Cicipu language texts 

THE CICIPU LANGUAGE

Compound in Maguji, Korisino
Yabani Galadima, Cipu speaker from Galadima village

Cicipu texts

The texts listed below were collected in Acipuland between 2006 and 2008. As you can see, the corpus covers several different genres. Clicking on the text name will, in most cases, display a transcription, free translation and interlinear glosses. The texts are not to be redistributed elsewhere - please contact the Cicipu.org webmaster if you have a question concerning this. The following genres are represented:

Folktales

Amos Bako Amos Bako 10 minutes Copying Big Spider takes Small Spider hunting. Because of Big Spider's tricks and cunning they catch rats, make water appear, and escape from a leopard. After they come home, Small Spider tries to copy Big spider. He takes Monitor Lizard as a companion and of course everything goes wrong!
Amos Bako Amos Bako 5 minutes Fiancée Spider is after Lion's fiancée, but he accuses Monkey of doing this, setting Lion against him. Meanwhile Spider is enjoying his first day together with the fiancée, until Lion tracks him down...
Amos Bako Amos Bako 7 minutes Fall from heaven Big Spider takes Small Spider to a festival in the sky. But Small Spider offends Big Spider and so he has to make his own way home. He is given simple instructions but of course he can't stick to them...
Amos Bako Amos Bako 6 minutes Chewing-gum girl The chief's fed up of someone (Spider, of course) eating his groundnuts. So he makes a special kind of scarecrow to catch the thief.
Amos Bako Amos Bako 25 minutes Spider's bitch Small Spider is content being married to a dried-up old dog who serves him water made of shit. That is, until Big Spider succeeds in bringing home two beautiful young wives. Small Spider does away with his wife and sets out to emulate Big Spider...
Ayuba Sani Ayuba Sani (Tidipo dialect) 7 minutes Stuck Fed up of being exploited by his wives, a hunter decides to eat his meals out in the bush. He can't find anywhere to sit down without the shade demanding a share of his food. Angry enough already, the  hunter refuses but suffers humiliating consequences.
Ayuba Sani Ayuba Sani
(Tidipo dialect)
3 minutes Sleepy Two hunters have a competition to see who's the sleepiest.
Ayuba Sani Ayuba Sani
(Tidipo dialect)
4 minutes Who's the best? Five people perform increasingly-incredible tasks as they try to prove who among them is the best.
Markus Yabani Markus Yabani 3 minutes Water babies A farmer discovers that water babies are stealing his food and lays a trap.
Markus Yabani Markus Yabani 3 minutes Monkey-woman A man with two wives finds out that one of them turns into a monkey in order to exploit her rival.
Markus Yabani Markus Yabani 3 minutes Sword 1 Markus made this story about a sword up on the spot
Markus Yabani Markus Yabani 3 minutes Sword 2 Markus made this story about a sword up on the spot
Hussaini Sale Hussaini Sale 2 minutes Cat dies the world is happy Story was prepared beforehand (written out in Cicipu)
Hussaini Sale Hussaini Sale 1 minute Four magics Story was prepared beforehand (written out in Cicipu)

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Histories

Yabani GaladimaMarkus Yabani Yabani Galadima
Markus Yabani
40 minutes Bazama and Korisino Baba Yabani Galadima interviewed by his son, covering the settlement of Galadima village and the history of Korisino
Mohammed Mallam Mohammed Mallam 17 minutes Economic development Mohammed Mallam's take on the economic development and history of the Acipu
Tene MagajiMohammed Mallam Tene Magaji
Mohammed Mallam
12 minutes Oldendays Account of some aspects of life when Tene Magaji was a young girl, and an uncomplimentary account of the origin of the Damakawa people.
Bigi MagajiMohammed Mallam
Bigi Magaji
Mohammed Mallam
3 minutes Family status in Mataari Mohammed interviewing his uncle about their family's status in Mataari.
Markus Yabani Markus Yabani 2 minutes Capt. Norman Biggs' grave Markus Yabani's account of the death of Captain Norman Biggs of the British Army, who was killed by a poisoned dart and buried in Sakaba in 1908.
Garkuwa BawaMohammed Musa Garkuwa Bawa
Mohammed Musa
(Tikula dialect)
30 minutes Ukula history Account of the history of the Akula division of the Acipu
Malli Idanbanya Malli Iɗanbanya
Mohammed Musa
(Tikula dialect)
17 minutes Ukula history Account of the history of the Akula division of the Acipu

