FOREIGN SERVICE INSTITUTE

FULA
BASIC COURSE
o EPA R T MEN T 0 F S TAT E
FULA
BASIC COURSE
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This work was compiled and pub.
lished with the support of the Office
of Education, Department of Health,
Education and Welfare, United States
of America.
LLOYD B. SWIFT KALILU TAMBADU
PAUL G. IMHOFF
FOREIGN SERVICE INSTITUTE
WASHINGTON, D.C.
1965
o EPA R T MEN T o F 5 TAT E
UNIT
FULA
FOREIGN SERVICE INSTITUTE
BASIC COURSE SERIES
Edited by
LLOYD B. SWIFT
BASIC COURSE
PREFACE
Fula (also known as Peul, Fulani, etc.) is wide-
ly spoken throughout the grassland areas of West Africa
from the Atlantic to Cameroun. It has been extensively
studied by scholars interested in its linguistic struc-
ture or in the ethnography and culture of its s p ~ a k e r s .
Few of these studies are of much assistance to the be-
ginning student of the language. The present brief in-
troduction to the essentials of Sene-Gambian Fula is de-
signed to provide the basic grammatical structures like-
ly to be needed early in the student's experience with
Fula, plus a more generalized 'feel' for the structure
of the language, in the context of a limited vocabulary,
likely to prove useful in everyday situations.
This text is one of a series of short Basic Courses
in selected African languages being prepared by the For-
eign Service Institute under an agreement with the Unit-
ed States Office of Education, Department of Health, Ed-
ucation and Welfare, under the National Defense Educa-
tion Act.
The linguist in charge of the project has been
Lloyd B. Swift, Chairman of the Department of Near East-
ern and African languages. Fula texts, drill sentences
and vocabulary were provided and checked, and the tapes
voiced by Kalilu Tambadu, Language Instructor. Major
assistance in the selection of dialog situations, their
elicitation, the construction of drills and the tape re-
cording of the text has been provided by Paul G. Imhoff,
Scientific Linguist. The tapes were recorded in the
language laboratory of the Foreign Service Institute un-
der the direction of Gabriel Cordova.
Howard E. Sollenberger, Dean
School of Language and Area Studies
Foreign Service Institute
Department of State
iii
FULA
TABLE OF CONTENTS
L1sted are those port1ons of each un1t 1n wh1ch new mater1al 1S 1ntroduced.
Un11sted sect10ns of the un1ts prov1de systemat1c pract1ce of the prev10usly
1ntroduced mater1al.
PREFACE
TABLE OF CONTENTS
INTRODUCTION
Page
111
1V
UNIT 1 -
1.2
1.4
1.6
Morn1ng Greet1ngs
Order of Noun and Pronoun ObJects of Inf1n1t1ves
Reference Note on the Sound System of Fula and the
Transcr1pt10n Employed 1n these Mater1als
Long and Short Vowels
1
4
5
8
UNIT 2 - Afternoon Greet1ngs
2.2 Reference Note on Consonant Alternat10n
2.4 The stop Sounds
11
14
17
UNIT 3 -
3.2
3.4
3.6
Add1t1onal Morn1ng Greet1ngs
Sh1ft of Root-F1nal Long Vowel to Vowel plus Con-
sonant before Vowel-In1t1al Suff1Xes
The Act1ve Inf1n1t1ve Verbal Noun
Reference Note on Phrase Stress
21
24
26
27
UNIT
4 -
4.2
4.4
46
Add1t1onal Afternoon Greet1ngs
Short-Form Person SUbJect Pronouns
Reference Note on Verbal Forms
Long-Form Personal SubJect Pronouns w1th Imperfect1ve
Verb Forms - the Progress1ve Form
