Learn to speak Hausa  

Hausa Language

Hausa CD-ROM
RRP: £24.95
Our Price: £19.99
with FREE P&P

Where does Hausa come from?
Hausa is by far the most important of the Chadic languages which form a branch of the Afro-Asiatic family.

Hausa is the most widely spoken language of West Africa, and the largest Hausa-speaking city in Nigeria is Kano.

How many people speak Hausa?
In Nigeria it is the first language of about 25 million people, living mainly in the northern half of the country. Another 25 million Nigerians are probably able to converse in it. There are approximately 5 million speakers in Niger to the North. At least half the population of Ghana can converse in Hausa to some degree.

Hausa Culture

A spot of Culture

Literature
Beginning about 1800 it was written in a variety of the Arabic script called Ajami, but in the early 20th century the British introduced the Roman alphabet. The latter predominates today, and is the language of instruction in primary schools, newspapers and books.

Hausa Music and Dance
Music and dance are integral to Nigerian culture, and each ethnic group has its own specialties. Traditional instruments include various types of flutes, trumpets, musical bows, xylophones, and wooden clappers, as well as many varieties of drums. Music is used to celebrate rulers and to accompany public assemblies, weddings and funerals, festivals, and storytelling. At one time the Edo of the Kingdom of Benin distinguished between urban music that was performed at the palace and less complex music that was played in rural areas. Dance also has many varieties: Ishan stilt dancers in colourful costumes twist themselves in the air; while one Tiv dance, called ajo, features male dancers who work in pairs, and another involves teams of women who perform a dance called icough by composing songs about current events.

Hausa Food and Drink
Soup, rice, beans, eggplant, groundnut, chicken, beef, local fruits and vegetables including oranges, bananas, pineapples, tangerines, carrots, watermelons, guava, melons, limes, grape fruits, mangos, peppers, tomatoes, onions and peas.

Drinks include a palm wine made from the juices of palm trees, all sorts of fruit drinks, local and imported wines and beers and zobo - a red drink which tastes like fruit punch.

Hausa Attractions
The coastal region is a low-lying area of lagoons, sandy beaches and mangrove swamps, which merges into an area of rainforest where palm trees grow to over 30m (100ft). From here, the landscape changes to savannah and open woodland, rising to the Central Jos Plateau at 1800m (6000ft). The northern part of the country is desert and semi-desert, marking the southern extent of the Sahara. Visit Yankari National Park or Kamuku Wildlife Reserve, the Old City in Kano and a visit to Kumi Market will always be worthwhile if you are after a few bargains.

About Talk Now! Language CD-ROMs
This is an excitingly different language learning series. Talk Now! uses games and quizzes as a basis for making the learning process fun, easy and relaxing. There is no better way to teach an old dog new tricks and this fun element of the program means that your fears are forgotten as you absorb words and phrases without even realising you are learning them.

Talk Now! is the world's best selling language learning CD-ROM series for beginners, used by more than three million people to date. It's ideal for travellers, holidaymakers, business people, schoolchildren, students and families.

Anyone over 10 years of age will find the disc indispensable for improving listening, understanding and spoken language skills. There are nine topics: first words, food, colours, phrases, parts of the body, numbers, time, shopping and countries.

The games and quizzes included on the disc ensure that users have fun whilst using the disc, without realising that they're learning. The "intelligent" software feature remembers words you get wrong and targets your weak points.

"This is an excitingly different language learning series. Talk Now! Uses games and quizzes as a basis for making the learning process fun and relaxing." - PC Answers

"I bought your Learn Malay CD today - I've only just begun, but I wanted to say how much I am enjoying it. I studied Malay from a book all day yesterday, making some 25 pages of notes on grammar and vocab, but I remember more from your CD from just an hour!" - James Bryce