Ywom wordlist

[DRAFT CIRCULATED FOR COMMENT -NOT FOR CITATION WITHOUT REFERENCE TO

THE AUTHOR

Roger Blench
Kay Williamson Educational Foundation
8, Guest Road
Cambridge CB1 2AL
United Kingdom
Voice/ Ans 0044-(0)1223-560687
Mobile worldwide (00-44)-(0)7847-495590
E-mail rogerblench@yahoo.co.uk
http://www.rogerblench.info/RBOP.htm

This printout: September 10, 2013

Ywom Wordlist Roger Blench
TABLE OF CONTENTS

1. INTRODUCTION ............................................................................................................................................1
2. YWOM SOCIETY............................................................................................................................................1
3. YWOM PHONOLOGY ...................................................................................................................................1
3.1 Ywom consonants.........................................................................................................................................1
3.2 Vowels ...........................................................................................................................................................4
3.3 Tones .............................................................................................................................................................5
4. WORDLIST ......................................................................................................................................................6
REFERENCES ...................................................................................................................................................20

TABLES

Error! No table of figures entries found.

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Ywom Wordlist Roger Blench
1. Introduction
This is a wordlist of the Ywom language [also Yiwom, Gerkanci], spoken in the southeast of Plateau State,
Nigeria. The first linguistic material on the Ywom language is almost certainly Jungraithmayr (1964). Some of
this is reprised in Jungraithmayr & Ibriszimow (1994) but until Ywom Project (2010) there has been no new
data. This analysis is based on a recording made with Ruth Pam in Jos in April 2012 as part of the first West
Chadic Workshop. Many thanks to the Wycliffe Survey Team for undertaking the recording, and to David
Crozier for capturing some copies of the Ywom Reading and Writing book for analysis.

This document is a transcription of the wordlist taken in Jos, with a preliminary phonological analysis. It is
transcribed into a long English/Hausa wordlist used for my own elicitations, hence the large number of gaps.
The sound-system of Ywom is very unusual, with many sounds only apparently recorded once. These may turn
out to be errors or idiosyncratic forms on further checking, but they are given here as sounded on the recording.
2. Ywom society
Ywom speaking people are also known as Garkawa, Gerkachi and Gerka and Gurka from the Hausa name
Gerkawa. Hl Ywom is their main town in the southeast corner of the present Milkang Local Government Area,
it and is bounded in the North and East by the Langtang section of Tarok, in the southeast by Dampar South by
Inshar and West by the Lalin section of Montol.

The Ywom people have been in their present home for more than two hundred years. The Pitop clan came to
the area first and provide itself a stockaded town at a place called Hakbap. The Rohta followed second and
settled in Kyel-hyel at Rohta-Hills, North of Hyelyum. Other families arrived in large detachments one after the
other and took refuge at Kyel-Hyel. Rohta rock was fortified and was capable of withstanding a siege. In the
middle of nineteenth century, other families came from their hills to live in their present homes, the former at
Rokta, the latter at Pitop. According to legends preserved by both sections, their ancestors sprang from the
ground. The Rokta maintain that they are from river Gwinan in the hills, while the Pitop claim that theirs
emerged from the earth. The word ywom in the Youm language means leaves. The folk-etymology connecting
these words is the image of trees growing out of the ground, so their ancestors came into being. The name
Gerkawa was given to them by the Fulani/Hausa traders owing to their military prowess and stubbornness.
The name was derived from Gagararru which in the course of time become Gerka and Bergarka and
finally Gerkawa. Legend points to the fact that all the families mentioned and who call themselves yiwom or
Gerkawa were of Jukun stock that migrated after the breakup of kwararrafa empire (West of Bunkudi) and
wandered until the settle down in Gerkawa town. Ywom clans are Rokta, Killah, Balbro, Pitop, Talim, Lahlil,
Pensong, Gwar-Gimgim, BalNlah, Longkrom and Wai. Each clan has its own priest (Bankumkrom). The
transcribed names of the sections are; Ywm, Rkta, Lal, Gwr, Kela, Gmgm, Blbr.

3. Ywom phonology

3.1 Ywom consonants

The table shows the consonant phoneme inventory of Ywom.

