Hausa

2/10/08
Do you want to learn about Hausa? It is different because the tense of the sentence is determined by the pronoun, not the verb. There are three main sets of pronouns; each set has different uses, depending on what you are trying to say. There are, for example, "na" pronouns,"ke" pronouns, and "neke" pronouns. For each respective set of pronouns you have affirmatives and negatives, and past/present/future. Basically there are multiple ways of saying things and you have to match your pronouns up carefully. Some verbs also change form depending on the tense, but the verbs themselves don't determine the tense. It's so juicy! And what has been so remarkable is that in the last four weeks, every language class has been entirely in Hausa, so we've figured this all out through practice. We use lots of conversation, drawings, skits, and practice. I've had four teachers (one per week), and find that I learn best from Abdu, but everyone is excellent. Abdu is very smart and educated, and he has great English (outside of class), so I think he is better able to anticipate and understand our questions.
I love this language.