic”
hunu tukunya “pot”
hirhir mamaki “marvelous”
honta taɓo “mud
j jemjem zaƙi “sweet”
jemjemara taurari “star”
jimbo kurmi “forest”
jibro shaho “hawk”
k kã ƙaro “gum”
kanggǝta murhu “hearth”
kǝp ci “eat”
lukto riga “”shirt”
pakpak mara nauyi “something
light”
kp kpap naɗewa “bent”
kpǝngra kurma “deaf”
kpanglanga aduwa “name of a tree”
l laɓa
jingina “to
lean on”
lebta ganye “leaf”
lo dawowa “go back”
selera rafi “stream”
welwel jan
launi “red”
ɓol dabam “distinct”
ɓolta kabewa “pumkin”
m ma mama “mother”
leema ceto “salvation”
mama hawaye “tears”
munda gudu “running”
semo haraji “tax”
pemra giginya “palm tree”
n na saniya “cow”
naruwan laifi “offence”
neknek zaƙi “sweet”
nemsa hannaye “hands”
ween nuna “ripe”
kungkurun takwas “eight”
ng pengpeng fari “white”
yongo ƙira “to
call”
yang shiru “silent”
zangto girma “growth”
ɓongɓong wayo “wise”
ny nyã wannan “this”
nyõ gashi “hair”
nyãare sunan
gari ńame of a town”
p paasa riɗi “beniseed”
peke lallashi “pacify”
pira sanda “walking stick”
kǝp ci “eat”
pengpeng fari “white”
para shuri “ant
hill”
pe sama “high”
r ra lasa “lick”
pera amarya “bride”
ro yanka
/ sara “to cut”
rĩrĩ datti “dirty
tǝfǝr zamba “fraud”
fǝrfǝra labari “story”
s sa zane “tribal
marks”
sã buhu
/ jaka “bag”
zãusǝma hauka “madness”
tasa takalma “shoes”
nemsa hannaye “hands”
sumra cibiya “navel”
semo
haraji “tax”
sh shãra gyaɗa “G
/ nut
shĩyã kifi “fish”
sheno kogi “river”
t tasa takalma shoes”
tõra hanya road”
tukẽta gawayi charcoal”
too randa “big pot”
yate nashi
/ nata his / hers
v var ɗagun kai “pride”
voro wata zuriya “a clan name”
vãta wani irin itace “kind of tree”
vǝla damisa “leopard”
w we sha “drink”
wen ƙanuwa “sister”
wuro duniya “world”
sewo farauta “hunting”
ngawo zo “come”
wora mutuwa “death”
y yande namu “ours”
yero iska “wind”
yong ƙira “to
call”
yo soya “to fry”
wiye baƙo stranger”
Z zãa a hankali “gently”
zãra gofa “pole”
zǝkǝ yi “do”
zĩsa zuma “honey”
Some Consonant Contrasts
b / ɓ
bà ɗiba “to fetch using a spoon or
hand”
ɓa su “they”
bò karuwanci “clumsy behaviour / flirting”
ɓo sauti “sound
made by breaking something”
bù goma “ten”
ɓu mara tsoro “fearless”
be ragowa “remain”
ɓé zafi “hot”
ɓã kurɗi “money”
bana samun sauki “getting
better”
ɓana nawa “mine”
bare na miji male
ɓare maimaici repeat
d / ɗ
dò gada “gazelle”
ɗó warwatsa “scatter”
dǝ̀ɓa ƙirji “chest”
ɗǝmba haƙora “tooth”
dùkdúkrá tsumma “rag”
ɗùkɗúkrá tsaka “wall
gecko”
dǝk jefa “to
throw”
ɗuk a kwance “in
a lying position”
kp / k
kpápré bai haɗu ba “not joint”
kapra wani irin sanda “a defending stick”
kpap naɗɗewa “to fold something”
kak kalman mamaki “surprise”
kpara ba kome “empty
kàra gyambu “uncured able wound”
kp / p
pakpak mara nauyi “something light”
kpakpa ya ƙare duka “nothing
left”
gb / b
gbà sunkuya “to
bow”
bà ɗiba “fetch”
gb / g
gbende kurege “squirrel”
gege daidai “equal”
gbò rantsuwa “swearing”
go kaza “hen”
We therefore recommend the above letters for the Yungur
consonants.
