A search for food

This is the text of the interview with a Zarma speaking woman broadcasted by "Twee Vandaag" on 16 August 2005.

The interview occurs in three places in the report. Each scene has been written out as far as possible. The literal translation, a general translation and the broadcasted text are given in the tables below. As you will notice the tables are not fully completed. If you can work it out, please, write me.

Remarks:

  1. The tense used in translations below is derived mainly from the context.
  2. Sometimes Zarma seems to be pronounced rather sloppy.
  3. Symbols and abbreviations used
<..>  verb particle; mood or tense indicator
 
cap completed action, positive, indicative mood
can completed action, negative, indicative mood
uap uncompleted action, positive, indicative mood
uan uncompleted action, negative, indicative mood
im imperative mood
nm narrative mood
sm subjunctive mood
{..} uncertain
(..) added word, to reflect the meaning of the sentence in a better way.
[1] note, see below table
(rep 2) text is repeated 2 times

 


 


 
Scene 1

   (recording copyrights Twee Vandaag, the Netherlands)
 
Zarma Literal translation Translation Broadcasted
A ga to kilo gu {ci ne}. It / <uap> / to equal / kilometre / five / {.. here} / . It is five kilometres from here. I come from Gouro, five kilometres farther onwards.
Watikulu ay ga kaa. Every time / I / <uap> / to come / . I come every time. I walk back and forth every day.
Haray g'i ga, haray g'i ga, haray g'i ga. [1] Hunger / is / them / upon/ , / (rep 2) / . They are hungry, they are hungry, they are hungry. Sometimes my children are hungry .
Ay ma kaa ne {ho}. [2] I / <nm> / to come / here / {yes} / . I'm come here, yes.  
Ay si du, ay ma hoy, ay si du. [3] I / <uan> / to get / , / I / <nm> / to pass the daytime / , / I / <uan> / to get / . I don't get, I spent the whole day, I don't get.  
Ay m'a kande ce fo [4], ay m'a kande zankey boŋ. I / <nm> / {it} / to bring / once / , / I / <nm> / {it} / to bring / the children / upon / . Sometimes I'm bringing {it}, I bring {it} to the children. Sometimes they come along, to look for food.
Ce fo ay si du. Once / I / <uan> / to get / . Sometimes I don't get. But they get nothing. They get nothing.
Ay ma ye ka kaa zankey do. [5] I / <nm> / to return / the children / at the place of / . I return (home) to the children. When I come home,
"Hay nya, ni mana du?" Well / mother /, / you / <can> / to get / ?  Well mother, didn't you get? they ask what I obtained.
Ay mana ci ay mana du. I / <can> / to tell / I / <can> / to get / . I didn't tell, I didn't get. "Nothing", I have to say.

[1] "haray" is also written as "harey";
     "g' " abbreviation of "go"
      preposition "gaa" or "ga", assumed is that "ga" is most likely in this context. 
[2] "ho" is assumed to be an abbreviation of "oho" or just some exclamation.
[3] "hoy" is also written and pronounced as "foy"
[4] "ce fo", literally "time one", always translates as one word "once";
     uncertain about "ma" or "m'a"
[5] "ye ka kaa" is an expression, literally "to restore and to come"

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Scene 2

   (recording copyrights Twee Vandaag, the Netherlands)

Remark:
The first four lines are very difficult for me to translate without the previous context. The translation broadcasted seems to me to refer to an earlier text. If there is someone who can translated this text, please, write to me.

Zarma Literal translation Translation Broadcasted
Korboto, ay ma koy Korboto. [1] {Korboto} / , I / <nm> / to go to / {Korboto} {...} My children eat leaves.
Ay ma koy Korboto I / <nm> / to go to/ {Korboto} / . {...} Leaves of trees.
{Hay nyorm metange} [2] {.....} {...}  
Ay ma koy Koro, {g'} ay ma ka ta Korboto. [3] I / <nm> / to go to / {Koro} / {when} / I / {<nm> / and / to receive} / Korboto /. {...} I look for the good specimen and those I cook.
Ay m'a hin' i se. [4] I / <nm> / {it} / to cook / them / for / . I will cook it for them.  
Ir man'a ha, ir mana kungu. [5] We / <can> / {it} / to ask / , / we / <can> / to be full, satisfied / . We didn't ask {it}, we weren't satisfied. And else, we come to look here. Sometimes we get some rice.
Ay ma kaa ne ho I / <nm> / to come / here / {yes} / . I came here, yes.  
Ay ma kaa ka ceci i se hari, ay mana du hari. I / <nm> / to come / and / to look / them / for / a thing / , / I / <can> / to get / a thing / . I came and looked for (some)thing for them, I didn't get (any)thing.  
Ay ma ye ka kaa i do koyne. [6] I / <nm> / to return / them /  at the place of / again / . I will return to them again.  
Ce fo ay ga du doobu, ce fo ay si du doobu. [7] Once / I / <ua> / to get / bran / , / once / I / <uan> / to get / bran / . Sometimes I will obtain bran, sometimes I won't obtain bran. Or we use millet chaff to cook.

[1] "Korboto" literally means "frog". The context seems to indicated that it might by the name of a village, that is also called "Koro", see third line. I did not succeed to find these places in the neighbourhood of the place named "Gouro" mentioned in the broadcasted translation in the first scene. Try yourself at Fallingrain.com.
[2] This text doesn't look like a Zarma phrase.
[3] {g'} "kan" before a personal pronoun is often abbreviated to "k' " or "g' "
[4] "hin' i se" [= hina i se]  or "hin i se", it is assumed that it is the verb "to cook" (hina) and not the verb "to be able to" (hin);
    uncertain about "ma" or "m'a"
[5] "ir" is a abbreviation of "iri"
     uncertain about "man'a" or "mana"
[6] "ye ka kaa" is an expression, literally "to restore and to come"
[7] "ce fo", literally "time one", always translates as one word "once"

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Scene 3

   (recording copyrights Twee Vandaag, the Netherlands)

Zarma Literal translation Translation Broadcasted
Ir ma tar ga t'i se{en} har{ung}. [1] We / <nm> / {...} / is / them / for / {a thing} /. We {...} We have to get food soon.
Hala {ng} haro wo ga te benda, "il faut" ga kaa. [2] Until / {...} / the thing / that / <uap> / to happen / after / , / "it should" / <uap> / to come / . Until that thing will be finished, it should come. One sac has to be open before the other is empty.
{War'} ay ma si haray ka du{ng} haro. {...} / I / <nm> / <uan> / hunger / and / to get {?} / the thing / . {...} I won't be hungry and get something. If we get hungry. it will be too late.
{War'} ay ma si haray ka du{ng} haro. {...} / I / <nm> / <uan> / hunger / and / to get {?} / the thing / . {...} I won't be hungry and get (some)thing.  
Hal' {ing} haro wo ga te ka ban, "il faut" ga kaa. [3] Until / {..} / the thing / that / <uap> / to do / and/ to finish / , /  "it should" / <uap> / to come / . Until that thing will be finished, it should come. The food has to come before it get worse.

[1] "ir" is a abbreviation of "iri"
[2] Although she is clearly saying "benda" it is assumed to be "banda"
     She seems to be using the French expression "il faut".
[3] Similar to text in line 2; see remark [2]

 

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Last updated: 11 maart 2012