Village boy Impressions

“Give your daughters difficult names. Names that command the full use of the tongue. My name makes you want to tell me the truth. My name does not allow me to trust anyone who cannot pronounce it right.”       — Warsan Shire  —  When I was young, I heard names that made us stop and listen Akanlakum, Awadiirima Names that made us think and think Agyiabadek, Asuiyakomi Names that made us pause to reflect Akanvariwon, Akalaawomba Names that made us gasp in wonder Asuikanpuilikum, Akumbolisimi. But now my ears are burdened with unfamiliar words Monotonous droning that leaves the spirit dry Meaningless mutterings without thought or intent Without root, stem or crown Many invoke the Godhead in fashion, without true reverence; Awen-this, Awen-that, Everything-Awen Godly names without godly lessons, Like the fake imported dresses we wear, sparkling, but too short To cover our shame and too light to shield us from the cold I long for ...

Hello folks, it's been over a month since our last lesson in the Buli Series. I hope everyone is alive, well, and safe in the present circumstances. Today I bring you common words in the alphabets 'S' and 'T' .  I look forward to reading your comments and suggestions on the lesson. In case you're just joining us on the Buli Language Series, please find the links to the previous lessons below. Mmabisaa, m'a puusi ni miena. Ku gaam chiik kama te ti zamsi Buli ligra wei la. Di linna tin ngman tu chaaboa. M'a poli ayen ni miena a deem voa, ali ta nyinyogsa ale agani ni dek ale ni dokdem miena a taa nyini tuo kperikaliik kai ale din jam kperi saaloa miena la po. Naawen ale mari ate ti bag chali bo along ate wabiok kan paari ti wai ya. Jinla de maa yaali ayen ti zamsi ka Buli biika po wie ngai te ti a wi yaasi taa ngmarisi ale 'S' ale 'T' daani nga la.  Fi a wai adan deem piilim jam Buli Karungku kama, karung tii ale taam la vuutinga ale nna a...

Many Bulsa seem to think that when we ask the question, "How do we say this or that in Buli?", it means they have to think back to some deep and incomprehensible Buli to say what it is. Others also believe that "pure" Buli is old-fashioned words or expressions used in a time different from ours. Neither of these ways of thinking is right. The essence of language is communication and in my opinion, language is what it is at any point in time. It can be likened to a living organism and it develops overtime by making new words and phrases, borrowing others, giving new meanings to old words among other strategies. A friend of mine in good humour, once remarked that "if we take away the French, Greek and Latin words from the English Language, it will become German!".  One of the topics that often trouble many Buli speakers is in relation to counting money or mentioning monetary figures. We therefore, continue our  lesson in numerals today by learning about mone...