The book on Hausa Language usage by Dr. Abdullahi Garba Wurma of the Department of Nigerian and African Languages, Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria, is an invaluable addition to the development of Hausa language. Titled Daidaitacciyar Hausa Da Ka’idojin Rubutunta, the book, which consists of ten chapters, presents an academic study of the Hausa Language, its place and importance in the world of communication and the basic grammatical rules guiding its usage.
It is a common knowledge that Hausa, one of the three major languages in Nigeria, is among the most widely spoken languages in Africa. Hausa people and Hausa speakers could be found in virtually every country in West Africa. In written form, the language is also well endowed courtesy of the various Hausa scholars that have relentlessly tried to standardize its usage over the years.
Indeed, like every other commonly used languages such as English, the Hausa Language has undergone a tremendous development in both its spoken and written forms. Through socialization process, it has borrowed from other languages with whom the Hausa people have come in contact. Its early contact with the Arabic scholars has had a veritable impact in this regard. Apart from borrowing some of the Arabic words and expressions, the Hausa literary tradition began with the use of Arabic alphabets, a system known as Ajami. Currently using the Roman alphabet, the language has become well developed, with all the grammatical rules that qualify a language as a standard language.
However, like other commonly used languages, the Hausa language has also suffered what could be described as setbacks in terms of strict adherence to the rules. Even among the native Hausa speakers, the language has a number of variations ranging from the version spoken by the Kano people known as Kananci to the type spoken by the Agadas people in Niger Republic, referred to as Agadasanci. There is also the problem of outright corruption of the language by the non-native speakers. This category of speakers even go as far as producing books in Hausa language with little or no regards to the rules. Also, it is not uncommon to see big billboards carrying advert in Hausa with outrageous spelling mistakes.
This is no doubt a big challenge to the Hausa Language scholars. And Wurma’s book could be seen as a response to this challenge. The 103-page book does not only stress the importance of adhering to the grammatical rules but provide groundwork for the correct use of the language. It deals with grammatical rules in terms of sentence structures, combination and separation of certain words and the appropriate use of capital letters, punctuation marks etc.
Throughout the chapters, the author presents lists of correct and wrong versions of some commonly misspelled, mispronounced or misused words, sentences and expressions. There are also excerpts from literary works of famous writers like Abubakar Imam to illustrate the correct use of the language. Works sampled include Naibi Suleiman Wali’s poem, Wakar Damina, Imam’s book, Magana Jari Ce and Dauda Kano’s play, Tabarmar Kunya. Several specimens of Hausa folklores, customs and proverbs are also deployed towards teaching the basic Hausa language rules.
Daidaitacciyar Hausa Da Ka’idojin Rubutunta is indeed a clarion call, saying ‘mind your Hausa’. Even though it is targeted at undergraduate students of Hausa, professionals like journalists in the Hausa service media and lecturers of Hausa Language will gain a lot from the rich contents of the book. In fact, it is a must read for all Hausa speakers.