Learning Sisaala: No. 1

During in country training I began Sisaala language classes, causing much confusion when arriving in Tumu having been taught much of the wrong dialect. Now I have joined a couple of the Danes, Lina and Rasmus who have started taking lessons here in Tumu. I told Ajara (16 year old from across the way) this and she has taken it upon herself to test me regularly between each session. Anyway I have to share some of the words we learnt this week; prices in cedis.

It started off so simply:

100 cedis Siidi zכlכ
200 Keteku

Then its starts to get a little complicated

500 Keteku balia ari siidi zכlכ (200x2+100)
1000 keteku banכŋ (200x5)
2000 keteku fii (200x10)
4000 keteku mara (200x20)
5000 keteku mara ari fii (200x20+200x10)

Still with me – because now mara changes to mahiŋ

10000 keteku mahiŋ balia ari fii (200x20x2+200x10)
15000 keteku mahiŋ batori ari fii ari banכŋ (200x20x3+200x10+200x5)
20000 keteku zכlכ (200x100)
30000 keteku zכlכ ari mahiŋ balia ari fii (200x100+200x20x2+200x10)

And so it went on. Lina test some of these prices on her watchmen and they had to spend a few minutes to work them out. It seems that sisaala prices are not used in Tumu, they all know English numbers and as the language changes a few miles out of Tumu I think I will just leave it to the pros and play the white person card when it comes to buying things, and anyway as a white person I will never be sold anything for less than 1000 so there is no point even learning the simple prices...