Speak and Write Language Series
Sashe na 4 — Unit IV: Rubutun Ilimi da Muhawara (Analytical Writing and Debate)
16

Dogon Labari da Bayanin Tarihi

B2–C1 Development · Chapter 16 of 20, Opening Unit IV · Speak and Write Hausa: Advanced Functional Hausa
Unit IV Begins — Long Narrative and Historical Explanation

Chapter Overview

Chapter 16 opens Unit IV by moving from the topic-based domains of Unit III into extended, connected discourse. Learners now build longer stretches of Hausa — a personal or family narrative, or a short explanation of a historical event — using three newly introduced systems: connectors that sequence events in time (sannan, sai, bayan, kafin, tun), connectors that give reasons, state plans, and draw comparisons (saboda, domin, tunda, fiye da, kamar), and reference-tracking strategies that keep a story's people, places, and events clear across several connected sentences without repeating full names or nouns unnecessarily. These systems build directly on the pronoun/TAM, negation, and focus systems consolidated through Chapter 15, and they prepare learners for the analytical paragraphs of Chapter 17.

Learning Objectives

By the end of this chapter, you will be able to:

  1. Sequence events in a personal, family, or historical narrative using sannan, sai, bayan, kafin, and tun.
  2. Give a reason for an event or decision using saboda, domin, and tunda.
  3. State a plan or intended outcome connected to a narrated event.
  4. Make a simple comparison between two people, times, or situations using fiye da and kamar.
  5. Track reference to the same person, place, or event across several connected sentences without confusing or over-repeating nouns and pronouns.
  6. Understand and produce a short extended narrative or historical explanation of eight to twelve connected sentences.

Communication Scenario

Following their Unit III briefing project, Amina and Ibrahim are asked by a new colleague, Salamatu, to explain how their office came to adopt its current approach to rights, respectful register, regional variation, and mediation — the very policies they described in Chapter 15. Rather than listing rules again, they now need to narrate how the policy developed over time: what happened first, what happened next, why certain decisions were made, and how the office today compares with how it used to be. Salamatu, new to the office and to the region, asks follow-up questions that require Amina and Ibrahim to keep clear who did what, and when.

  1. Domain: an extended spoken and written narrative explaining how a workplace policy or practice developed over time.
  2. Target skill: sequencing events, giving reasons, stating plans, comparing past and present, and tracking reference across several connected sentences.
  3. Grammar status: sequencing connectors, reason/plan/comparison connectors, and reference-tracking strategies are newly Introduced in this chapter; the Unit III systems (conditional, cautionary, prepositional, and focus/contrast) remain Consolidated and should continue to appear where natural.
  4. No unscheduled grammar beyond the Introduced level for the three new systems, and continued accurate use of previously consolidated systems.
Nazarin Kalmomi — Core Vocabulary

Core Vocabulary

This chapter's new productive vocabulary consists mainly of connecting words and a small set of narrative and historical nouns needed to talk about time and change.

BokoGender / TypePluralMeaning in Context
sannanconnector—then, after that (sequencing)
saiconnector—then, and then (sequencing, often marking a turning point)
bayanrelational noun / connector—after
kafinconnector—before
tunconnector—since, ever since
sabodaconnector—because
dominconnector—because, in order to
tundaconnector—since, given that
fiye daconnector—more than (comparison)
kamarconnector—like, as (comparison)
labarim.labaraistory, account, narrative
tarihim.tarihaihistory
canjim.canje-canjechange
farkom.—beginning
ƙarshem.—end

Kumulative recycling: Vocabulary from Chapters 11–14 (haƙƙi, girmamawa, bambanci, tsakani) remains eligible and useful for this chapter's narrative, since the scenario continues the office policy story from Chapter 15.

Pronunciation Focus

Sound Focus — Phrase-final pitch in connected narrative

Extended narration strings several clauses together, often joined by sannan and sai. Learners should practice keeping each clause's tone and vowel length intact while lowering pitch slightly at the end of a non-final clause and marking a fuller fall at the end of the narrative, so that a listener can hear where one event ends and the next begins. This is a matter of connected-speech pacing rather than a new sound contrast; no new consonant or vowel-length feature is introduced in this chapter.

Grammar and Sentence Patterns

This chapter introduces sequencing connectors, reason/plan/comparison connectors, and reference-tracking strategies at the Introduced level. Each system will be developed further in Chapters 17–19 before assessment in Chapter 20.

