At least

Word Questions
1

Posting this great question which came from @marija via a homework assignment.

She asked:

  • “How can I say ‘at least’?”

(I’ve edited things a little bit for clarity.)

Here’s the sentence where she wanted to say “at least” as in “at least one day”:

Ni week-end sera, n bɛ taa “at least” tile kelen kɛ ni n cɛ ani a denmuso fitinin ye

"When the weekend arrives, I go spend “at least" one day with my husband and his little daughter”

There isn’t a good one-to-one translation that lines up with “at least” in general.

Instead, I’d suggest using cogo o cogo “any manner” (from cogo) or kɔni “in any case”.

Like this:

  • Cogo o cogo:

    Ni week-end sera, cogo o cogo n bɛ taa tile kelen kɛ…

    "When the weekend arrives, in any manner [as in, “no matter what”], I go spend one day…

  • Kɔni

    Ni week-end sera kɔni, n bɛ taa tile kelen kɛ…

    “When the weekend arrives in any case [as in, “no matter what happens”], I go spend one day…”

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Hi, @Coleman! :slightly_smiling_face: I use “a dɔgɔya la” to say “at least”… and it works! :woman_shrugging:t5::grin:

The Bamadaba dictionary shows that the postposition lá can also be used to form superlative constructions. That’s where I got my understanding from and why I use “a dɔgɔya la” to say “at least”.

Your thoughts?

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I ni ce, @Christy!

Thanks for weighing in :slight_smile:

It sounds like you have already confirmed that “à dɔgɔya la” works (i.e. is understood by people in conversation) by using it in Mali, so that sounds like a potential option too.

Here’s how I would break it down:

à dɔgɔya la
it smallness at

“at its smallest” → “at least”

So I guess in the original sentence that @marija asked about, you could say something like:

Ni week-end sera, à dɔgɔya la, n bɛ taa tile kelen kɛ…

“When the weekend arrives, at the littlest [as in, “at least”], I go and spend one day…”

That said, I’d note that this isn’t a turn of phrase that I’ve often heard people use spontaneously while speaking. Is it something that you’ve heard others use?

I had a look in the Bambara Reference Corpus as well and the exact phrasing “a dɔgɔya la” only shows up one single time and it isn’t used to mean “at least” in the sentence. This makes me think that it’s not the most natural-sounding option.

I ko di? :slight_smile:

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Nse! You’re welcome. :slightly_smiling_face:

Haha! You know what? I haven’t paid much attention to if I’ve heard others use it or not. lol! But, some have said my Bambara is American Bambara. :joy: And, my Southern drawl sho ain’t helpin’! :raising_hands:t5::joy:

The usage is more of a personal decision for me on my speaking journey and I thought that I’d share it. I was having a REALLY HARD time with speaking. So, in order for ME to speak with more ease, I decided to dismiss literal meanings and drop all of the linguistic jargon for a while (no offense :folded_hands:t5:) and just focus on practical communication and immersion. My goal is to simply speak… and to, obviously, eventually arrive to a fluent speaking level. So, if it has the same contextual meaning and the understanding is there… I just say it.

“At least” is a common phrase I use when speaking English. So, it’s all about me wanting to express myself in the most familiar speaking manner. It doesn’t always work… but, I’ve found that that’s a suitable learning style that works better for me. I’m learning to speak better through decisions I make for myself like this… and my brain is more at rest… and my speaking is significantly improving because of it. :raising_hands:t5::partying_face:

“Dɔgɔ” also means “little” and, depending on the context, “least” is the superlative form of it. That’s why I use “a dɔgɔya la” to say “at least”. I mean, what is the point of knowing how to properly construct a sentence/phrase if I don’t actually apply it? :upside_down_face: After all, comparative and superlative constructions are typically introduced at A2 level anyway…

Cogo o cogo, it’s a continued learning curve for me for sure! But, I’ve gotta start somewhere. And, for now, it’s all about NOT having to struggle with word retrieval. :heart:

PS: I do get my Bambara corrected from time to time. Although, not as much as I’d like for it to be. And, I do very often humbly ask if how I’m saying sth is correct and/or if it’s being understood. :woman_teacher:t5:

PPS: Here’s a different sentence example for @marija.

Ni week-end sera, n bɛ tile kelen à dɔgɔya la tiɲɛ ni n cɛ n’a denmuso fitinin ye.

PPPS: Maybe this could be a new video topic for you @Coleman… on comparative & superlative constructions… or an addition to your Bambara course if you haven’t already added it. :slightly_smiling_face:

Happy learning! :clinking_glasses:

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Aw ni ce! :slightly_smiling_face:

OK… so, I’ve went out and asked about this topic again today and had it confirmed, again, that “a dɔgɔya la” is correct to use if I want to say “at least” and that “a dɔgɔya la” can have a different meaning but it all depends on the context it’s being used in. With that said, I was also told that “a dɔgɔyalen” is better to say because it’s usage will always clearly mean “at least". :slightly_smiling_face:

:clinking_glasses:

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I ni ce, @Christy! Sorry for the long delay. N tun taara bɔ n somɔgɔw ye! :slight_smile::united_states:

First of all, thanks for investigating a bit more about how people perceive/understand “à dɔgɔya la” and “à dɔgɔyalen” in general and in specific contexts.

The turn of phrase à dɔgɔyalen also shows up way more in the Bambara Reference Corpus (18 times and I see multiple ones that clearly translate into English as “at least”) compared to à dɔgɔya la (1 time and it doesn’t mean “at least”).

Here’s an example:

Kabini cikɛ daminɛna ɲinan, don si ma kɛ ni mɔgɔ dɔ ma na suman ɲini yan. A dɔgɔyalen ye mɔgɔ fila ye

”Since farming started this year, there hasn’t been a day where some people haven’t come looking for a meal. [It has always been] at least two people.”

(NOTE: Lit. “Its smallest is two people”)

Sounds like a solid option for saying “at least” in many situations! :slight_smile:

And regarding this:

  • Good suggestion :slight_smile: They are not formally a part of my Beginner Bambara course or the Advanced Beginner course at this time. The comparative normally comes up during class at the Adv. Beg. level, but right now, it’s formally going to be a part of the Intermediate course that I will be teaching this fall :hugs:. I could see it being useful earlier, but I’m always trying to squeeze more and more into the lower levels, which doesn’t work either :sob:

Last but not least, thank you for sharing a bit more about the context behind your use of “a dɔgɔya la”. It sounds like you have found a learning method or conversational practice method that suits you well :slight_smile: Linguistic jargon and literal meanings have their place as a tool for learning, but ultimately it depends on one’s level, needs and preferences (which of course can vary and change over time), so I am glad that you have put them aside and found good results :partying_face:

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