Loanwords vs. words that aren't

[Christy]

You said the following about the benediction “Ala k’à kɛ jurumu kafari ye” vs “Ngala/Matigi k’a kɛ filimako nɔgɔsi ye”:

@coleman

I think the former (“Ala k’a kɛ jurumu kafari ye”) is more natural because, in my opinion, you are more likely to hear it spontaneously produced by people out and about.

So in essence, what you’re saying is that the three loanwords above (Ala, jurumu, kafari) ARE Bambara words? That one can pick and choose when a loanword is Bambara vs. when it’s not?

For me, as long as the dictionary is clearly pointing out the fact that it’s a loanword and providing the origin of said word then it’s not truly Bambara no matter how natural it may be to its users. Again, this isn’t about religion it’s about the language and the two are separate.

[coleman]

Hi Christy! Following up on this question a bit late – yafa n ma!

Yes, I am saying that I consider the three words all to be “Bambara words” even we can trace them back to another source historically.

This is a common perspective on so-called loanwords.