151. Speaking Hausa

Speaking Tongues

Hello Language Lovers! Welcome back to a new episode of Speaking Tongues. This week, we’re thrilled to bring you a conversation about the Hausa language with Amina, an online Hausa teacher joining us from Nigeria. You know how much we love linguistic diversity and I’m so happy to share this conversation exploring the intricacies of Hausa language and the rich cultural tapestry of northern Nigeria.

In this conversation, we discuss:

🇳🇬 The linguistic landscape of Nigeria, highlighting the diversity with over 100 languages and the three widely spoken ones: Hausa, Yoruba, and Igbo.

🇳🇬 The structure and characteristics of the Hausa language, including its gender-based pronouns and sentence construction.

🇳🇬 The cultural significance of greetings in Hausa and how respect is woven into the language, especially when addressing elders.

🇳🇬 The influence of Arabic on Hausa due to historical trade and the spread of Islam, with examples of borrowed words.

🇳🇬 The regional variations of Hausa across Nigeria and neighboring Niger.

🇳🇬 The blending of Hausa with other languages such as English and French, and how this is reflected in modern communication, especially online.

🇳🇬 The vibrant Hausa media landscape, including Kannywood (!!), TV shows, and music, and Amina’s recommendations for Hausa shows on Netflix and YouTube.

🇳🇬 Cultural insights into Hausa traditions, such as weddings, clothing, and Eid celebrations.

🇳🇬 Practical advice for learners of Hausa, emphasizing the importance of understanding cultural nuances and gender distinctions in the language.

Thank you to Amina for sharing your knowledge, your culture, and your language with us. If you enjoy this episode of Speaking Tongues, don’t forget to subscribe, rate, and review the Speaking Tongues Podcast on Apple Podcasts and like and subscribe on YouTube so that other language lovers like ourselves can find the show! If you’ve been a long-time listener of the show or a recent listener, you can now pledge ongoing support for the show on Buy Me a Coffee dot com or on Patreon dot com. And as you know, I wrote a book! My food ‘zine of international language and cuisine, Taste Buds Vol 1. is available now for purchase! Check social media for the sneak peek inside of the book and make sure you purchase for yourself and your friends! Links to all platforms are below!

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