Bila- Labio Dental Alve- Palato Pala- Velar Uvu- Labial Glot-
bial dental olar alveolar tal lar velar tal
Stop p b t d k g kp gb
Implosive
Nasal m n
Fricative f v s z h
Rhotic r
Lateral l
Approximant y w

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Ywom Wordlist Roger Blench
The most striking feature of this inventory are the labial-velars, more characteristic of Benue-Congo languages.
The voiced labial-velar /gb/ is not very clearly articulated and appears to be in free variation with . More
surprisingly, for some words, speakers seem to alternate between /g/ and /b/.

Gloss Ywom Tarok Jukun Chadic

to know kpn PCJ *-yi Wangdi p
to smoke fish kpan fp ?
gravel kpr jat PJ *twom stone
to shave kpar rm, gyok PCJ *wi-a
hatred kpa kp PJ *zp

Gloss Ywom Tarok Jukun Chadic

leg gbk ar PJ *pwan Montol kwak
taro gban gwn Kuteb tnyi
unripe gb -gbangkum, -kplfk Kuteb tk
press gb kr, byp ?

A consonant that only appears once is the voiceless dental fricative //;

to bathe tp k

Ywom has a voiced uvular plosive, //, which is probably not contrastive with the velar fricative //, and is
transcribed this way in Ywom Project (2011).

Stone k
Ground l
Medicine (generic) n
Neck

A single example of a problematic sound is the vibrating /v/ in;

Black vwu

The lower lip vibrates when the fricative sound is produced.

Ywom permits labialised and palatalised consonants. Examples are as follows;

bw bwan useless person

w wat dirt
fw fwap to squeeze
gw gwal crab
kw kwat tick
mw mwt to hide
tw twl to discuss
yw Ywom name of people

It will be seen that labialisation applies predominantly to stems with a low central vowel. It is not easy to
demonstrate that examples of labialisation before a mid back vowel, such as;

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Ywom Wordlist Roger Blench
won young
bwot meat stock
dwop what
fwol to grow
kwom bird sp.
mwt woman
vwut dry season
Ywom Ywom people

are contrastive.

Ywom also has a small number of palatal consonants, almost entirely focused on the stems with a low central
vowel;

ky kyan front
al scar
y yep tree sp.

Again, whether palatals before stems with a mid front vowel are genuinely contrastive is uncertain.

A single case of a palatal-labial;

chin gywm

More prevalent that palatals and labials are stems initials with rhotics and laterals. Rhotacised initials are as
follows;

br mbram thunder
mbrombro eight
pr pro four
pra to chase
tr tra ten
tro liver
dr drok drop of water
dra tenth
kr km person
krom plantain
kram difficult
gr gra to grind
grum placenta
gbr gbra to grind roughly
gbrip to close forcefully

Almost all stems have the low central vowel and or a back vowel. Consonants followed by a lateral are rare;

dl dlim bark of a tree

dlok something small
tl tle tree
fl flu two
flak carelessly
pl pla young
plok to debark
kl klak ?

Again there is a strong tendency to favour the low central vowel and the back vowels in the stem.

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Ywom Wordlist Roger Blench

Cl sequences can arise at morpheme boundaries which do not represent lateralisation;

paklin post rainy season period

Doubled consonants can arise from assimilation at morpheme boundaries. For example;

fwoll old
gai task [?]
kurri to bend
tett to despise

Final vowels in Ywom can be sounded with glottalisation or an unreleased k, exactly as in Tarok. Examples of
final glottals are as follows;

l cow
l give birth
m farm
m mother
pym six
sw mortar (wood)
t arm, hand
ytm tear
tk drink

On grounds of cognacy with other Chadic languages, some of these are probably phonetic. Others may
genuinely represent an eroded consonant.

zt dog

3.2 Vowels
Ywom has the same vowel inventory as Tarok and Goemai, with three central vowels, but in contrast to other
West Chadic 3 languages.

Front Central Back

Close i u
Close-Mid e o
Open a

In the following three words a high back unrounded vowel has been recorded.

Salt kn
When? n
Goat

These contrasts that would warrant setting this up as a separate phoneme and for the moment it is treated as
originating in the sequence w + . Indeed Ywom project (2011) records this word as kn.

