r L

8351H66

CORNELLUNIVERSITY

LIBRARY

FROM

The ^state of L.L.^eamai

JAN 8.1 1007 II ff

HAY ii Liiminfti

APirsir

Cornell University Library

PL 8351.H66

Vocabularies of the Kamba and Kikuyu Ian

3 1924 026 919 815

The original of this book is in

the Cornell University Library.

There are no known copyright restrictions in

the United States on the use of the text.

http://www.archive.org/details/cu31 92402691 981

5

VOCABULARIES

OF THE

KAMBA AND KIKUYULANGUAGES

SonDon: C. J. CLAY and SONS,

CAMBRIDGE UNIVERSITY PRESS WAREHOUSE,AVE MARIA LANE.

50, WELLINGTON STREET.

SLeipjis : F. A. BROCKHAUS.

jMn Sotit: THE MACMILLAN COMPANY,aBombas anto (Mcutta: MACMILLAN AND CO., Ltd.

[All Eights reserved]

VOCABULARIESOF THE

KAMBA AND KIKUYULANGUAGES

OF

EAST AFRICA

BY

HILDEGARDE HINDE(Mrs Sidney L. Hinde)

AUTHOR OF A MASAI GRAMMAR

CAMBRIDGEAT THE UNIVERSITY PRESS

1904

(•OK,

UN I VI UMi V

Camimige/ '

FEINTED ET J. AND u. F. CLAY,

AT THE UNIVERSITY PRESS.

PEEFACE.

It is not necessary to append even grammatical notes to

the following vocabularies. Both the Kamba and Kikuyu

languages belong to the Bantu group and their construction

is precisely similar to that of Swahili, that is, all grammatical

inflexion takes place at the beginning of the word.

The object in publishing a Swahili vocabulary parallel

with the Kamba and Kikuyu is to emphasise the intimate

relationship between the three languages.

Swahili has become the trade language of East Africa

:

it is spoken at Zanzibar and all along the coast of both

British and German East Africa, and the coast traders,

travelling inland, have carried it into the interior. It is

therefore highly improbable that an attempt to learn any of

the native languages would be made without first mastering

the rudiments of Swahili.

In both the Kamba and Kikuyu languages the nouns

are divided into a number of classes (being distinguished

by the first syllable), and all adjectives, pronouns and

numerals are brought into relation with these nouns by

corresponding changes of their first syllables. There is no

class denominative of sex, though in each language there is

a class which denotes animate objects. There is no article,

definite or indefinite.

VI PREFACE.

The Kamba vocabulary is in two dialects, the Ulu which

is used from Machakos to the coast, and the Nganyawa,

spoken in part of the Kitui District.

I have given the dialect in Kikuyu (that spoken in

Jogowini) with which I am personally acquainted, though

in the Kenya Province there are, to my knowledge, two other

dialects and these again differ from the dialects in the

neighbourhood of Nairobi.

It is interesting to note that the Akikuyu of the southern

part of the Kenya Province and the Akamba of the adjoin-

ing Kitui District readily understand each other.

Swahili itself has distinct local differences, not alone

in the pronunciation, but in the variation of words in the

Zanzibar, Mombasa and Lamu dialects, though all are easily

understood if one dialect be well known. In the Swahili

of the following vocabulary the Zanzibar dialect has been

employed, since it is the most widely known. All the verbs

in the Swahili vocabulary, and most of those in the other

two vocabularies, are given in the Infinitive Mood ; this is

represented by the prefix ku ; but in Kamba, and sometimes

in Kikuyu, it not infrequently becomes gu. In the Swahili

vocabulary the plural of each noun has been given.

The usual rules for the formation of the plural in both

Kamba and Kikuyu are as follows :

1. Nouns (representing animate objects) beginning with

mu form their plurals in a : as mwka= woman, aka = women.

The Swahili people, or TPa-Swahili, have made the term

ilfkamba (the individual), Ifakamba (the plural), Jikikuyu

PREFACE. vii

(the individual), TTakikuyu (the plural); the native forms

are Muka.rn.ba, (sing.), -4kamba (plural), Jfwkikuyu (sing.),

-4kikuyu (plural).

2. Nouns beginning with mu (not representing animate

objects) change the mu into mi in the plural : as muti = tree,

miti = trees.

