Afrihili

Afrihili (''Ni Afrihili Oluga'' 'the Afrihili language') is a constructed language designed in 1970 by Ghanaian historian K. A. Kumi Attobrah (Kumi Atɔbra) to be used as a lingua franca in all of Africa. The name of the language is a combination of ''Africa'' and '' Swahili''. The author, a native of Akrokerri (Akrokɛri) in Ghana, originally conceived of the idea in 1967 while on a sea voyage from Dover to Calais. His intention was that "it would promote unity and understanding among the different peoples of the continent, reduce costs in printing due to translations and promote trade". It is meant to be easy for Africans to learn.

Source languages

Afrihili draws its phonology, morphology and syntax from various African languages, particularly Swahili and Akan (Attobrah's native language). The lexicon covers various African languages, as well as words from many other sources "so Africanized that they do not appear foreign", although no specific etymologies are indicated by the author. However, the semantics is quite English, with many calques of English expressions, perhaps due to the strong English influence on written Swahili and Akan. For example, ''mu'' is 'in', ''to'' is 'to', and ''muto'' is 'into'; similarly, ''kupitia'' is 'through' (as in 'through this remedy'), ''paasa'' is 'out' (as in to go outside), and ''kupitia-paasa'' is 'throughout'—at least in the original, 1970 version of the language.

Script and pronunciation

The language uses the Latin alphabet with the addition of two vowel letters, and , which have their values in Ghanaian languages and the IPA, and . Foreign names are spelled out phonetically rather than in the original orthography, so for example 'Hastings' is spelled ''Hestins''. There are two digraphs, and , which have their English and Swahili values, and . ''J'' and ''y'' also have their English and Swahili values, and . ''Ng'' is not a digraph, but pronounced as in English ''finger'', .

Vowels are ''a ɛ e i ɔ o u''. Doubled vowel letters appear to be sequences, not long vowels. Consonants are ''p t ch k, b d j g, m n ny, f s sh h, v z, l r y w''.

There is no tone. Stress is on the second-last vowel. Exclamation marks come at the beginning of a clause, which ends in a comma or period as normal; question marks come at the end.

Grammar

The grammar is similar to Swahili, but in addition there is the 'vowel triangle', which is central to Afrihili inflection:

a
/ \
u e ɛ
/ \
ɔ __ o __ i

Many grammatical processes are accomplished by exchanging a vowel with its directional opposite on the triangle: ''a'' for ''o'', ''u'' for ''i'', ''e'' for ''ɔ'', and vice versa. For example, a verb can be made into an adjective by changing its final vowel in this manner: from ''pinu'' 'to determine' comes the adjective ''pini'' 'determinate'. ''Ɛ'' does not participate in these swaps, but is used in other situations (below).

All nouns, and only nouns and adjectives modifying nouns, begin with a vowel. In the singular this will be different from the final vowel of the word; the plural is formed by making it the same as the final vowel. For example, ''omulenzi'' 'boy' becomes ''imulenzi'' 'boys'; similarly, is 'language' and ''aluga'' 'languages'.

Nouns

Nouns are derived from verbs or adjectives by prefixing the opposite of the final vowel, according to the triangle above. So, from ''pinu'' 'to determine' comes the noun 'determination'. If all the vowels in the verb or adjective are the same, as in ''mono'' 'to disgrace' and ''kana'' 'one', then the neutral vowel ''ɛ-'' is used: ''ɛmono'' 'a disgrace', ''ɛkana'' 'unity'.

Verbal nouns (gerunds) are formed from the infinitive in ''-de'',The ''-de'' form is used for subordinate clauses, as in ''Kre tumilɔ dinga-de, nuliwate'' 'it being impossible to continue, we came back' (''kre'' 'it being', ''wa'' 'to come'). and so always begin with ''ɔ-'' : ''soma'' 'reads', ''somade'' 'to read', ''ɔsomade yɛ papa'' 'reading is good'. (Compare ''ɔkaratide'' 'harvesting' and 'a harvest', from ''karati'' 'to harvest'.)

In the opposite direction, nouns drop their initial vowels to form verbs, and with the appropriate change in final vowel, adjectives. So, from ''etogo'' 'a house' comes ''togo'' (or ''togode'') 'to house', and from ''umeme'' 'electricity' comes ''memɔ'' 'electric'.

Participles

Participles are formed with ''mɛ-'', further derived as nouns or adjectives (gerunds): ''mɛpini'' 'determinative', ''ɛmɛwako'' 'driver' (''wako'' to drive).

