#funny language

Circa 2006 i got a little tourist vocab. And i mean it when I say little. It’s ridiculously small and, to be frank, sucks. Really bad. I had no idea how to learn a language with so little resources and my husband was not helpful so I just learnt a handfull of survival phrases.

Things got slightly better when we moved to Ghana. But then we did not stay in Dangme area and so my interaction with the language was limited.

A few years ago one person began to teach Dangme in youtube and I started again. He makes helpful little vocabulary drills. He even organised a WhatsApp group where Dangme learners can come together to learn together.

Here are some other resources I have:

Grammar: I have found some academic articles about the grammar and this has been revelational. If you’re studying a small language definitely go to Google scholar to look for articles.

Vocabulary: I only resently found a sort of dictionary for Dangme. Well, its a pdf glossary but I tell you, this is a game changer. Another helpful source is glosbe. They have a database of texts that exist in Dangme and English. Very helpful.

Listening comprehension: comprehensible input videos are kinda hard to find but some great sources are religious materials (mainly JW and Jesus film) and some medical outreach videos.

Reading comprehension: I have found reading Bible is my best option. I know the stories by heart pretty much so there’s that. I also ordered a few children’s books from Booknook but they are stories that I’m not familiar with and the language is surprisingly tricky. I will hold on to those and use them when I have a bit more practice under my wings.

Speech production: I meet my in laws a couple of times a year and they are the best people to practice with because they won’t slip into using English. The younger Dangme speakers usually know English and won’t insist on using Dangme which makes it too easy to just switch to English.

Kaduuk = Broken

Dutch = Oh nee, mijn telefoon is kaduuk! English = Oh no, my telephone is broken! Kaduuk is a funny way of saying that something is broken or doesn't work anymore. But usually we use the word 'kapot'.

And as we say in The Netherlands,

Day 15: What is a misinformation about your native language or the language you are learning?

Any time I mention Finnish people say it’s the most difficult language in the world. I don’t think that’s true. It’s pretty hard but the hardest? Nah.

For Dangme the misinformation is to do with the name. People often call it Krobo. But krobo is just one dialect.