� Lonely Planet Publications
305
Language
with what we include here, Lonely Planet s
compact French Phrasebook offers a handy,
pocket-sized guide to the language that will
CONTENTS
cover all your travel needs and more.
Colonial Languages 305
Pronunciation
French 305
Most of letters in the French alphabet are
African Languages 309
pronounced more or less the same as their
Diola 309
English counterparts. Here are a few that
Fula (Fulfulde/Pulaar) 309
may cause confusion:
Malink� 310
Mandinka 310
j zh in the pronunciation guides; as the
Wolof 311
 s in  leisure , eg jour, zhoor (day)
c before e and i, as the  s in  sit ; before
a, o and u it s pronounced as English
COLONIAL LANGUAGES
 k . When undescored with a  cedilla
(�) it s always pronounced as the  s
The sheer number of indigenous tongues
in  sit .
spoken in Gambia and Senegal means that
r pronounced from the back of the
a common language is essential. Whereas
throat while constricting the muscles
Swahili developed in East Africa as a way
to restrict the flow of air
for all the tribes to communicate, in West
n, m where a syllable ends in a single n or
Africa the languages of the former colonial
m, these letters are not pronounced,
powers  French in Senegal and English in
but the preceding vowel is given a
Gambia  have become each country s
nasal pronunciation
common language (or  lingua franca ).
We assume most readers of this book
The pronunciation guides included with
have a comfortable grasp of English, but
each French phrase should help you in get-
some pointers for survival in French are
ting your message across.
provided here. Note that the French of
France often differs from the French of Af-
Accommodation
rica: for starters the French of Africa is pro-
I m looking for a ...
nounced with an accent that makes it easier
Je cherche ... zher shersh ...
to understand for English ears. Conversely
camping ground
the French you speak with an accent terrible
un camping un kom�peeng
is more likely to be understood in les march�s
guesthouse
de Dakar than on les boulevards de Paris.
une pension (de famille) ewn pon�syon (der fa�mee�ler)
hotel
FRENCH
un h�tel un o�tel
Though we ve generally only included the
youth hostel
polite form of address with the following
une auberge de jeunesse ewn o�berzh der zher�nes
phrases  vous (you)  the informal mode tu
is used much more commonly in West Af- Where is a cheap hotel?
rica; you ll hear less s il vous pla�t and more
Oł est-ce qu on peut trouver un h�tel pas cher?
s il te pla�t (which may be considered impo- oo es�kon per troo�vay un o�tel pa shair
lite in France unless spoken between good What is the address?
friends). If in doubt in Africa (when dealing Quelle est l adresse?
with border officials or any older people) it s kel e la�dres
always safer to use the polite vous form. Could you write the address, please?
If you fancy getting stuck into your Est-ce que vous pourriez �crire l adresse, s il vous pla�t?
fran�ais to a greater extent than is possible e�sker voo poo�ryay ay�kreer la�dres seel voo play
L A N G U A G E
306 COLONIAL LANGUAGES " " French www.lonelyplanet.com www.lonelyplanet.com COLONIAL LANGUAGES " " French 307
toilet Can you show me (on the map)?
SIGNS
Emergencies
les toilettes lay twa�let Pouvez-vous m indiquer (sur la carte)?
Entr�e Entrance
poo�vay�voo mun�dee�kay (sewr la kart)
Help!
Ferm� Closed
Conversation & Essentials
Au secours! o skoor
Interdit Prohibited
In common with many other predominantly Numbers
There s been an accident!
Ouvert Open
Muslim groups, the Wolof and Mandinka 0 zero zay�ro
Il y a eu un accident! eel ya ew un ak�see�don
Renseignements Information
use the traditional Arabic Islamic greetings: 1 un un
I m lost.
Sortie Exit
salaam aleikum (Peace be with you); the Je me suis �gar�/e. (m/f) zhe me swee�zay�ga�ray 2 deux der
Toilettes/WC Toilets
response is: aleikum asalaam (And peace be Leave me alone! 3 trois trwa
Femmes Women
with you). Fichez-moi la paix! fee�shay�mwa la pay 4 quatre ka�trer
Hommes Men
5 cinq sungk
Call ...! Appelez ...! a�play ...
