AUTHOR A guide for independent learners of Maniyaka (also intended for individuals already in a ...

183 Pages·2007·3.5 MB·English

--DOCUMENT RESUME.
ED 247 767
FL 014 539
,
AUTHOR
Cutler, Sue A.; Dwyer, David J.-
TITLE
Maniyaka: A Reference Handbook of Phonetics, Grammar,
Lexicon and Learning Procedures.
INSTITUTION
Michigan State Univ.., East Lansing; Africaja Studies
Center.
SPONS AGENCY
Peace Corps, Washington;-D.C.
PUB DATE
81
NOTE
183p.; For related document, see ED 217 692.
PUB TYPE
Clasgroom Use
Guides
Guides -(For Teachers) (052)
Classroom Use
Guides
Materials (For 'Learner)
(051).
.
4
EDRS PRICE
MF01/PC08 Plus Postage.
DESCRIPTORS
*African Languages; Dictionaries;'- *Grammar;
Independent Study; Learning Modules; *Mandingo; Maps;
,Phonology; Refetence Materials; *Second Language
-
s
Instruction; Study Guides; Uncommonly Taught
Languages; *Vocabulaily
*Liberia; Peace Corps
IDENTIFIERS
ABSTRACT
A guide for independent learners of Maniyaka (also
kriown as Mandingo): one of the Mande languages of Liberia, is
intended for individuals already in a Mandingo speaking situation but
wiThout access to experienced teachers of the language: An
introductory chapter discusses the languages of Liberia and provides_
a map of Liberian; languages, a chart of the interrelationships of the
languages,, and lists of some Indo-European and West African language
word correspondences. The two subsequent chapters outline how to
learn a Mande language through independent study and instructions to
tutors of the language: The fourth and fifth chapters provide a
referenCe grammar of Mandingo anda Mandingo-English dictionary. The
final Ciapter outlines in detail the Mande language sound system
(vowels, consonants, and supprasegmentals and gives a series of
listening 'and transcription exercises for a variety of phonetic
structures. (MSE)
**************************************.*********************************
Reproductions supplied by EDRS are the best that can be made
from the original document.
***********************************************************************
tz,
Handbook of
A Reference
MANIYAKA.
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David J. Dwyer'
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US DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION
1111141.411
"PERMISSION TO REPRODUCE THIS
NATIONAL INSTITUTE Of EDUCATION
roo-'
,
E DUCA I IONAL RESOURCES INFORMATION
MATERIAL HAS BEEN GRANTED BY
CEN TER (ERICI
Tii!k document has been reproduced as
received from the
unison Or organization
originating it
have
Minor changes
been made to improve
reproduction quality
Points of %yew or opinions stated in this docu
TO THE EDUCATIONAL RESOURCES
ment do rghot rieco.sarily represent official NIE
INFORMATION CENTER (ERIC)"
position or poky
MANIYAKA
A Reference Handbook
of
PHONETICS, GRAMMAR, LEXICON
AND
LEARNING PROCEDURES
by
Sue A. Cutler
with
David J. Dwyer
for
THE UNITED STATES PEACE CORPS
at
THE AFRICAN STUDIES CENTER
4
of
MICHIGAN STATE UNIVERSITY
1981
NOMIVEICUM
NM
[312E) MUM
ti
INTRODUCTION
.
Most language textbooks are written with
a piTsuMption that the
language would be taught under the au .s,Oces of
a trained and experienced
langua/ teacher.
And while this situation does prevail in the teaching
,
of European languages, such is not the case with the lesser-known lan-
,
guages of the third world, particularly outside the walls of higher
learning.
In the learning of African languages, it is more frequently the
case that language teachers are untrained (owing to the minimal demand
for such teachers) or that 'the learning situation is outside the class-
Although I have no access to statistics, my impression of Peace
room.
Corps language training is such that even with 100-200 hours of language
training, the learner will need additional study before being able to
use the language with any facility.
Thus, it is the reality that much of the learning of African lan-
guages will inevitably take place outside the classroom in situations
that are in some ways ideal, but which lack an experienced language
It is this reality that gives rise to-this volume for it was
tutor.
written for the learner who has the commitment to further his/her
language study, but who lacks the general knowledge of how to proceed.