31
35
38
40
UNIT 5 -
52
5.4
Useful Classroom Express10ns
Spec1f1c or Demonstrat1ve Pronoun Part1cles
PosseSS1ve Suff1Xes, the Possess1ve or Mod1fy1ng
Construct1on
ObJect Personal Pronoun Forms
45
47
51
59
UNIT R 1 - Rev1ew of Un1ts 1-5 63
UNIT 6 -
6.2
Even1ng Greet1ngs
Act1ve Perfect1ve Verb Forms - Stat1ve Verbs
and Act10n Verbs
Optat1ve and Imperat1ve Verb Forms - Act1ve V01ce
75
78
86
UNIT 7 - A Remedy for a Headache
7.2 Negat1ves to Date
7.4 Noun Classes (I)
1V
91
94
98
109
BASIC COURSE
UNIT 8 - Yompats
8.2 Sentences ko the
Pronoun Forms 113
8.4 Verb Forms 115
8.6 The Pronoun [-(V)n] , 'the
one prev10usly ment10ned' 125
8.8 Narrat1ve 128
UNIT 9 - An on the Road
9.2 Verb Forms
9.4 Imperfect1ve Relat1ve Verb Forms
9.8
129
134
139
143
UNIT 10 - about a Job
10.2 of and Act10n Verbs
10.4 S1mple Imperfect1ve and
Act1ve Verbs
10.8
UNIT R 2 - of 6-10
Forms of
145
149
153
157
159
UNIT 11 -
11.2
11.4
11.8

PassJ.ve Verbal Forms
Sentences
Narrat1ve
169
174
179
186
UNIT 12 - What Day WJ.ll He Be Here? 189
12.2 Imperfect1ve NegatJ.ves 194
12.4 Verbal [-an] or 198
12.8 201
UNIT 13 -
13.2
13.4
13.8
L1vestock
The M1ddle VOJ.ce
The Verbal ExtensJ.on r-oy] 'D1splac1ve'
Narrat1ve
203
207
212
218
UNIT 14 - At the Market
14.2 Noun Classes (II)
14.4 The [-d] Verbal Extens10n - 'Assoclat1ve'
14.8 Narra t1ve
UNIT 15 - Weather
15.2 Agent Verbal Nouns - the Doer
15.4 ComparJ.son
15.8 Narrat1ve
v
219
223
231
234
237
241
245
248
UNIT
UNIT R 3 ReV1ew of Un1ts 11-15
FULA
UNIT 16 At the Butcher's
16.2 Verbal Extenslon f-ondlr] - the 'Reclprocal' Form
16.4 The 'Transformatl0nal' Verbal Extensl0n [-w/-n]
and the 'Causat1ve' Verbal Extensl0n [-(l)n]
16.8 Narratlve
259
263
267
270
UNIT 17 Kumba's Chl1d lS Cold 273
17.2 The Negatlves of the Mlddle and PaSSlve VOlces (I) 279
17.4 The Negatlves of the Mlddle and Passlve VOlces (II) 284
17.6 The [-ante] Constructlon - 'for you' etc. 291
17.8 Narratlve 293
184
UNIT 18
18.2
Fatu Returns from Market
The Perfectlve Form of the Verb wlthout SubJect
as an Imperatlve
The f-(l)t] Verbal Extensl0n - Iteratlve, Revers1ve
295
300
18.6
18.8
and Reflex1ve
Spatlal Relatl0nshlps
Narratlve
301
303
310
19
19.2
19.4
19.8
UNIT Cook thlS F1ShJ
The Instrumental / Locatlve Verbal Extenslon [-(V)r]
Noun Derlvatlon from Roots
Narratlve
311
315
318
327
UNIT 20 Frank Learns the Values of Money
20.2 Numbers, Addltlon and Subtractlon
20.4 Measurements
20.8 Narratlve
UNIT 21 Koba, the Okra Salesman
UNIT 22 What's for L u n c h ~
UNIT 23 A Snack and an Errand
UNIT 24 Lots to Do
UNIT 25 Qalfa Does Some Chores
UNIT 26 Asklng Dlrectlons
UNIT 27 Frank's Car Has a Breakdown
UNIT 28 Kumba's Baby was Slck
Vl
329
332
336
337
339
345
351
358
365
370
377
383
BASIC COURSE
UNIT 29 Frank 1S Interested 1n Farm1ng 388
UNIT 30 Kumba's Daughter 18 Gett1ng Marr1ed
394
UNIT 31 Ramadan 1S Com1ng 400
UNIT 32 BUy1.ng Cloth 406
UNIT 33
A V1.S1.t to the D1.spensary 411
UNIT
34
G01.ng to the Bantanto V1.11age 417
UNIT 35
The Teacher M1.sbehaves 423
UNIT 36 Frank Does Some Vocabulary Learn1.ng 429
UNIT 37
The Case of the M1.staken Drunk Dr1.ver 436
UNIT 38 Dgay Wants to Reg1.ster H1S Ch1.1d 1.n School 441
UNIT 39
News of Fr1ends and Fam1.1y
447
UNIT 40 Rent1.ng a House 452
GLOSSARY
459
V11.