Hello. Bonjour. bon�zhoor 6 six sees
a doctor un m�decin un mayd�sun
Goodbye. Au revoir. o�rer�vwa 7 sept set
Do you have any rooms available?
the police la police la po�lees
Yes. Oui. wee 8 huit weet
Est-ce que vous avez des chambres libres?
No. Non. no 9 neuf nerf
e�sker voo�za�vay day shom�brer lee�brer
Health
Please. S il vous pla�t. seel voo play 10 dix dees
I m ill. Je suis malade. zher swee ma�lad
I d like (a) ... S il te pla�t. (inf) seel ter play 11 onze onz
antiseptic l antiseptique lon�tee�sep�teek
Je voudrais ... zher voo�dray ... Thank you. Merci. mair�see 12 douze dooz
aspirin l aspirine las�pee�reen
single room You re welcome. Je vous en prie. zher voo�zon pree 13 treize trez
condoms des pr�servatifs day pray�zair�va�teef
une chambre ą un lit ewn shom�brer a un lee
De rien. (inf) der ree�en 14 quatorze ka�torz
contraceptive le contraceptif ler kon�tra�sep�teef
double-bed room
Excuse me. Excusez-moi. ek�skew�zay�mwa 15 quinze kunz
diarrhoea la diarrh�e la dya�ray
une chambre avec un ewn shom�brer a�vek
Sorry. (forgive me) Pardon. par�don 16 seize sez
grand lit un gron lee medicine le m�dicament ler may�dee�ka�mon
17 dix-sept dee�set
room with two beds nausea la naus�e la no�zay
(Have a) good evening. 18 dix-huit dee�zweet
une chambre avec des ewn shom�brer a�vek day sunblock cream la crŁme solaire la krem so�lair
Bonne soir�e. bon swa�ray 19 dix-neuf deez�nerf
lits jumeaux lee zhew�mo
tampons des tampons day tom�pon
What s your name? 20 vingt vung
hygi�niques ee�zhen�eek
Comment vous ko�mon voo�za�pay�lay voo 21 vingt et un vung tay un
How much is it ...?
appelez-vous? 22 vingt-deux vung�der
Quel est le prix ...? kel e ler pree ...
I m ... Je suis ... zher swee ...
Comment tu ko�mon tew ta�pel 30 trente tront
per night
asthmatic asthmatique (z)as�ma�teek
t appelles? (inf) 40 quarante ka�ront
par nuit par nwee
diabetic diab�tique dee�a�bay�teek
My name is ... 50 cinquante sung�kont
per person
epileptic �pileptique (z)ay�pee�lep�teek
Je m appelle ... zher ma�pel ... 60 soixante swa�sont
par personne par per�son
Where are you from? 70 soixante-dix swa�son�dees
I m allergic Je suis zher swee
De quel pays ętes-vous? der kel pay�ee et�voo 80 quatre-vingts ka�trer�vung
May I see it?
to ... allergique ... za�lair�zheek ...
De quel pays es-tu? (inf) der kel pay�ee e�tew 90 quatre-vingt-dix ka�trer�vung�dees
Est-ce que je peux voir es�ker zher per vwa
antibiotics aux antibiotiques o zon�tee�byo�teek
I m from ... 100 cent son
la chambre? la shom�brer
nuts aux noix o nwa
Je viens de ... zher vyen der ... 1000 mille meel
Where is the bathroom?
peanuts aux cacahuŁtes o ka�ka�wet
I like ...
Oł est la salle de bains? oo e la sal der bun
penicillin ą la p�nicilline a la pay�nee�
J aime ... zhem ... Question Words
Where is the toilet?
see�leen
I don t like ... Who? Qui? kee
Oł sont les toilettes? oo�son lay twa�let
Je n aime pas ... zher nem pa ... What? Quoi? kwa
air-conditioning
Language Difficulties
What is it? Qu est-ce que kes�ker
climatisation klee�ma�tee�za�syon
Do you speak English?