Verb phrases are formed with tense prefixes, with the subject pronouns written together with the verb. (Subject pronouns are not used if there is a noun subject.) Objects, however, are written separately after the verb: From ''jira'' 'to wait for', ''mingijira lε'' 'I (''mi-'') would have waited for him (''lɛ'')'.

Nominative pronouns

Pronouns include ''mi'' 'I', ''nɛ'' 'me and you', ''nɛu'' 'us and you', ''nu'' 'we' (not you), ''wu'' 'you (thou)' ''ku'' 'you (ye)', ''lɛ'' 'he', ''ta'' 'she', ''yo'' 'it', ''fu'' 'they'.

Possessive pronouns

For possession, pronouns are prefixed on a noun, dropping their vowel: ''l'arafi'' 'his letter', ''w'agoji'' 'your money'.

Tense prefixes

Tense prefixes include ''li-'' (past), ''ta-'' (future), ''lii-'' (habitual past), ''taa-'' (habitual future), ''yɛɛ-'' (habitual present), ''re-'' (present continuous -ing), ''ri-'' (past continuous -ing), ''ngi-'' (conditional, would), ''nge-'' (subjunctive, may), and a perfect in ''lo-''. Simple present is not marked. ''U-'' forms relative clauses (who, which).

So, from ''du'' 'eat', ''lɛdu'' 'he eats', ''nɛtadu'' 'you & I will eat', ''fulidu'' 'they ate', ''miyɛɛdu ɛn zinga'' 'I eat in the morning (as a matter of habit)', 'I would eat / used to eat in the morning', ''miredu'' 'I am eating', ''nuridu'' 'we were eating (when)', ''kama kungiwa, kungidu'' 'if y'all would come, you'd eat', ''ni omuntu lodu'' 'the man has eaten'.

Demonstrative pronouns

'This' and 'that' are ''ki'' and ''ka'', which are pluralized with the suffix ''-nga'', giving ''kinga'' 'these' and ''kanga'' 'those'. They may occur before a noun, or afterward by copying the final syllable:
:''Ki omulenzi, omulenzi kinzi'' 'this boy'
:''Ka omukama, omukama kama'' 'that king'
:''Imukazi kangazi'' 'those girls'

Some suffixes are full syllables, as ''-wi'' inchoative (to get or become): ''sana'' 'drink', ''sanawi'' 'get drunk'; ''furaha'' 'happy', ''furahawi'' 'be happy'. However, most have an echo vowel, identical to the final vowel of the root, as in ''-bw-'' (passive): ''bona'' 'see', 'be seen'; or ''-t-'' '-able': ''bonata'' 'visible', ''dutu'' 'edible'.

'Of' (partitive?) is either a suffix ''-n'' or a particle ''pe'', with opposite word order. ''Nun kisi'' or ''kisi pe nu'' 'some of us', ''imulenzin kisi'' or ''kisi pen imulenzi'' 'some of the boys' (the definite article ''ni'' is here reduced and suffixed to ''pe'', giving ''pen'').

When an adjective or numeral follows a noun, it takes the initial vowel of the noun as grammatical agreement, as well as the suffix ''-n'':
: 'a pleasant and good language'
: 'one language'

Sample phrases

:''Zuri lu'' – Good day (''alu'' 'a day')
:''Zuri zinga'' – Good morning
:''Zuri masa'' – Good afternoon
:''Zuri dani'' – Good evening
:''Zuri bali'' – Good night
:''Jo koni'' – Go at once
:' – Cheers!
: – Find a good place to eat
:''Kama mingipewa l'arafi gaba milijo paasa, mingijira lε.'' – If I had received his letter before I went out, I would have waited for him.

:

:

Text

The following text, from a 1971 newsletter, was clipped on its left margin. Missing words are in brackets.

Notes

References

* K. A. Kumi Attobrah (1970, 1973) ''Ni Afrihili Oluga. The African Continental Language''
* William S. Annis (2014
"Afrihili: An African Interlanguage"
''Fiat Lingua'', April 2014

External links

*An Afrihili newsletter (1971 version) on Roger Blench's websit
archived

* A summary of additional details of the verbal and derivational system
Afrihili Notes

archived

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Languages of Africa
Zonal auxiliary languages
Constructed languages introduced in the 1970s
1970 introductions
Languages of Ghana
Constructed languages