A problem Fula verbs (20)
The Fula language is spoken by approximately 25 million people on the African continent, mostly in
Western and Central countries such as Senegal, Burkina Faso, and Chad but also in isolated pockets in
Sudan. There are many dialects of Fula, but this problem is concerned with the Sene-Gambian Pulaar
dialect. Fula verbs are formed from verb 'roots', parts of the verb which convey a basic sense but that cannot
stand on their own, requiring additional grammatical suffixes. Five such roots and their basic meanings are
given below:
wii - say; rull - get cloudy; muyn -suckle; fof - breathe; socc - scrub;
But as you will see, other changes may also occur to these roots. Below are 24 grammatical Fula verbs and
verb phrases with an English translation of each:
fiide
yaa
ʔo wayri jaŋgude
meŋ poftaa
roonditde
ʔon ŋgarti
we are not relaxing
to carry a load back
you (pl) have returned
meŋ tininaano
ʔa fuɗɗi yaade
ʔaɗa rema
we had made to understand
you (s) have started to go
you (s) are cultivating
ɓe ŋgudditaani
ʔen ɲjiyi
miɗen ndoonda
ʔon mbakilaa
to strike
go!
s/he has not learnt in a
long time
they are coming
I have herded cattle
we (1+2) are starting to
pay back
they have not opened
we (1+2) have seen
we are carrying a load
you (pl) aren't trying
ʔomo ʔudda
jaɓɓude
miɗo wiya
ʔen ŋgaynitaani
meŋ ndemtaani
muynin
we have not recultivated
give the breast (to)!
soccu
mi yahaani
s/he is closing
to welcome
I am saying
we (1+2) have not herded
back cattle
scrub!
I have not gone
ɓeɗo ŋgara
mi ʔayni
ʔeɗen puɗɗa yoɓtude
1. Suggest translations for meŋ ŋguddititi and ʔomo ʔartita. Explain how you chose to resolve the potential
ambiguity.
2. Translate into English:
a) ɓe ŋgaynaano
b) ʔoɗon ɲjaha
c) mi tini
d) yii
e) ʔo wayri jaŋginde
3. Translate into Fula:
f) It has started to get cloudy
g) I have said farewell
h) we (1+2) are saying
i) you (s) are not striking
j) we have not tried again in a long time
k) they are scrubbing again
•There is no agreed orthography for transcribing the Fula language. Above is given one based on the
Roman alphabet and many of the letters have similar values to their English counterparts. However, s and c
are palatal, pronounced similarly to s and ch in sure and church respectively; ɲ and ŋ are pronounced like ni
and ng in onion and sing; mb, nd, ɲj, and ŋg are prenasalised forms of b, d, j, and g; ɓ and ɗ are preglottalised,
implosive b and d; r is an alveolar flap, similar to tt in American better; ʔ is the glottal stop, as in uh-oh. We
(1+2) = you and I.
Anthony Bracey
A problem Fula verbs: Solution and explanation (20)
1. Suggest translations for meŋ ŋguddititi and ʔomo ʔartita. Explain how you chose to resolve the potential
ambiguity.
-meŋ ŋguddititi = we have reopened
-ʔomo ʔartita = s/he is returning again
-The -(i)t suffix is an iterative suffix (this term is not required) which can express doing something
repeatedly (e.g. fof breathe, foft breathe repeatedly > take a breather, relax); again (remt recultivate);
back (roondit carry a load back); or it reverses the meaning (ʔudd close, ʔuddit open). A double suffix
therefore creates ambiguity as to which meanings to use. In each case, the single suffix appears in the
problem and hence the most appropriate meaning for the second suffix is chosen.
Max 3 marks.
-2 for one fully correct translation and explanation (must state -(i)t suffix, at least two potential meanings,
and express the choice of most appropriate meaning for secondary suffix); 1 for second fully correct
translation = 2+1=3
-Fully correct translations only = 0.5 marks each
-Explanation of suffix only gains 1
2. Translate into English:
a) ɓe ŋgaynaano they had herded cattle
b) ʔoɗon ɲjaha you (pl) are going
c) mi tini
I have understood
d) yii see!
e) ʔo wayri jaŋginde
s/he has not taught in a long time
Each worth 1 point for fully correct, 0.5 for one mistake, 0 for two or more mistakes.
Max mark 5
3. Translate into Fula:
f) It has started to get cloudy
ʔo fuɗɗi rullude
g) I have said farewell
mi jaɓɓiti
h) we (1+2) are saying ʔeɗen mbiya
i) you (s) are not striking ʔa fiyaa
j) we have not tried again in a long time
meŋ mbayri wakiltude
k) they are scrubbing again ɓeɗo coccita
Each worth 2 points for fully correct, 1 for 1 mistake, 0.5 for 2 mistakes, 0 for 3 or more mistakes
Max mark 12
An explanation of Pulaar Fula grammar in the problem:
Root/base ending
Imperative (Abrupt)
-CC
-u
Otherwise
-Ø
Similarly the -(i)t suffix is -it after CC, otherwise -t
The roots (not given) encountered are as follows:
fii
strike
fuɗɗ
start (+ infinitive)
Infinitive (active)
-ude
-de
wakil
wayr
try
go a long time without
(doing) (+ infinitive)
jaɓɓ
welcome
yaa
go
jaŋg
learn, study
yii
see
rem
cultivate
ʔar
come
roond
carry a load
ʔayn
herd cattle
tin
understand
ʔudd
close
- Some suffixes form new verb roots or 'bases'. These are: the -(i)t iterative, as explained above; -in
causative (make someone to do e.g. muyn suckle, muynin make to suckle > give the breast to).
The present tense grammatical suffixes for aspect (perfective, expressing completion, and imperfective,
expressing ongoing action) and positivity (positive, negative):
perfective
imperfective
positive
-i
-a
negative
-aani
-aa
When a suffix -V(...) is added to root ...VV- (e.g. fii, yaa): ii>iy, aa>ah (hence mi fiyi, mi yahi etc. but fiide,
yaade).
-aano is the perfective positive past tense (= had Xed)
The personal pronouns precede the verb. For each there are two types: type 2 is used for the imperfective
positive, type 1 for the other three:
Type 1
singular
plural
1st
mi
meŋ (ʔen = we 1+2)
2nd
ʔa
ʔon
3rd
ʔo
ɓe
Type 2
1st
2nd
3rd
miɗo
ʔaɗa
ʔomo
miɗen (ʔeɗen = we 1+2)
ʔoɗon
ɓeɗo
Verb roots and bases undergo initial consonant mutation from singular to plural subjects in finite forms. The
voiceless fricatives f and s become voiceless stops p and c (notice same points of articulation). The
voiced/approximant consonants w, r, y, and ʔ become prenasalised voiced stops mb, nd, ɲj, and ŋg. (The
case for no mutation exists in Pulaar, e.g. with initial j-, but this is left out to aid deducing the w-mb pairing.
Also the pair h-k is omitted from the problem. In fact they are not pairings but triples, e.g. r-d-nd, but the
second form again is omitted.)
•The problem requires the following forms and roots to be deduced:
-b) ʔoɗon as 2nd pl type 2 pronoun (from broad pattern of -ɗV- inserted after CV of type 1)
-g) jaɓɓit say farewell= reverse of jaɓɓ welcome
-h) and j) w - mb consonant mutation (as at same point of articulation like r -nd, y -ɲj)
-k) s-c mutation