16.1 Sequencing events with sannan, sai, bayan, kafin, and tun

Sannan and sai both link one event to the next, with sai often marking a more decisive turning point in the story. Bayan and kafin introduce a clause or phrase that comes after or before the main event. Tun marks a starting point that continues to the present.

  • Da farko, ofishinmu bai da wata takamaimiyar ƙa’ida kan haƙƙin ma’aikata. At first, our office did not have a specific policy on employee rights.
  • Sannan, bayan wasu ma’aikata sun tayar da tambaya, manajoji suka fara nazari. Then, after some employees raised the question, the managers began a review.
  • Kafin a rubuta sabuwar ƙa’idar, sai aka tuntuɓi ma’aikata daga yankuna daban-daban. Before the new policy was written, employees from different regions were consulted.
  • Tun daga wannan lokacin, ofishi na nuna girmamawa ga bambance-bambancen al’ada da yanki. Ever since that time, the office has shown respect for cultural and regional differences.

    • 16.2 Reasons and plans with saboda, domin, and tunda

    Saboda and domin both introduce a reason; domin can also introduce a purpose or plan. Tunda introduces a reason presented as an already-known fact.

  • An canza ƙa’idar saboda ma’aikata da yawa ba su gamsu da tsohuwar hanyar ba. The policy was changed because many employees were not satisfied with the old way.
  • Manajoji sun yi taro domin su ji ra’ayin kowa kafin yanke shawara. The managers held a meeting in order to hear everyone's opinion before deciding.
  • Tunda ofishi yana da ma’aikata daga yankuna daban-daban, sai aka tsara ƙa’idar da za ta dace da kowa. Since the office has employees from different regions, a policy that would suit everyone was designed.

    • 16.3 Comparing past and present with fiye da and kamar

    Fiye da compares two things by degree; kamar compares by similarity.

  • Yau, ofishi na kula da bambancin yanki fiye da yadda ya kasance shekaru biyar da suka wuce. Today, the office attends to regional variation more than it did five years ago.
  • Sabuwar ƙa’idar ta fi tsohuwar kyau, domin ta yi la’akari da kowane bangare. The new policy is better than the old one, because it takes every side into account.
  • Kamar yadda muka gani a Babi na 15, canjin nan ya samo asali ne daga hankali iri ɗaya: sanin sharaɗi, gargaɗi kan zato, da nuna tushen kowace magana. As we saw in Chapter 15, this change grew out of the same underlying care: recognizing conditions, cautioning against assumptions, and showing the basis for each statement.

    • 16.4 Tracking reference across a narrative

    In connected narration, avoid repeating a full name or noun in every sentence once the referent is clear. Use pronouns, subject-marker/TAM forms, or a shortened reference (such as ofishin instead of restating the full policy name) once the person, place, or event has been introduced. Return to the full noun only when a new referent is introduced or when ambiguity would otherwise result.

  • Da farko, ofishinmu bai da ƙa’ida. Sannan, bayan ma’aikata sun tayar da tambaya, sai ta canza. At first, our office had no policy. Then, after employees raised the question, it changed. (“ta” refers back to “ƙa’ida” without repeating the noun.)
    • Language Note — From topic to timeline

    Units I–III organized language around topics — a workplace situation, a document, a right, a custom. Unit IV asks learners to organize language around time and cause: what happened first, what happened because of what, and how things have changed. The grammar tools in this chapter — sequencing, reason/plan, comparison, and reference tracking — are what turn a list of facts into a connected story or explanation.

    Common learner error: Do not chain every clause with kuma ("and") alone. A long narrative built only on kuma sounds like a list, not a story. Use sannan, sai, bayan, kafin, saboda, domin, or tunda to show how events and reasons actually relate to one another.

    Model Dialogue

    Yanayin hali: Salamatu, sabuwar ma’aikaciya, ta tambayi Amina da Ibrahim yadda ofishinsu ya kai ga irin ƙa’idar da yake da ita yau.

    (Setting: Salamatu, a new employee, asks Amina and Ibrahim how their office arrived at the policy it has today.)

