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WESTAFRIKANISCHE STUDIEN FRANKFURTER BEITRAGE ZUR SPRACH- UND KULTURGESCHICHTE lll-.RAUSCr.OLBI-.N VON HKRRMANN JUNGRAITIIMAYR UND NORBIIRT CyFFER land 3' Norbert Cyffer - English Kanurj Dictionary Digitized by the Internet Archive 2014 in https://archive.org/details/englishkanuridicOOcyff WESTAFRIKANISCHE STUDIEN FRANKFURTER BEITRAGE ZUR SPRACH- UND KULTURGESCHICHTE ForumdesSonderforschungsbereichs268: Kulturentwicklungund SprachgeschichteimNaturraumWestafrikanischeSavanne JohannWolfgangGoethe -Universitat FrankfurtamMain HERAUSGEGEBEN VON HERRMANN JUNGRAITHMAYR UND NORBERT CyFFER unterMitarbeitvonM. BroB, R. Leger, U. SeibertundK. Winkelmann Band 3 RUDIGER KOPPE VERLAG KOLN 1994 Norbert Cyffer - English Kanuri Dictionary RUDIGER KOPPE VERLAG KOLN 1994 Die Deutsche Bibliothek - CIP-Einheitsaufnahme Cyffer, Norbert: - English-Kanuri dictionary / Norbert Cyffer. Koln Koppe, 1994 : (Westafrikanische Studien ; Bd. 3) ISBN 3-927620-44-0 NE: HST; GT © 1994 Riidiger Koppe Verlag • Koln Postfach 40 03 05 D- 50833 Koln Umschlagillustration: Bernd Gimbel Herstellung: Druckerei FranzHansen, Koln DieseArbeit ist im Sonderforschungsbereich268 „Kulturentwicklung und Sprachgeschichte im Naturraum Westafrikanische Savanne", Frankfurt am Main, entstanden und wurde auf seine Veranlassung unter Verwendung der ihm von der Deutschen Forschungsgemeinschaft zur Ver- fiigunggestelltenMittel gedruckt. Gedrucktaufsaurefreiem und alterungsbestandigem Papier. © Printedon acid-freepaper which fallswithintheguidelines ofthe ANSI to ensureperma- nenceand durability. In memoriam John Ellis Lavers FOREWORD When the manuscript of the Dictionary ofthe Kanuri Language was completed more than ten years ago, I was certain thatthis was the first and the last lexicographic work I would ever be involved in. I felt at that time that too much effort had been made for little outcome, and especially for a product which would never be perfect. As times passed by, especially after the dictionary was published (with some years' delay) and afterthe positive response which it had received, the memory ofthe past troubles faded, and new efforts were made to prepare an English-Kanuri dictionary. It was first conceived as a simplified version for easier reference from English into Kanuri and had in mind an academic target group. However, when it became evident that a wider readership showed an interest in such a dictionary, it was decided to get a more expanded version published. The use of Kanuri in Borno (Nigeria) has increased over the past years. The subject Kanuri is now offered as a major course at several institutions ofhigher learning (in addition to the University ofMaiduguri). This dictionary and the previous Dictionary of the Kanuri Language will also provide a good basis for the long-term Kanuri Data Bank Project which was launched at the University ofMaiduguri in 1992. I am extremely grateful to the many people who helped to shape and expand the dictionary. They are among others SheriffTaibu Benisheikh, Ahmed Imam Fugu, Kaka Mallam Gazali, Bosoma Sheriff, Abba IsaTijani and Wakil Aisami Wasaram. This publication would not have materialized if the University of Maiduguri had not invited me tojoin it as a Visiting Professor and offered me immense hospitality overthe past six years. In particularI would liketothanktheformerVice-Chancellor, Prof. M.N. Alkali, the Registrar, Malam Ibrahim Umaru, the Deans of the Faculty of Art, Prof. S. Abubakar and Prof. W. Seidensticker. Special thanks go to Prof. C.M.B. Brann, Head of Department, and the entire staff of the Department of Languages and Linguistics. My Kanuri colleagues Dr. Shettima Umara Bulakarima and Malam Yaganami Karta deserve special mention. The German Academic Exchange Service (DAAD) sponsored my regular visits to Maiduguri (1987-90), then the Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG) supported the long-term project Cultural Development and Language History in the West African Savanna, under which a Kanuri sub-project was carried out. The DFG also assisted in subsidizing this publication. VIII My gratitude is also extended to the Rudiger Koppe Verlag, which has published thisdictionary,toDorisLohr,whotooktheburdenofcarefullyreadingthemanuscript, assisting in eliminating countless errors, and in making constructive comments for amendments, and to Frances Dorow forheradvice on the introduction. Finally I have to mention my friend and colleague John E. Lavers, with whom over the past twenty years I shared so many pleasant hours discussing matters relating to allaspectsofKanuri society.IwillalwaysrememberourfirsttriptoBiminGazargumo in April 1972. John Lavers, formerly Professor of History at Bayero University Kano, also volunteered to read through the manuscript and to make most valuable comments and proposals for corrections and additions in his capacity as an expert on Borno history. When I last met John at his sick-bed in a Kano hospital, the manuscript of this dictionary was lying near him. We agreed to postpone our discussions on it until his recovery. John died a few weeks later. May his soul rest in peace! Norbert Cyffer Mainz, December 1993