FULA
BASIC COURSE
INTRODUCTION
The Fula Language and People
Fula (varlously also called, ln European languages, Fulanl, Peul, Poular,
Toucouleur, Fulfulde) lS the language of the Ful5e (slngular Pullo), cattle
ralslng and farmlng peoples of Senegal, Gambla, GUlnea, Mall, Nlger, Nlgerla,
Cameroun and adJacent areas ln other states. The people are generally referred
to by the term applled to thelr language.
In none of the countr1es where they llve do the Fula people form a maJorlty.
The pr1nclpal concentrat10ns are In the Fouta Toro ang adJacent areas of Senegal,
Mall and Gambla, ln the Fouta D1allon area around Labe ln GUlnea, and 1n the
Northern Reg10n of N1gerla and adJacent parts of N1ger and Cameroun. Smaller
concentrat1ons, prlmarlly of cattle-herd1ng Fu15e, occur all across the Savannah
areas of West Afrlca.
The Fu15e are predomlnantly Musllm. In Nlger1a they have a relatlvely re-
cent hlstory of pol1t1cal hegemony over other trlbes. Many 1mportant leaders ln
GU1nea, Northern Reglon of N1gerla, and Federal Nlger1a,are Fu15e.
The language lS dlvls1ble lnto d1alects on var10US bases. The pr1nc1pal
dlalects accord wlth the maln concentratlons of speakers, be1ng the Fouta Dlallon
d1alect of GU1nea, the Senegamb1an d1alects known to the French as Peul, the Fula
of Masslna 1n Mall, and the Eastern Fula dlalects known generally as Fulanl 1n
Northern Nlgerla, of WhlCh the speech of Adamawa lS the best known.
The Language of thls Manual
Th1S book lS based on the speech of Khal1lu Tambadu, a Gamblan, whose Fula
lS that of the F1rdu Ful5e, but conta1ns a number of ltems akln to the Masslna
and Fouta D1allon dlalects. H1S speech lS qU1te generally representat1ve of the
Senegamblan dlalect of Fula. H1S speech also contalns some usages,and borrowed
words from Engl1sh, WhlCh probably have llttle currency outslde Gambla. Slnce
he speaks 11ttle French, lt lS probable that French borrow1ngs 1n h1S speech are
ltems most general among Fula speakers over a falrly wlde area. Efforts have
been made to check espec1ally ltems of vocabulary aga1nst eXlst1ng glossarles
and, where Mr. Tambadu accepted alternatlve forms, to use the form most w1dely
attested 1n the llterature. However, thls process was not carrled to the extreme
of puttlng words 1n the mouth of the natlve speaker.
The student user of thlS manual should, of course, follow h1S
even lf hlS pronunclatlon, cho1ce of vocabulary, or 'turn of phrase' d1ffers
from what appears on these pages. It lS hoped that, even In d1alect areas where
maJor reV1Slons are requ1red to adapt these lessons to local speech, the format
of the course may prove suggest1ve, and that, wlth approprlate Subst1tutlons to
flt local usage, the dlalogs, drllls and narrat1ves may be used.
Mr. Tambadu's speech 1S, of course, represented wlth complete accuracy only
on the accompanylng tape record1ngs of Wh1Ch the pr1nted text lS merely a tran-
scr1ptlon.
Structure of the Course
Th1s course conslsts of forty numbered unlts, three reV1ew un1ts, and a
glossary.
The f1rst twenty un1tS have a reV1ew un1t after each of the f1rst three of
four flve-un1t groups. Th1S portlon contalns most of the grammat1cal expos1t10n
In the course and also the maJor1ty of the man1pulatlve dr111 mater1al. The
remalnlng un1ts (21-40) conta1n relat1vely 11ttle grammatlcal explanatlon and
drlll, be1ng devoted to dlalog and narrat1ve texts w1th exerClses malnly based
upon them.
UNITS 1-20
Each un1t In th1S sectlon of the course conta1ns the flrst two, and some,
but not necessar11y all, of the rema1nder of the follow1ng subdlvls10ns, and
all subd1vlslons are numbered, after the dec1mal pOlnt Wh1Ch follows the un1t
number (here sYmbol1zed 'n'), accordlng to the follow1ng scheme.
FULA
n.O Dlalog (or other 'BaS1C Sentences')
n.l Varlatl0n Drllls on Baslc Sentences (lncludlng certaln
new vocabulary)
n.2 Grammar Note
n.3 Drl1ls on the grammar pOlnt of n.2
n.4 Grammar Note
n.5 Drl11s on the pOlnt of n.4
n.6 Grammar Note
n.7 Drl1ls on the pOlnt of n.6
n.8 Narratlve (commenclng wlth Unlt 8)
n.9 Questl0ns and TOP1CS for D1Scussl0n (commenclng wlth Unlt 7)
Thus, ln general, the even-numbered subdlvlslons present lesson materlal
and the odd-numbered subdlvlslons provlde structured or relatlvely 'free' prac-
tlce.
