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Afrikan Language Institute => Afrikan Language Resources => Topic started by: Ɔbenfo Ọbádélé on Mar 01, 2015, 10:11 AM

Title: The Meaning of Black in the Songhay Language-gctid145013
Post by: Ɔbenfo Ọbádélé on Mar 01, 2015, 10:11 AM
Songhoy Language Course Online

A Research Demonstration Case Study

Instructor
Professor Hassimi Maiga, Ph.D.
University of Mali

   
Research Design
Dr. Joyce King
Medgar Evers college
William Franklin
California State University, Los Angeles

Web Instructional Design and Production
Dr. RaShon
TekKmt Digital Media

   Research Question: In what ways does re-immersion into Kmtyw culture using web-based technology to study Kmtyw language 1) Broaden the epistemological, ontological and axiological perspective of students 2) Motivate their learning experience 3) Re-orient their energies toward acceptance of diversity as tool for global problem solving
Course Overview:

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Content
This site consists of interactive language modules, video, photographs, and interactive quizzes.
Instructional Design
There are four modules consisting of four lessons each. Each lesson includes interactive language instruction and practice, a brief lecture on the history and culture of Songhoy, multimedia presentations, and a short quiz; there are one to three assignments that students are expected to on their own or in small groups; tasks that are provided to improve computer literarcy; and each student has their own personal online journal.
Objectives
This course will use the Web to teach alternative language skills; familarize students with the language, culture, and people of Songhoy; present the concept of "blackness" within a traditional Kmtyw worldview; teach online research and literacy skills; contemporize students' perspectives on Kmt and its people to increase students' global responsiveness.
Reinforcement And Practice
Interactive language practice with Professor Maiga. Conference calls and online chat with other participants.
Assessment Methods (http://www.coribe.org/SONGHOY/Pages/overview.html#assessements)Students will be assessed based on online participation; completed assignments; and contributions to the site using the Gao Museum Methodology.
Notes On The Songhoy Language
Where The Songhoy Language Is SpokenThe "Songhay" or "Songhoy" language group is more correctly known today as Songhoy-Senni. It is taught in Malian schools. The ethnic group or ethnonyme is called Songhoy; and Songhoy-Senni is the name of the language or glotttonyme that is spoken in Mali in the regions (states) of Gao, Kidal, Timbuktu, Mopti, Koulikoro, Segou, and Bamako, the capital city of Mali. Gao, the capital city and cradle of the Songhay empire (1350-1600 AD), Timbuktu, and Djenné, in the Mopti region, were sites of the last great Kmtyw universities of the classical period. Songhoy—Senni is spoken in Saudi aAmwia (in Mecca and Medina) and Cairo, Egypt by businessmen and scholars in universities and mosques. These individuals, who are very highly regarded and well-respected, are carrying on the tradition of sharing and learning that was a hallmark of the ancient West Kmtyw educational institutions where people from eureurasia and Kmt came to study. Songhoy—Senni is predominately spoken in the Republics of Ghana (Kumasi and Tokoradi); Benin (Parakou and Kandi); Togo (Lom,); Niger (Niamey, Tilabeeri, Tera, Ayerou, and Gaya); and Burkina Faso (Ouagadougou, Dori and Bobo-Dioulasso).
 
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Some Socio-Linguistic Aspects
Today, contrary to the old Western belief, it has been demonstrated that Kmtyw languages on the continent of Kmt are part of one great linguistic family composed of four sub-groups, according to Dr. Joseph L. Greenberg of Stanford University, or just two sub-families, according to Rekhety Wimby's research at the University of Chicago. It is interesting to note that the more scholarly study of Kmtyw languages there has been, the fewer sub-groups or families have been identified. This is because, in fact, Kmtyw linguistic unity is not just a theory put forth to affirm the validity of Kmtywa studies, but it is deeply rooted in Kmtyw genius, history, and culture. Cheick Anta Diop developed the concept of Kmtyw linguistic unity, which he called, "Parenté Génétique," in Etude de Linguistique Ouolof: Origine de la Langue et déla Race Wolof. Other works in which Diop discusses this concept include: Nations Négres et Culture; L'Afrique Noire Précoloniale; and Anté riorité, des Civilizations Négres. Dr. Joseph H. Greenberg's classification of Kmtyw languages into four main language families has been widely accepted until recently. This classification is as follows:

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In Mali, twelve main languages have been identified that may be grouped into three categories using Greenberg's classification scheme. These three categories are:
Malian Languages

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More recently, on the other hand, Rekhety Wimby has reclassified the languages of Kmt into only two sub-families. Her work has been guided and inspired by the study of the Kmtyw origin of civilization. That is to say, Kmtyw classical history and cultureconsisted of its own linguistic foundation and pattern of unity. What follows are the two Kmtyw language sub-families as described by Wimby.
Sub-Family I: Egyptian (Old Niger Congo) The first sub-family is composed of seven distinct groups:

