I ni ce, Christy! Thanks for sharing the variation on the proverb I’m not sure if I had heard it before or not, but a friend of mine said it and I wanted to play with ways to potentially make a database of proverbs (and eventually a separate one of benedictions) that people could search!
The Forum is really quick and easy (and you can even use it like a wiki so that posts are editable by everyone), but I am thinking that it won’t be very useful for learners unless the proverbs are categorized by subject/topic/idea; that is, people should be able to look up a topic (“age”) and then find all the proverbs with that tag. AND they should also be able to search via word in Manding or English (kind of like the Lyric Library search function).
What do you think of that idea? Unfortunately, I don’t have the computer skills to set that up how I’d like very easily
Oh! OK! YES!! A database of proverbs (and eventually a separate one of benedictions) that people could search would be GREAT! If you want to go ahead and start one for benedictions I’ll add some!
At the later part of the Peace Corps Mali Bambara language manual they actually give students the proverbs written in standard orthography and then tell them to go look for the meaning of the proverb and try to use it appropriately. Now I know that that mostly works if you’re in a Manding speaking area, o bɛɛ n’a ta, there are apps like “HelloTalk” that exist now.
One suggestion is to mention a language learning app like “HelloTalk” on your YouTube channel? That way students from anywhere can connect with native Manding speakers even if they’re not actually in those perspective areas.
Suggested that to say that I think that’s one good way to help students learn to walk on their own. And maybe it would, in turn, help alleviate some of the nitty gritty?
Otherwise, I think the way that you’ve initiated things thus far is absolutely fine! And the fact that such a place in a forum even exist!! The value of that alone is enough, even if you never categorize things Coleman.
Ala ka mɔgɔ ci i ma min bɛ se ka i dɛmɛ kosɛbɛ!
PS - For anyone interested, I’m on “HelloTalk”. I’m trying to improve my Bambara, so that I’ll be able to speak it fluently! I speak English, so if you’re a Bambara speaker and want to also communicate in English, you can “HelloTalk” me.
Hey! Well… what does the alternative imply? Only asking that because you left off the translation of the alternative and to me there’s a complete literal translation difference which also gives a different perspective to the meaning.
Comparing the perspective of a standing child to a seated old man vs. comparing the perspective of a standing young man to a seated old man leaves two different kinds of perceptions in my mind. And I most certainly would be more apt to use the ‘kamalen’ alternative if I were speaking to like a 17-19 or 20+ year old male (young man age range).
If I had posted “Cɛkɔrɔba sigilen ɲɛ bɛ fɛn min na, den jɔlen ɲɛ t’a la” Then yeah, I would understand it better as an alternative. But I think that the word usage of “kamalen” holds more weight in the perspective scope of wisdom.
Again, just noting that I’d use “Cɛkɔrɔba sigilen ɲɛ bɛ fɛn min na, kamalen jɔlen ɲɛ t’a la” over the first alternative that you shared because of the den/kamalen difference comparing their perspective to that of a seated old man. Whereas if it were about a ‘seated man’ or ‘father’ then, to me, they both could be used alternatively leaving off the need for another translation.
Did I stretch all of that too far?
At any rate, I know you’re just trying things out right now to figure out how best to leave and allow things.
Haha, use whichever one you dig more depending on the context!
I think your comments highlight the broader issues of 1) how proverbs are tricky because of all the possible variations (I tried the alternative thing because that’s also what Wikipedia efforts seem to do), and 2) why collective efforts to build these kind of things as open wikis is difficult too because there needs to be an editorial decision on what counts as the same or not. Or you just have lots and lots of entries, which is maybe not a problem if its a purely digital tool.
I’m gonna make your proverb a separate entry to have a look and show you that option…
(But still not convinced that this should all happen in the Forum!)
I’m not sure if I had heard it before or not, but a friend of mine said it and I wanted to play with ways to potentially make a database of proverbs (and eventually a separate one of benedictions) that people could search!
A database of proverbs (and eventually a separate one of benedictions) that people could search would be GREAT! If you want to go ahead and start one for benedictions I’ll add some! 
Well… what does the alternative imply? Only asking that because you left off the translation of the alternative and to me there’s a complete literal translation difference which also gives a different perspective to the meaning.