There are long/short contrasts for three vowels, /a/, /e/ and //, as in;

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Ywom Wordlist Roger Blench
yn child
eer road
kn salt

There are no nasalised vowels.

An intriguing morphological process in Ywom is the deletion of vowels, leaving tones or consonant clusters.
Examples recorded so far include;

Dog zt
Hunger kt m
Knee fr

Ten tr
Two fl

3.3 Tones
Ywom Project (2011) claims that Ywom has three level tones, but does not present an example of three-way
contrast. Although many other languages in Chadic A3 do appear to have three tones, such as Mwaghavul,
Ywom almost certainly has two tones and occasional mid-tones are almost certainly phonetic. Minimal pairs are
as follows;

w song
w to wash
m one
m relation
t sit down
t ant-hill
tk soup
tk to kill

There are surface glide tones, rising and falling, but there are almost certainly the output from sequences of
level tones.

The most striking feature of Ywom is the presence of tones on deleted vowels. Many of the modified initial
consonants in Ywom are in fact sequences of two consonants with a tone-bearing epenthetic vowel between
them. For example, two common numerals, written flu and tra in the orthography are actually;

Two fl
Ten tr

This explains why attempts to write Ywom often insert an i between the two initial consonants, hence the
common spelling Yiwom. The perception that there is a tone-bearing segment between the two consonants is
correct, but to assign it to a particular vowel is probably misleading.

Ywom also has initial tone-bearing homorganic nasals. As with Mwaghavul, these are only sometimes sounded,
for reasons which are still unclear.
4. Morphology

Hundred dn dr

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Ywom Wordlist Roger Blench
5. Wordlist

Gloss Hausa Ywom

Tree (generic) cc p
Leaf gany ywm
Root siw/sauya
Branch rsh ynt p
Bark (of tree) w
Thorn ay yer
Grass (generic) c yw vvk
Mushroom nmn dj
Water-lily bad
Seed/stone/pip ir kr
Charcoal gawy/gawai
Dust ra k
Ashes tka (cold)/rush (hot) ft
Rubbish-heap jj/jibji
Mud t byl
Clay yum wn
Dew r
Stone dts k
Sand ya sh
Smoke hay yl
Fire wut ws
Water ruw m
Rain ruwan sam fyn
Cloud gjmr, grg j (rain-cloud)
Lightning wliy
Rainy Season da min/da man l
Dry season rn
Harmattan lokacin sanyi
Year shekar y
Today yu
Yesterday jiy km m
Tomorrow gbe m
Morning sf s r
Afternoon l mr py k
Evening ymm py
Day rn
Night dar kwt
Midnight mr pwt
Moon/month wat tr
Sun rn [also day] s
Star(s) turr
Wind isk
Whirlwind g guw
God Allh Nn
Sky sam t
World dny
Ground as l
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Ywom Wordlist Roger Blench
Gloss Hausa Ywom
Large River kgi, gulb vr
Stream ra f
Lake, pond tbk
Forest kurm zm
Mountain tsaun ky
Hill td
Cave kog
Bush dj
Farm gn m
Market* ka suw
Compound gid lk
House bk
Room k pn
Wall (of room) bang
Thatch roof jink
Granary rmb
Well rjy
Road hany r
Path gf
diversion frak
Village/settlement gr
River-bank g
Swamp/wetland fdam
Place wur pye
km a Ywom ma? are
Person/people mtm you Ywom?
Man namij km
Woman mc mwt
Child yr yn pl. yr
Widow bzwr
Young man saury
Young girl bdurw
Father b b
Mother uw m
Barren woman bkrr
Relations dang m
Ancestors mt nn dur
Grandparents ka k
Grandchild jk
Uncle kan
Older sibling wa ym
Younger sibling an
Friend bk mtm
Guest/stranger ba mdp
mw w is pulled back in
throat as if
uvularised or
King/chief/ruler sark velarised
Hunter mi fraut
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Ywom Wordlist Roger Blench
Gloss Hausa Ywom
Thief rw
Doctor bk
Witch mi
Corpse gw
Blacksmith mari
Slave bwa
Servant l
Cult mi giro
Shame kuny
Fear/fright tsor
Bravery/courage mazantak fn
Laughter da riya
Wisdom hikim
Anger fush
Race/running gud
Suffering wa hala
Death mutuw
Name sn tm