It is the purpose then to give the learner the sufficient skills and
knowledge to be able to carry out the orderly study of A foreign lan-
guage on his/her own.
iii
5
TABLE OF CONTENTS
I
Intrcdution to the Ilanguagesof Liberia
I.
1
How to Learn a Language on Your Own
II.
.
r
Instructions to Tutors
III.
41
Reference Grammar of Mandingo
45
IV.
Mandingo Dictionary
71
V.
Learning the Sound System of Mande Languages
VI.
151
Introduction
151
A.
The System of Sounds
151
B.
153
Vowels
C.
159
Consonants
D.
166
Suprasegmentals
E.
Listening and Transcription Exercises.
169
F.
I
0
4
V
CHAPTER I
INTRODUCTION TO THE LANGUAGES OF LIBERIA
In addition to English, which is widely spoken in Liberia, there
are three major groups of languages spoken there:
West Atlantic, Kru
and Mande, all of which are subdivisions of the Niger-Congo branch of
,Niger-Kordafanian, the largest grouping of languages in Africa (see
figure 1).
The Kru languages, spoken in both southern Liberia and the west-
ern part of the Ivory Coast, include the following Liberian languages:
Krahn, Bassa, Kru, Grebo, Dei and Kuwaa (also known as Belleh).
The
West Atlantic languages are spoken from Liberia north to Senegal and in-
clude the Gola and Kissi, spoken.in the northwestern and northern parts
of Liberia respectively.
These languages are virtually surrounded by
languages of the third group known as the Mande` languages.
This group
covers a much larger area than the other two, including not only the
above-mentioned countries, but Guinea, Upper Volta and Mali as well.
The Mande languages have a Western branch and a (South)eastern
.branch.
Mano and Gio (hard A) are Southeastern Mande languages spoken
in N.imba county.
The Western branch has two sub-branches, Northwestern
and Southwestern. 'Both Vai, spoken in the Cape Mount area, and Manya
(also known as Mandingo) spoken in the border area between Guinea and
Liberia are Liberian languages of the northern branch.
The other
branch contains a set of very closely related languages called the
Southwestern Mande languages of which only Loko is spoken outside of
Liberia, in Sierra Leone.
The rest, Mende, Bandi, Kpelle and Lorma
are spoken in the northern part of Liberia.
The location of the Mande languages in Africa is shown in figure
1, the location of the languages of Liberia is shown in figure 2, and
figure 3 shows how these languages are related.
THE DISTRIBUTION OF AFRICAN LANGUAGES
FIGURE 1:
"Jest
Atlantic
,Mande
Kru
c
MO,
7
3
416
LOCATION OF LIBERIAN LANGUAGES
FIGURE 2:
(from Liberia in Maps, von Gnielinski (ed. 1972)
8
4
THE RELATEDNESS OF THE LIBERIAN LANGUAGES
FIGURE 3:
Kordofanian
.0
Adamawa Eastern
Bassa
Benue-Congo
Krahn
Gur
Niger-
Grebo
Kordofanian
Western
Kwa
Dei
Kru
Kuwaa
Northern
Manya,
Vai
Western
Mende
outh-
Niger-Congo
Bandi
western
Loma
Kpelle
Gio
Eastern
Mano
Kissi
Southern
Gola
West Atlantic
A\
9
5
CUvI
BEST
FIGURE (HA).
Indo-European correspondences from Greenberg (1957:42)
No
HEAD
THREE
ONE
EYE
EAR
LANGUAGE MOUTH
NOSE
TOOTH
Iri
Breton
Unan
dau
peen
lagad
skuarn
genu
dant
fri-
6:n
Irish
kjan
su:lj kluas
trf
do:
fjakalj
sre:n
bjal
Welsh
blagad
ben
dal
tri
klist
in
truin
keg
dant
,.
tra:7
Danish
ho:dha
to:7
o:ra
en
na:sa
aja
mon/
tan?
