who (interrogative);

ɣaɽu‿ɛe [ ˥ ˥ / ] who did it?

ɣa nɔ [ \ ˥ ] who is it?

cf. ɣabi-ɔna [ ˥ ˥ ˥ ˩ ].

an auxiliary verb indicating (1) the Future: ɔɣare [ ˩ ˥ ˦ ] he will come;

ɔɣaade [ ˩ ˥ / ] probably he will come (as reply to a question);

but also used (2) in the Progressive: ɔɣanwina [ ˩ ˥ ˩ ˥ ] he is working, and (3) in the Imperative: ɣanwina [ ˥ ˩ ˥ ] work!

(in the latter case, the form with added ɣa- was said to be used to a man who is a little way off, while nwina [ ˩ ˩ ] was said to be used to a man near by).

to warm oneself, in ɣa‿erhɛ̃ [ ˩ ˥ ˩ ] to warm oneself at a fire.

an auxiliary verb used in conditional sentences;

with a low-tone pronoun it indicates a real condition, e.g. ɔɣare [ ˩ ˩ ˥ ] if he comes;

with a high tone it is used in the apodosis of hypothetical clauses, e.g. ɔɣare [ ˥ ˩ ˥ ] ..., he would have come.

to cry at the slightest rebuke, of children.

to be dear, expensive;

ɔɣã gbe [ ˩ / ˦ ] it is very dear;

axiɛ̃ ɣã [ ˩ ˥ ˩ ] “may (your) selling be dear”: a greeting to traders;

cf. Yor. nwɔ̃ [ ˩ ].

“who has borne”: the fifth generation of descendants, the last generation a man can see (such as e.g. the long-lived Azaka [ ˩ ˩ ˥ ]), but whom he can no longer identify;

hence the name;

v. iwu [ ˩ ˩ ];

eyɛ [ ˩ ˥ ];

ihiɛ̃hiɛ̃ [ ˥ ˩ ˥ ];

(e)sakpaɽ̃ɛ̃ɣodĩ [ ˥ ˥ ˦ ˩ ˩ ].

to share;

to divide;

iɽ̃ã ɣa-uzo [ ˥ ˩ ˩ ˥ ˩ ] they divided the antelope;

iɽ̃ã ɣae n-eʋ̃i [ ˥ ˩ ˩ ˥ (4-1) ] they are sharing the thing;

nanaɣa-eʋ̃i [ ˩ ˥ ˩ ˩ \ ] “dividing things”: division (in arithmetic);

v. ɽoɽo [ ˩ ˥ ];

ɣa-ka (ɔka [ ˩ ˥ ]) [ ˩ ˥ ] “to share turns”: to do a thing in turns;

olɔkpa ɣaka [ ˥ ˥ ˦ ˧ ˨ ] the police changed reliefs.

very hot (of the weather);

ɛdɛ n-ɛɽɛ ɽu (or, ye [ ˥ ]) ɣãɣaãɣã [ ˩ ˩ \ ˩ ˥ ˩ ˩ ˩ ] it is very hot to-day.

a salutation used towards chiefs (at any time);

it may contain rɔ [ (5-3) ], meaning something like “may you be there”, and referring to long life (?);

v. (e)doo [ ˥ ].

to look;

ɔɣe ʋ̃ɛ [ ˩ ˩ ˥ ] he is looking at me.

ɣe [ / ] lɛ [ / ] ga [ / ] to look around;

ɔɣelɛga‿egbe [ ˩ / ˩ ˩ ˩ ˥ ] he looked around.

ɣ-uɣe [ ˩ ˥ ] to look at a show (i.e. usually a dance);

lare n-imu‿ɛ̃ ɣ-uɣe [ ˩ ˥ ˦ ˩ ˥ ˩ ˥ ] lit. “come, that I may carry you to look at the dance” (to a small child);

cf. ɣeɣe [ / / ];

uɣe [ ˩ ˥ ];

uɣegbe [ ˩ ˩ ˩ ].

to see unexpectedly (v. A. Biogr.);

cf. ɣe [ / ].

particle used in the negative imperative and subjunctive;

ɣɛɽu‿ɛe [ ˥ ˦ (4-1) ] don’t do it!

