Buli Series 5 - Common Words M -- Ngm

Ni ngaangaa! Maa puusi waa-meena ale ngma nye ni tia. Gyinla ka zuma dai, Gyuun chiika daa-nganu, bena tusa-ngaye ale pisiye wa po (Friday, June 5 2020). Ti gyinla le ngman tom ti karungku po a nyini M aga paari Ngm. 

Karung tii ate ti zamsi daanwa la bo ka de:

  • Pillimka karungku abo dela
  • Karung kui ale sai buye la (A-D) bo dela
  • Karung kui ale sai buta la (E-H) bo dewa
  • Karung kui ale sai bunaansiwa la (J-L) bo dela

The previous lessons may be accessed through the links above.


M

Ma – ma (mother), ma-biik (maternal relative), ma to eat hastily, to gobble up, to gulp down (only for humans), maga (a little, a bit of something), maglim (dew), malim[ka] (familiarity, acquaintance), malim (dysentery, diarrhoea with mucus), manchesik (match, matches, box of matches), man-gali (in a different way, in an odd way, in an unusual way), maari, (to help, to support, to assist, to aid), masa (to be sweet, palatable, tasty, delicious), masim (sweetness, goodness, pleasant taste, luxury), maauk (rubber or elastic band).


Me – me (to mould (with clay), to make pottery), meli (to embrace, entwine – in climbing), melim (to coil, to wind around,  - used for creeper), to reel, to twist, to twine, to twirl (e.g. a thread/tobacco), melini (winding, meandering, wriggling – road, river etc), melini (difficult, complicated,  perplexing, mysterious -affair), memiok (small space between two things, gap), meena/miena (all, everthing), meti (to remove a nut or seed from a soft skin or shell by pressing between index finger and thumb), metik (thin, skinny, bony, sinewy).


Mi – mi (I, me, my), mi to make a rope or string by twisting fibre), miari/miadi [wurung] (termites) miig[i] (to be or turn sour), miig (to be tired, exhausted, weak e.g. after sickness/hardwork), miik (rope, string, cable, cord), mimeluk (earth worm, worm), mimsi (to drizzle, to rain slightly), mini (to deny someone of something, to refuse to give, to withhold), miri (to become tight (e.g. a dress), to be narrow, to be congested).


Mo – moa (older or senior brother or sister), Moak (Mossi-man, member of the Mossi-tribe), moali (easiness, ease, easy, cheap, cheap things, cheap way), moanum (red, redness, reddish, rose-coloured), moari (to swell, to be swollen, to get or have a boil), moata (to be near), mobi (to turn or branch off, to diverge), mooli (to proclaim, to declare, to announce, to spread news), moolim (to apply too much of a shiny substance).


Mu – mu (me), mub (stalk of grass, straw, twig), muli (to hurt or damage skin slightly, to be hurt, damaged, bruised), muulik, (crack, crevice, cleft, fissure (e.g. in wall, pot, calabash), mum ( to close, to shut (e.g. eyes/mouth), mum (to be proud or arrogant, to show off), muma (paddy (unmilled rice), rice), mumulik (fire-fly, glow-worm), mung (thorn), muuri (to lessen, to reduce, to make poor, to impoverish), musi (to dive, to swim under water).

 

Have You Read: COVID-19 TUOMU?

N

Na – na (to shoot, to burst, to explode, to shout), nab (chief, king), naab (cow), naabanuiri/nambanuiri (sweet potato), na-biini (majesty, royal, dignified), nag[i] (to beat, to strike, to conquer, to raid, to knock, to hit, to shoot), nagortom (rainbow), nagta (beating, beatings), nakpiak (aside, surrounding area, outskirts,  private place), nala (to be good, fine, alright or okay; to be beautiful, nice, pretty), nalim (goodness, kindness, beauty, glory), naam (chieftaincy, rule, reign), nambatok (sock), nambiak (misfortune, bad luck), namboluk ( a person who is a failure, vagabond, tramp), nampaga (debate, protests, argument, dispute, polemics, quarrel), nam[u] (to suffer (hardship), to endure, to experience misfortune), nanchong (grasshopper), nang (leg), nandub (finger, toe), naaning (eight, eighth), nanjung (fly, housefly, nansiung (entrance, gate, front door (of compound), nantuok/nantari/nantaa (foot, sole, footprint, footstep), nanggbang (pigeon, dove), nanggbain/ noanggbain/noai (mouth, lips), nangzuri, (caterpillar), nangkongi (millipede), na-ngmaribazuing /ngmarzuing (pepper, chili), naayogsum (umbrella), nbala (the others), ndila (the other).


Ne – ne (to swallow up), neeb (fishing net), neeri (to bend, to curve, to branch (off), neok (nine, ninth), neaung/niaung (blessing, blessings, favour, consecration, sanctification, approval).