In Unlts 1-3 the notes and drl11s lnclude matters of pronunclatlon. There-
after they are prlmarlly grammar, more narrowly deflned.
The Dlalog (n.O)
Each dlalog conslsts of ten to flfteen short utterances. These are present-
ed to the class at normal speed
1
by the lnstructor. The class (wlth books closed)
repeats thA utterances In lmltatlon of the lnstructor, ln chorus and lndlvldually,
untll the lnstructor lS satlsfled that each student can lmltate hlm accurately
and at normal speed. Under no clrcumstances should a student repeat a sentence
. after another student, but always after the lnstructor.
After the lnstructor lS persuaded that each student can lmltate hlm accu-
rately, the students open thelr books and practlce readlng the transcrlptl0n of
the utterances. At thlS pOlnt the students encounter for the flrst tlme the
Engllsh 'equlvalents' glven for each new word and for each sentence. If readlng
lS not accurate at normal speed, further lmltatl0n of the lnstructor's rendltl0n
of the sentences lS requlred untll all students can read each sentence properly.
Such further lmltatl0n lS, agaln, done wlth books closed and books are opened
only for attempts at readlng wlthout the lnstructor as a model.
When readlng lS accurate, books are agaln closed, and the lnstructor pre-
sents the dlalog agaln, employlng elther or both of the followlng technlques to
facllltate memorlzatl0n.
1. The lnstructor takes one part and prompts the students, In-
dlvldually or collectlvely, as they attempt to recall the
sentences. If recall or
the sentences are agaln repeated by the students In lmltatlon
of the lnstructor.
2. Two (or more) students are asked to take the parts and reclte
the dlalog wlth the lnstructor's promptlng and ass1stance. A
sentence lS not left unt1l the student rendlt10n lS accurate
at normal speed.
It lS des1rable that the class program be so arranged that a
perl0d of practlce of the d1alog w1th the tape record1ngs 1n
the language laboratory lntervenes between the f1rst presenta-
tlon and readlng and the 'role-play1ng', WhlCh thus becomes
a 'test1ng' of the students' control and memor1zat10n of the
d1alog.
These procedures are cont1nued unt1l each student can reproduce any or all
the sentences of the accurately at normal speed from memory.
1 Normal speed 1S def1ned as no slower than the 1nstructor WOUld, 1n a matter-
of-fact conversat1on, address another nat1ve speaker of Fula.
x
BASIC COURSE
Orthographlc Conventlons Employed In Presentlng Dlalogs
In the n.O portlon of each unlt, new words are presented as 'bulld-ups'
above the sentences In whlch they occur. Famlllar words occurrlng In new forms
(not yet explalned In the grammar notes) or In phrases whlch are l1k&ly to be
lncomprehenslble for the student, are also lncluded 1n the bUlld-ups 1n the
new forms or env1ronments. Fula appears 1n the left-hand column and Engllsh to
the r1ght. The Engl1sh glosses of bU1ld-up ltems are as 'llteral' as posslble,
those of sentences In the dlalog are generally less Ilteral, approxlmat1ng what
mlght appear In a normal Engllsh sentence 1n the same context. In the Engllsh
column parentheses, ( ), enclose translat10n of ltems whlcn occur 1n the
Fula but for whlch a dlrect Engllsh translatlon lS not needed, square brackets,
[ J, enclose portlons requlred for a smooth Engllsh translatlon but not
translatlng dlrectly any partlcular part of the Fula. Thus, In general, a smooth-
er Engl1sh translat10n can be obtalned by readlng portlons In square brackets and
omlttlng those In parentheses. Where necessary, more llteral translatlons are
enclosed In slngle quotatlon marks wlthln parentheses, (, ,).
Use of the Tape Recordlngs of the Dlalogs
On the tape record1ngs each dlalog 1S recorded three tlmes. The f1rst re-
cord1ng, called 'Dlalogue for L1sten1ng', 1S at normal speed w1thout spaces or
repet1tlon. The student Ilstens to th1S record1ng several tlmes w1th h1S book
open ( of course after the d1alog has been lntroduced by the lnstructor as
descr1bed above and gets the general 'flavor' and mean1ng of the d1alog ex-
change. He then proceeds d1rectly to the second record1ng, called 'D1alog for
Learn1ng'. In th1S portlon, each sentence lS repeated and spaces are provlded
for repet1tlon.