3. Nouns beginning with i change the i to ma in the

plural : as t'higa = stone, mahiga = stones.

4. Nouns beginning with ki change the ki to i in the

plural : as faxatu = sandal, iratu = sandals.

5. Invariable nouns are those beginning with an n : as

wyumba = house, nyumba = houses.

6. Nouns beginning with lea or ki form their plurals in

twa or shi : as kana, = child, twana, or sAt'ana = children;

&i'ara = finger, sAiara = fingers.

The chief difference between Kamba and Kikuyu lies in

the absence of the letter R 1 in the former (this is owing to

the lisp common to all Akamba, probably on account of their

filed teeth) and the frequency of the aspirate in the latter.

In both languages K and G, B and V, Th and 8 or Z, and

in Kikuyu R and L, are practically interchangeable. The

Kikuyu accent is much broader and stronger; but, as will

be seen, many of the words are almost, and others are quite

similar in the two languages. Great care has been taken to

give the pure native rendering to all the words, and none of

the Swahili words which have been incorporated into the

1 Occasionally I have been obliged to use double r to represent a certain

guttural sound.

a 5

Vlll PREFACE.

languages have been included. Much confusion is caused

by the compilers of vocabularies interpolating foreign words

where a native language has no equivalent, and thereby

rendering it almost impossible to estimate correctly the

philological construction of the language. Both Kamba and

Kikuvu are very primitive languages and are entirely with-

out many of the most simple words.

The conjugation of one verb and a few common phrases

are appended, as they show at a glance the similarity of the

construction of the three languages.

HILDEGARDE HINDE.

Fort Hall,

British East Africa,

September, 1902.

THE ALPHABET.

The vowels are pronounced as in Italian and the con-

sonants as in English.

There are in addition the modifications 6 and ii.

The spelling used is phonetic.

The accent almost invariably falls on the penultimate.

Where an accent is particularly marked I have used the'

long accent sign - and very occasionally the short accent ^.

B and V, G and K, Th and S or Z, and in Kikuyu R and

L, are interchangeable.

The sound of RR is very marked and should be pro-

nounced with a distinct burr.

A as u. in father

B as in but

Ch „ church. Italian c before i and

D „ does

E as a in dare

F as in fill

G „ gate, never soft as in generous

H „ hit

I as ee in svieet

J as in jumpK „ halendar

L „ lost

M ,, . must

THE ALPHABET.

N as in

VERBS.

All regular verbs in Swahili end in a, though verbs

derived from the Arabic may end in e, i, or u.

In the Kamba and Kikuyu languages nearly all verbs

end in a ; a few end iu i or e, and a very few in o or u.

In all three languages there are negative as well as

affirmative conjunctions, the tenses and persons being distin-

guished by prefixes.

Xll VBEBS.

X

VERBS.

fad

PS

O

XIV VEEBS.

bo cd

VERBS. XV

,53 d T5

aM

hH

<!

P3WPh

i—

i

wMH

a M-

1 .aCD

. ,JQ

'§ -h' cS

Sh

M) S*" .9 ft

O T2 03CO „d

i^"

103

T303 03

'ft S

g <2•r-i ^4HIB

abea53

03CO r**

<0 -i-i -p>

^ ^ .3Sh

rt

5P.3 rrta ^ ^•i-j ft 0303 to

3 o, 3

>iS 03

T3 . rOa « !->

X ' 03

=2 *= 03

a 3

03

J3

1SAS

Sa

8

N

co co

g g

53

cS c3

a a•-0 ^

CO•i—

I

I

03 ^ O> s"§* gSh o0) o *ft ^3

S "^ rBM 03 ft

"-" ra03 03 Sh

'a ° ^ •=

g 3 7

l 1l.r03 cS

aoJ3 »£ s»,

u uCO 03

3 aor1 o<H so oo o

iS8

CO

aCO

a

•1-9

O

°aT3 "3

9 a03 02

XVI VERBS.