Ni – ni (you, your), ni (of rain – to fall, to pour, to rain), niag[i] (to suit, to be suitable; to help, to bless, to reconcile), niak (shout, shouting), nichaanoa (guest, stranger, immigrant, visitor, foreigner), nidoa (man), nidoa-bili (boy, young male), nidueni (manliness, bravery, courage, gallantry, audacity), nieroa (benefactor, helper), nimbiri (eye ball, eye), nina (eyes, face), ninaung (hardship, toil, suffering, drudgery), niniga (pity, mournful, sorrow, sympathy), nin-muna (seriousness, rage, fury, anger, important), ning (front, front part, in front, come first; far, farther, further), ni-nyieng (fingernail, toe nail, claw, paw), nipok (woman, lady), niwoboa (poor or weak person), ni-yaala (empty-handed).


No – noai (mouth, bill, beak, muzzle), noanggbain (mouth), nong (lover, beloved, friend of opposite sex), nongta (lovers, friendship (with the opposite sex), cicisbeism), noruk (open wound, sore, ulcer).


Nu – nubi (female, bass (low pitched sound), nuem (to shout, to make noise), nuensiri/nuensa (footwear, sandal, shoe), nueng/nuong (scorpion), nueng-samboluk (centipede), nueri (to finish, to end, to conclude, to terminate), nuim (bird), num (eye), nur/nura (a person, human being, man), nurbiik (human being, human, mankind), nur-kpiong (important person, ‘big man’, person in high position), nur-sobsa (African, black person).

 

Take a break, read: A Trotro Ride From New Town to Accra


Ng

Nga – nga (for things - they, them, their), ngabik (a kind of fish trap), ngauk (crocodile), nga-chob (father in-law), nganta (things, property) ngan-nangta (musical instruments, music band), ngandiinta (food, nourishment), nga-nub (mother in-law), ngaang (back [of body or object], backside behind, after; descendant, grandchild), ngaanga (Hello, Anybody at home?), ngaa-ngai (anyhow, anyway), ngaang-viiroa (follower), ngaarung (raft, boat, canoe, ship), ngaasi (to yawn).

 

Nge – ngesing (sister’s child; nephew or niece, mother’s siblings), ngesoa (maternal relative e.g. mother’s brother (uncle).

 

Ngi – ngiag[i] (too watery, diluted with water), ngiak (ancestral, customary, origin), ngiak (black ant), ngiri (neck), ngisi-yeri (maternal home).

 

Ngo – ngoa ([command] - take, receive), ngoari/ngoadi (colander, grill pot/perforated pot used for smoking or steaming), ngoaring[i] (to destroy/damage, to crash), ngob[i] (to chew, gnash teeth), ngoota (cold, coldness), ngomsi (to scratch an itching spot, to pluck a chicken, to clear one’s throat), ngoonti (to rot, to go rotten, to suppurate, to fester, to spoil, to putrefy), ngoong (mouse), ngooni (to examine, to analyse, to diagnose), ngoosi (to suck [mother’s breasts], to suckle).

 

Ngu – ngu/nguum/ nguung (to smoke (meat, fish etc.), to cure, to grill, to warm oneself by fire), nguuni (to groan, to grumble, to whimper, to growl, to hum, to buzz, to drone (e.g. bees), ngusi (to push and groan (e.g. when giving birth or when defecating), ngwuli (fast, quickly, early, in time).

 

Another break? Read: Hustler in the City


Ngm/Mw

Ngma(mwa/) – ngma (to blame, to criticize, to rebuke, to regret, to envy), ngmag (to dent, to be dented, to be crooked), ngmagli (to endure, to withstand), ngmagri/ngmegri (to twist, to wrench, to be dislocated, to sprain/be sprained (e.g. arm or ankle), ngmai ( on top, at a higher level, high  up), ngmain (okro, okra), ngmam (steady, steadfast, still, immovable, firm – stand still [zain ngmam]), ngmani (to return, to go back), ngmantiik (pity, compassion, sympathy), ngmari (to take (e.g. a handful) from a bigger quantity, to break a piece of something), ngmarisi to write, to draw, to make a mark, to incise), ngmarisim (noun: writing, signing, “trade-mark” decoration, ornamentation), ngmaruk (rain), ngmasi (more intensively, to become more intensive, more, even more), ngmaazung (pepper, chili).

 

Ngme(mwe) – ngme (to pinch, to tweak, to hint, to give a hint), ngmering[i] (to stand aside, to make way, to clear or leave a space), ngmeeung (bamboo), ngmiak (a kind of vising net), ngmieni (to sqeeze (out), to wring (out), to twist).

 

Ngmi(mwi) – Ngmirisi (to decorate, to design), ngmikikiki (cold, very cool), ngmin-ngmarik (variegated voice), ngmin-ngmirik/ ngmin-ngmiruk (variegated, multi-coloured, spotted, mottled), ngmi-ngmaasa (blame, criticism).

 

Ngmo(mwo) – ngmogluk (crooked, distorted), ngmoruk (rain), ngmoruk-ma (praying mantis), ngmoruk-nyagsum (flash of lightning), ngmoruk-tain (hail, hailstone).


Well done! Here is another bit of home - Village Songs


Reference

1. Franz Kröger (1992). Buli-English Dictionary: With an Introductory Grammar and an Index English-Buli. Münster and Hamburg: Lit Verlag.





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