Directions c est? say
bed
Parlez-vous anglais?
Where is ...? When? Quand? kon
lit lee
Oł est ...? oo e ... par�lay�voo zong�lay Where? Oł? oo
blanket
Go straight ahead. Does anyone here speak English? Which? Quel/Quelle? kel
couverture koo�vair�tewr
Continuez tout droit. kon�teen�way too drwa Y a-t-il quelqu un qui parle anglais? Why? Pourquoi? poor�kwa
hot water
Turn left. ya�teel kel�kung kee par long�glay How? Comment? ko�mon
eau chaude leeo shod
Tournez ą gauche. toor�nay a gosh I don t understand.
key
Turn right. Je ne comprends pas. Shopping & Services
clef/cl� klef/klay
Tournez ą droite. toor�nay a drwat zher ner kom�pron pa I d like to buy ...
sheet
drap drap How many kilometres is ...? Could you write it down, please? Je voudrais acheter ... zher voo�dray ash�tay ...
shower Ą combien de kilomŁtres a kom�byun der kee�lo�me�trer Est-ce que vous pourriez l �crire, s il vous pla�t? How much is it?
douche doosh est ...? e ... es�ker voo poo�ryay lay�kreer seel voo play C est combien? say kom�byun
L A N G U A G E
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308 COLONIAL LANGUAGES " " French www.lonelyplanet.com www.lonelyplanet.com AFRICAN LANGUAGES " " Diola 309
I don t like it. in the evening du soir dew swar the first le premier (m) ler prer�myay Their language is Diola or Jola, not to be
Cela ne me pla�t pas. ser�la ner mer play pa today aujourd hui o�zhoor�dwee la premiŁre (f) la prer�myair confused with the Dioula or Dyola spoken
May I look at it? tomorrow demain der�mun the last le dernier (m) ler dair�nyay in Burkina Faso and C�te d Ivoire. Diola
Est-ce que je peux le voir? es�ker zher per ler vwar yesterday hier yair la derniŁre (f) la dair�nyair society is segmented and very flexible, so
ticket billet bee�yay several dialects have developed which may
I m just looking.
Monday lundi lun�dee ticket office le guichet ler gee�shay not be mutually intelligible between groups
Je regarde. zher rer�gard
Tuesday mardi mar�dee timetable l horaire lo�rair even though the area inhabited by the Diola
It s cheap.
Wednesday mercredi mair�krer�dee train station la gare la gar is relatively small.
Ce n est pas cher. ser nay pa shair
Thursday jeudi zher�dee daily chaque jour shak zhoor
It s too expensive.
Friday vendredi von�drer�dee early t�t to Hello/Welcome. kah�sou�mai�kep
C est trop cher. say tro shair
Saturday samedi sam�dee late tard tar Greetings. (reply) kah�sou�mai�kep
I ll take it.
Sunday dimanche dee�monsh on time ą l heure a ler Goodbye. ou�kah�to�rrah
Je le prends. zher ler pron
January janvier zhon�vyay I d like to hire Je voudrais zher voo�dray FULA (FULFULDE/PULAAR)
Can I pay by ...? Est-ce que je peux es�ker zher per
The Fula people are found across West Af-
February f�vrier fayv�ryay a/an ... louer ... loo�way ...
payer avec ...? pay�yay a�vek ...
rica, from northern Senegal to as far east as
March mars mars car une voiture ewn vwa�tewr
credit card ma carte de ma kart der
Sudan and as far south as Ghana and Ni-
April avril a�vreel 4WD un quatre-quatre un kat�kat
cr�dit kray�dee
geria. The Fula are known as Peul in Sen-
May mai may motorbike une moto ewn mo�to
travellers des chŁques day shek
egal, and are also called Fulani and Fulbe.