For
consideration -
Note
on ng
In word final position, this sound (a velar nasal, said at
the back of the mouth) is written as ng, as in
yongma ƙira “call”
ɓongɓong wayo “wise”
yang shuru “silently”
pengpeng fari “white”
ɓeleng tsiriri “thin”
nggulong zurfi “deep”
In Yungur,
this sound occurs only at syllable or word final positions. At the beginning of
a word, it is really a case of n sound preceeding the letter g and so it is to be seen as a
sequence of n followed by a g, noting
that in this position, the g is pronounced:
ngawo zo “come”
ngo je ka “go”
ngã ƙadangare “lizard”
Consonant combinations
There
are three types of consonant combinations which occur only at the beginning of
a word or when the root is doubled:
1) Five consonants occur in combination with
‘w’:
bw bwale abokin
wasa “a play mate”
bweɗen ya ƙare “it’s
finish”
bwe kare “dog”
gw gwa tsatsa “rust”
gwãra gari “town”
gwẽ ɗiba “fetch”
kw kwano haraji “tax”
kwakwa mai kauri “solid, hard”
kwelkwel kuzari “active”
mw mwe saannan “then”
mwalla ƙara
tsawon “extend”
pw pwe wuƙa “knife”
pwaratse har abada “for ever”
2) “m” or “n” can occur before a consonant at
the beginning of a word: Examples:
mb mbema dudduge “tendon, ligament”
mbǝɗǝ bi
baya “follow”
mbiro jiki “body”
mbǝrã ruwa “water”
mbusa abubuwa “things”
nd ndǝrgimta tagwaye “twins”
ndo tilas “must”
3) There is a third
combination that is more complex. Only
one of its kind has so far been found; a nasal combination followed by a
consonant w.
mbw mbwad duka “all”
4) There appear to be a sequence of a consonant followed by r
or l. Very limited examples of these have so far been found. More study of this
has shown that the sequence really does not exist. However some early writers
have written them so. The correct version is given for each of them. That is,
in all cases a vowel exists between the two consonants.
Below is an exhaustive list of their occurences:
Wrong Correct
krota kurota gofan
busar da ƙwariya “a stand for
drying dishes”
õkra õkǝra jamage “bat”
kre kǝre miji “husband”
kro kǝro ganyen
kabewa “pumkin leaves”
Prambe Pǝrambe sunan wata gari “a town name”
prisa pirisa dawakai “horses”
pro pǝro riya “pretend”
bra bǝra sunan zuriya “name of a clan”
bra bǝra farawa “begining”
flingtikã filingtika wani itace “
a kind of tree”
flere fǝlere abin
busa “a small flute”
klora kulora dutse “mountain”
klo kǝlo zanen
kwariya “painting of
a calabash”
Double
consonants
A cluster of two
consonants can occur within a word across the boundary of a syllable. Examples
are;
nemsa hannaye “hands”
wulme wani itace “kind
of tree”
tikidɗo duhu “darkness”
Chapter
3
The Yungur alphabet
After
having carefully examined the pronunciation of the Yungur language and studied the
vowels and consonants, we wish to recommend the following alphabet for the Yungur
language:
|
A note on tone (pitch) in Yungur
In addition
to the consonant and vowel sounds, Yungur words are also different according to
the pitch, or tone, of the voice. Each
syllable is either high tone, mid tone or low tone.
In most cases, when a word occurs in the context of
a sentence, speakers of the language will recognize the meaning of the word and
will read it with the correct tone.
