Cross-dialect concepts

The 5 correspondence rules you've just seen (dr/tr, dz/z, pv/v, hu/u, long vowels) cover most dialect variations — but not all.

One important case remains: the concepts for which dialects use entirely different roots. Not phonetic variations: distinct words for the same meaning.

Emblematic case: house.

• nyumba and ɗago (Nz, Ma: Ahmed-Chamanga, 1992; Nisusoma shimaore booklet, 2019)
• ɗaho (Ng, to be confirmed)

ɗago and ɗaho share a root with phonetic variation (g/h — not covered by the earlier rules, but comparable). nyumba is a completely different word, used in Anjouan as in Mayotte.

Learning strategy: memorise concepts as pairs or triplets, not as isolated words.

All cross-dialect variation can be classed into three types:

1. Regular phonetic variation (covered by rules 5.2 to 5.5)

• ndrovi / ntrovi / trovi — same word, just pronunciation
• mwidzi / mwizi — same word, dz simplification

2. Minor non-systematic phonetic variation (e.g. g/h, l/r)

• ɗago / ɗaho — same root, g/h alternation
• mlongo (Nz) / mulango (Ma) — same root

3. Different roots (no rule, must be memorised)

• ɗago / nyumba — etymologically distinct words
• moro / mdro — loans or divergent evolutions

Type 3 demands the most memorisation effort. But it concerns a limited number of fundamental concepts — a few dozen at most.

To become a speaker at ease in all dialects:

1. Know the correspondences (5.2 to 5.5) — they give a lead, to be checked word by word

2. Memorise type-3 concepts as families

• House = { nyumba, ɗago, ɗaho }
• Person = { mndru, muntru, mutru }
• Fire = { moro, mdro }
• etc.

3. Listen to your interlocutor and adopt their dialect

• You're in Mayotte with a Mahorais speaker → use mutru, maji, nyumba
• You're in Grande Comore → use mndru, madji (and check ɗaho with a speaker)
• In doubt, ask: « Mahokini hatru ? » — « How do we say it locally? » (Ma)

Comorians are used to dialect code-switching — the diaspora has lived with it forever. You won't be judged for mixing a little, especially early on.

You now master the 6 major dialect correspondences:

1. dr/ndr (Ng) ↔ tr/ntr (Nz, Ma) — retroflexes, in part of the vocabulary
2. dz (Ng, Nz) ↔ z (Ma) — in a few words
3. dj (Ng) ↔ j (Nz, Ma) — in a few words (madji / maji)
4. pv — the [β] sound, written pv in 2019 in every dialect
5. hu- (Ng, Nz) ↔ u- (Ma) — infinitive prefix
6. Long vowels (Ng) ↔ short vowels (others)

Plus the cross-dialect concept strategy for different roots.

Next, Module 6: reading old texts in INALCO 1988 notation. Your skills will unlock a whole literature.