[You are about to be hit with a wave of blog posts that have been written in my notebook and I hadn’t made them a priority to type up.]
This phrase has proven to be incredibly useful here, especially when accompanied by “degumma wolof bu baax” (I don’t understand Wolof very well) Since I am in Senegal where Wolof is the language on the street, it just feels right to apologize for my lack of knowledge. The Senegalese really value helping their neighbors, and this includes linguistically. It’s not uncommon for someone to speak at least some of three or more languages. So when all I have is French (and English), I think it’s good to apologize.
I have also been on the other side of this phrase. The other day, a man came up to me speaking rapid fire Wolof. I caught less than 5% of what he needed. So I said “baal ma, degumma Wolof bu baax” and he replied, “baal ma, baal ma, baal ma, jamm ag jamm” A simple apology can go a very long way. Sometimes I’ll even say, Baal ma, degumma Wolof bu baax, mais degg naa francais bu baax (Sorry, I don’t speak Wolof very well, but I do speak French well). Offering a solution is a nice way to facilitate communication, make friends and show respect.
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