June juin zhwun bicycle un v�lo un vay�lo
cheques de voyage der vwa�yazh
July juillet zhwee�yay There are two main languages in the Fulani
August ao�t oot group:
petrol/gas essence ay�sons
more plus plew
September septembre sep�tom�brer Fulfulde/Pulaar, spoken mainly in north-
diesel diesel dyay�zel
less moins mwa
October octobre ok�to�brer ern and southern Senegal; includes Tuku-
smaller plus petit plew per�tee
November novembre no�vom�brer lor and Fulakunda dialects
Is this the road to ...?
bigger plus grand plew gron
December d�cembre day�som�brer Futa Fula (aka Futa Djalon), one of the
C'est la route pour ...? say la root poor ...
main indigenous languages of Guinea,
Where s a service station?
I m looking Je cherche ... zhe shersh ...
Transport also spoken in eastern Senegal
Oł est-ce qu'il y a oo es�keel ya
for ...
What time does ... leave/arrive?
une station-service? ewn sta�syon�ser�vees
a bank une banque ewn bonk
Ą quelle heure part/arrive ...? These far-flung languages have numerous
Please fill it up.
the ... embassy l ambassade lam�ba�sahd
a kel er par/a�reev ... regional dialects and variants that aren t al-
Le plein, s il vous pla�t. ler plun seel voo play
de ... der ...
boat ways mutually intelligible between different
I need a mechanic.
the hospital l h�pital lo�pee�tal
le bateau ler ba�to groups.
J ai besoin d un zhay ber�zwun dun
the market le march� ler mar�shay
bus The following phrases in Pulaar should
m�canicien. may�ka�nee�syun
the police la police la po�lees
le bus ler bews be understood through most parts of Sen-
the post office le bureau de ler bew�ro der
train egal. Note that ng is pronounced as one
poste post
le train ler trun sound (like the  ng in  sing ); practise iso-
AFRICAN LANGUAGES
a public phone une cabine ewn ka�been
lating this sound and using it at the begin-
t�l�phonique tay�lay�fo�neek
I d like a ticket to ... The diverse tribes and ethnic groups of ning of a word. The letter ń represents the
a public toilet les toilettes lay twa�let
Je voudrais un billet ą ... Gambia and Senegal are spread across the  ni sound in  onion .
the telephone la centrale la san�tral
zher voo�dray un bee�yay a ... national boundaries, and each has their own
centre t�l�phonique tay�lay�fo�neek
I want to go to ... language or dialect. According to the Sum- Hello. no ngoolu daa (sg)
the tourist l office de lo�fees der
Je voudrais aller ą ... mer Institute of Linguistics Ethnologue there no ngoolu dong (pl)
office tourisme too�rees�mer
zher voo�dray a�lay a ... are up to 50 distinct languages spoken in the Goodbye. ńalleen e jamm (lit.  Have a
Which bus goes to ...? region, at least 15 of which have over 15,000 good day. )
Time & Dates
Quel autobus/car part pour ...? speakers. Some of the native tongues spoken mbaaleen e jamm ( Have a
What time is it?
kel o�to�boos/ka par poor ... as a first language by a significant proportion good night. )
Quelle heure est-il? kel er e til
Does this bus go to ...? of people are listed here (although many Please. njaafodaa
It s (8) o clock.
Ce car�lą va�t�il ą ...? people speak at least two indigenous lan- Thank you. a jaaraamah (sg)
Il est (huit) heures. il e (weet) er
ser ka�la va�til a ... guages). Note that the phrases reflect pro- on jaaraama (pl)
It s half past ...