&0 fa & b- s-i

a ° S o »

jh si ^ i . ii* si

SPh Is * 1 £ § a « Sf §> « -3 ^ xi 35 3

CO

cd % s g; g

g.4, |Vl 13 13 13 13 13 13 m *§ CI

^ fa ,*,*,*,«,*.* -£O w i3l313l3>-ei3m =y 5 'a T3 -a -a tj is go's e .9 .3 .5 .5 .3 .3gf *S g a a c .o a 0=2"g-^-V-V-^-v-?

•h 5 ?: '43 '45 '45 '43 '43 '43 cj ? cs cs ca co ce eg— e j, ,i ,i .i j, j i § a a a a a a13 13 13 13 13

.. s. &. *. £ *T ^ a a a a q

£ s I * * *i i I

-°.

. 111113 -°

-a * 2 * a H 2

S Q-i co Pn

£ «s a

§ 'SMS3 S l| §

8-., S I* * sS * 1-5 |§^pla ° „ ct< a a l>c a o 13 o

8 8 J 8 ° ° g ^ ° * * -B"§

o

VERBS. XV11

9MH

I—

I

CSH

CD

fc

VERBS.

» += .3 += ~5 -J3

a ^3 d< o . si i) ?

CD

s

i>

o

CO*S^ a^a?93 :3 c-

^^ » f S *o a ^ J 2 .

0) > s9> 43 «4= EX) ^ ,_, 'S jS £ g, ;g § g -S

42 Pi »S li « i « li li bd to 3R -P -P -P -P -P -P ^ <" id

"¥£;

: .s^£oP .2 S .S .S .« .S S .S +3 g ° g

^ ""O 73 ^3 T3 *da o p a c

4=

> .5 * "S5^^ § g - c:

n

g a ^ I ! § - <§|

02 e2 td S 4= ..

r-, ^ EH sh II

g .s ^ e °g

s „ S | § ^ ^ 5

-iW ^ "8 £ § 8 8 *r *" 43

p

<p > -«* &*, p M a p S tb

* ° »,

cr1 co co

a «C3 £>5:10

<D h -S « ^ 5 g c^ SSmCoSs' § ^ CD *

&CD ^ C/2 «c3rfc3rf^ O-lS-^CLj

Tj rj 4 J ^3 J Jj J ACSS to p \—t s^ CD

,rH "^ .5'3 ^^^2 CDCDCDC0CDCD _iziO S

g £ ts .a .3 .3 .a s aH

-o 2pn 9 ^9 ^ ^ ^1

' H Ol m m m O

d la SB S '3 'S '3 'S 'S o "** ^

CD

J &Pn 4= .2P CS &n

VOCABULARY

S. G.

VOCABULARY.

English Swahili

abdomen

VOCABULARY.

4

VOCABULARY.

English Swahili

barrel

8

10

VOCABULARY. 11

Kamba Kikuyu

Uln dialect

12 VOCABULARY.

English Sivahili

camel

14 VOCABULARY.

English Swahili

clay

16

18

English

VOCABULARY.

Swahili

dawnday

„ after to-morrow

daylight

deaf

dear (price)

debt

defend (v.)

deny (v.)

descend (v.)

destroy (v.)

devil

dew

diarrhoea

dic-dic

die (v.)

difficult

dig (v.)

dirt

dirty

disembowel (v.)

disobey (v.)

ditch

divide (v.)

do you hear ?

dog

donkey

door

dove

draw (v.)

„ water

dream (v.)

drink (v.)

drinking vessel (cow-horn)

drive away (v.)

drum

„ (small)

alfajiri, kucha

siku

keshu kutwa

mchanakiziwi, pi. viziwi

ghali

deni

kulinda

kukana

kuteremka

kuharibu

shetani, pi. mashetani

umandetumbo la. kuhara

paa

kufa

-gumu

kuchimba

t'aka

chafu, taka taka

kutumbuakuasi

handaki

kugawanya

unasikia ?

mbwapunda

mlango, pi. milango

hua

kuvuta

kuteka maji

kuota

kunwa

kufukuza

ngoma

20

English

VOCABULARY.

Swahili

drunk (to be)

dry (get)

duck

dumbdung (cow's)

dust

duyker (antelope)

kulewa

kukaoka, kavu

bata, pi. mabata

bubu, pi. mabubumavi

vumbi, pi. mavumbi

dondoro

eagle

22

24

26

English

VOCABULARY.

