It is interesting to compare languages through their use of daily words and expressions (too often!) held as universal. Our shooting teams are requested to gather names given to colors, body parts, numbers from 1 to 10, 50, 100 or even 1,000 for the most courageous, daily phrases, insults and slang… from all their interlocutors in their respective languages.

These basic words often prove to be an efficient way of verifying similarities between languages belonging to the same linguistic family. In Indo-European languages, for example, numbers from 1 to 10 are very similar, which confirms connections between Kurdish, French and Russian, among others.

Numbers

See all the videos on numbers – available in Punu, Mpongwe, Benga and Akele from Gabon; Baynunk from Senegal; Kaqchikel from Guatemala; in Syriac; and in Tamasheq from the Sahara.

Example: Numbers in the Kaqchikel language

Linguist : Nikte Sis Iboy
Image & sound : José Reynès
Editing : Caroline Laurent

Colors

See all the videos on colors – available in the Punu, Benga, Akele and Mpongwe languages from Gabon ; in Kaqchikel from Guatemala ; in Baynunk  and Menik from Senegal ; in Syriac ; and in Tamasheq from the Sahara.

Example: Colors in the Benga language

Linguist : Patrick Mouguiama-Daouda
Image and sound : Muriel Lutz
Editing : Caroline Laurent

Body parts

Body parts are referred to both by the use of words… and gesture! Thus they raise the often occurring sense of embarrassment when it comes to naming private parts… It appears some words are subject to giggles and chuckles in many languages in the world!

See all the videos on body parts – available in Akele, Punu, Mpongwe (Gabon), Kaqchikel (Guatemala), Baynunk (Senegal), Syriac, Tamasheq (Sahara), Xârâcùù (New Caledonia)

Example: Body parts in the Akele language

Linguist: Jean-Marie Hombert
Camera and sound: Luc-Henri Fage
Translation: Hugues Awanhet
Editing : Caroline Laurent

Weekdays

Comparison of the terms which Benga and Mpongwe use in reference to weekdays is equally significant: the term “sono” appears in both languages as a translation of “Sunday”, and as a root for the names of the other weekdays. The word “Saturday” in Mpongwe might also catch your attention… it sounds a little too familiar not to question its Bantu origins!

See all videos on weekdays – available in Mpongwe, Benga, Baynunk, Syriac, Tamasheq and Menik.

Example: Weekdays in the Mpongwe language

Linguist: Patrick Mouguiama-Daouda
Camera and sound : Muriel Lutz
Editing: Caroline Laurent

Expressions of Time and Space

Example : Expressions of time and space in Baynunk

Linguist: Sokhna Bao-Diop
Image & sound: Muriel Lutz, assisted by Cheikh Tidiane Sall
Editing: Caroline Laurent
Video created within the ANR Sénélangues project

Words the nature

See videos on the words of nature

Example: The words of the desert, in Tamasheq and Arabic

Image & sound: Arnaud Contreras
Editing: Caroline Laurent

Daily phrases

Expressions of current usage are opportunities to discover the wealth and imagination of these languages. Amongst the sentences that we propose here, do not miss the ‘I love you’ of Henriette!

Watch all the videos on daily phrases – available in the Mpongwe, Punu and Benga languages from Gabon, in the Baynunk language from Senegal, in Tamasheq, and in Kaqchikel from Guatemala

Example: Expressions of current use in the Mpongwe language

Linguist : Patrick Mouguiama-Daouda
Camera and sound : Muriel Lutz
Editing: Caroline Laurent

New words

A look on some populations’ translations of modern world notions and objects is equally amusing and instructive: it shows how imaginative men & women can be when it comes to adapting foreign concepts into a given culture, without necessarily having to re-use the actual word in its original form (here English or French).

See all the videos on new words – available in the Punu and Mpongwe languages (Gabon), and Tamasheq

Example: New words in the Punu language

Linguist: Jean-Marie Hombert
Camera and sound: Luc-Henri Fage
Editing: Caroline Laurent

Insults

All languages have a range of terms and expressions people use to swear themselves out of (or into) conflict.

Learn more

Example: Insults in the Akele language

Linguist: Jean-Marie Hombert
Camera and sound: Luc-Henri Fage
Translation: Hugues Awanhet
Editing : Caroline Laurent

In the words of children

Listening to the words of children is a  great opportunity to hear the language clearly uttered, with a lot of strength and willpower…

Learn more

Example: words of children in the Benga language

Linguist : Patrick Mouguiama-Daouda
Image and sound : Muriel Lutz
Editing : Caroline Laurent