One of my favorite parts of experiencing Sierra Leone was the instant immersion into the languages, both tribal and Krio. Two hours a day we practiced with our LCFs (Language and Cultural Facilitators) and our host families were only supposed to communicate with us in Krio. It’s incredible how much more deeply you can interact in a foreign country when natives see that you can speak and understand their language. Just for fun, for this post I will write a paragraph in Krio and translate it in English below.
Kabo! Na we go lan aw fo tok Krio fayn-o. Krio no de pidjon tok. Krio na de tok na ol pipul dem na Salone. Di mos important tin we yu go rememba fo Krio na di gritin dem. Dis important pas mahk. We yu no de grit yu neighba dem o padi dem, yu go mek boku enemy dem. Say, “Monin-o” na di monin tem, “aftanun-o/kushe” na di evin tem, and “gud ivin” na di nite tem. Wi go see bak, ya?
Welcome! Now we will learn how to speak Krio well. Krio is not a pidgin language. Krio is the language spoken by all people of Sierra Leone. The most important thing to remember when speaking Krio is the greetings. This is important above all else. When you don’t greet your neighbors or friends, you will make lots of enemies. Say, “Morning!” in the morning time, “Evening/Hello” in the afternoon time, and “Good evening” at nighttime. We will talk again soon, yes?
Hope you enjoyed this post as much as I did!
wheatnotsothin 