Please tell me when we arrive in ... nunciation and not correct spelling. You re welcome. enen ndendidum
Il est (...) heures et il e (...) er e
D�tes�moi quand on arrive ą ... s il vous pla�t. Sorry/Pardon. yaafo or achanam hakke
demie. day�mee deet�mwa kon�don a�reev a ... seel voo play DIOLA Yes. eey
Stop here, please. The Diola people inhabit the Casamance No. alaa
in the morning du matin dew ma�tun Arrętez ici, s il vous pla�t. region of Senegal, and also southwestern How are you? no mbaddaa?
in the afternoon de l aprŁs-midi der la�pray�mee�dee a�ray�tay ee�see seel voo play Gambia, where their name is spelt Jola. I m fine. mbe de sellee
L A N G U A G E
LANGUAGE
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310 AFRICAN LANGUAGES " " Malink� www.lonelyplanet.com www.lonelyplanet.com AFRICAN LANGUAGES " " Wolof 311
Can you help me ada waawi wallude mi, found largely in central and northern Gam- 9 kononto How are you? jaam nga am? (lit.  Have you
please? njaafodaa? bia, and in parts of southern Senegal. The 10 tang peace? )
Do you speak ada faama engale/faranse? people and their language are also called 11 tang ning kiling I m fine. jaam rek
English/French? Mandingo and they re closely related to 12 tang ning fula And you? yow nag?
I speak only English. ko engale tan kaala mi other Manding-speaking groups such as the 20 muwaa What s your (first) naka-nga sant?
I speak a little French. mi nani faranse seeda Bambara of Mali, where they originate. 30 tang saba name?
I don t understand. mi faamaani In this guide, ng should be pronounced 100 keme My name is ... maa ngi tudd ...
What s your name? no mbiyeteedaa? as in  sing and ń represents the  ni sound Where do you live? fan nga dahk?
1000 wili kiling
My name is ... ko ... mbiyetee mi in  onion . Where are you from? fan nga joghe? (sg)
Where are you from? to njeyedaa? WOLOF fan ngeen joghe? (pl)
I m from ... ko ... njeyaa mi Hello. i/al be ńaading (sg/pl)
Wolof (spelt ouolof in French) is the lan- I m from ... maa ngi joghe ...
Where is ...? hoto woni? Goodbye. fo tuma doo Do you speak English/ deg nga angale/faranse?
guage of the Wolof people, who are found
Is it far? no woddi? Please. dukare French?
in Senegal, particularly in the central area
straight ahead ko yeesu Thank you. i/al ning bara (sg/pl) I speak only English. angale rekk laa degg
north and east of Dakar, along the coast,
left nano bang-ge You re welcome. mbee le dentaala/ I speak a little French. degg naa tuuti faranse
and in the western regions of Gambia. The
right nano ńaamo wo teng fengti (lit.  It s nothing. )
Wolof spoken in Gambia is slightly differ- I don t speak Wolof/ mahn deggumah wolof/
How much is this? dum no foti jarata? Sorry/Pardon. hakko tuńe French. faranse
ent to the Wolof spoken in Senegal; the
That s too much. e ne tiidi no feewu Yes. haa I don t undestand. degguma
Gambian Wolof people living on the north
Leave me alone! accam! or oppam mi deeja! No. hani dama bahggoon ..
bank of the Gambia River speak the Senega- I d like ...
How are you? i/al be kayrato? (sg/pl) Where is ...? fahn la ...?
lese variety. Wolof is used as a common
1 go-o I m fine. tana tenna (lit.  I am out of Is it far? soreh na?
language in many parts of Senegal and
2 didi trouble ) straight ahead cha kanam
Gambia, often instead of either French or
3 tati kayra dorong (lit.  Peace only ) left chammooń
English, and some smaller groups complain
4 nayi What s your name? i too dung? right ndeyjoor
about the increasing  Wolofisation of their
5 joyi My name is ... ntoo mu ... leti Get in! dugghal waay!
culture.
6 jeego Where are you from? i/al bota munto? (sg/pl) How much is this? lii ńaata?
In this guide, ng should be pronounced
7 jeedidi I m from ... mbota ... It s too much. seer na torob
as in  sing and ń represents the  ni sound
8 jeetati Can you help me i/al seng maakoy noo, Leave me alone! may ma jaam!
in  onion .