    SALAMATU Ban sani ba yadda ofishi ya samar da irin wannan ƙa’idar. Ko za ku iya baini labarin yadda ta fara?I don't know how the office came up with this kind of policy. Could you tell me the story of how it started?
    AMINA Tabbas. Da farko, ofishinmu bai da wata takamaimiyar ƙa’ida kan haƙƙin ma’aikata; kowa yana bin salon manajansa ne kawai.Certainly. At first, our office had no specific policy on employee rights; everyone simply followed their manager's own style.
    IBRAHIM Sannan, bayan wasu ma’aikata sun tayar da tambaya game da girmamawa ga al’adarsu, sai manajoji suka fara nazari.Then, after some employees raised a question about respect for their customs, the managers began a review.
    SALAMATU Me ya sa suka yanke shawarar canza tsari, ba wai kawai su bar shi kamar yadda yake ba?Why did they decide to change the system, rather than just leaving it as it was?
    AMINA Saboda ma’aikata da yawa ba su gamsu da tsohuwar hanyar ba, kuma domin kowa ya ji cewa ana kula da shi daidai, sai aka canza.Because many employees were not satisfied with the old way, and so that everyone would feel treated fairly, it was changed.
    IBRAHIM Kafin a rubuta sabuwar ƙa’idar, sai aka tuntuɓi ma’aikata daga yankuna daban-daban, domin tunda ofishi yana da mutane daga ko’ina, dole ne ƙa’idar ta dace da kowa.Before the new policy was written, employees from different regions were consulted, because since the office has people from everywhere, the policy had to suit everyone.
    SALAMATU Kuma yau, ta yaya ofishi yake, idan aka kwatanta da yadda yake a lokacin?And today, how is the office, compared to how it was then?
    AMINA Yau, ofishi na kula da bambancin yanki da al’ada fiye da yadda ya kasance shekaru biyar da suka wuce. Tun daga wancan lokacin, sabuwar ƙa’idar ta fi tsohuwar kyau.Today, the office attends to regional and cultural variation more than it did five years ago. Ever since that time, the new policy has been better than the old one.
    IBRAHIM Kamar yadda muka gani a Babi na 15, canjin nan duk ya samo asali ne daga hankali iri ɗaya: sanin sharaɗi, gargaɗi kan zato, da nuna tushen kowace magana.As we saw in Chapter 15, all this change grew out of the same underlying care: recognizing conditions, cautioning against assumptions, and showing the basis for each statement.
    SALAMATU Na gode, yanzu na fahimci ba kawai ƙa’idar ba, har ma da yadda ta samo asali.Thank you, now I understand not just the policy, but how it came about.

    Tambayoyin fahimta — Comprehension questions:

    1. What was the office's situation before it had a specific rights policy?
    2. What event led the managers to begin their review?
    3. Why, according to Amina, was the policy actually changed?
    4. How does Ibrahim connect this chapter's narrative to what was learned in Chapter 15?

    Guided Practice

    Aikin fahimta — Recognition: Reread the Model Dialogue and underline every sequencing connector (sannan, sai, bayan, kafin, tun) and every reason/plan/comparison connector (saboda, domin, tunda, fiye da, kamar).

    Aikin zaɓi — Selection: Choose the correct connector (from the two groups above) to complete eight short sentences about a simple personal or family narrative.

    Aikin cikawa — Completion: Complete four sentences that sequence a short chain of events (for example: waking up, going to work, a change at work, going home), using a different sequencing connector in each.

    Aikin sauyawa — Transformation: Rewrite four sentences that are joined only with kuma so that each instead uses an appropriate sequencing or reason connector.

    Listening Practice

    Ask your instructor, a partner, or a text-to-speech tool to read the following passage aloud, twice. Answer the questions after listening.

    Sauraro — Labarin Kauyen Kaka (Listening: The Story of Grandmother's Village)

    "Kakata ta girma a wani ƙaramin kauye, kuma tun tana yarinya ta koyi harshen Hausa daga iyayenta. Da farko, kauyensu bai da makaranta, don haka yara sukan tafi wani gari mai nisa domin karatu. Sannan, bayan shekaru da dama, gwamnati ta gina makaranta a kauyen, kuma tun daga wancan lokacin, yara ba sa buƙatar yin tafiya mai nisa kafin su koyi rubutu da karatu. Kakata ta ce, saboda wannan canjin, yara na yau sun fi samun dama fiye da yadda take samu a zamaninta. Duk da haka, ta ce al’adar taimakon juna a kauye ba ta canza ba; har yau, mutane na taimakon junansu kamar yadda suke yi a da."

    Kula na sauraro — Questions: (1) Where did the grandmother learn Hausa, and from whom? (2) What was the village's situation before the government built a school? (3) What changed after the school was built? (4) According to the grandmother, what has stayed the same in the village?

    Rubutun sauraro don malami, abokin karatu, ko amfani da rubutun lantarki. Duba amsoshi a sashi na amsoshi.
    (Listening Script for Instructor, Partner, or Text-to-Speech Use. See Answer Key for expected responses.)