Occasionally it may be necessary to mark the tones. Further research is needed on this point.
In some cases tone marks important grammatical
distinctions. Specifically, tenses in Yungur are sometimes distinguished by difference of tone only. See the full description in chapter 4.
Chapter 4
Some notes on the grammar of Yungur
1. Subject pronouns
in Yungur
In Yungur there are different subject
pronouns for different tenses (present, past, or future). All
subject pronouns are written as separate words.
The difference between singular and plural in each
tense is marked by a change of the pronoun form.
Present continous tense (Process has begun and is continuing) Example with waɗa
“to go”
Singular: Plural:
Nàá waɗo yo tàá
waɗo yo
“I am going” “We
are going”
Ngàá waɗo yo sàá waɗo yo
“You are going” “You
(pl) are going”
Aya waɗo yo ɓaya waɗo yo
“He/she is going” “They
are going”
(“yo” here is added to show that this is a response to a
question while the action is going on and the actor is visible).
With transitive verbs (Process has
begun)
Nǝn kǝp namo tǝn
kǝp namo
“I am eating meat” “We are eating
meat”
Ngǝn kǝp namo sǝn kǝp namo
“You
are eating meat” “You (pl)
are eating meat”
an kǝp namo ɓan kǝp namo
“He
is eating meat” “They
are eating meat”
In
the above example, “yo” is not added because the speaker is just making a
statement.
Note: “to farm” is transitive in Yungur and so behaves as the
one above. Farming is literally “dig
/ hoe farm.” You will also observe that the pronoun and the verb carry the
tense mark and so all have changes in them.
Nǝn wa buto tǝn
wa buto
“I am farming” “We are farming”
Ngǝn wa buto sǝn wa buto
“You are farming” “You (pl) are farming”
an / ai wa buto ɓan wa buto
“He is farming” “They are farming”
Future:
Nǝ waɗa tǝ waɗa
“I will go” “We will go”
Ngǝ waɗa sǝ waɗa
“You will go” “You (Pl)
will go”
Akǝ waɗa ɓakǝ waɗa
“He will go” “They
will go”
Here
again the tense is carried through the change in the pronoun. Remember that the
verb “to go” is waɗa
Past tense (perfective)
nǝ wàɗàn tǝ
waɗan
“I went” “We
went”
ngǝ waɗan
sǝ́
waɗan
“You
went” “You (pl) went”
a waɗan ɓa
waɗan
“He/she
went”
“They
went”
Though the past and future pronoun
forms remain the same, for the 2nd person, the 1st and 3rd
person pronouns are different. The vb root for the past tense differs with that
of the future by the addition of a suffix –n to the root. That is, “waɗa” in
the future changes to “waɗan” in the past. But when a temporal phrase or a
qualifier is added, the verb form changes to "wad”. For example:
nǝ wàd naaso tǝ wad naaso
“I
went today” “We
went today”
ngǝ wad naaso sǝ́ wad naaso
“You
went today” “You
(pl) went today”
a wad naaso ɓa wad naaso
“He/she
went today” “They
went today”
Thus the subject pronouns of the Yungur
language are as follows:
singular plural
1st person nàá / nǝn ta/
tǝn (present cont. & present tense)
nǝ tǝ (past
tense)
nǝ tǝ (future
tense)
2nd person nga ta (present continous and
present tense)
ngǝ sǝ (past tense)
ngǝ sǝ (future tense)
3rd person aya ɓaya (present continous present tense)
a ɓa (past tense)
akǝ ɓakǝ (future tense)
2. Object pronouns in
Yungur
The
following examples illustrate the free object pronouns of Yungur: with the verb
nǝ “to give”
a nǝ
nan
|
He gave me
|
a nǝ
ngan
|
He gave you
|
a naa ɗan
|
He gave him / her
|
a nǝ
tan
|
He gave us (exclusive)
|
a nǝ
ndan
|
He gave us (inclusive)
|
a nǝ
san
|
He gave you (pl)
|
a nǝ
ɓan
|
He gave them
|
When the sentence includes the definite
article “sìyán”, equivalent to “the”, its position is after the noun.