Swedish
tre
en
tvo
hUvud
nisa
Ura
mun
tiga
tend
Dutch
ho:ft
e:n
dri:
tve:
o:x
nU:s
o:r
mont
tant
wan
English
tuw
nova
Brij
hed
aj
mawo
ihr
tuwo
ajns
German
draj
tsvaj
kopf
na:ze
auga
o:r
tsa:n
count
,
French
trwa
oe. yn
ail/ja
test
do
orE:j
ne
buug
da
Italian
uno.
due
tre
testa naso
orekkjo
okkjo
dcnte
bokka
una
Spanish
un.
ipso
dos
tres
kabesa
oxo
orexa
boka
cifEnte
una
.
Rumanian
un
trej
okju ureke
doj
dinte
gura
ryas
!tar)
Albanian
n'a
tre
koka
du
hunda
vesh
su
, gala
dboota
enas
Greek
dhjo'
mati
tris kefill
aft{
mitt
dbondi
stoma
Lithuanian
vienas
tris galva
akin
ausis
du
noses
dantis
burna
t
Latvian
viens
tri:s
galva
dlvi
deguns
atss auss
mute
robs
Polish
jeden
dva
oko
tie
giova
zop
uxo
nos
usta.
Oba
Czech
jeden
dva
hlava
oko
tri
uxo
usta
zup
nos
Russian
adjin.
oko
dva.
trji
galava
uxo
nos
rot
zup
dvje
Bulgarian edin
dva
glava
oko
tri
uxo
usta
nos
rab
Serbo-Cro-
atian
jedan
glava
oko
dva Ohl
tri
nos
usta
rub
Finnish
Uksi
kolme.
nena
sihni
kaksi
su:
korva
pa:
hanitnas
Estonian
kolm wilia-pea
kaks
slim hammas
nine
pea
P iikS
su:
Hungarian
ha:rom
ed
ke:t fU:L fej
orr
sa:j
fog
sera
fiii
Basque
bat
belari
orts
hirLir
begf
aho
sUddr
bi bUril
FIGURE
(14B)
-4.
Some West African Language Correspondences
..--
TWO
THREE
ONE
EAR TOOTH
LANGUAGE MOUTH HEAD
NOSE
EYE
,
yltere
nytire
hunnuko
Fulbe
nofru
kinal
tatf
do hoorc
d'idi
musu
-sinl
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nufa
-girt gaga
bihe
keede
tally°
rEg
Themne -sas
-sek -bump
-in -sen
lens sot
-far
funte
-ifa
-foti kafa
pRren
lfa
Limba tatat
tilti
taae
milindo
nilen kinde
ggaa
-if°
peleE sondoo
bol,:co
Kissi
all00
eullom
nyohol
niu -min
tin
bul
-hol
-bol
ra
char]
kenu
onya
kesfa
gun' emia
Cola
tlel edi
eft
taal
nun
kuq
klieg
Bambara
tufo
di
fila
nyir)
saba
nyir)
nyadEn
toro
Oyula
kel4 saba
nun
nyi
da
fla
Kuranko
namen
tule
de
ye
gclEn
fla
sated
Manyakan
kE1E
tolo
nu
da
nyi
kU
sawa
fila nya
gkele
Kono toro
daa
nun
Mir
ya
fela
S3wal
dondo
ja
sagba
nyi
tolo
fela
kun
SW)
Val
da
A
re
nyfnni
kedeg saxag norm
firig
Sosso
tull
dE
ngila
hokpa
gguo
ggau nda
Loko sawa
fele ngu
ntionqoa
ngahu
ggolf
Mende
ngongolu
ndo hokpa
sawa
Ita
fele
nqu
ngoll
ngongolu
ngila ngasu
nda
sawa
Bondi
fele
sokpa
nqu
nun
Loma
gila
gaazuvE
wun
felega
saaga
daa
goi
sokpal
wolf
KPelle
sagba
soa
9e1
feerE
nyir)
la
tangy
()Ur)
Nano
yaaka
1e
nyu
doo
wUkele
too
Peete
nyI
s3
Dan
ny0
yaka
pira
do
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to
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laga
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do
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Mita
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so
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le
min
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