Grave kaba r m
Song w w
Proverb karm mgan
Story ttsny
Word kalm
Lie ary
News la bri
kt m
n kl kt m
he is
Hunger yunw hungry
Horn h
Tail bindi, wutsiy dwm
Egg wai ky
Wing fika fik
Nest sh
Feather gshn tsunts
Gum/glue ank
Ant-hill sr t
Hole in ground rm tn
Hole in tree kog [also cave]
Smell wr
Poison daf
Load ky sni
Bundle unsh
Stick snd
Yam-heap bung
War y kl
Work aik
Divination (types) db
Medicine (generic) mgn n
Money ku bwy
Shadow inuw
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Ywom Wordlist Roger Blench
Gloss Hausa Ywom
Thing b
Length tsaw
Sleep barc
Disease(generic) cwo pwt
Diarrhoea zw
Eczema kirc
Goitre ma
Ulcer gymb
Sore/wound run
Leper kutrt
Head ki k
Eye id yt
Face fusk
Cheek kunc
Forehead gsh kun
Nose hanc n d
Ear knn m
Mouth ba k pk
Tooth har s
Tongue harsh ls
Throat mgwr
Neck wuy
Jaw ma r
Chin ha gywm
Shoulder ka fa
Armpit hamt
Arm, hand hann t
Leg af gbk
Thigh ciny ywy
Knee gww fr