Example:
A nǝ
nǝ bwe siyan “He gave me the
dog”
When the object pronoun is
mentioned along with the indirect object, the indirect object pronoun is modified.
In which case, the “a” vowel of the object changes to “ǝ” and the final n is
dropped.
a nǝ
nǝ bwe
|
He gave me a dog
|
a nǝ
ngǝ bwe
|
He gave you a dog
|
a na ɗǝ bwe / a nad bwe
|
He gave him / her a dog
|
a nǝ
tǝ bwe
|
He gave us a dog (exclusive)
|
a nǝ
ndǝ bwe
|
He gave us a dog (inclusive)
|
a nǝ
sǝ bwe
|
He gave you (pl) a dog
|
a nǝ
ɓa bwe
|
He gave them a dog
|
Thus, the simple object pronouns of
the Yungur language are as follows:
singular plural
1st person nan tan
2nd person ngan san
3rd person ɗan ɓan
3. Possessive
pronouns in Yungur
Example of free Possessive pronouns:
a nǝ nǝ bwe
yanen
|
He gave me my dog
|
a nǝ
ngǝ bwe yangen
|
He gave you your dog
|
a na ɗǝ bwe yaten
|
He gave him his / her dog
|
a nǝ
tǝ bwe yaten
|
He gave us our dog (exclu)
|
a nǝ
ndǝ bwe yaten
|
He gave us our dog (Inclu)
|
a nǝ
sǝ bwe yasen
|
He gave you (pl) your dog
|
a nǝ
ɓa bwe ɓaten
|
He gave them their dog
|
All
the pronouns, subject, object and possessive are written as separate words when
they are of the free type. But when they are bound they have to be joined to
the noun.
gwãrǝ wano My town
gwãrǝ wango Your
town
gwãrǝ wató His town
gwãrǝ waato Our town
gwãrǝ waso Your (pl) town
gwãrǝ ɓato Their town
diyo wano “my house” diyomse yane “my houses”
diyo wango “your house” diyomse yange“your houses”
diyo wató “his/her house” diyomse wató “his houses”
diyo wandò “our house” diyomse
watò
“our houses”
diyo waso “your house” diyomse yase “your houses”
diyo ɓato “their
house” diyomse ɓate
“their houses”
Bound possessive pronouns
awe “child”
awane my child awate our child
awange your child awase your
child
awaté his
child au ɓate their child ???
ngbere “goat”
ngberane my goat ngberate our goat
ngberange your goat ngberase your goat
ngberaté his goat ngberɓàté their goat
wandò “we” is used when
talking to someone and including
him.
watò “we” is used when talking
to someone but excluding
him.
Pronoun Chart:
Person
|
Singular
|
plural
|
Tense
|
1st person
|
nàá
|
Tàá
|
present cont
|
nǝ
|
Tǝ
|
past
|
|
nǝ
|
Tǝ
|
future
|
|
2nd Person
|
nga
|
Sǝ
|
present cont
|
ngǝ
|
Sǝ
|
past
|
|
ngǝ
|
Sǝ
|
future
|
|
3rd Person
|
ai
|
ɓan
|
Present Cont
|
a
|
ɓa
|
past tense
|
|
akǝ
|
ɓakǝ
|
future
|
Demonstrative adjectives in Yungur
diyo
wa “this house” ten
ya “this
woman”
diyo wuyo “that house” ten wuyo “that woman”
diyomse ya “these houses” ton ɓa “these
women”
diyomse wuyo “those houses” ton
wuyo “those women”
Demonstrative
pronoun has been observed to be used to indicate focus. Example:
nya biya “this very
one”
ina nǝ tom nase “It
is me that did it”
Further study is needed.