Thls 'dlalogue for learnlng' lS used In two dlfferent modes, both wlth the
student's book closed.
1. As a model for d1rect lm1tatlon. In thls mode, each sentence
1S heard and repeated In the space followlng 1t. The second
rend1t1on of the sentence serves as re1nforcement of the cor-
rect student repetltlon or as correctlon of the lncorrect one,
and as model for a second attempt to 1m1tate correctly. Thls
1S the appropr1ate mode for memorlz1ng the dlalog.
2. As an a1d to practlc1ng the sequence. In th1S mode the student
uses each sentence on the tape as hls cue for productlon of
the followlng sentence In the d1alog. He says each sentence
1n the space before the V01ce on the tape says It, Ilstens to
the taped VOlce for conflrmatlon or correct1on, repeats the
sentence correctly 1n lm1tatlon of the taped V01ce and Ilstens
agaln. In the space followlng the second rendlt10n of the
sentence, he produces the next sentence In the d1alog, etc.
The flnal recordlng of the dlalog lS called 'Dlalogue for Fluency'. The
sentences are recorded once each wlth spaces between. Th1S recordlng lS also
used In two modes wlth books closed.
1. Repeatlng after the taped VOlce for lncrease In fluency.
2. Produclng each sentence before the taped V01ce to test
memorlzatlon.
After each dlalog lS thoroughly memor1zed It lS often deslrable to return
to the Dlalog for Llstenlng and attempt to speak the dlalog In unlson wlth the
taped vOlce, agaln wlth closed book.
The Drllls (n.l)
These and the grammar drll1s are of a conslderable varlety. Baslcally the
three employed In drlll are.
1. Substltutlon
2. Transformatlon
3. Response
Xl
FULA
1. Substltutlon Drl11s are those ln WhlCh a sufflX, a word, or a phrase lS pre-
sented by the lnstructor as a cue for the student to Substltute lnto a prevlous-
ly presented pattern. In thlS text all Substltutlon drl11s are presented ln two
columns, headed Cue and Pattern, wlth the word for WhlCh the Substltutlon lS to
be made underllned ln the sentence. The purpose of thls format lS to en-
able the lnstructor ln class(where the student books are, of course, closed) or
the student worklng wlth the tapes or revlewlng outslde of class, to sllde a
notched card down the page, exposlng the parts of the drl11 ln order.
Thus, lf the Slmple Substltutlon Drl11 (a) of 3.1 lS taken as an example,
a card wlth a notch about one-fourth lnch by one lnch cut ln the upper left-hand
corner -
placed over the drlI1 and SI1d downward, exposes flrst the pattern and flrst cue-
Cue
Bookarl
Pattern
Ml wayrl yaade to saaremaa.
next the correct response sentence wlth the Substltutl0n of Bookarl
WhlCh lS, TIn turn, the pattern for the next Substltutlon, Demba -
Bookarl
Demba
Pattern
Ml wayrl yaade to saaremaa.
Ml wayrl yaade to saare Bookarl.
and so on -
Cue Pa ttern
Ml wayrl yaade to saaremaa.
Bookarl Ml wayrl yaade to saare Bookarl.
Demba Ml wayrl yaade to saare Pemba.
kawmaa

In order to thlS procedure, each drlll WhlCh lS contlnued from
one page to the next lS wlth the last I1ne from the prevlous page re-
peated at the top of the succeedlng page. Thls sentence lS not, of course, re-
peated on the tape recordlng.
BASIC COURSE
There are three maln types of Substltutlon drllls-
1. Slmple Substltutlon Drllls are those In WhlCh the cues are all
Substltuted for the same grammatlcal ltem, usually In the very
same posltlon In the sentence. An example lS 3.1 (a), glven
as the example above.
2. Progresslve SUbStltUtlOLl Drllls are those In WhlCh the cues
are to be Substltuted In order In dlfferent slots progresslve-
ly from left to rlght (or, occaslonally, from rlght to left).
These are approprlate when, for some reas0n, the posltlon at
WhlCh a cue lS to be Substltuted may not be lmmedlately ap-
parent to the student when the cue lS S';,pplled by the In-
structor.
3. Random Substltutlon Drllls are those In WhlCh lt lS clear from
the form of the cue where In the sentence lt must be SUbStl-
tuted and there lS no partlcular order or progresslon through
the sentence pattern.
