The text of this introduction comes from the Technical language manual publish by Jackson Neisse and Noelle Smith (1995). The text has been slightly modified and the spelling has been adapted to the one used in this course. Neisse and Smith also give an English translation of the text. This translation is given first. Thereafter, the transcription and English translation is given.

• Translation
• Transcription Part 1
• Transcription Part 2

Adaptation are printed in italics

Part 1

In the hot season, like when it 's really hot, we start to clear the fields. We burn the millet stalks, we sweep the fields and we fix up the fields really well. We work with hoes to remove the stumps. Then we wait for rain.

Praise be to God. If God gives us luck, we get the first rain. If we get rain, we go to the fields to see if it was enough. If it reaches one hand measure, we start to sow.

There are some that even if it hasn't rained, they sow anyway. But like this is a gamble. Me, I wait for the first rain. If it's enough, then I sow.

The day that we' re going to sow, I go to the fields with my wife, Haoua, and our children. I dig holes with a kalma^[1] and the follow behind me. By hand they throw three fingers of millet seeds in the hole and then they cover the hole with sand with their foot. We sow like this until the whole field is sowed.

^[1] not translated, but means "hoe"

Part 2

If God agrees, the millet sprouts after three or four days. They call this "tufted millet". Sometimes if the rain doesn't come early, like if it 's a long time before we get rain, people go to the mosque to pray to God to bring rain. They ask for God's blessing in a mass prayer.

During the rainy season, everyone works. In the morning after we 've prayed and eaten breakfast, I go to the fields with my sons, Bachirou and Himu. We work until the afternoon.

My wife, Haoua, and our daughter, Binta, always bring us donu^[2] at noon. Our field is far from the village. It 's 3 kilometres from Bongu Jinde. That 's why we say: The rainy season is the big work time.

There are two kinds of millet. There is hayni cire ^[3]. It grows fast, in 75-100 days. And sumno ^[3], it doesn't grow fast but it gives a lot of millet. It takes 120-180 days to give a head. Hayni cire has more hairiness on its leaves.

^[2] not translates, but means "porridge", made of millet and (goat) milk.
[3] not translated, for discussion see remark [d] below transcription of Part 2.

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Abdou's story (transcription)

Part 1

<uap> = particle of uncompleted action, positive, indicative mood
<uan> = particle of uncompleted action, negative, indicative mood
<sm> = particle of subjunctive mood or of narrative mood

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Abdou's story (transcription)

Part 2

{..} = unknown
{eat} = uncertain
<cap> = particle of completed action, positive, indicative mood
<uap> = particle of uncompleted action, positive, indicative mood
<uan> = particle of uncompleted action, negative, indicative mood
<uapp> = particles indicating uncompleted action, positive progressive, indicative mood
<sm> = particle of subjunctive mood or of narrative mood

 

Zarma	English
Nda Irikoy ma yedda, hayni [1]  ga zay jirbi hinza ga koy itaci [2] banda.	if / god / <sm> / agree / , / millet / <uap> / sprout / day / three / and / go [a] / four / after /  .
I ga n' a se hayni [1] buzugu.	they / <uap> / call / it / millet / tufted / .
Hatta-hatta nda haro si tar ga ka, nda a ga gay [3] gumo, kwaara borey kulu ga koy jingara do [4] ga jingar Irikoy se a ma kande hari.	sometimes / if / water / <uan> / do quickly / and / come / , / if / it / <uap> / delay / very much / , / village / (the) people / all / <uap> / go to / (the) mosque / at the place of / and / pray / god / to / he / <sm> / bring / water / .
I ga te alfatiya [5] Irikoy se a ma kande hari.	they / <uap> / do / prayer [b] / god / to / he / <sm> / bring / water / .
Kaydiya [6] waate, borey kulu pat ga goy.	(the) rainy season / period / , / (the) people / all / completely / <uap> / work / .
Susubey alcirikaaray [7] banda ay ga koy fari nda ay izey, Bachirou nda Himu.	morning / breakfast / after / I / <uap> / go to / field / with / my / sons [c] / , / Bachirou / and / Himu / .
Iri ga goy kala alula to.	we / <uap> / work / till / afternoon / arrive at / .
Ay wande, Haoua, nda ay izo Binta ga kand' iri se donu kan zaaro to.	my / wife / , / Haoua / , / and / my / daughter [c] /  Binta /  <uap> / bring / us / to / porridge / when / noon / arrive at / .
Iri fari si kala kilometter hinza nda Bongu Jinde.	our / field / is not / until / kilometre / three / with / Bongu Jinde / .
A ga moru [8].	it / is / far / .
Wodin se iri ga ne: kadiya [5] goy beri [9] lookaci [10] no.	that / for / we / <uap> / say / : / (the) rainy season / work / big / moment / it is / .
Hayni [1] dumi hinka go no.	millet / kind / two / are / there / .
Hayni [1] cire go no.	millet / cire [d] / is / there / .
A ga tar ga beri [9] jirbi 75 ga koy jirbi 100 ra.	it / <uap> / do quickly / and / is big / day / 75 / and / <uap> / go [a] / day / 100 / in / .
Nda afo [11] koyne: sumno.	if / one / again / : / sumno [e] / .
A si tar ga beri [9] amma a ga te hayni [1] ibobo [12].	it / <uan> / do quickly / and / is big / but / it / <uap> / do / millet / much / .
A si te kala jirbi 120 ga koy 180 kala a ma hay.	it / <uan> / do / till / day / 120 / and / <uap> / go [a] / 180 / till / it / <sm> / produce [f] / .
Hayni [1] cire [13] koptey gonda hamni bobo [12] i ga.	millet / cire [d] / (the) leaves / have / hair / many / them / upon / .
Spelling in manual	remarks:
[1] heyni [2] itaachi [3] gayi [4] jingarado [5] alfatia [6] kaydea [7] archirkaray       [8] mooru [9] beeri [10] lokatchi [11] a fo [12] (i)boobo [13] cerey	[a] ga koy = up to (and including) (literally: and go) [b] te alfatiya = to pray (literally: to do prayer) [c] ize may mean child as well as son or daughter, to make sure you may us ize alboro or ize way, respectively. [d] two names are used in the text, cire and cirey; cire literally means: beneath, under; Bornand give example of translation as "simple" (cire bannya: simple captive or simple slave); ciray means red. [e] untranslatable [f] hay : to produce fruit; to bear, to give birth to

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