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Daily Phrases
It is interesting to compare languages through their use of daily words and expressions which are (too often !) held as universal. Our shooting teams were requested to gather names of colors, numbers from 1 to 10 (although we know all populations do not necessarily use the same counting systems) as well as daily phrases 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 group.
In indo-european languages, for example, numbers from 1 to 10 are very similar which confirms connections between, among others, Kurd, French or Russian.
Expressions of current usage are opportunities to discover the wealth and imagination of these languages. Among the sentences that we propose here, do not miss the wonderful ‘I love you’ of Henriette!
Daily phrases in Punu
Punu is the language of the Bapunu, second largest ethnic group in Gabon in terms of population. It’s a Bantu language, spoken in the Tchibanga area. The increasingly important movement of Bapunu people towards larger urban areas is causing a gradual loss of their language and cultural knowledge.
Watch all videos in Punu
Read more on Punu
Linguist: Jean-Marie Hombert
Image and sound: Luc-Henri Fage
Translation: Marie-Josée Awanhet
Editing: Caroline Laurent
Daily phrases in Mpongwe
Following the Akoa Pygmies, nowadays extinct, the Mpongwe people are the first inhabitants of Libreville, on the north bank of the Gabon estuary. The number of Mpongwe speakers has now dropped under 5000. In awareness of their traditional heritage being threatened with extinction, the Mpongwe have created structures for the protection of their language and culture.
Watch all videos in Mpongwe
Linguist: Patrick Mouguiama-Daouda
Image & sound: Muriel Lutz
Editing: Caroline Laurent
Daily phrases in Benga
In Gabon, Benga is spoken on the coastal zone (Cap Esterias and Cap Santa Clara), north of Libreville. Nowadays less that 1000 people are able to use this language, and the number of Benga speakers is constantly dropping, partly because they are progressively blending into the neighbouring Myene community.
Linguist : Patrick Mouguiama-Daouda
Image and sound : Muriel Lutz
Editing : Caroline Laurent
Daily phrases in Baynunk
Baynunk is spoken in Casamance (Senegal), as well as neighbouring Gambia and Guinea-Bissau, by approximately 6200 people (according to ethnologue.com). It is one of the 17 languages benefiting from the codification and recognition program for minority languages initiated in the 1970’s in Senegal, and has its own official script since 2005.
Linguist: Sokhna Bao-Diop
Image & sound: Muriel Lutz, assisted by Cheikh Tidiane Sall
Editing: Caroline Laurent
Daily phrases in Tamasheq
Tamasheq (or Tamajeq, or Tamaheq, stemming from the word Tamazight) is spoken by the Tuareg, a nomadic people that has been settled in the desert areas of North Africa for millennia, over a vast territory reaching from Mali to Libya, from Burkina Faso to Algeria, and including Niger. There are around one million speakers of Tamasheq.
Like Kabyle, Shawia, or Rifian, Tamasheq is in fact a variant of Berber (or Tamazight), a group of languages that covers the whole of North Africa (Marocco, Algeria, Tunisia, Libya, Egypt, Niger, Mauritania, Mali, and Burkina Faso), not to mention a large diaspora in Europe and America.
Poet and teacher Mohamed Hamza tells us about different common words and expressions in his language; I’m hungry, I’m cold… I love you! And concludes with a few words on the great sense of modesty of his people, who prefer action to expressing their feelings.
Image & sound: Arnaud Contreras
Language advice : Salem Mezhoud and Abdoulahi Attayoub
Editing: Caroline Laurent
Daily Phrases in Kaqchikel
Kaqchikel is one of the 30 Mayan languages (21 are spoken in Guatemala, 9 in Mexico). It belongs to the K’iche’ branch, and is close to K’ichee’ and Tz’utujiil.
Most speakers of Kaqchikel live in the volcanic region of Chimaltenango, in central-western Guatemala, near Lake Atitlán. It’s a poor area, essentially rural, where corn farming plays an extensive role. Kaqchikel is one of the most widely spoken Mayan languages, along with K’ichee’, Yukateko, Wasteko, Mam, and Q’eqchi. The number of people who speak Kaqchikel is estimated around half a million, most of whom are Spanish bilinguals.
Despite accounts of a promising demography, Kaqchikel lacks diffusion among the young generations and faces a serious decline. Thus beyond the language itself, a whole part of the Maya culture and knowledge is threatened with extinction.
In the following video, we’re joined by José Alfredo Obdulio Perén Gabino, who introduces us to common Kaqchikel expressions: the white man, I’m hungry, I’m sleepy, I want to walk, I want to dance, and as always, I love you…
Read description sheet on Kaqchikel
Linguist: Nikte Sis Iboy
Image and sound: José Reynès
Editing: Caroline Laurent
