Koyraboro Senni
Songhai
Koyraboro Senni is the Eastern Songhai variety of the Saharan trade-corridor cities Gao and Timbuktu. Songhai is genealogically isolated within Africa (sometimes Nilo-Saharan, sometimes ungrouped); the language of medieval Sahel trade routes.
Where it is spoken
31 core words in Koyraboro Senni
Water
hari
/hari/
Fire
nuune
/nuːne/
Sun
wayna
/wajna/
Moon
handu
/handu/
Star
handariya
/handaːɾija/
Mother
nya
/ɲa/
Father
baaba
/baːba/
I
ay
/aj/
You
ni
/ni/
Name
maa
/maː/
Eye
mo
/mo/
Hand
kambe
/kambe/
Heart
bine
/bine/
Love
baŋa
/baŋa/
Tree
tuuri
/tuːri/
House
huu
/huː/
Dog
hansi
/hansi/
Cat
muusu
/muːsu/
Eat
ŋwa
/ŋwa/
Drink
hane
/hane/
One
afo
/afo/
Two
ihinka
/ihiŋka/
Hello
fofo
/fofo/
Thank you
barka
/barka/
Good
boori
/boːri/
Sources
- Heath (1999) — A Grammar of Koyraboro Senni
- Ethnologue 27: Koyraboro Senni Songhai
Words compared
Compared with related Songhai languages
| Meaning | Koyraboro Senni | Koyra Chiini | Zarma | Bishnupriya Manipuri | Fula | Hiri Motu | Wolaytta |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Water | hari /hari/ | hari /hari/ | hari /hari/ | পানি /paːni/ | ndiyam /ndijam/ | ranu /ɾanu/ | haatta /haːtːa/ |
| Fire | nuune /nuːne/ | nuune /nuːne/ | danji /dandʒi/ | আগুন /aːɡun/ | yiite /jiːte/ | lahi /lahi/ | tama /tama/ |
| Sun | wayna /wajna/ | wari /wari/ | wayna /wajna/ | বেল /bel/ | naange /naːŋɡe/ | dina /dina/ | awa /awa/ |
| Moon | handu /handu/ | handu /handu/ | handu /handu/ | জুনাক /dʒunak/ | lewru /lewɾu/ | hua /hua/ | aginaa /aɡinaː/ |
| Star | handariya /handaːɾija/ | handariya /handaːɾija/ | handariya /handaːɾija/ | তারা /taɾa/ | hoodere /hoːdeɾe/ | hisiu /hisiu/ | xoolinttee /tʼoːlintːeː/ |
| Mother | nya /ɲa/ | nya /ɲa/ | ñaa /ɲaː/ | মা /maː/ | yumma /jumːa/ | sina /sina/ | aaya /aːja/ |
| Father | baaba /baːba/ | baaba /baːba/ | baba /baba/ | বাবা /baːba/ | baaba /baːba/ | tama /tama/ | aawa /aːwa/ |
| I | ay /aj/ | ay /aj/ | ay /aj/ | মি /mi/ | miin /miːn/ | lau /lau/ | taani /taːni/ |
| You | ni /ni/ | ni /ni/ | ni /ni/ | তি /ti/ | aan /aːn/ | oi /oi/ | neeni /neːni/ |
| Name | maa /maː/ | maa /maː/ | maa /maː/ | নাম /nam/ | innde /inːde/ | ladana /laˈdana/ | sunttaa /suntːaː/ |
| Eye | mo /mo/ | mo /mo/ | mo /mo/ | চোখ /tʃokʰ/ | yiitere /jiːteɾe/ | matana /matana/ | ayfee /ajfeː/ |
| Hand | kambe /kambe/ | kambe /kambe/ | kambe /kambe/ | হাত /haːt/ | junngo /dʒuŋːɡo/ | ima /ima/ | kushiyaa /kuʃijaː/ |
| Heart | bine /bine/ | bine /bine/ | bina /bina/ | মন /mon/ | ɓernde /ɓeɾnde/ | kudouna /kudouna/ | wozanaa /wozanaː/ |
| Love | baŋa /baŋa/ | baŋa /baŋa/ | baa /baː/ | মায়া /maja/ | yiɗde /jiɗːe/ | lalokau /lalokau/ | siiqaa /siːqaː/ |
| Tree | tuuri /tuːri/ | tuuri /tuːri/ | tuuri /tuːri/ | গাছ /ɡaːtʃʰ/ | lekki /lekːi/ | au /au/ | mittaa /mitːaː/ |
| House | huu /huː/ | huu /huː/ | fu /fu/ | ঘর /ɡʱaɾ/ | suudu /suːdu/ | ruma /ɾuma/ | keettaa /keːtːaː/ |
| Dog | hansi /hansi/ | hansi /hansi/ | hansi /hansi/ | কুট্টা /kuʈːaː/ | rawandu /ɾawandu/ | sisia /sisia/ | kanaa /kanaː/ |
| Cat | muusu /muːsu/ | muusu /muːsu/ | muusu /muːsu/ | বিল্লি /bilːi/ | ullundu /ulːundu/ | pusi /pusi/ | gaaduwaa /ɡaːduwaː/ |
| Eat | ŋwa /ŋwa/ | ŋwa /ŋwa/ | ŋwa /ŋwa/ | খাব /kʰaːb/ | ñaamde /ɲaːmde/ | ania /ania/ | miya /miːja/ |
| Drink | hane /hane/ | hane /hane/ | hañu /haɲu/ | পান কর /paːn kaɾ/ | yarude /jaɾude/ | inua /inua/ | ushiya /uʃija/ |
| One | afo /afo/ | afo /afo/ | affo /afːo/ | এক /ek/ | go'o /ɡoʔo/ | ta /ta/ | issino /isːino/ |
| Two | ihinka /ihiŋka/ | ihinka /ihiŋka/ | ihinka /ihiŋka/ | দুই /dui/ | ɗiɗi /ɗiɗi/ | rua /rua/ | naaʼʼa /naːʔːa/ |
| Hello | fofo /fofo/ | fofo /fofo/ | fofo /fofo/ | নমস্কার /nomoskar/ | jam tan /dʒam tan/ | namona /namona/ | saro /saro/ |
| Thank you | barka /barka/ | barka /barka/ | fofo /fofo/ | ধইন্যবাদ /dʱoinjobaːd/ | a jaaraama /a dʒaːɾaːma/ | tanikiu /tanikiu/ | galatay /ɡalataj/ |
| Good | boori /boːri/ | boori /boːri/ | boori /boːri/ | ভালা /bʱaːlaː/ | moƴƴo /moƴːo/ | namo /namo/ | lo'o /loʔo/ |
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