Finger yts / hurc (S.) ynt
Nail (Finger/toe) farc ggl
Female breast nn wt
Stomach cik k
Stomach internal tmb k
Chest rj feer
Navel cb km
Back by yg
Buttocks uwa w
Penis bu r
Vagina dr
Skin ft
Bone sh gs
Rib harar
Vein jjy
Blood jin m
Breath numfsh
Tear hawa y ytm
Saliva miyau lbk
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Ywom Wordlist Roger Blench
Gloss Hausa Ywom
Sweat zuf tmf
Urine f ts ari
Faeces sh
Hair gsh twtik
Beard gm
Liver hant
Heart zcy zagh [?]
Intestines hanj
Body jki t k
Meat nm ly
dabbr dj, nmn dji [but can mean
Animal (Bush) mushroom]
*Camel ra um
Cow sny l
Bull s
Calf ma r
Goat kwiy
He-goat bnsur
Sheep tunky tm
Ram ra g gaam
Dog kr zt
*Cat kynw, mss
*Pig lad
*Horse dk
*Donkey ja k
Elephant gw
Hippo dorin
Buffalo aun
Lion zk
Leopard da mis
Hyena[1] kr
Civet cat (musk?)[2] jd / jibda (S.)
Genet cat[3] nywf
Jackal[4] dil
Wart-hog[5] gdu / gyd (S.)
Duiker antelope[7] ga d
Kob antelope[8] mry
Roan antelope[9] gwank
Porcupine[10] bguw
Monkey bir
Baboon gg, ggn bir
Patas monkey[12] jan bir
Vervet monkey[13] rmn bir
Squirrel (ground) krg
Squirrel (tree) ram bis
Rat (generic) r ktm
Bush-rats e.g. ks
Giant rat[15] gafiy
Fat mouse haya [not often known]
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Ywom Wordlist Roger Blench
Gloss Hausa Ywom
Grasscutter[16] burg
Hedgehog[17] bshiy
Hare[18] zm tar
Dassie rema
House-bat birbir
Fruit-bat jmg
Nile crocodile kad a
Chameleon hwainy
Agama lizard adangar
Skink kul
Gecko tsak
Monitor lizard (land) dam
Monitor lizard (water) gz / tsari
Toad kwa n
Frog z [not known]
Tortoise knkur
Snake (Generic) mac j wk
Spitting cobra kmurc / bakin mac j?
Python ms
Turtle ffiy
Crab guw
River molluscs ktantanw / k
Fish (generic) kf krp
Tilapia (spp.) gargaz
Puffer fish[19] ta lbambam
Catfish (spp.)[20] rng
Nile Perch[21] gwar ruw
Electric fish[22] minjiry
Bird (generic) tsunts yt
Chicken ka z k
Cock ka j del
*Duck (Domestic) gwa gw
Pigeon (Domestic) tttabr
Guinea-fowl za b wm
Hooded Vulture[23] ngl
Village Weaver[24] ga d
Cattle-egret[25] bilabila?
Black kite[26] shh
Standard-wing Night-jar yautai
Owl (various spp.) mjy
Grey Parrot[27] ku
Senegal Coucal[28] ragon maza
Bush-fowl/partridge ka zan dj
Swallow bilbil, alallak
*Pied crow[29] hnkk
Woodpecker mawawaf
Insect (Generic) wa r
Scorpion knm r
Butterfly mallm-b-littf
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Ywom Wordlist Roger Blench
Gloss Hausa Ywom
Mosquito saur
Spider[30] gizgiz
Mason wasp[31] znzar
Bee zuma m n
Sweat-fly galla/duma?
Sandfly kiyashi
Housefly ud
Ant (Generic) kukuda in
Louse (Human) kurukuta y
Millipede dandny
Cockroach kynkyas
Termite gr
Flying-ant singe
Grasshopper fara laat
Praying mantis dokin Allah
Firefly msu
Giant Cricket gyare
Earthworm tn
Giant Snail ddon kd
Oil mai
Fat/grease kitse
Salt gishiri kn
Soup/stew miya tk
Porridge tuwo wn
Porridge sloppy kunu
Millet balls fura
Sorghum-beer giya, burkutu
Palm-wine bammi
Peelings w [though = bark]
Filter matc
Rag suma
Floor-beater explain !
Handle (of tool) t , bota
Sickle lauje
Cutlass adda
Iron arfe
Axe gatari ymt
Adze gizago
Hoe I fartanya pr
Hoe II galma
Hammer masaba
Knife wua kl
Comb ry , matsf
Broom tsintsiya ydk
Bag 1 jaka
Bag 2 burgami
Shoe takalmi
Clothing btk
Sack buhu
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Ywom Wordlist Roger Blench
Gloss Hausa Ywom
Fireplace murhu
Grindstone (top) dtsn nik
Grindstone (lower) dtsn nik [babban]
Mortar (wood) turmi sw
Pestle taarya ymdl
Pot (generic) tukunya
Pot I tulu
Pot II
Head-pad gamm
Basket (generic) kwando tk
Winnowing tray matankade
Mat (generic) tabarma b
Needle allura
Spear mashi lo
Bow baka
Arrow kiiya
Quiver kori
Chain sarka
Rope igiya
Stool kujera tk
Wooden door yaur pk pn
Fence darni
Bridge gada
Ladder sani?
Canoe jirgi
Paddle hulahuli
Bee-hive gidan zuma
Fish-Net taru
Fish-trap I homa
Fish-trap II
Fish-trap III
Snare tarko
One aya m
Two biyu fl
Three uku kn
Four huu pr
Five biyar pwt
Six shida pym
Seven bakwai m brkn
Eight takwas m brmbr
Nine tara m brm pwt
Ten goma tr
Eleven goma sha aya
Twelve goma sha biyu tr m k fl
Fifteen tr m k pwt
Twenty ashirin tr fl
Forty arbain
Sixty sittin
Eighty tamanin
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Ywom Wordlist Roger Blench