Any of these drllls may be compllcated In any of three ways-
1. The cue may be presented In a 'cltatlon' form requlrlng the
student to select the form approprlate to the use In the
pattern sentence presented. For example, the root of a verb
may serve as cue for an lnflected verb form. ThlS procedure
lS called, In the early unlts, 'Substltutlon-modlflcatlon'.
In later unlts no dlstlnctlon lS made between tCls and other
Substltutlon drllls Slnce by thlS tlme the student has become
accustomed to modlflcatlon and almost all drllls are of thlS
type.
2. A word or other form may be presented as a cue (wrltten lnSlde
parentheses) WhlCh lS lntended not to be ltself Substltuted In
the pattern, but rather to slgnal the requlred Substltutlon.
For example, a personal pronoun as cue mlght slgnal the selec-
tlon of the approprlate pronomlnal sufflX for the same person.
3. The Substltutlon of the cue may requlre the change of a form
elsewhere ln the sentence. ThlS lS known as a 'Substltutlon-
Correlatlon Drlll'. For example, the Substltutlon of a plural
for a slngular subJect may requlre a correlatlve change ln the
form of the verb.
Substltutlon Drllls may also be comblned wlth Transformatlon Drllls or wlth
Response Drllls.
2. Transformatlon Drllls are those In WhlCh a pattern lS presented together wlth
lnstructlons for changlng the sentence ln some generallzable way. For example,
a posltlve sentence may be presented wlth lnstructlons to produce the negatlve
'equlvalent'. Transformatlon Drllls may generally also be done ln reverse - uSlng
the rlght-hand column as Cue to trlgger student response wlth the sentence of the
left-hand column. Many of the Transformatlon Drllls In thlS course are 'SUbStltU-
tlon-Transformatlon Drllls' In WhlCh a cue lS flrst Substltuted lnto the left-
hand pattern and then the pattern so produced lS subJected to transformatlon In
accordance wlth the lnstructlons provlded. In many cases these also may be done
In several ways such as uSlng the cue provlded to Substltute not lnto Pattern 1
but lnto Pattern 2, as well as the 'stralght' transformatlon drllls whlch can be
done by 19norlng the Substltutlon cues and uSlng the sentences of Patterns 1 and
2 as cues for the other transformatlon.
3. Response Drllls are those 1n Wh1Ch a statement or questlon lS presented as
cue to the product1on of another sentence as response. The common form lS a
questlon, to WhlCh the response requlred lS a pos1t1ve or a negatlve answer -
or a factual answer, lf the quest10n conta1ns a 'quest1on word'. However, other
types of stlmulus-response drllls are also used. Response Dr1lls are r1g1dly
structured so that only one response lS normally correct. Otherwlse these would
cease to be drllls and become exerClses.
Xlll
FULA
other types of also occur Drllls called 'Sample Sentence
Drllls' are used where student vocabulary and/or control of the grammar lS
sufflclent to permlt useful manlpulatlon of the pattern. These drllls
slmply of unrelated sentences the pOlnt. These are practlced as
outllned below but are not 'operated' as are the structured drllls.
Certaln Substltutlon drllls are called 'Phrasal Substltutlon Drllls'. In
these, qUlte long parts of sentences are presented as cues for Substltutlon.
Otherwlse they do not dlffer from other substltutlon drllls.
An occaslonal 'Expanslon Drlll' occurs. In these the word or phrase pre-
sented as cue lS not Substltuted but lS added to the sentence. Thus, In an ex-
panSlon drlll the sentence starts short and lS gradually bUllt longer by the
addltlon of more words or phrases.
Use of the Drllls
Drllls are normally done wlth students' books closed. The sentences of
drllls are presented, and repeated several tlmes by the students In lmltatlon
of the untll lt lS clear that the sentences are understood and
accurately produced by each student. The extent to WhlCh such repetltlon of
each sentence In a drlll lS wlll, of course, depend on whether the
dlfferences between sentences wlthln a drlll are slmple or complex, famlllar to
the students or unfamlllar, and the llke. The lnstructor may to check
student comprehenslon of the sentences from tlme to tlme by asklng for a para-
phrase or a translatlon, or by asklng an approprlate questlon.
