Since I'm going to be in Ghana longer this time, I have been working on learning the language of the people in and around Tamale. The people here are called the Dagomba, and their language is called Dagbani. Apparently there are approximately 500,000 Dagbani speakers in Northern Ghana and among emigrants in the south and in neighboring countries of Ghana.
I am not really sure why I want to learn to speak their language so badly. I do know that they love it when you speak to them in their native tongue; it honors them. Plus there are things you can say in Dagbani that don't translate very well into English. Still a third reason is because I love to see them laugh, and believe me, when I slaughter their language, they love it – they howl with laughter!
Since Dagbani is not widely spoken, there are not many resources available if you want to learn it. There are a few, including one small dictionary and a few online resources, but other than that you are pretty much on your own. My strategy for learning Dagbani was to start a notebook of common words and phrases, which I have written out in English. A young man who works here at Seed Ministry named John Haruna then takes my notebook and writes the Dagbani words and phrases below where I've written them in English. Then we get together every day or two and John pronounces the words and I write them out phonetically below the actual Dagbani writing. Finally, I get John to record each word or phrase on a mini-digital recorder I brought to Ghana for just this purpose. The photo above is of John making one of these recordings in my room.
I am not very far along in the process, but every now and then I surprise my students at the seminary by trying to say a sentence in Dagbani like, "Please! Take your seats!" This usually comes out something like, "Please, grasp your buttocks!" (or something silly like that). The guys love it – and like I said, I love seeing them laugh. So everyone enjoys themselves. In fact, I suspect that a few years from now my students will remember stuff like that more than they will some of the things I'll teach them about Christian ethics.
Find a large Ziplock bag...or baggie. Put some liquid glue in it...just enough to squish. Seal it with the zipper. Flatten it out on the table. Now, write a word and pronounce it,(after John teaches you how to pronounce it)...the index finger writing goes straight to the brain. (neuro-transmitters)...smooth it out again...write another word. (etc.) Good luck and I do bet you will do well. If you need the glue or baggies, let me know. Love, Sis
ReplyDelete