Vukoni, all, Best wishes for 2005!
Vukoni, In response to your question: In Bambara the usual response for greetings and praises that begin with "i ni..." (literally you (s.) and...) or "aw ni ..." (lit. you (pl.) and...) is "mba" by men and "nse" (n'say) by women. It's an acknowledgement that does not translate, but could take the place of "thanks" to a "welcome," or "you're welcome" to "thank you." Part of what interested me as a foreign learner of African languages is that some of the concepts are different than those in European languages - not better not worse, but different finite sets of assumptions and ways of organizing time, thought and social communication. Learning very different languages can give one an insight into the range of human thought and possibilities for communicating it. (Of course African languages are also different one from another like those of any continent, as you know better than I.) Re the Chicago winters - remembering the cold was a kind of mental air-conditioning when I got used to the heat in the Sahel. "Too hot? Nah, I remember too cold and I'll take too hot!" Don --- In [email protected], "Vukoni" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: > > Hello Don, > > Thanks for the welcome. How do I say that in Bambara? It appears we > have a convergence of interests in the areas of languages and IT. > > Whatever news I have, I will share in this space. > > But more later. > > vukoni > ps. I tell myself that each winter I spend in Chicago will be my last. > That I'm still here, moping through my fifth year of chill-winds, > must be proof that I love to wallow in self-inflicted misery. Yahoo! Groups Links <*> To visit your group on the web, go to: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/AfricanLanguages/ <*> To unsubscribe from this group, send an email to: [EMAIL PROTECTED] <*> Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to: http://docs.yahoo.com/info/terms/