    Speaking Practice

    Atisayen ƙa’ida — Controlled substitution

    With a partner, take turns narrating a simple four-step personal routine (for example, a morning routine) using at least two different sequencing connectors.

    Tattaunawa — Communicative task

    With a partner, narrate how something familiar to both of you (a class, a workplace, a family tradition) has changed over time, using at least one sequencing connector, one reason/plan connector, and one comparison.

    Madadin karatu kai tsaye — Solo alternative

    Record yourself telling a short story (eight to ten sentences) about how a place, a family custom, or an organization you know has changed over time, using the same three connector types.

    Reading Practice

    Read the short passage below. Identify at least one example of each of the three assessed connector types (sequencing, reason/plan, comparison), and note how reference to the market is tracked without repeating the noun every time.

    Karatu — Tarihin Ɗan Kasuwa (Reading: A Trader's History)

    Yadda Kasuwarmu Ta Girma

    Shekaru ashirin da suka wuce, kasuwarmu ƙarama ce kawai, kuma ’yan kasuwa ‘yan kaɗan ne. Sannan, bayan an gina babbar hanya kusa da garinmu, sai mutane daga sauran garuruwa suka fara zuwa domin siyayya. Saboda haka, ’yan kasuwa suka ƙara yawa, kuma domin su gamsar da sabbin abokan ciniki, sai suka fara sayar da kayayyaki daban-daban fiye da yadda suke yi a da. Tunda kasuwar ta girma haka, gwamnatin gari ta gina rumfuna na dindindin maimakon tsofaffin bukkoki. Yau, kasuwarmu ta fi girma sau biyu fiye da yadda take shekaru ashirin da suka wuce, kuma har yanzu tana ci gaba da girma.

    Tambayoyin fahimta — Comprehension questions:

    1. What was the market like twenty years ago?
    2. What event led people from other towns to start coming to the market?
    3. Why did traders begin selling a wider range of goods?
    4. How does the market today compare with the market twenty years ago?

    Writing Workshop

    1. Karanta misalai da hankali. Reread Sections 16.1–16.4 and the Model Dialogue and Reading Practice passage.
    2. Zaɓi wani canji. Choose a change over time that you can narrate: a family story, a community change, or a workplace history.
    3. Tsara labari. Plan a short narrative with a clear beginning (farko), at least two connected events, at least one reason, and a comparison between past and present, ending with the current situation (ƙarshe).
    4. Rubuta daftarin farko. Draft an 100–150 word narrative in Boko.
    5. Duba jerin bincike. Check your draft against the checklist below.
    6. Rubuta siffa ta ƙarshe. Produce a clean final version suitable for submission.

    Jerin binciken gyara — Editing checklist:

    • At least two sequencing connectors appear (sannan, sai, bayan, kafin, or tun).
    • At least one reason or plan connector appears (saboda, domin, or tunda).
    • At least one comparison appears (fiye da or kamar).
    • Once a person, place, or event has been introduced, it is referred to with a pronoun or shortened form rather than repeated in full every time.
    • The narrative moves clearly from a beginning to a current situation.
    • Special characters (ɓ, ɗ, ƙ, ƴ) and apostrophe/glottal conventions are used accurately.
    • No unscheduled grammar beyond this chapter's three new connector systems is required to understand the narrative.

    Culture and Communication

    Culture in Context — Narrating change respectfully

    When Hausa speakers narrate how a community, family, or institution has changed, it is common to acknowledge both what has changed and what has remained valuable, as the grandmother does in the Listening Practice passage. Avoid narratives that present the past as simply backward or the present as simply superior; a respectful historical account usually holds both continuity and change in view.

    Regional Variation — Local histories, shared language tools

    The specific details of a family or community history will vary widely across Hausa-speaking regions, but the sequencing, reason, and comparison connectors introduced in this chapter are broadly shared tools for telling such stories across Nigeria, Niger, and other Hausa-speaking areas.

    Common Mistakes

    Common Mistake — Stringing events with kuma only

    Error: Joining every event in a narrative with kuma ("and"), producing a flat list rather than a connected story.

    Correction: Use sannan, sai, bayan, or kafin to show the order of events, as in Sannan, bayan wasu ma’aikata sun tayar da tambaya, sai manajoji suka fara nazari.

    Common Mistake — Over-repeating the full noun

    Error: Repeating the full name of a person, place, or policy in every sentence of a narrative, even after it has already been clearly introduced.

