susu language thread

[bubudi]

what words and phrases do you know in soussou? put them here, the good with the bad! don't forget to include the english meaning!

here's a few to start:

arabakhidi - hello
inuwali (wonuwali) - hello/goodbye/thanks (plural)
iyo/aha - yes
awa - ok
dundurunti - slowly
wontanara - all of us together

[bubudi]

sosoxui* - susu language (* - x is a guttural h like scottish 'loch').
sangban - djembe drum
papa - susu djembe like drum only somewhat smaller
bote - susu bass drum skinned on one side, played vertically with a stick in the dominant hand and a bell suspended in the air by the non dominant hand. the player wears metal rings on the bell hand that allow rapid bell patterns and rolls on the bell.
tolonyi - bell
dundun - the dununba drum, or all the dunun in ballet style.

pronouns:
n - i/my
i - you/your
a - he/she/his/her
muxu - we/our (not including person you're talking to)
won - we/our (including person you're talking to)
wo - you/your (plural)
e - they/their


greetings:
i kena (wo kena) - good morning to you (plural)
tana mu xi? - did you sleep well?
tana yo mu xi - i slept well
i xili di? - what's your name?
n xili lamine - my name is lamine
i fenyen - good afternoon
tana mu fenyen? - did you have a good day?
heri fenyen? - did you spend the day in peace?
tana yo mu fenyen - i had a good day
i nunmare - good evening
i koe - good night
won na temui - see ya!
won tina - until tomorrow
won nunmare - until evening

numbers:
1 keren
2 firin
3 saxan
4 naani
5 suli
6 senni
7 solofere
8 solomasaxan
9 solomanaani
10 fu
11 fu nun keren
20 moxonyen
30 tongo saxan
100 keme
200 keme firin
1,000 wulu keren
1,000,000 miliyon keren

[Garvin]

Nice post Bubudi. I was wondering if you could edit that and include the phonetic spelling to help with pronunciations. I'm thinking specifically of the pronouns...

For example is "e" pronounced "eh" or "eeeeee" is "a" pronounced as "ay" "aye" or "ah" etc... Been around a lot of susu speakers, but never keyed in on anything other than hello, goodbye and some of the numbers.

Thanks.

[bubudi]

thanks!

the vowels are completely phonetic in that they are pronounced much as they would be in italian or spanish.

however, i haven't distinguished between long and short vowels. there is a long 'o' and a long 'e'. i didn't want to complicate things. if you look at the peace corps susu manual, you'll see how difficult it can be to read when you complicate it.

[bops]

n xili fode - my name is lamine

Umm... this actually means "my name's fode"

[bubudi]

good find, i've edited that so they both read 'lamine'.

[neuroanimal]

arabakhidi - hello
inuwali (wonuwali) - hello/goodbye/thanks (plural)
i kena (wo kena) - good morning to you (plural)
i nunmare - good evening
i koe - good night
tana mu xi? - did you sleep well?
tana yo mu xi - i slept well
iyo/aha - yes
n xili fode - my name is fode

1 keren
2 firin
3 saxan
4 naani
5 suli
6 senni
7 solofere
8 solomasaxan
9 solomanaani
10 fu
100 keme

What I have observed in Conakry, pronunciation depends on origin of the parents of the person using Soussou. Soussou-Baga speak differently than Soussou-Maninka and than Soussou-Ma(n)di(n)g, and than Soussou-Peulh, and both differently than Soussou-proper. I heard also that for many people Soussou language was used as a trade language, not as the original native tongue.

I don't know grammatics of Soussou, nor don't know pronunciation rules. But I've noted some words as I have heard it from Soussou-Peulh person, some below also from Soussou-Maninka person. I have a contact with Soussou-Baga person, as he lives in Poland now, but I have not asked him about pronunciation of the greetings yet.

What I have noted similarly to bubudi, but sometimes in another context:

e kiena, or i kiena - good morning
eny mali - good evening
kueira - good night
antenna - see you tomorrow
how are you? - ara bah'ri di?
fine, thank you! - amuraba'ri kiyuki!
tana muri? - how was your sleep? did you wash up?
tanayu muri - good, yes
iyu, mbara - yes, correct
adi, ntundi - not, no
inoali, or inuali - thanks, tkank you (also: no, thank you)
ekiri ne? - what's your name?
nghili ne (lansana) Greg - my name is Greg

1 kiery
2 firy
3 sara
4 nani
5 suri
6 sunni
7 solufyri
8 solomasara
9 solomanani
10 fu
100 kiemé

Additional words:
faré - dance, rhythm
mameti - please (also: take it)
uodi - nice (also: nice to meet you)
to sleep (also with sb) - hrife
to work (going to work) - uolide
uongai - go, we are going

The same words I have in Peuhl and in Ma(n)di(n)g (or Maninka).
Taken mostly from girl from Foutah Djallon which is speaking Soussou, Peuhl and one of this Malinké languages (hard to say which, IMHO it could be Maninka).

[FACINETDRUMS]

Not sure about the spelling (is there actual spelling, or is the language strictly oral?)
Ira Fama - I love you
N Sumbu - Kiss me

...and if you're not interested in being propositioned like this: Adi/Ade - No

[axioms_of_life]

Can anyone help me what this phrase means in susu language "abangbalen yira"? Its really important for me to know it.

[djembeweaver]

Here's a good one to pull out of the bag with Sousou friends:

If someone says something really funny then respond with: "Tan tan fara mané". It literally means "don't kill me" (presumably don't kill me laughing). Sousou speakers will love it if you pull this one out!

Jon

[Waraba]

Can we get some verbs?

[gr3vans]

Can we get some verbs?

not sure if these are correct.


siga - to go
n'siga fe mende - where did you go/ are you coming from

Fabe - come. usually in a command to a pettit.
Fafe - Come
n'fafe - I am coming (commonly use when leaving a room)

tang? - Listen
eh Wotang - everybody listen to me. (you will hear this in songs a lot)

Not verbs, but might be not sure how to translate
i - barra (bada) fa - have you eaten
iyo, n'bada fa - yes i have eaten

bonbo- to hit. like a child, spouse or drum. generally loving.

[Kadiatou]

What does the word "araponka" mean? I may have the spelling wrong. Does it have something to do with people or friends or family or photographs? Inuali.

[davidognomo]

doni doni is not sussu?

[gr3vans]

doni doni is not sussu?

doni is malinke. donduroti is susu. used the same though.

in a sentence:
English-
q: How's work?
a: Small, small.

Susu-
q: Wali go?
a: Donduroti donduroti (or donduroti dondurot)