9 jeenayi please? dukare? (sg/pl)
10 sappo Do you speak English/ ye angkale/faranse kango Monday altine
Hello. na nga def (sg)
11 sappoygoo French? moyle? Tuesday talaata
na ngeen def (pl)
12 sappoydidi I speak only English. nga angkale kango damma Wednesday allarba
Good morning. jaam nga fanane
20 noogaas le moy Thursday alkhyama
Good afternoon. jaam nga yendoo
30 chappantati I speak a little nga faranse kango Friday ajuma
Goodnight. fanaanal jaam
100 temedere French. domonding le moy Saturday gaawu
Goodbye. ba beneen
1000 wujenere I don t understand. mmaa kalamuta/mmaa fahaam Sunday dibeer
Please. su la nexee
Thank you. jai-rruh-jef
MALINK� Where is ...? ... be munto? 0 tus
You re welcome. agsil/agsileen ak jaam (sg/pl)
Malink� is spoken in Senegal s east. With Is it far? faa jamfata? 1 benn
Sorry/Pardon. baal ma
speakers numbering over 250,000 it is rec- Go straight ahead. sila tiling jan kilingo 2 ńaar
Yes. wau
ognised as one of the country s six national left maraa 3 ńett
No. deh-det
languages. While it is similar in some re- right bulu baa 4 ńeent
spects to Mandinka, the two are classed as How much is this? ńing mu jelu leti? 5 juroom
separate languages. That s too much. a daa koleyaata baake 6 juroom�benn
Leave me alone! mbula! 7 juroom�ńaar
Good morning. nee�so�ma 8 juroom�ńett
Good evening. nee�woo�la 1 kiling 9 juroom�ńeent
How are you? tan�as�te? 2 fula 10 fuk
Thank you. nee�kay 3 saba 11 fuk�ak�benn
Goodbye. m�ba�ra�wa 4 naani 12 fuk�ak� ńaar
5 luulu 20 ńaar�fuk
MANDINKA 6 wooro 30 fanweer
Also available from Lonely Planet:
Mandinka, a national language of Senegal, 7 woorowula 100 teemeer
French Phrasebook
is the language of the Mandinka people 8 sey 1000 junneh
L A N G U A G E
LANGUAGE
� Lonely Planet Publications � Lonely Planet Publications
www.lonelyplanet.com GLOSSARY 313
312
pagne (S)  length of cloth worn around the waist as which images are drawn onto the back of a glass surface,
a skirt particularly in Saint-Louis/Senegal
Glossary paillote (S)  shelter with thatched roof and walls; usu- Sentram (S)  Senegal s maritime-transport organisation
ally on the beach or around an open-air bar-restaurant sept-place  usually a Peugeot 504 or 505, with seven
palava  meeting place seats
Items marked G or S are used only in The factory  fortified slaving station paletuviers (S)  mangroves serviette (S)  towel (in bathroom)
Gambia or Senegal respectively. fanals  large lanterns; also the processions during which patron (S)  owner, boss serviette hygi�nique (S)  sanitary pad (see also
CONTENTS
the lanterns are carried through the streets pension (S)  simple hotel or hostel, or  board tampon hygi�nique)
auberge  hostel or small hotel fęte (S)  festival pension complŁte (S)  full board (lunch, dinner, bed serviette de table (S)  table napkin, serviette
fromager (S)  kapok tree; also known as silk-cotton tree and breakfast) signares  women of mixed race who married wealthy
balafon  wooden xylophone typically played by griots pension simple (S)  B&B European merchants during colonial times, particularly in
bazin  dyed fabrics that are beaten to a shine with garage (G)  bus and bush-taxi station p�trole (S)  kerosene Saint-Louis/Senegal
wooden clubs gare routiŁre (S)  bus and bush-taxi station; also called pirogue  traditional wooden canoe, either a small Sonatel (S)  Senegal s phone company
bolong (G)  literally  river in Mandinka; when used in autogare and gare voiture dugout or long, narrow sea-going fishing boat syndicat d initiative (S)  tourist office
an English context it means creek or small river gargotte (S)  basic eating house or stall pr�fecture (S)  police headquarters
boubou  common name for the elaborate robelike outfit gasoil  diesel fuel tampon (S)  stamp (eg in passport)
worn by men and women (also called grand boubou) gendarmerie (S)  police station/post quatre-quatre (S)  literally,  4x4 (4WD car) tampon hygi�nique (S)  tampon (also tampon