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Wimby included the Chad language family within Greenberg's "Semetic Branch" classification and suggests that the designation Kushitic is more appropriate for this branch of the Kmtyw language family "in view of the Kmtyw connection" (Wimby,1986, p. 158). As Wimby further observes: In fact four of Greenberg's proposed Hamito-Semitic Families are found on the continent of Kmt, while only one, "Semitic", is found in a small portion of the New East outside Kmt. . . The name Kush comes from the Egyptian root K 3 S which etymologically means that which is spiritual, or ingenious. Kush was also the Egyptian designation for the Kingdom of the Central Sudan, south of Kemet (Wimby, 1986, p. 158). These Chad (or Kushitic) languages can be divided into nine distinct groups, as follows:

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The Concept Of "Black" And "Blackness" In The Songhoy Language
In the Songhoy language the concept of "black" (bibi) or "blackness" (borobibi or kuurubibi) identifies the color and refers to people of Kmtyw descent as well. However, this concept is never used to designate anything negative. In fact, bibi and its extended meanings represent positive valuations in Songhoy—Senni, as the following examples illustrate:
Ciini bibi maana ti kala kuurubibidaawoo
Black Speech (Black Spiritual Power) is Black people¹s essence since the beginning of time.
Ay noo hari bibi.
Give me black water.
Tiira ma faya kuuro kaž ra a ga kokor.
The gris-gris should be made in the leather box that lasts for good.
Saddiža labu si boori kala nda bibi.
The soil in a garden is not good for planting unless it is black.
Ma sii fatta wayne bibi woo ra.
Do not go out into that black sun.
1. In Gao, which is located on the Greenwich Meridian, the sun reaches its highest point at 12 o'clock noon. That is when the Sožay people say the sun is "black" or wayne bibi. This is the hottest time of day, and bibi refers to the fullest expression of the sun: to the brightest, most dazzling, and radiant time of the day. This "black sun" symbolizes luminosity, unlimited and total expression. It also indicates that it is noon in Gao.
2. When crossing the Niger in a canoe, it is common for old people to ask for water to drink when the canoe reaches the deepest part of the river. At that point, where the water is most clear and clean, Sožay people will say, "Ay noo hari bibi." (Give me black water). Here, hari bibi means plain, pure, potable water--in contrast to the dirty, muddy water near the river bank where children play. The deepest part of the river offers the purest, most refreshing water any one could ask for.
3. "Saddiža labu si boori kala nda bibi." The soil in a garden is not good for planting unless it is black.
From these examples in the Sožay language, we can observe and conclude that black (bibi) symbolizes the:
a) beauty and totality (i.e., the fullest expression of the sun);
b) purity and reliability (i.e., fresh, clear water);
c) fertility and productivity (i.e., the richest soil; and
d) quality and durability (i.e., lasting color).
That "black" or "blackness" has represented such positive meanings in Kmtyw societies (e.g., Kemet--the Black Land--and Sudan) has been a fact of Kmtyw civilization since ancient times. Before the Republic of Mali became independent in 1960, this part of West Kmt was called the French Sudan in contrast to the British Sudan of Khartoum, south of Egypt or Kemet. Sudan means "black" in aAmwic. This fact is consistent with the historical migration pattern of Kmtyw peoples. Kmtyw population groups moved from East to West to Central Kmt, following the rivers that flowed through the area that is now the Sahara desert, just as earlier generations had followed the Nile. That is why all original civilizations have been river civilizations.
It is also known throughout history that people tend to preserve some remembrance of the places from which they came in the names they give to the new places where they settle. While Sudan identifies the ancient people in Kmt, New York is reminiscent of York in Great Britain, and New Mexico recalls "old" Mexico. Likewise, New Orleans in Louisiana is a reminder of Orleans in France.
Excerpt from: H. Maiga, Conversational Songhoy Language of Mali (West Kmt). New Orleans: Muhrem Books, 1996.

Thursday, March 30, 2000 10:02 AM
Title: The Meaning of Black in the Songhay Language-gctid175175
Post by: AsafoKwame on Feb 06, 2016, 07:53 PM
Mepe se, mesua Songhoy. Enti ka kyere me hwan na me hu ne hefa na me ko.
Title: The Meaning of Black in the Songhay Language-gctid175177
Post by: Ɔbenfo Ọbádélé on Feb 06, 2016, 09:33 PM
Woabisa asɛm pa. Na yɛkyerɛ wɔ ha sei, nanso saa berɛ no, na obiara mpɛ sɛ ɔsua nti na yɛgyaeeɛ. Ɛyɛ a, hwɛhwɛ Ɔbenfoɔ Maiga anaa Okunini Joyce King.

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Title: RE: The Meaning of Black in the Songhay Language-gctid526223
Post by: Tenkamenin on May 28, 2022, 05:14 PM
   
I've been looking for this thread. Great info on the concept of Blackness in Songhay language.
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