Gloss Hausa Ywom
Hundred ari dn dr
Black baki vwu The v vibrates
White fari py
Red ja l
Sweet dai
Bitter aci
Ripe n
Rotten mm
Unripe gb
Half rei
Big babba
Small arimi s
Full m
Wide yt
Narrow
Tall dogo
Short guntu gp
Long y
Heavy nauyi t
Light maras nauyi t k not heavy
Hard krk
Soft m
Hot zafi nw
Cold sanyi y
Old tsoho ggk
New sabo kk
Good kyu
Bad mars kyu
kl idea is hand of a
Left woman
Right hand of a man
Wet, damp m
Dry bushe f
Dirty bw
Round kwayayy
z, l This is just the
general plural
Many da yawa marker
Few z k
All duka pyt
Add to kara
Answer (question) amsa
Arrange kn
Arrive isa, iso
Ask a question tmbay tl
Ask/beg for something r r
Awaken (s.o.) t s
Bark (dog) yi haush k
Bathe tp k
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Ywom Wordlist Roger Blench
Gloss Hausa Ywom
Be bent lanwsh
Be heavy nauy
Be on (s.t.) yan kn [tebur]
Be rotten, rot ru
Be short, short gjr
Beat (drum) buga (ganga)
Beat (s.o.) buga mutum gbp
Become dry bushe
Begin fara
Bite ciza t
Blow (flute etc.) bs
Boil tafs, daf fwl
Build (house etc.) gina
Burn (fire burns) one [wuta ya one]
Bury binne
Buy saya p
Call (to someone) kira
Carry auka
Carve (wood etc.) sassaa
Catch kama
Chew tauna
Choose zabe
Climb hau
Close rufe
Come zo l
Come out (of room) fito
Confuse lat
Continue (to do s.t.) inga
Cook dafa t
Cough tari tm
Count irga kwn
Cover ya rufe tukunya
Cut down (tree) yanke icce t
Cut in two raba
Cut off (head etc.) yanke kai
Dance rawa tm
Die mutu mt
Dig (earth etc.) gina
Divide/share kasa
Do/make yi m
Draw water y ja ruw
Dream yi mafalki
Drink sha tk
Drop sake tt
Dry in sun shanyi
so n s wn he is
Eat ci eating porridge
Enter shiga r
Extinguish kash
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Ywom Wordlist Roger Blench
Gloss Hausa Ywom
Fall (rain) ruwan sama ya
Fall over fado p
Fear tsoro kr
Feel (cold etc.) ya ji sanyi
Fight (in war) yi fad , yi y ks kl
Fill cika gbm
find k
Finish (a task) gama
Flog bulala
Flow (water etc.) gagara
Fly (birds) tsuntsu ya tashi t t run jump
Fold (cloth etc.) nade
Follow b b
Forbid d
Forge pm
Forget mnt
Fry (in oil) sya tr
Gather/collect tr
Get sm
Give b d sl
Give birth haif l
Go j wt
Go out/exit fta wt
Grind ni
Grow (plants) yi girm
Harvest r
Hatch (egg) yanysh
Have d
Hear j kl
Hide mwt
Hoe nnm
Hold yy
Hunt fraut br
Jump y tsall rm
Kill kash tk
Kneel durs
Know san kpn
tr n tr y mn t he
Laugh y da riya laughs a lot
Learn kky
k krm k the man
Leave is going away
Lick la s
Lie down kwnt tt
Listen saurr
Lose s.t. ac
Make drum fn
Make floor gim
Make knot gm
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Ywom Wordlist Roger Blench
Gloss Hausa Ywom
Marry aur m
Mix harh
Mould (pot) sgnt [?]
Open b bo
Pierce/stab ck
Plait (hair) kits
Plant (crop etc.) shk
Play yi wa s r
Pound (in mortar) dak
Pour (liquid) zub kl
Pour out klf
Press gb
Pull j gbt
Push tr
Put on (clothes) s
Quarrel fa
Receive rb
Refuse
Remain rgu
Remember tun
Resemble y km
Rest y
Return km
Ride (horse etc.) hau [dk ]
Rise lo
Roast on coals gas
Rub gg
Run gud t
Say/speak c tm
Scatter baj
Scratch
See gan n
Seek nnm
Sell sayar d p
Send ik r
Set trap y tarko
Sew ink dn
Shake girgj
Sharpen ws
Shoot (arrow, gun) hrb
Show n
Sing rr
Sit down zaun t
Slaughter (animal) yank
Sleep y barc d
Smash, break fas tn
Smell sunsn
Snap in two kary
Sneeze ws
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Ywom Wordlist Roger Blench
Gloss Hausa Ywom
Sow seeds shk
Spit tf fyt
Split fskr glk
Squeeze myr
krm n one
Stand up tsh man stands
Steal sa t mrk
Stir (soup) dm
Submerge u
Suck (breast etc.) tssts
Surpass f
Swallow hy
Sweep sha r km
Swell kumbr
Swim y iy yl
Take auk m
Teach ky
Tear (cloth etc.) kc
Tell f
Think yk
Throw jf kt
Tie aur ky
Touch ta
Twist (rope etc.) mur
Untie kunc taa
Uproot (tuber) tmk
Vomit y amai gbyk
Walk y tfiy mn
Want/need s m
Wash s.t. wank sl, w
Wear s, sny
Weave s
Weed yi nm ciyawa
Weep yi hawa y kw
Whistle yi ft
Wipe shafa
Write, mark aat
Work y aiki
Yawn hamm pk
I n gn
You kai/k
Your yn
He/she/it sh/ita k, n
we m m
you pl. k k
They s k
Their y k
Who? wa / wa nn w
Which? wn
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Ywom Wordlist Roger Blench
Gloss Hausa Ywom
What? m/mmnn m
When? yush n
How? yaya
Why? km
Where? n n
Here nt
Before bt
Outside f