5.
Plural nouns in Yungur
Five
ways of plural formation have so far been found in Yungur. They are:
- The addition of the sufix –sa to the singular form
singular plural
na nasa saniya cow
sã sãsa
jaka bag
go gosa kaza
hen
zãwo zãusa maciji snake
tǝma tǝmasa tinkiya sheep
kuna kunasa biri monkey
- The final vowel is dropped and the suffix –sa is added:
Singular Plural
hito hitsa ɗaki room
nete netsa ƙafa foot kete ketsa yatsa finger geno gensa miya
soup
- In addition to the changing of the final vowel to a, the prefix am- preceeds the root.
Singular Plural
bamɗe ambamɗa doki donkey
mgbere amgbera akuya goat
au tene amtona yarinya girl
bwe ambwa kare dog
au ɓwẽ amɓwã saurayi young
man
- The final syllable in this case, “ra” is changed to “ta”
Singular Plural
tera teta cinya thigh
bora botta tafki
pond
komra komta dami bundle
kǝra kǝtta kara corn stalk
zãra zãta gofa pole
nera neta ɗinya shea nut
kundora kundota dutse stone
Notice
that there is the need to find out when the t is doubled as in the two examples
for “pond” and “corn stalk”.
- There are a few irregular plural formations seen:
Singular Plural
ete ɓeta mutum man
awe amba jariri child
tene tona mace woman
ɓota mgbete itace tree
kiyo kiisa ciyawa grass
ge giya ɓarawo thief
bõ bwãme rami hole
As
named, it is not clear what the rule is in the formation of plural forms of
these words.
When
the subject is plural, or the action is repeated, the verb form remains
unchanged and a word “yo” meaning “times” is added to the phrase:
Nǝ “give” nǝ yo “giving”
dǝkǝ “throw” dǝko yo “throwing”
nwĩ “fall” nwĩ yo “falling
kawo “break” kawo yo “breaking”
kẽ
“tell” kẽ yo “telling”
kwa “plug” kwa yo “pluging”
Chapter
5
Counting and times in Yungur language
Yungur
Hausa English
1
|
finni
|
ɗaya
|
one
|
2
|
fǝttǝ
|
Biyu
|
two
|
3
|
tãakǝn
|
Uku
|
three
|
4
|
kurun
|
huɗu
|
four
|
5
|
wonnon
|
Biyar
|
five
|
6
|
mindike
|
Shidda
|
six
|
7
|
mbutu
|
Bakwai
|
seven
|
8
|
kunkurun
|
Takwas
|
eight
|
9
|
wonokurun
|
Tara
|
nine
|
10
|
bu
|
Goma
|
ten
|
11
|
bu ha fini
|
goma sha ɗaya
|
eleven
|
12
|
bu ha fǝttǝ
|
goma sha biyu
|
twelve
|
13
|
bu ha tãakǝn
|
goma sha uku
|
thirteen
|
14
|
bu ha kurun
|
goma sha huɗu
|
fourteen
|
15
|
bu ha wonnon
|
goma sha biyar
|
fifteen
|
16
|
bu ha mindike
|
goma sha shidda
|
sixteen
|
17
|
bu ha mbutu
|
goma sha bakwai
|
seventeen
|
18
|
bu ha kunkurun
|
goma sha takwas
|
eighteen
|
19
|
bu ha wonokurun
|
goma sha tara
|
nineteen
|
20
|
busǝ fǝttǝ
|
Ashirin
|
twenty
|
21
|
busǝ fǝttǝ ha fini
