Grammar

1. The grammatical function of tones in Dioula

Certain grammatical tones in Dioula serve to distinguish between definite and indefinite nouns. While the indefinite nouns are unmarked, the definite nouns are marked by a high tone mark on the last vowel. See the examples below in which the definite nouns are marked with a high tone:

Indefinite nouns:                    Definite nouns:

baa   «une chèvre» (a goat)     baá    «la chèvre (en question)» (the goat in question)

báa   «un fleuve» (a river)          báá    «le fleuve» (the river)

soo   «un cheval» (a horse)      soó    «le cheval» (the horse)

sóo   «une maison» (a house)   sóó    «la maison» (the house)

 

The tones are different in a compound word than a noun phrase.

For example:

mùsó tɔ́gɔ́   «le nom de la femme (en question)» (the name of the woman in question)

mùsòtɔ́gɔ́    «nom de femme» (woman's name)

bàá kùún    «la tête de la chèvre (en question)» (the head of the goat in question)

bàkún         «tête de chèvre» (goat's head)

2. Nouns

The plural marker in Dioula is "w". It is pronounced [ù] and occurs at the end of nouns, adjectives and certain emphatic and insistent pronouns.

wulu  «chien» (dog)  wuluw   «chiens» (dogs)

an     «nous simple» (simple "we")    anw       «nous emphatique» (emphatic "we")

3. Pronouns

3.1 Personal pronouns

The personal pronouns serve as subjects or objects in a clause:

ń      ń naná.     «Je suis venu(e).» (I came.)

í (é)  í naná.      « Tu es venu(e).» (You came.)

à      à naná.     «Il (elle) est venu(e).» (He/she came.)

án    án naná.    «Nous sommes venus(es).» (We came.)

á      á naná.     «Vous êtes venus(es).» (You came.)

ò (ù) ò naná.     «Ils / elles sont venus(es).» (They came.)

Emphatic pronouns

ńné      ńné naná.   «Moi, je suis venu(e).» (Me, I came.)

éle       éle naná.    «Toi, tu es venu(e).» (You, you came.)

alé       alé naná.    «Il / elle, il / elle est venu(e).» (He/she, he/she came.)

ánw     ánw naná.   «Nous, nous sommes venus(es).» (We, we came.)

áw       áw naná.     «Vous, vous êtes venus(es).» (You, you came.)

olú (ulú)  olú naná. «Eux, ils / elles sont venus(es).» (They, they came.)

3.2 Interrogative pronouns

  mín ? (sg.)  «où ?» (where ?)

Tása bé mín?   «Où est l'assiette ?» (Where is the plate?)

  mínw ? (pl.)  «où ?» (where - plural)

A bɔra yɔ́rɔ mínw ná.  «Les lieux d'où il est venu.» (The places from where he came.)

  mùn  «quoi, que, qu'est-ce qui /que» (what)

A bí mun báara kɛ?   «Quel travail fait-il ?» (What work does he do?)

  joli «combien ?» (How many?)

A yé joli bɔ́?  «Combien a-t-il enlevé ?» (How many did he remove?)

  jɔ́ɔn ? (sg.)    «qui ?» (who?)

Jɔ́ɔn kúmana?   «Qui a parlé ?» (Who spoke?)

  jɔ́ɔnw ? (pl.)   «qui ?» (who - plural?)

Jɔɔnw kúnana?   «Qui sont ceux qui ont parlé ?» (Who are they who spoke?)

  júman (sg.) «lequel, laquelle, quel, quelle» (which)

Faní júmàn túnuna?  «Quel habit est perdu ?» (Which article of clothing is lost?)

  júmanw (pl.) «lesquels, lesquelles, quels, quelles»

Faní jumanw túnuna? «Quels habits sont perdus ?» (Which articles of clothing are lost?)

  di  «comment, quoi, qu-est-ce que?» (how, what, what is it?)

Moussa kó di«Que a dit Moussa ?» (What did Moussa say?)

Ń b'á kɛ́ di?    «Comment vais-je faire ?» (How will I do it?)