bumsters (G)   beach boys who usually loiter around g�te (S)  used interchangeably with  auberge and quartier  area p�riodique and serviette hygi�nique)
the coastal resort zones of The Gambia, trying to make a campement Quran  Islamic holy book (also called the Koran) taxi-brousse (S)  bush taxi
living by hustling tourists grigri  charm or amulet worn to ward off evil (pro- telecentre (G) or t�l�centre (S)  privately owned
nounced gree-gree); also written as grisgris or grisgri Ramsar  an international convention concerned with the telephone bureau
cadeau (S)  gift, tip, bribe or hand-out griot  traditional musician or minstrel who also acts as conservation of wetland habitats and associated wildlife toubab  white person
calŁche  horse-drawn cart used to carry goods and historian for a village, clan or tribe
people, particularly in the rural regions of Senegal groupement de femmes  women s cooperative sabar  tall, thin, hourglass drum ventil� (S)  room with a fan
campement (S)  could be loosely translated as  hostel , sai-sai  Wolof term for a womaniser; also used for village artisanal (S)  craft market
 inn or  lodge , or even  motel ; it is not a camping ground harmattan  light winds from the north that carry tiny youngsters smooth-talking women, usually with sexual but
campement villageois (S)  rural, village-managed particles of sand from the desert, causing skies to become sometimes criminal intentions zouk  style of music, originally from Guadeloupe, that
lodgings typical of the Casamance hazy from December to February sous-verre (S)  reverse-glass painting; technique in mixes African and Latin-American rhythms
car mourides  long-distance bus service financed by h�tel de ville (S)  town hall
the Sufi brotherhood of the Mourides
car rapide (S)  usually decrepit yellow-blue minibus, IMF  International Monetary Fund
popular public transport of Dakar and symbol of Senegal Inch Allah  God willing, ie hopefully (Arabic, but used
case (S)  hut by Muslims in Africa)
case ą �tages (S)  two-storey mud house
case ą impluvium (S)  large round traditional house, kora  21-string harp-lute
with roof constructed to collect rainwater in a central tank
or bowl lumo  weekly market, usually in border areas
chambres de passage (S)  very basic place to sleep,
often near bus stations; with a bed or mat on the floor and mairie (S)  town hall; mayor s office
little else, and nearly always doubling as a brothel; also maison de passage see chambres de passage
called maison de passage marabout  Muslim holy man
climatis�e  air-conditioned (often shortened to  clim ) marigot (S)  creek (S)
commissariat (S)  police station mbalax  mixture of Cuban beats and traditional sabar
compteurs (S)  meters (usually in taxis and t�l�centres) drumming; the heart and soul of Senegalese music
confr�rie  brotherhood MFDC  Mouvement des Forces D�mocratiques de la
Casamance
dash (G)  bribe (noun); also used as a verb  You dash me mobylette  moped
something& 
demi-pension (S)  half board (dinner, bed and break- ndeup (S)  ceremonies in which people with a mental
� Lonely Planet Publications. To make it easier for you to use, access to this chapter is not digitally
fast); see also pension complŁte/simple illness are treated and healed (S)
dibiterie  grilled-meat stall Ndiaga Ndiaye (S)  white Mercedes bus, used as public restricted. In return, we think it s fair to ask you to use it for personal, non-commercial purposes
djembe  short, goat hide covered drum transport (S)
only. In other words, please don t upload this chapter to a peer-to-peer site, mass email it to
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Ecowas  Economic Community of West African States occasion (S)  lift (noun), or place in a car or bus (pro-
essence (S)  petrol (gas) for car nounced oc-cars-ee-on, often shortened to occas) the above -  Do the right thing with our content.
G L O S S A R Y
GLOSSARY