Dogon is a family of about 20 languages, spoken by the Dogon people of the Mopti Region of Mali.  Languages and dialects differ widely from commune to commune, though some are mutually intelligible and others bear significant resemblances to one another.  Some languages include Donno So, Tommo So, Toro So, Dogolu Dum, Jamsay, Mombo, Tengu-Kan, and many others.  For more information on Dogon languages, visit Dogon and Bangi Me Linguistics.  We focus on Tommo So, because it is the language of Wadouba Commune, where the majority of our work takes place.  Other than greetings, the rudimentary basics of Tommo So seem to be fairly well understood by speakers of Donno So (in and around Bandiagara), and Toro So (Sangha, and the eastern escarpment villages), in two of the other areas where we work.  It is not understood in Yarou Plateau or Kori-Maounde.

On this page, we use our own (rather uninformed) spelling for ease of understanding by the nonlinguist.  For official orthography and more vocabulary, see the Tommo So Dictionary available at the Dogon and Bangi Me Linguistics site.  Hopefully, by listening to the audio pronunciations, you'll get the idea.  Knowing even a few phrases will make you popular in Wadouba!

Greetings
As in most Malian languages, greetings are very important and lengthy in Tommo So.  It is important to ask multiple questions and respond with questions to someone who has greeted you.  Different greetings are used at different times of day.

Morning Greetings

Person arriving		Person Responding
Aga yame    Morning greetings (Let's go into the morning)
		Awoh  Acknowledgement (Indeed) U yaa?  Are you in peace?
Yaa  In peace
		Anawumbe yaa?  Is your family in peace?
Yaa
		Awoh
U yaa?
		Yaa
Anawumbe yaa?
		Yaa
Awoh

Afternoon Greetings

Person arriving		Person Responding
Denemo    Afternoon greetings (We are going into afternoon)
		Awoh  Acknowledgement (Indeed) U denawuh?  Are you in peace?
Denawuh  In peace
		Anawumbe denawuh?  Is your family in peace?
Denawuh
		Awoh
U denawuh?
		Denawuh
Anawumbe denawuh?
		Denawuh
Awoh

Additional Greetings for any time of day, often added to those above.

U jimile?  Are you without sickness?
		Jimile  Without sickness
Anawumbe djanoui?  Is your family in peace?
		Djanoui  In peace

These are often used interchangeably, for example:

U jimile?
		Djanoui
Anawumbe djanoui?
		Jimine.

Greetings, Goodbyes, and Thanks for any time of day.  These can be used individually and do not have to be part of a long sequence.

Person arriving		Person Responding
U li kal li!   [I salute] You and the work (to one person) or Eh li kal li!  (to multiple people) You and the work or Kalpo  I salute the work
		Awoh  Acknowledgement (Indeed)
		Ambou djele!  Welcome (God grant you welcome)
Awoh  Acknowledgement (Indeed)
		Guine do  Be at home (welcome)
Hayakwi  Okay
		Daniye  Sit down or Dombelen  Sit down
Hayakwi  Okay
Pinadi segueremo  See you later
		Hayakwi  Okay
Bai yaga segueremo See you another day
Birepo  Thank you (for the deed or work)
		Birepo bali  You're welcome
Dolopo  Thank you (for the gift)
		Dolopo bali.  You're welcome
Gana  Thank you
		Gana bali.  You're welcome

Basic Questions

U yaba gwai?  Where are you from (where did you leave)?
		Mi amerikki gwai.  I'm from America.
Bui uwo yangene gede?  What's your name?
		Bui mmo ____ gede.  My name is _____.
U anagudu ange yesu?  How old are you?
		Mi anagudu ____  yesen.  I am ____ years old
U yabai yadew?  Where are you going?
		Mi damakolo yaden.  I'm going in town. Mi guine yaden.  I'm going home. Mi ibe yaden.  I'm going to market.
Nje kandew?  What are you doing?
		Kide kama kanilen Nothing Bire bireksen  Working Domu domieksen  Waiting Toyn toynieksen  Writing Digen kanaksen  Talking (making conversation) Djangu djangaksen  Studying
Mbegew?  Do you like it?
		Eh, mbegen.  Yes, I like it. Ai, mbelen.  No, I don't like it.
Namagew?  Do you want it?
		Eh, namagem.  Yes, I want it. Ai, namalam. No, I don't want it.
Pamkanew?  Do you understand (particular words)?
		Eh, pamkenen.  Yes, I understand. Ai, pamkanalin.  No, I don't understand.
Dogo So egedew?  Do you understand the Dogon language?
		Galeh galeh egeden.  Litle by little, I understand.

Basic Vocabulary

Dagao  Good
Dagali  Bad
Sie Great
Esego Nice
Esele Not nice
Dama Village
Nde  Person
Ana  Man
Yana Woman
Di  Water
Djaa  Meal
Guine  House
Tene  Well
Soi  Clothing/cloth
Jon  A lot
Mene  A little

Blessings and Expressions

Amba sie kana  May God make it go great
Djan li do  Safe travels (arrive with peace)
Amba yesie obo  May God give us the future (used when parting until another day)
Amba yogo baitara  May God give us tomorrow (used when parting until the next day)
Amba ku elel obo  May God give you happiness (a sweet head)
Amba djan li eme denemo  May God let us go into the afternoon with peace
Amba din sie obo May God give you a good day (used when parting in the morning)
Amba djanli eme segueremo May God let us meet again in peace
Amba miene sugondo Bon apetit (May God let it go down smoothly)
		Amina Amen (response to all blessings)
Amba birepo   Thanks be to God
Amba ire kana  May god heal you
Ire go ma?  Are you better (healthier)?
		Eh, ire go  Yes, I'm better (healthier).
Amba sagu, u sagu. We count on God and we count on you.
		Amba nan sagu.  We count on God.