|
ashirin da ɗaya
|
twenty one
|
22
|
busǝ fǝttǝ ha fǝttǝ
|
ashirin da biyu
|
twenty two
|
23
|
busǝ fǝttǝ ha tãakǝn
|
ashirin da uku
|
twenty three
|
24
|
busǝ fǝttǝ ha kurun
|
ashirin da huɗu
|
twenty four
|
25
|
busǝ fǝttǝ ha wonnon
|
ashirin da biyar
|
twenty five
|
26
|
busǝ fǝttǝ ha mindike
|
ashirin da shidda
|
twenty six
|
27
|
busǝ fǝttǝ ha mbutu
|
ashirin da bakwai
|
twenty seven
|
28
|
busǝ fǝttǝ ha kungkurun
|
ashirin da takwas
|
twenty eight
|
29
|
busǝ fǝttǝ ha wonokurun
|
ashirin da tara
|
twenty nine
|
30
|
busǝ
tãakǝn
|
talatin
|
thirty
|
31
|
busǝ tãakǝn ha fini
|
talatin da ɗaya
|
thirty one
|
39
|
busǝ tãakǝn ha wonnǝ
kurun
|
talatin da tara
|
thirty nine
|
40
|
busǝ kurun
|
arba’in
|
forty
|
50
|
busǝ wonon
|
hamsin
|
fifty
|
60
|
busǝ mindike
|
sittin
|
sixty
|
70
|
busǝ mbutu
|
saba’ín
|
seventy
|
80
|
busǝ kungkurun
|
Tamanin
|
eighty
|
90
|
busǝ wono kurun
|
casa’in
|
ninety
|
100
|
busǝ
bu
|
ɗari
|
one hundred
|
1,000
|
ɗonda
|
Dubu
|
one thousand
|
10,000
|
ɗontǝ bu
|
Dubu goma
|
ten thousand
|
100,000
|
ɗontǝ
busǝ bu
|
dubu ɗari ɗaya
|
one hundred thousand
|
1,000,000
|
kũ fini
|
miliyon ɗaya
|
one million
|
2,000,000
|
kũ fǝtǝ
|
miliyon biyu
|
two thousand
|
Days of the week
Ga bǝrara
|
Lahadi
|
Sunday
|
Ga ɗenda
|
Litinin
|
Monday
|
Ga sǝkadɗa
|
Talata
|
Tuesday
|
Ga pidɗa
|
Laraba
|
Wednesday
|
Ga piddimlam
|
Alhamis
|
Thursday
|
Ga mindikera
|
Juma’a
|
Friday
|
Ga mbutura
|
Asabar
|
Saturday
|
Seasons of the year
Yungur Hausa English
gu / guwa rani “dry season” (January to March)
hota bazara “Spring”
(March to April)
wura damina “rainy season” (May to mid Sept)
wotǝ o farkon
kaka “Autum” (Sept to Nov)
muka kaka “winter” (harvest time) (Oct to Dec)
Months of the year
finda
|
Janairu
|
January
|
fǝtǝra
|
Febrairu
|
February
|
tãkǝnda
|
Maris
|
March
|
kurunda
|
Afrilu
|
April
|
wononda
|
Mayu
|
May
|
mindikera
|
Yuni
|
June
|
mbutura
|
Yuli
|
July
|
kun kurunda
|
Agusta
|
August
|
wonu kurunda
|
Satumba
|
September
|
bute
|
Oktoba
|
October
|
harǝ finda
|
Nuwamba
|
November
|
harǝ fǝtǝra
|
Disamba
|
December
|
Direction:
North kallǝ
kwasa East gunda
South kallǝ
jiya West kanda
Chapter
6
Wetǝma (Proverbs)
1. Au si ai sǝ ɓǝn ma a kangǝtǝ ya, a kǝ
pǝtǝ yam mbu kǝfa re.
A child with his mother in the kitchen lacks no food.
2. Ma bwe an
tukrǝ burǝ re.
The mother dog should not
be the first to over turn the table.
3. Zãwo a hattǝ biyan, nya zǝn twet turǝrǝ
mwan.
The snake has already
passed, you are beating its foot steps.
