|
|
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:
- The tense used in translations below
is derived mainly from the context.
- Sometimes Zarma seems to be pronounced
rather sloppy.
- 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"
Back
|
|
| 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"
Back
|
|
| 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]
Back
|
|
|
|
|
|
Last updated:
11 maart 2012
|
|
|
|