Swahili

forbid (v.)

ford

forehead

forest

forget (v.)

forty

four

fourteen

four times

friend

frog

frown

fruit

full

furnace

kugombeza

kivuko, pi. vivuko

paji la uso

mwitukusahau

arobaini

'nne

kumi na 'nne

mara 'nne

rafiki, pi. marafiki

nyangimrovi

kunja uso

tunda, pi. matundakujaa

kalibu

gain

game (alive)

„ (meat)

game trap

garden

garter (leather)

gather (v.)

gentle

get (v.)

get ahead

get into

get out

get out of the wayget (to a place)

get up

ghost

giddy

giraffe

girl

give (v.)

faiyda

mawindo

nyamamtego ya nyamashamba, pi. mashamba

kusanya

-anana

kupata

kutangulia

kuingia

kutoka

similla

kufika

kuondoka

kivuli, pi. vivuli

levyalevya

twiga

kijana, pi. vijana

kupa, kutoa

28

so VOCABULARY.

English Swahili

growl (v.)

32

34

English

VOCABULARY.

Swahili

inherit

insect

inside

iron

ivory

kurithi

mdudu, pi. wadudu

ndani

chumapembe, alaka

jackal

jigger

journey

jump (v.;

juniper

just

bweha

funza

msafara, safari

kuruka

sawa sawa

keep (v.)

kick (v.)

kidney

kill (v.)

kingfisher

kiss (v.)

kite

knee

kneehollow

kneel (v.)

knife

knobkerry

knock (v.)

know (v.)

knuckles

kudu (greater)

„ (lesser)

K

kuweka, kucheleza

kupiga teke

figo, nso

kuua, kuchinja (food)

kubusu

ruwewe

gote, pi. magote, ondo, pi. maondo

kupiga magote

kisu, pi. visu

rungu

kugonga, kugota

kujua

barabanda

shambi

36 VOCABULARY.

English Swahili

lame

38 VOCABULARY.

English Swahili

log

long

» aS°

look (v.)

loose (v.)

lose (v.)

lung

gogo, pi. magogo

-refu

zamani

kutazama

kufungua, kuregea

kupotea

pafu, pumu

Mmad

40 VOCABULARY.

English Swahili

menstruation

VOCABULARY. 41

Vlu dialect

gukamma

neumetiebu

ndzee

ntheo

mweikiliko

maiitu

kiima

kinge

ichakua

Kamba

42 VOCABULARY.

English Swahili

N

nail (finger)

44

English

VOCABULARY.

Swahili

obey (v.)

40

48 VOCABULARY.

English Swahili

presently

50 VOCABULARY.

English Swahili

refuse (v.)

52

54

56

English

VOCABULARY.

Swahili

stand (v.) kusimama

star nyota

stay (v.) kukaa

steal (v.) kuiba, kujepa

steam mvuke

stick fimbo

„ (tire) pekessu, ulindi

stick (forked for drying meat) mbano

sticks (small) ufito, pi. fito

still nyamaza, -anana

stomach tumbo

stone jrwe, pi. mawestoop (v.) kuinama

strangle (v.) kunyonga, kusonga

stripe mfuo, pi. mifuo ; utepe, pi. tepe

stroke (v.) kupapasa

strong nguvu, hodari

stumble (v.) kujikwaa

stump shina, pi. masbina

suck (v.) kuuyonya

suckle (v.) kunyonyesha

suffice (v.) kutosha

sugar cane mua, pi. miwasun jua

sunrise kucba jua

sunset mangaribi

sure kujua sana

surround (v.) kuzunguka

swallow (v.) kumezaswear (v.) kuapa, kutukana

sweat jasho, hari

sweep (v.) kufagia

sweet -tamu

swell (v.) kufura, kuvimbaswim (v.) kuogolea

swing (v.) kubembeshasword upanga, pi. panga

58 VOCABULARY.

English Swahili

tail

60 VOCABULARY.

English Swahili

this

VOCABULARY. 61

62 VOCABULARY.

English Swahili

trunk (of elephant)

VOCABULARY. 63

KambaUlu dialect

kwelli

gusisia, ella

kualliula

keeli

ngwele

Nganyawa dialect

ngwau

kuchichia

kuallula

kuthurrlukana

nguu

ekumi na ile

miongoele

miongoele na imwe

maille

mabatha

ile

yana ile

Kikuyu

Jogovrini dialect

kiromo

niegawega, neguo

arriawega

kugegerriria

kugarora

kusiororuka

ngfirru

ikumi na igiri

mirongoiri

mirongoiri na imwekeeri

inahatha

igiri

igana igiri

u

64 VOCABULARY.

English Swahili

virgin bikiri, kizinda

voice

vulture

vulva

sauti

tumbuzi, pi. matumbuzi

kuma

wwait (v.)