After there no further doubt that all the sentences of a partlcular
drlll are comprehenslble to and pronounceable by the students, the 'presentatlon'
of the drlll has been completed and the lS 'operated'. That lS the pat-
tern lS presented followed by the flrst cue (for Substltutlon and a
student (selected at random) lS asked to perform the operatlon and to produce
the requlred response. The tlme through a drlll the lnstructor may have
each student repeat each correct response for extra practlce before presentlng
the next cue. ThlS also avolds the confuslon WhlCh may occur lf the new pattern
lS not clearly for each student before he lS asked to make a Substltutlon
lnto It. In all drlll the lnstructor wlll take approprlate steps to see that
the students are not 'solvlng puzzles' but are drllllng qUlckly and accurately
utterances WhlCh are completely comprehenslble to them. The procedures of such
drlll should be sufflclently stereotyped that the technlque does not get In the
way of the learnlng process and the students' attentlon can contlnually be
focused on the communlcatlve value of the sentences they are belng requlred to
manlpulate.
If the drlll comblnes Substltutlon wlth transformatlon or response, the
productlon of the flrst student, lncorporatlng the Substltutlon, lS ltself cue
for the second student's response. Generally lt lS advlsable for the lnstructor
to repeat the flrst student's response as cue for the next student (at least In
the earller unlts), to avold the practlclng of one student's mlspronunclatlons
by hlS classmates.
Most drllls are deslgned wlth the last sentence ldentlcal wlth the flrst so
that they may be contlnued clrcularly as long as necessary.
Use of the Tapes of Drllls
A drlll 2S normally done ln class several tlmes before the student does lt
wlth the tape recordlng. On tape the drllls are recorded wlth cues for 'opera-
tlon' and so should have been presented before the student flrst Ilstens to the
tape. Space lS provlded on the tape, however, for student repetltlon of the
correct response after the tapea VOlce has provlded relnforcement (or correctlon)
to the student's operatlon of the drlll. The flrst tlme a drlll lS done wlth
the tape, the student may be permltted to open hlS book and use a notched card
(as lndlcated above) to present the patterns and cues vlsually as well as orally.
A drlll lS, however, not done properly untll lt can be operated correctly wlth
books closed.
XlV
BASIC COURSE
The Grammar Notes (n.2, n.4, n.b)
)
These notes are lntended to be read outslde of class by the students and to
be expounded, lf necessary, by a 11ngulstlc sClentlst. D1Scussl0n of notes (In
a European language) by natlve-speaklng lnstructors lS dlscouraged. Instructors
should generally conflne thelr role In presentlng grammar to provldlng (In Fula)
add1tlonal examples of the structures as requlred.
Slnce thls course lS, necessarlly, clrcumscrlbed wlth regard to the breadth
of vocabulary and of' grammatlcal patterns presented for students to master as
parts of thelr actlve repertorles, a certaln amount of the grammar presented ln
the notes represents patterns occurrlng. 1n the dlalogs, drl11s and narrat1ves of
thlS book, rather lnfrequently. ThlS presentatlon 1S 1ntended to equlp the stu-
dent to recognlze the pattern when encountered and thus to prevent h1m from
puzzled attempts to flt relatlvely lnfrequent forms lnto the framework of hlS own
product1ve command of the language, rather than to prov1de h1m wlth an actlve
command of such lnfrequent forms. Of course, no clalm lS made that the gram-
mat1cal treatment lS ln any sense complete,elther for the dlalect here treated
or, much less, for the language as a whole.
The Grammar Drl11s ( n.3, n.5, n.7)
Grammar Drll1s are treated exactly as were the varlatlon drl11s on Baslc
Sentences. Introductl0n of new vocabulary In grammar drl1ls lS rare.
The Narratlve ( n.B )
ThlS lS a short exposltory paragraph generally followlng closely the se-
quence of events In the dlalog of the same unlt. The narratlve lS normally
drll1ed w l ~ h closed books, sentence by sentence. Students may also be asked
~ o retell the story, not necessarl1y In the ldent1cal words of the text. They
are later allowed to open thelr books and to read wlth correct lntonatl0n and
phraslng. Occasl0nally 1t may prove useful to ask students to retell the story
changlng the tlme or the person(s). A useful homework asslgnment may be to pre-
pare to tell a slmllar story about some real or lmaglnary happenlng.
The Questlons for D1SCUSS10n ( n.9
These are generally of several types lncludlng 'Yes-No' questlons, 'Or'
questlons, and 'Questl0n-Word' auestl0ns. They often relate both to the sub-
Ject matter of the dlalog and/or that of the narratlve and to the dlrect ex-
perlence of the students. These are lntended as conversatl0n-starters rather
than as response exerClses only, and the subJects suggested by these questlons
should be pursued as far as student abl1ltles permlt. An lmaglnatlve lnstructor
can easl1y supplement these questlons wlth many more equally approprlate, but
should take care not to venture outslde the vocabulary and'grammatlcal competence
of hlS students.