3.3 Demonstrative pronouns

  nin (sg.)    «ce, cet, cette; celui-ci, celle-ci» (this)

A yé nín san kúnù.  «Il a acheté celui-ci hier.» (He bought this yesterday.)

  nunú (pl.)  «ces, ceux-ci, celles-ci» (these)

A yé nunú san kúnù.  «Il a acheté ceux-ci hier.» (He bought these yesterday.)

3.4 Indefinite pronouns

  dɔ́ (sg.)    «certain, quelque» (certain, some)

A yé dɔ́ san.  «Il / elle en a acheté.» (He/she bought a certain one.)

  dɔ́w (pl.)  «certains, d'autres» (certain ones, of them)

A yé dɔ́w san.  «Il / elle a acheté certains.» (He/she bought certain ones.)

3.5 The pronoun of totality 

  bɛ́ɛ  «tout, tous, toute, toutes» (all)

A yé wári bɛ́ɛ ta.   «Il a pris tout l'argent.» (He took all the money.)

Bɛ́ɛ bí kúmana.     «Tous sont en train de parler.» (Everyone is talking.)

3.6 Possessive pronouns

  táa (sg.)  «appartient à» (belong to)

Ńne táa lo.   «C'est à moi.» (It is mine.)

tááw  (pl.)  «appartiennent à» (they belong to)

3.7 Relative pronouns

  mín  (sg.)  «qui, que, lequel, laquelle» (who, that)

Musó mín naná ....   «La femme qui est venue ... » (The woman who came...)

  minw (pl.)  «lesquels, lesquelles» (those)

Musó mínw naná ...   «Les femmes qui sont venues ... » (The women who came...)

4. The order of words

4.1 Intransltive clauses

⇒  Subject + verb

Yiri benna.   «L'arbre est tombé.» (The tree fell.)

⇒  Subject + verb + complement

Musa dogora boon kɔnɔ. «Moussa s'est caché dans la maison.» (Moussa hid behind the house.)

4.2 Transitive clauses

⇒  Subject + object + verb (S+O+V)

Baba ye fani feere.   «Papa a vendu un habit.» (Papa sold an article of clothing.

/papa/passé/habit/vendre

5. Verb markings

5.1 Infinitive verb marking

"ka" is the infinitive marking, and carries a low tone.

ka taga «aller» (to go);  ka kuma «parler» (to speak);  ka wari di  «donner de l'argent» (to give money); k'a fɔ «le dire» (to say it)

Dans une succession d'actions à sujet commun, «ka» sert de lien entre les verbes.

A tagamana ka ben, ka wili, ka boli.

«Il (ou elle) a marché, est tombé, s'est levé, a couru.» (He/she walked, fell, got up, and ran.)

5.2  The affirmative and negation

The affirmative verbal suffix is either  -ra, -la or -na (after a nasal consonant)

  1. Musa bɔra kabi sɔgɔma. «Moussa est sorti depuis le matin.» (Moussa has been gone since the morning.)

Fati donna soo kɔnɔ.      «Fati est rentrée dans la maison.» (Fati returned to the house.)

For the previous examples, the negation is expressed with "" followed by the infinitive form of the verb. "" occurs before the verb.

  1. Musa ma bɔ kabi sɔgɔma. «Moussa n'est pas sorti depuis le matin.» (Moussa has not left since this morning.)

Fati ma don soo kɔnɔ.  «Fati n'est pas rentrée dans la maison.» (Fati has not returned to the house.)

Negation of the completive/progressive or habitual is "".

  1. A bi malo dumu.  «Il mange du riz.» (He eats rice.)

négation: A malo dumu.  «Il ne mange pas du riz.» (He is not eating rice.)

The particule "yé" indicates the completive affirmative (past tense)

  1. Baba fani feere.  «Papa a vendu un habit.» (Papa sold the article of clothing.)

Negation:  Baba fani feere. «Papa n'a pas vendu un habit.» (Papa has not sold the article of clothing.)

The future marker is "bínà" for the affirmative and "tínà" for the negation.