4. Tã ngǝ sǝu ngǝ beb so, kǝ ngǝ ɓwal nu
yase.
The
tiny peg you over look, will spoil your eye.
5. Mǝ
ngǝ kur gobaro a tau sǝn mbǝka kǝk kǝk kǝk nǝ ngǝ ma mǝ mbǝka wãyãn.
Whenever you hear a cock crowing kik kik
kik, know that something is wrong.
6. Tatǝren, an pǝtǝrǝ sam kito a to paka re.
A
coward will never be victorious
7. Nga
et si ngǝn we sǝ ɓa ketǝ ɗa wotǝ ya, ma losa mǝ ketsǝ tãkǝn wun luwago.
He that points a finger to
someone should know that three are directed towards him.
8.
Et a kãsǝ a war ɗǝwẽ yaye ya, a kǝ tǝr ɗa wuro dwed.
He
who cares for his life shall live long on earth.
9. Et si an hur sǝ pambe kitǝ ya, an nǝdɗǝ
ko loksor finfin hẽ re
He who blows
a war trumpet, never stands loose.
10.
Mǝ ngǝn go mǝ inga ngǝn sikǝ a liurǝ ni, ma ɗek ɗek mǝ liurǝ kǝ mǝ arǝ ga ben ka.
He who boastfully flies
above the sky, should know that one day, there will be fire outbreak in the sky
too.
11. Mǝ ngǝ ho bwe an pǝtǝ timra a kõrǝ
ta nǝ som gǝm re a yau mǝ yin toto.
Any dog sneezing an old
shoe, will surely take it at last.
12. Nam sǝu wusǝ gbang ǝn arǝ wa, ǝn we
yase ɗek ɗek.
The meat near
the fire hearth roasts well.
13.
Mbu pǝ sǝ tũ a munu a hattǝ ɗa arǝ wa, wad ara ǝn ɓeɓe ton.
What chases a rat to
escape through the burning fire is hotter than the fire itself.
14. Bõo nzũmo, ɓan zãurǝ nggullong kǝnde.
Don’t make a
deep plan for evil.
15.
Mǝnǝ mani, ǝn kora wiri kǝnde.
Had I known,
doesn’t come first.
16.
Pur gwẽ a yo pande ɗa marǝ Liurǝ wa, wu ma Liurǝ yase.
Being attentive to church
elders is a good step for serving God.
17. Vǝla an mǝrǝ et tawe re.
A leopard doesn’t attack
its shooter
18.
Au si a sǝsǝ maye munda ǝn ɓǝttǝ ya, a kǝ tǝr munda rǝ kǝn.
A child that doesn’t allow
his mother to sleep, must also stay awake
Chapter 7 Traditional
stories
Kunkunda ǝn
Tumbe
(The
Tortoise and the Hare)
Ga ben ka,
nam dobtǝ ɓa gbau ɓa gan mǝ ɓǝ ma munta et a wo sǝ a wiri ya, ɓa kǝ nǝ dǝ mbusǝ
mbala mbala denden. Ɓa kursǝ ɓa so ɓa ɓwa fǝtǝ fǝtǝ. Kunkunda, tumbe ǝn ɓatǝka ɓa
wosǝ ǝn ndirǝ kǝn wa. Siu et gba yi ɓate a karɓa la a kǝm, “Yanǝ ɓa kǝ kpap sa ɗǝn
tumbe ɓa mun yau?” Ɓa dẽ bǝsǝ dẽ mǝ ɓa ma bǝsǝ mǝ ɓǝ kã mundǝ tumbe ai mun so kure. Mwe Kunkunda a ɗim zing
a kǝm ɓaɓǝ kpaɓa ɓǝ munu. Ɓausa mwe ɓa ham ɓǝsa a hũ kwẽd kwẽd, kwẽd, ɓa ma bǝsǝ
mǝ kunkunda a kǝ kã mundǝ ko ǝn tumbe re. Tumbe a beɓad bi kǝnǝn, hẽ kunkunda a
na ẽ sẽu.
