Manding (Bambara, Dyula, & Malinké)
Mene le nin? What is this? (Dyula)
Asking what things are
There are two major ways to ask “What is this?” in Dyula: “Mene le nin?” and “Fo dyeni le nin? In Bambara, there is yet another way to ask this: “Mun don?”
The proper response for the Dyula question “Mene le nin?” or “Fo dyeni le nin?” is “______ le nin”. In Bambara, the response is “_____ don”.
Mene le nin? (What is this?)
Drekke le nin. (It’s a shirt.)
Pluralization:
Mene ni mene le nin? (What are these?)
Drekke ni kunu le nin. (It’s a shirt and a bird).
Exercise:
- Review the vocabulary list below
- Practice saying “Mene le nin?” for each picture in the table, as shown in the example above.
- Finally, try to work on the plural form (i.e. Mene ni mene le nin? ) Try to come up with the craziest combinations! EX: It’s a chicken, a djembe, and a bike! (Sise, djembe, ni negeso le nin!)
Vocabulary
kunu = bird
bala = Balafon (West African marimba-like instrument)
Wulu = dog
Ji = water
seben = seben
mobili = car
sigilan = sigilan
Guitarri = Kora (West African string instrument)
sise = Guitarri
siran = broom
drekke / chemise = Shirt =
bolu = hand
djembe = Djembe (West African drum)
dumani =Food
tabili = Table
negeso = Bike
