totse.com | African Words, Phrases and Sentences

by John W. Blassingame

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(Used by Former Slaves in Georgia and South Carolina in the 1890s)

Taken from John W. Blassingame,
"The Slave Community,"
© 1979, Oxford Community Press.,
Appendix II


Table I: African Words
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_______________________________________________________________________________
.
alligator       ngundo                  hoe             sengo

baby            mauna                   hog             gooloo
_                                       .
back            nema                    horse           valo
_                                                  _
banana          biteba                  house           dro; nzo; bindu
_ _
beads           nzeembo                 knife           mbala

bear            nzow                    land            nte; nsetu
_                                      .
beard           njavo                   lie             gange

belly           vomo                    love            zola
,
skin seat       cando; conda            man (young)     tucka; mayuc'kala
_                                    _
bird            noona                   man (white)     feata
_
boat            coombay                 man (colored)   feta
_
boy             muana tucka             meat            zimbezy

bread           dimpa                   money           nzeembo
.
butterbeans     mongongo                monkey          cawah
_  _
butterfly       lumpungo                moon            gonda

cat             boomba; mboomba         partridges      goomba; kimbimbe
_ _                                      _
chickens        susu                    peach           ncepho
.  .                                           .
cities          mbamba                  peanuts         gooba; drangay
,     .
cloth           nlilly                  peas            madaza; zangy
.  _
clouds          ma tute                 pipe            torida
_
coon            bungee                  pot             canzo
.  .   .
corn            massa; massango         rabbit          loomba

coconut         lombo                   rain            mvoola
.
cow             gomby                   rock            matade
.
dance           zacccomma               sense           gangu
_                                        .
dead            fuedy                   sheep           mamamy
,  , .     _  _                         .
deer            paccasa; mibunga        shoulder        vambo
_ _
devil           doky                    sky             zulu
_
dirt            ntoto                   snakes          neoka
.  .
doctor          ganga                   spider          sembe

dog             boa                     squirrel        gemo; conka

ear             kootoo                  stars           birtity
.                                       __
eyes            maso                    steel           weer
.                                       .       _
fire            bazo; tuvia             sun             tango; muany

fish            golla                   sweet potatoes  zeembala
,  ,                                    .
fly             pesse                   teeth           mano
.
foot            tamby                   tobacco         soonga
.      .
fox             coomba                  water           lango; maza
. .
give me         kala                    watermelon      malengy
, ,
gun             cully                   whiskey         malavo
_      _                                .
hair            suky; truky             women           canto

hand            corko                   women old       bauba

head            ntu                     women (young)   ndoomba
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Table II: African Numerals
_______________________________________________
_______________________________________________
_
1: corse                20: makamorly
.
2: corla                21: makamorly enwano
.                              _
3: kootatoo             22: makamorly ezoly
.                                .
4: kooya                23: makamorly etatoo
.                                .
5: kootano              24: makamorly eya'
.                             .
6: koosambano           25: makamorly etano
.  .
7: tambwody             26: makamorly esambano
. .                                  .
8: nana                 27: makamorly ensambody
,  .                                 . .
9: evwa                 28: makamorly enana
_                             ,  .
10: koome               29: makamorly evwa
_      _                   .
11: koome emorse        30: makomatatoo
_      _                 . .
12: koome enzole        40: makomaya
_    . _                   ,
13: koome entate        50: makomatano
_ _ .                      .  .
14: koome eya'          60: makomasambano
_    .                 .
15: koome entano        70: lusambody
_    .  .                .
16: koome ensambano     80: luovwa
_    .                 . .
17: koome ensambody     90: lunana
_ , . .               . .
18: koome enana         100: kama
_ ,  .
19: koome evwa
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Table III: Sentences Employing African Words
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_________________________________________________________________

Ukola?                          How do you do?

Quer quenda?                    Where are you going?
_
Pahnam bezy.                    Give me some meat.
_      .             _.
Wenda twas mona kona keamvo.    Carry me across the river.

Vo vonda ngondo.                Kill that alligator.
_
Sheka.                          Shoot him.
.
Borkala.                        Call him.

Weeza.                          Come here.
. . .
Zola ana aku?                   Do you love your children?

Inga (or yinga).                Yes.

Gogomby.                        No (or, Go away).
_ .  . _
Yala kayala.                    He is very sick.
_     . .  .
Wenda baka ganga.               Go bring the doctor.
_
Fuedy.                          He is dead.
.  .    . .  .
A canto ana yaku?               How many wives have you?
_   _
Kutatu.                         Three.
_     _ _
Ungaya muana ngo?               Have you seen any lions?
_
Noka kunoka.                    It is going to rain.
.  .  _
Wenda banga tevia.              Go build a fire.
_    .
Muany yama.                     The sun is hot.
_   .    _ .  .      _
Unga gwaku wona yaku ungayi?    Are you living with your mother?
_ .
Yala                            Where pains you?
.
Ntu bwanga.                     My head aches.
.
Nzala.                          I am hungry.
.    .  _
Mano ganze.                     My tooth aches.
_ .   _ _
Ruaka mbala.                    I cut him with a knife.

A kway tukiddy?                 How far away does he live?
_
Wuto Coonawany.                 I was born in Coonawany.
.    . _
Mazo Mazema.                    He is blind.
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