Ɓa hĩ ɓa
mǝ ɓa bǝr munta. Dǝng ɓa kẽ sǝ mǝ, “So bǝsǝ, mwan,” wa, kunkunda a wo yin wirǝ
tumbe ko mware mǝ a kwel a wad biya a wiran. Tumbe a mun kalkal a gong bi mwe a
bwar biya a koo saba ko mǝ yi we yero bi gbek, kunkundǝ ma kan mgbang ni hẽ yi
ni mwã. Kunkunda a kansǝ mgbang wa aya haktǝ biya. Tumbe a wir sad so ai ni a hattad piu. A
wad bi hǝn ndǝ ɓwalang mgbang wu kar hǝn ɓa kǝ dǝngso. Mwe ai bwar bi a koo
mwa, munda wu konad biya, mǝ a gong wu waɗan. Kunkundǝ kǝn mundǝ wãi wãi wãi
wãi, aya hattǝ tumbe biya a mu nda. Ai kan bi, a ɓwed ɓwed ɗa.
Tumbe a
kum so, a pul musuk, a gwãtǝ ɓarat. Ai dǝkǝ mundǝ a kansǝ a bwed bwed ɗi kǝn wa,
a kur gaurǝ uzu mwan ho ho pattǝ kurup, kurup, mǝ kunkunda a gã kano bi yase.
Mwe ɓa gbawad mbusǝ bi mbwad, mǝ a se biyan.
Ti senda a mbǝka ǝn mbiɗo zãa wa, wu paka yase.
Mbu tom sǝ hẽ
Kunkunda a som ko ǝn nyõ a ɗurǝ rǝ wa
Nyã nǝn kausǝ mbu
tomsǝ hẽ kunkunda a somkon nyõ a ɗurǝrǝ wa. Kunkunda ɓa ɗa basǝta ǝn yause yaye
mgbere. Ga benka a yong ɓa, ɓa wad diyo a mgbereni, mǝ ɓǝn ko ɓa kǝp mbusa. Ɓa wad so, ɓa
wad ɓa zǝk ɓa mbu kǝpsǝ ɓolɓol. Ɓa sã ɓa geno, ɓa yo ɓa mɓusǝ ɗa. Ɓa kǝp mbuzasa,
mbuzasa ɓa kǝpso wu be mbǝka fini mbǝlkẽta, ya
ɓa yosǝ ɓa se, ɓa kǝp ko hindore. Kansǝ biya waɗowa, a kẽ basǝ yaye mǝ
yi wad biya, basi yate a boro, a yong tenaye mǝ ɓa kẽ ɓa gongsǝ hẽ a lo. A borsǝ
mǝyin yong tenaye wa, mbu kǝpsasǝ besǝn bi ɗa dinge mǝ ɓa wil ko ɓa kǝp rǝwa, a
willi, a wo mbilkẽta. Mwe a ngbad mwe a dal biɗa kukǝra a kǝngkǝ biya a ɗura.
Yause yate a woso, aya kǝngkǝ sǝn biya a ɗura. Ɓa bor ɓa dungɓa, ɓa wad bǝsa. Ɓa
wadsǝ diyo wa, a wad yi mbud kukǝrǝ la
mwe nyo somko a ɗurǝ mware mǝ mbilkẽtǝ sǝwa kǝɗaɗa wu kǝd nyo biya a ɗurǝ mbwad.
Mbu tomsǝ kunkunda a somkon nyo a durǝrǝ wa ǝnda. Sǝ kurniu?
Conclusion
Finally,
it is our hope that the Yungur community will take serious note of the
observations and recommendations that we have made in this booklet in order to
fulfill the aims and objectives that were stated on page 2 of this booklet.
The Yungur Language Committee & Luke
Partnership
October 2012
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