Guinea-yam[32] doya
Aerial yam[33] doyan bisa, tuwon biri
Water-yam[35] sakata
Bush yam vram
Taro (Old cocoyam)[36] gwaza gban
New cocoyam[37]* mankani
Cassava*[38] rogo
Sweet potato*[39] ankali
Wild yam I doyan daji
Rizga[41] rizga
Sorghum[42] dawa ywl
Bulrush millet[44] gero mr
Bulrush millet maiwa
Fonio (H. acca)[46] acca
Iburu (H. iburu)[47] iburu
Maize*[48] masara
Rice*[49] shinafa
Cowpea[50] wake rm
Spiral cowpea kanannado
Bambara groundnut[52] gurjiya, kwaruru kr
Groundnut (Peanut)[54] gyaa krkw
Tiger-nut[55] aya
Garden egg[56] gaut
Okra[57] kubewa
Chili pepper* (large)[58] barkono
Birdseye chili*[59] ata lugu
Onion (Allium cepa) albasa
Garlic[60] tafarnuwa
Melon (other)[63] gn
Edible squash[64] kabewa
Sorrel/roselle[65] yakuwa mwr
Jews' mallow[66] lalo
Kenaf[67] rama
Sesame seeds[68] ridi
Sesame leaves[70] karkashi
Bitterleaf[71] shuwaka
Waterleaf*[72] alefu
Banana (Musa AAA) ayaba
Orange*[73] lemu
Pawpaw*[76] gwanda
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Ywom Wordlist Roger Blench
Gloss Hausa Ywom
Gourd (Generic) kwarya
Gourd-bottle[77] ludayi
Gourd (spherical)[78] duma
Other gourds
Cotton auduga
Tobacco* tb
Sugar-cane* reke
Loofah[79] soso
Cola goro
Oil-palm[80] kwkw
Raphia/ bamboo palm[81] tkrw
Fan-palm[82] ggny
Monkey-guava[83] kanya
Custard apple[85] gwandan daji
Wild date-palm[86] kajinjira
Baobab[87] kuka
Silk-cotton tree[88] rimi
Shea tree[89] kade
Locust tree[90] doroowa ep tm
Locust-bean cakes daddawa by
Tamarind[91] tsamiya
Sodom apple[92] tunfafiya
Terminalia sp.[93] bush
Black plum[94] ny
Afzelia africana kw
Mahogany1 mc
Daniellia oliveri mj
Ficus polita drm
Drum I gng
Drum II kalangu
Drum III
Flute suriya
Zither molo na kara
Lute molo, gurmi, karaya
Transverse horn kaho
Clarinet tillibo
Iron gong kuge
Gourd-rattle cak, kacaukacau
Ankle rattles

References
Jungraithmayr, Hermann 1964. Materialien zur Kenntnis des Chip, Montol, Gerka und Burrum (Sdplateau,
Nordnigerien). Afrika und bersee, XLVIII(3): 161-181.
Jungraithmayr, H. and Dymitr Ibriszimow 1995. Chadic lexical roots. [2 vols.] Berlin: Reimer.
Ywom Project. 2011. Reading and writing Ywom. Jos: Sele Publishing House.

1
Khaya senegalensis
20