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Riddles

Markus YabaniIshaya Audu Markus Yabani
Ishaya Audu
5 minutes Riddles A riddle game - if you can't guess, you must forfeit a town to the other player.
Amos BakoMusa BigiMusa DanjumaIshaya AuduMarkus Yabani Amos Bako
Musa Bigi
4 minutes Riddles A riddle game - if you can't guess, you must forfeit a town to the other player.

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Prayers

Markus Yabani Markus Yabani
1 minute Opening prayer Opening prayer for folktales and riddles session
Ishaya Audu Ishaya Audu 1 minute Closing prayer Closing prayer for folktales and riddles session

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Sermons

Markus Yabani Markus Yabani
24 minutes Sermon Sermon given in Tungan Magajiya UMCA church

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Local news

Markus Yabani Ibrahim Danjuma
6 minutes Crocodile-killing The story of Ubandawaki and Araba, who killed one of the sacred crocodiles from Korisino in 2006
Hussaini Sale Hussaini Sale 1 minute Armed robbery Story was prepared beforehand (written out in Cicipu)

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Descriptions

Markus Yabani Markus Yabani 4 minutes Dog Description of the dog
Markus Yabani Markus Yabani 3 minutes Camel Description of the camel
Markus Yabani Markus Yabani 4 minutes Priest Description of the priest
Markus Yabani Markus Yabani 4 minutes Bible Description of the Bible
Amos Bako Amos Bako 3 minutes Monkey Description of the monkey
Amos Bako Amos Bako 3 minutes Fire Description of fire
Amos Bako Amos Bako 3 minutes Beer Description of beer 
Amos Bako Amos Bako 4 minutes Witches Description of witches
Amos Bako Amos Bako 3 minutes Slaves Description of slaves
Amos Bako Amos Bako 2 minutes Crocodile Description of the crocodile
Amos Bako Amos Bako 2 minutes Lightning Description of lightning
Markus Yabani Garba Daniel 3 minutes Camel Description of the camel
Markus Yabani Markus Yabani 3 minutes Tortoise Description of the tortoise
Markus Yabani Garba Daniel 1 minute Iodine Description of iodine
Mallam Magaji Mallam Magaji 15 minutes Koran Description of the Koran
Mallam Magaji Mallam Magaji 15 minutes Fish Description of the hippopotamus, fish, and water sources
Mohammed Mallam Mohammed Mallam 3 minutes Gin Description of gin
Mohammed Mallam Mohammed Mallam 4 minutes Tobacco Description of tobacco 
Murna Musa Murna Musa 1 minute Beer Description of beer
Murna Musa Murna Musa 1 minute Gin Description of gin
Murna Musa Murna Musa 1 minute Water Description of water 
Murna Musa Murna Musa 2 minutes Dog Description of the dog

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Pear stories

These narratives were elicited using Wallace Chafe's Pear Film. The first four texts are the most reliable and cross-linguistically comparable, since the interviewer had not seen the film before. The fifth text was elicited by Stuart McGill from the interviewer Markus Yabani after he had conducted five interviews (four of which are presented here - the fifth was very short), but before he had seen the film itself. It is probably the most comprehensive and accurate of all the re-tellings. The last four interviews were conducted on another occasion, after the interviewer had seen the film (although he told the interviewees that he had not).

Maza 2 minutes Pear story Session 1

Haruna 1 minute Pear story Session 1
Tambaya Wakala Tambaya Wakala 2 minutes Pear story Session 1
Lawali Sale Lawali Sale 1 minute Pear story Session 1
Markus Yabani Markus Yabani 2 minutes Pear story Interviewing the interviewer

Danjuma Araba 2 minutes Pear story Session 2
Markus Yabani Garba Daniel 1 minutes Pear story Session 2
Tabitha Markus
Tabitha Markus 2 minutes Pear story Session 2
Ishaya Audu Ishaya Audu 2 minutes Pear story Session 2

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