  1. A bina malo dumu.  «Il mangera du riz.» (He will eat rice.)

Negation: A tina malo dumu.   « Il ne mangera pas du riz.» (He will not eat rice.)

5.3 Aspect

The completive aspect and the incompletive aspect are expressed by the different verb markers.

5.3.1 Completive aspect of intransitive verbs

The completive aspect of intransitive verbs is indicated by the markers "-ra", "-la", "-na" for the affirmative, and "" for the negative.

  1. Musa bɔra «Moussa est sorti.» (Moussa left.) Musa ma bɔ. «Moussa n'est pas sorti.» (Moussa did not leave.)
  2. Musa tɔɔrɔla «Moussa a souffert.» (Moussa suffered.) Musa ma tɔɔrɔ. «Moussa n'a pas souffert.» (Moussa did not suffer.)
  3. Musa nana. «Moussa est venu.» (Moussa came.) Musa ma na. «Moussa n'est pas venu.» (Moussa did not come.)

5.3.2 The completive aspect of transitive verbs

The completive (past tense) of transitive verbs is indicated by the marker "" for the affirmative of the past and by "" for the negative:

  1. Musa ye woro san. «Moussa a acheté de la viande.» (Moussa bought meat.)

Musa ma woro san. «Moussa n'a pas acheté de la viande.» (Moussa did not buy meat.)

5.3.3 Incompletive aspect of intransitive and transitive verbs

The incompletive aspects of intransitive and transitive verbs are marked by bi / ti:

bi ...-ra /-la /-na

ti ... -ra /-la/-na

bínà / tínà

ká / kánà

Examples:

  The incompletive / progressive aspects of intransitive verbs:

Aff.:  Musa bi bɔra.  «Moussa est en train de sortir.» (Moussa is leaving.)

Nég: Musa ti bɔra.  «Moussa n'est pas en train de sortir.» (Moussa is not leaving.)

Aff.:  Fati bi tɔɔrɔla.  «Fati est en train de souffrir.» (Fati is suffering.)

Nég: Fati ti tɔɔrɔla.  «Fati n'est pas en train de souffrir.» (Fati is not suffering.)

Aff.:  Zan bi nana.  «Jean est en train de venir.» (John is coming.)

Nég: Zan ti nana.  «Jean n'est pas en train de venir.» (John is not coming.)

  Incompletive aspect of intransitive (habitual) verbs

Aff.: Zan bi na. «Jean a l'habitude de venir.» (John has a habit of coming.)

Nég.: Zan ti na. «Jean n'a pas l'habitude de venir.» (John does not have a habit of coming.)

  Incompletive aspect of intransitive (future) verbs

Aff.:  Án bina bɔ.  «Nous sortirons.» (We will leave.)

Nég: Án tina bɔ.  «Nous ne sortirons pas.» (We will not leave.)

  Incompletive aspect of intransitive (projective) verbs

Aff.:  A ko Sita ka na.  «Il dit à Sita de venir.» (He tells Sita to come.)

Nég.: A ko Sita kana na. «Il dit à Sita de ne pas venir.» (He tells Sita not to come.)

  Incompletive aspect of transitive verbs (progressive)

Aff.: Musa bi sogo feerera. «Moussa est en train de vendre de la viande.» (Moussa is selling the meat.)

Nég.: Musa ti sogo feere. «Moussa n'est pas en train de vendre de la viande.» (Moussa is not selling the meat.)

Aff.: Musa bi woro san. «Moussa est en train d'acheter une noix de cola.» (Moussa is buying the cola nuts.)

Nég.: Musa ti wogo san. «Moussa n'est pas en train d'acheter une noix de cola.» (Moussa is not buying the cola nuts.)

  Incompletive aspect of transitive verbs (future)

Aff.: Musa bínà sogo feere. «Moussa vendra de la viande.» (Moussa will sell the meat.)

Nég.: Musa tínà sogo feere. «Moussa ne vendra pas de la viande.» (Moussa will not sell the meat.)