Narratlves and Questlons for D1SCUSSlon are not recorded and do not occur In
the earllest unlts. They should occupy an lncreaslng amount of class tlme as the
unlts progress and as student abl1lty to engage In mean1ngful narrat10n and con-
versatlon lncreases.
The Revlew Unlts (Unlts R-l, R-2, R-3)
These unlts, WhlCh follow Unlts 5, 10, and 15 respectlvely, conslst prl-
marl1y of drl11s WhlCh are used llke the drl11s ln the regular unlts. In gen-
eral these drl11s provlde an opportunlty to practlce patterns WhlCh may have
been drll1ed In an early unlt,Wlth the vocabulary WhlCh has appeared In lnter-
venlng unlts. These unltS also contaln short dlalogs WhlCh are recomblnatlons
of prevlously learned ltems. These are lntended to be suggestlve or such re-
comblnatl0ns and not necessarl1y to be memorlzed. Students should be encouraged
durlng reVlew to make other recomblnatl0ns, but careful check1ng of such student
'oral compos1t1on' 1S necessary to prevent the pract1c1ng of errors or unprof1t-
able translatl0n from Engllsh or another natlve language of the student.
xv
FULA
UNITS 21 - 40
These unlts are shorter, conslstlng prlnclpally dlalogs, narratlve texts
and exerClses. They do contaln, followlng the dlalog, a short varlatlon
drllls, but these serve prlnclpally as a medlum the lntroductl0n and prac-
tlce of new vocabulary ltems and as a sort of 'warm-up exerClse ' before tackllng
the exerClses proper.
An exerClse lS a practlce WhlCh dlffers from a drlll In that there may be
more than one posslble correct response to the stlmulus provlded. Exerclses
can be a great varlety, lncludlng response exerclses, translatlon exerClses
and conversatl0nal exerClses varlOUS klnds. The commonest exerClses In thlS
part of the course are 'Dlrected Conversatlon ExerClses'. These conslst of a
short narratlve paragraph (In Fula at flrst and later In Engllsh) followed by a
dlalog. The narratlve serves to 'set the scene' for the followlng dlalog. One
student reads only the narratlve, carefully avoldlng looklng at the followlng
dlalog. He then attempts to play the prescrlbed role In the dlalog wlth the
lnstructor. or another student, (who lS, of course, permltted to look at the
prlnted dlalog) taklng the other part. (or the lnstructor)
'dlrects' the conversatlon. Of course, he may have to depart from the prlnted
as approprlate to the responses the student. After Unlt 32
the narratlve lS In Engllsh, provldlng the student wlth some translatlon prac-
tLce comblned wlth the conversatlon.
Exerclses are not recorded Slnce there lS no unlquely correct response
WhlCh can be provlded on tape.
The lnstructor, the students and the llngulst (If any) wll1 these
unlts far less 'structured' than the flrst twenty and thus more of a challenge
to thelr lngenulty In uSlng the materlals provlded In lmaglnatlve ways. In
general all of the materlal should be consldered as 'conversatlon starters'.
Occaslonal1y lt may be deslrable to return to manlpu1atlve drlll over pOlnts
lnadequately grasped. The 11ngulst or the lnstructor, or both, can easl1y con-
struct such drl11s on the models provlded In Unlts 1-20 but lncorporatlng the
enlarged vocabulary of later unlts.
THE GLOSSARY
The Glossary appears at the back the book and lS preceded by an ex-
posltlon the conventlons used In 11stlng the words.
SHORT BIBLIOGRAPHY (See the books clted longer blbllographles)
Arnott, D.W. 'The Mlddle VOlce In Fula', Bulletln the School Orlental and
Studles, XVIII. 1 , pp. 130 - 144, Unlverslty of London, 1961.
'The SubJunctlve ln Fu1a', Afrlcan Language Studles II. London,
SOAS, Unlverslty London, 1961.
Dauzats, Andre, Elements de Peule, 4lbl, Imprlmerle Alblgeolse, 1952.
Labouret, H., La Langue Des Feu S ou Foulbe, Memolres de L'Instltut Fran9als
NOlre, No. 16, Dakar, IFAN, 19$2.
, La Langue des Peuls ou Foulbe, Lexlque Francals-Peul, Memolres
d'IFAN, Dakar, No. 41, 1955.
Taylor, F.W.,A Grammar of the Adamawa Dlalect the Fulanl Language, second
edltl0n, Oxford, Clarendon Press, 1953.
Fulanl-Engllsh Dlctl0nary, Oxford, Clarendon Press, 1932.
XVl