Who's your Baama?

Lower Basic
Originally uploaded by mchughtie.

It shouldn't come as any surprise to me that Mandinka would be sneaking English into its vernacular. I have to say though, that I was taken by surprise when Betembo first stood down the pouring rain from her porch, wooden pestle in hand and proclaimed, "Ah Time Wastah Baake!" Living here, it's easy to see why locals wouldn't have a word for certain concepts. How could one waste time in a place where entire days are devoted to cracking peanuts with your thumb? I like to ponder what drove these words into the language, and how they expand and alter it. This includes countless nouns, like "Telefuno," "Garaaso," and "Moto", but I think the most interesting are the blended phrases. Some top Mandinglish picks I've encountered around my compound:

"Caambano Mang Cibilized" (The boy is not civilized.)

"Ah Kuulta Baake!" (Very Cool)

"Kaana moolu disturb" (Don't disturb people)

"Mbaa try la" (I will try it)

"Africa Mang easy" (Africa is not easy.)

"I buka understand." (You just don't get it.)