Entries explained
Gbaya Dictionary Entries Explained
There are two kinds of dictionary entries in the dictionary. The main entries contain information about the headword. The other type, compound words, are formed by combining headwords.
Nouns are the most significant grammatical category in Gbaya. They contain information without respect to gender.
bíí n. toute personne humaine ; personne de même parenté ; être ; personne, personnalité ; sʼutilise dans les contes pour préciser les Gbaya
bíí a̧a̧ kútua nde ? y a-t-il quelquʼun dans la maison ?
wen n. parole ; palabre ; affaire judiciaire
a̧ tɔ̧́ wen tɔ̧ɔ̧́ il est eloquent
zoro n. ịch. terme gén. poisson
mɔ nɛ yeé gɛn lɛ́ŋ nɛ́ zoro (prov) : tout ce qui est entré dans la nasse est du poisson (il nʼ y pas de petit profit)
The verb is the second grammatical category in the Gbaya dictionary. The verb expresses all activity of humanity and nature. Verbs fall into two grammatical categories: those that accept an object (transitive verbs), and those that don't accept an object (intransitive verbs). Entry verbs are presented in their base form which serves as an imperative.
gásí 1) vb tr. honorer, adorer, exalter, sʼexalter
ɛɛ gásí Sɔ̧ : adorons Dieu
2) vb intr grandir
a̧ gasa káɗí : il est déjà grand
Nominal and verbal entries are followed by sub-entries which demonstrate the almost limitless capacity of Gbaya grammatical structure to meet any expressive need of its speakers.
bíí-de-zɛ́ŋ blaguer, qqn qui aime plaisanter
bíí-yar-nɛ-zú-nu voyageur, vagabond
gásá-zu vantardise
kɔ̧́ɔ̧́-mɔ amour
Part of speech — The headwords are classified by the grammatical category (part of speech) to which they belong. Grammatical terms are given as abbreviations in italics.
If the entry is a base word (headword), the definition could be quite detailed; if it is a subentry, the definition will be brief and to the point.
Botanical or zoological scientific classification appears in italics at the end of the definition.
ban n.zool. céphalophe à flanc roux, Cephalophus rufilatus
dɛ̧ɛ̧ n.bot. acajou , Entandrophaagme cylindricum, Meliacées
Example sentences are given for all entry words, sometimes for subentries, and often for ideophones.
Homonyms and tone – The Gbaya language has many homonyms which are indicated by a subscript in the dictionary. Tone, high or low, can distinguish between two meanings of words, or it can specify the meaning of a grammatical construction, for example, the imperative in relation to a simple affirmation.
gatá1 n. tam-tam de lʼinitiation laɓi (ton bas-haut)
gata2 n ẓool. criquet (ton bas-bas)
mɛ́ nɛ́ saayé tu vas au village (le pronom mɛ́ “tu” est en ton haut pour la déclaration)
mɛ nɛ́ saayé va au village (le pronom mɛ “tu” est en ton bas pour exprimer lʼimpératif)
Variants – Variants exist on several levels. They can be phonological, semantic, or dialectal. Difference between two words is indicated by a forward slash placed between the different words.
kɔ̧́/kɔ́ vb. tr. aimer – dialectal distinction between a simple vowel and a nasallized vowel, without a difference in meaning.
vɔ́lɔ́k/vɔlɔk id. -- distinction beween something small and something big indicated by high and low tone, describing something that is smooth, soft, without firmness like the corpse of an animal
Different meanings, many senses – Gbaya vocabulary and grammar belong to the speakers, especially in a largely oral society. The compilers of this dictionary have tried to capture the multiple semantic implications expressed by Gbaya speakers through their vocabulary and their application of the rules of the language. Different meanings are indicated by numbering in the dictionary.
kɔ̧́/kɔ́ 1) vb. tr. répondre, acquiescer
2) élarguer, émonder, tailler, rendre lisse
3) vouloir, désirer, aimer, préférer
Apostrophe – Sign ( ʼ ) of elision or contraction.
bémʼɛ this child
bêm kɔ́ʼm my child
Cross-references – (zɔ́k.̣..)̣ are shortcuts that draw the readerʼs attention to details that may be of interest, either synonyms, or of a term associated with the first, or of another semantic aspect.
Borrowed words are numerous in the Gbaya language. Where recognized, source languages are indicated by abbreviations placed in parentheses following the headword.
mámpa (s) n. pain (s = sango
makala (h) n. beignet (h = hausa)
sukûl (ang, ew) n. école (ang = anglais, ew =éwondo)
Ideophones are indicated by the abbreviation id., indicated in italics, after the headword. The definition of the ideophone is an explanation or clarification rather than a glossary equivalent. Pitch, vowel length, and repetition play a big part in the creative use of ideophones.
bababa id. désigne la course empressée dʼun vieillard
kpɔ̧́ɔ̧́-kpɔ̧́ɔ̧́ id. désigne qqch de très noir, noir foncé comme lʼobscurité de la nuit (zɔ́k gír-gír, mít-mít)