5.4 Other verb markings

5.4.1 The markers used for blessings

In Dioula the markers used for blessings are "" for the affirmative and "kánà"in the negative.

Affirmative: Ala ka baraka don deen na. «Que Dieu bénisse l'enfant.» (God bless the child.)

Negative: Ala kana baraka don soon na. «Que dieu ne bénisse pas le voleur.» (God does not bless the thief.)

5.4.2 The inactual marker

The inactual marker in Dioula is "tun", which is used with completive or incompletive verbs.

When the tone following the marker "tun" is high, the marker will have a low tone.

Affirmative: Musa tun tɔɔrɔra.    «Moussa avait souffert.» (Moussa has suffered.)

Negative:    Musa tun ma tɔɔrɔ.  «Moussa n'avait pas souffert.» (Moussa has not suffered.)

When the tone following the "tun" is low, the marker will have a rising tone.

A tun kalanna.  «Il était instruit.» (He was taught.)

5.5 The imperative

The imperative verbal aspect is used for commands. In Dioula, this is manifested by a special intonation pattern.

⇒  5.5.1 The imperative form of the second person singular.

In Dioula, the imperative verb form of the second person singular in the affirmative occurs without a subject or an affirmative marker, while the negative is conjugated with the marker "kánà», for both intransitive and transitive verbs.

Affirmative:                          Negative:

Wíli !      «Lève-toi !» (Get up!)         Kánà wíli !        «Ne te lève pas !» (Do not get up!)

Jíi min !  «Bois l'eau !» (Drink the water.)        Kánà jíi min !   «Ne bois pas l'eau !» (Do not drink the water.)

⇒  5.5.2 The imperative form of the first person plural

The verbs that are conjugated with "" indicate the first person plural, for both the intransitive as well as the transitive forms.

Affirmative:                                 Negative:

Án sigi ! «Asseyons-nous !» (Let us sit down!)  Án kánà sigi! «Ne nous asseyons pas !» (Let's not sit down!)

Án jíi min ! «Buvons l'eau !» (Let us drink water!)  Ám kánà jíi min ! «Ne buvons pas l'eau !» (Let us not drink water!)

⇒  5.5.3 The second person plural form

In Dioula, both intransitive and transitive verbs use the imperative marker "" in the second person plural form.

Á sigi !   « Asseyez-vous !» (You sit down!)  Á kánà sigi !  «Ne vous asseyez pas !» (You do not sit!)

Á jíi min !  «Buvez l'eau !» (You drink the water!)   Á kánà jíi min !  «Ne buvez pas l'eau !» (You do not drink the water!)

5.6 Verbes serving as a qualifier

5.6.1 The affirmative and negative forms of verbs serving as a qualifier

The affirmative form of verbs acting as a qualifier are preceded by the mark "". (The high tone distinguishes that marker from the infinitive marker "" which carries a low tone.) The negative marker pour qualifier verbs is "mán".  See the following examples:

Affirmative:                                         Negative:

Sogo di.  «La viande est bonne.» (The meat is good.)    Sogo mán di. «La viande n'est pas bonne.» (The meat is not good.)

Wari ca.  «L'argent est beaucoup.» (The money is abundant.)   Wari mán ca. «L'argent n'est pas beaucoup.» (The money is not abundant.)

Note:  The form of the marker "mán" depends on the context. The marker is manifested by "" when it is preceded by a verb beginning with a nasal consonant.

Wari ɲi. «L'argent n'est pas une bonne chose.» (The money is not a good thing.)

5.6.2 Derived forms of verbs that serve as qualifiers

Verbs can be derived by the suffix "man" to serve as qualifiers.

caman  «beaucoup» (much); diman  «bon» (good);  duman  «profond» (deep); kɔrɔman  «âgé» (aged), etc.

Verbs acting as qualifers can also be derived by the suffix "ya", to give the nouns the notion of abstract.

bonya  «grosseur» (fattening); diya  «goût» (taste);  dɔgɔya  «petitesse» (smallness); dunya  «profondeur» (depth), etc.