ɣɛyo [ ˥ (4-1) ] don’t go!

to fornicate;

cf. oɣɛɛ [ ˩ ˩ ].

to feed;

occurs in Ɔxwahɛ [ ˩ / ˩ ] song 7;

also in t-uɽami-egbe ya ɣ-ɔɽe [ ˥ ˦ ˩ ˩ ˥ ˩ / ˩ ] lit. “may you get body to (take) feed it”: may you be fit to bring it (a child) up properly!

(a blessing given to a woman after delivery, like ɔm-ɔɣɔ [ ˩ \ ˩ ]).

half-way;

incompletely (occurs in a proverb).

describes a stealthy way of walking like that of a spy, with varying speed and frequent looking round;

ɔxiã ɣɛɽɛɣɛɽɛɣɛɽɛ [ ˩ ˥ ˦ ˦ ˩ ˩ ˥ ˥ ] he walks like a spy.

an auxiliary used in several ways, especially (1) following the auxiliary ke [ ˥ ] which links up facts (“and then...”);

ɔkeɣiɽu‿ɛe [ ˩ ˥ ˥ ˥ \ ] “and he was doing it”;

ɔkeɣiɽu‿ɛe [ ˩ ˥ ˩ ˥ \ ] “and then he did it”.

(2) in temporal clauses: ɔɣis-eʋa (sɛ [ ˥ ]) [ ˩ \ ˩ \ ] or [ ˩ ˥ ˩ \ ] “when he had arrived there.” (3) in the apodosis of a conditional period.

(4) after a negation, meaning “no longer”: ɛɣiɽu‿ɛe [ / ˥ ˥ \ ] he no longer does it;

cf. ɣu.

big (of parts of the body, like arms and calves, thighs);

occasionally gidigidi is said to be heard, which is wrong;

ɔye ɣidiɣidi [ ˩ ˥ ˩ ˩ ˩ ˩ ] it is big.

(1) describes a blazing fire;

erhɛ̃ ba ɣiriɣiri [ ˩ ˩ \ ˩ ˩ ˩ ˩ ] the fire blazes up;

v. wowowo [ ˩ ˩ ˩ ].

(2) hot (not as hot as giogiogio [ ˩ ˩ ˩ ]; used e.g. of a pot on a fire);

ɔtɔ̃ ɣiɽiɣiɽi [ ˩ ˥ ˩ ˩ ˩ ˩ ] it is very hot.

(1) to circle (of a hawk, etc.);

ɛɣodĩ ɣaɣo yo ɣo re ʋ-od-uxuʋ̃u [ ˥ ˩ ˩ ˥ / ˥ / ˩ ˩ ˥ ˩ ˩ ] a hawk was circling to and fro in the sky.

(2) to sell goods without a stall: to hawk (cf. iɣo [ ˩ \ ]).

to worship as a god;

also ɣo‿ɛbɔ [ ˩ ˥ ˩ ];

cf. eɣo [ ˩ ˩ ].

to live nomadically;

to have no “settled” dwelling-place (as e.g. Hausa traders);

ɔɣoɣo xiã [ ˩ ˩ ˥ ˥ ] he is leading a vagrant life;

cf. ɣo 1 [ / ].

to make a feast (eating-feast);

deɣ-uɣaɣɔ y-ɔ n-ima dogu‿e nwina [ ˥ ˩ ˥ / \ ˩ / ˦ ˧ ˧ ˩ ˥ ] lit. “if you will make an eating-feast for it, that we shall come and work with you”: ...then we shall come... (if agricultural help is not paid for, an eating-feast is given to the helpers);

aɣɔɽe-ɽɛ uxurhuxurhu [ ˩ / / ˩ ˩ ˩ ˥ ˩ ˩ ] we have feasted to-day in abundance (so that something had to remain);

cf. ɣɔɣɔ [ ˩ ˥ ] (?);

eɣɔ [ ˩ ˥ ].

to rejoice;

to be glad;

ɔɣɔɣɔe [ ˩ ˩ \ ] he was glad;

ɔɣɔɣɔ yɔ [ ˩ ˩ ˥ (4-1) ] he is glad about it;

cf. ɣɔ [ / ] (?).

a variant of the auxiliary ɣi, used after the 2nd pers. sgl., e.g. uɣuɽu‿ɛe [ ˥ ˩ ˥ \ ] you should do it.

cf. ɣe [ / ].