66 VOCABULARY.

English Swahili

•whiskers

68

English

VOCABULARY.

Swahili

yam

70 VOCABULARY.

English

NUMERALS.

Swahili

1

VOCABULARY. 71

72 VOCABULARY.

PHRASES.

English

What is your name ?

Where are you going ?

What do you want 1

Where do you come from ?

What are you doing 1

What is this?

What do you say ?

Where is the water %

I do not know

I do not want

I do not want to go

I cannot go

I will not go

I will go

I will return

I am good

I am hungry

I want milk

I have a child

I do not see

I bring

Come here

Bring food

Bring water

Call himMake a fire

Be quiet

Go away

My child

Your children

His cows

His hand

Our village

Our father

Swahili

jina lako nani ?

wendapi 1

wataka nini ?

watoka wapi ?

wafanya nini ?

nini hii ?

usemaji ?

maji wapi?

sijui

sitaki

sitaki kwenda

siwezi kwenda

siendi

nitakwenda

nitarudi

nimzuri

ninanja

nataka niaziwa

nina mtoto

sioni

naleta

njo hapa

lete chakula

lete maji

mwite

fanya moto

kaleli

enda zako

mtoto wango

watoto wako

ngombe zake

mkono wakemji wetu

baba wetu

VOCABULARY. 73

PHRASES.

Kamba (Ulu dialect) Kikuyu (Jogowini dialect)

wita wata?

uthi naku 1

wendakki 1

uomanakko ?

weikatta 1

kiinichao ?

wenenatta ?

maiba maanzi ?

ndimanya

ndikwenda

ndikwenda kuthi

nditona kuthi

ndithi or ndikathi

nenkathi

ningashoka

nimaseo

ninadja

niguenda kalia

ninamwana

ndineona

niguete

uka haha

ete leu

ete maanzi

mwite

puba mwaki

pindia

eenda or thi

kana kani kakwa

twana tuni nitwako

ngombe shiakwi

kuoko nikwaki

musie ni witu

nau witu

wita gwatia ?

wathiiku ?

ukwendakki ?

umaku ?

uguikatia ?

nikkigekki 1

ukugagatia ?

meku maii ?

ndiui or ndikumenya

ndigika or ndikwenda

ndigika kuthi

ndingihotta kuthi

ndithie or ndikathie

ningathi

ningashoka

nimweganihutie

ningwenda irria

ninakana

ndionna

nikurehe

uka haha

reherria

rehe maii

mwitorria

akiamwaki

kirra

innuka or thi

mwana wakua

siana siaku

ngombe siake

uwoko wake

mwitzi wiitu

baba wiitu

74 VOCABULARY.

English

Our mother

Do you want to eat ?

That is a bad child

A big child

A big house

He has come

You have lied

We will both go

You are a bad manAll the children are small

He is not here

Do not come

We bring

Not you

Not he

Not we

A good child

A good manA good knife

A good tree

Good children

Good menGood knives

Good trees

In the head

In the stomach

In the trees

In the house

Salutation

Reply

Reply

Swahili

mama wetu

wataka kula ?

mtoto yule mbayamtoto mkubwanyumba kubwaamekuja

umesema wongo

tutakwenda wote wawili

wewe mtu mbayawatoto wote wadogo

hako

usiji

twaleta

siwe

siye

sisisi

mtoto mzuri

mtu mzuri

kisu kizuri

mti mzuri

watoto wazuri

watu wazuri

visu vizuri

miti mizuri

kitwani

tumboni

mitini

nyumbaniJambo

ffiamtmSgt

:

FEINTED BY J. AND C. F. CLAY,

AT THE UNIVEESITY FEESS.