How to Get Around and How to Orient Yourself in Soussou

Objective:

To learn how to navigate in the Soussou language, including useful vocabulary to talk about moving through space. This would be useful vocabulary to be used when taking a motorcycle, a bonbona (tricycle shared transport), a taxi, or other transportation.

Key vocabulary:

North – Sogué tédé

South – Sogué gore

To the right – Yiré fangni ma

To the left – Köla ma

In the middle – Tagui

Forward (in front) – Yaré

Behind (in back) – Hanbi

Straight ahead – Tinhigni tolön

Road/street – Kira

Example sentences:

Siga yaré – Keep going forward

Bira gui kira föhara tinhigni tolön – Follow the road straight ahead

Siga köla ma – Go/turn to the left

Gbilén hanbi – Turn back around/go back

Important phrases:

I sigafé mindhè? – Where are you going?

N’sigafé… – I am going to (fill in the blank)

Chauffer, n’döhöma yaré nè – Chauffer, please leave me right up here

Activities:

• Have the learner come up with a scenario where they are traveling somewhere. Have them pretend that they are going to get in a taxi or on a bike. Think about where they might want to go – downtown, to the village, to their house, to school.
• First start off with the important greetings learned in the last lesson. Then begin to give directions. Also make sure to use proper greeting, and short phrases, such as please and thank you.
• Remember to ask how much things cost, and also remember to do the important greetings of asking not only how the person is, but how their family is. You can do this while you are riding the bike, after you have given the preliminary directions of where you are going.
• Anything else can be added in addition to this exercise as needed.

Feedback:

Either write this exercise out or practice it orally. Record yourself, and then give it to your language mentor for feedback. Think particularly about the appropriateness of the greetings used, as well as the accuracy of the pronunciation. Work closely with your language mentor to tailor the responses, as well as to think about alternative options you might have been able to use. Re-record yourself or re-write the activity as needed.