    Correction: Use a pronoun or shortened reference once the referent is established, as in Da farko, ofishinmu bai da ƙa’ida. Sannan, ta canza, rather than repeating “ƙa’idar” in the second sentence.

    Common Mistake — Presenting the past as simply wrong

    Error: Narrating a change over time in a way that dismisses an earlier practice or generation as simply mistaken or backward.

    Correction: Use comparison language that acknowledges both change and continuity, as in Yau, ofishi na kula da bambancin yanki fiye da yadda ya kasance shekaru biyar da suka wuce, without implying the earlier approach had no value at all.

    Chapter Summary

    This chapter opened Unit IV by introducing three new connected-discourse systems: sequencing connectors (sannan, sai, bayan, kafin, tun), reason/plan connectors (saboda, domin, tunda), and comparison connectors (fiye da, kamar), along with reference-tracking strategies for keeping a narrative's people, places, and events clear across several sentences. Learners practiced these systems through the continuing Amina, Ibrahim, and Salamatu workplace narrative, a grandmother's village history, and a trader's market history, building toward the academic and analytical writing of Chapter 17.

    Chapter Review

    Sashi na A — Kalmomi (Vocabulary)

    1. List the five sequencing connectors and the three reason/plan connectors introduced in this chapter, with their English meanings.

    Sashi na B — Nahawu (Grammar)

    1. Write four sentences that sequence a short chain of events, each using a different sequencing connector.

    2. Write two sentences giving a reason for an event, using saboda and domin.

    3. Write two sentences comparing a past and a present situation, using fiye da and kamar.

    4. Rewrite a three-sentence mini-narrative so that a repeated noun is replaced by a pronoun or shortened reference in the second and third sentences.

    Sashi na C — Karatu da Rubutu

    1. Reread the Reading Practice passage and summarize the market's history in two to three English sentences.

    2. Write your 100–150-word narrative, following the Writing Workshop instructions.

    Sashi na D — Magana

    1. Narrate your change-over-time story to a partner or instructor, following the Speaking Practice instructions.

    Practical Performance Task

    Aikin Aiwatarwa — Babi na 16

    Labarin Canji: Yadda Wani Abu Ya Canza Cikin Lokaci — A Story of Change: How Something Changed Over Time

    Complete all four components, narrating a single connected change-over-time story about a place, family, or institution you know.

    • Listening: Listen to the Labarin Kauyen Kaka passage and answer the comprehension questions.
    • Speaking: Narrate your own change-over-time story, including at least one sequencing connector, one reason/plan connector, and one comparison.
    • Reading: Read the trader's market history passage and answer the comprehension questions.
    • Writing: Submit your 100–150-word written narrative.

    Evaluation criteria: accurate use of sequencing, reason/plan, and comparison connectors at the Introduced level; clear reference tracking across the narrative without unnecessary repetition; a recognizable beginning-to-present structure; accurate recycled vocabulary and grammar from Chapters 1–15; correct gender/plural recording where relevant; correct ordinary Boko spelling and special characters; comprehensible, task-fulfilling spoken and written communication appropriate to the B2–C1 range of Volume IV; a respectful treatment of change that avoids dismissing the past.

    CriterionMeets ExpectationsNeeds Review
    Sequencing connector useAt least two different connectors used accurately to order eventsMissing, unclear, or events joined only with kuma
    Reason/plan connector useAt least one connector used accurately to explain why an event occurredMissing or reason left implicit and unclear
    Comparison usePast and present compared clearly and respectfullyMissing, unclear, or dismissive of the past
    Reference trackingPronouns and shortened forms used naturally once a referent is establishedReferents unclear, or nouns repeated unnecessarily throughout
    Narrative structureStory moves clearly from a beginning to the current situationStructure unclear or events not connected

    Independent Study Tools

    Self-check: Can you tell a short eight-to-ten-sentence story about a change you have witnessed, using at least one sequencing connector, one reason/plan connector, and one comparison, without repeating the same noun in every sentence? If not, review Sections 16.1–16.4 before submitting your Practical Performance Task.

    Vocabulary review method: Make a small connector chart with three columns — sequencing, reason/plan, comparison — and add a new example sentence to each column every day this week.

    Extra practice: Write three additional short narratives (three to four sentences each) about small daily changes (a schedule change, a new habit, a recent event), using a different connector type as the main focus of each.

    Answer Key / Amsoshi

    Tambayoyin fahimta na tattaunawa (Dialogue comprehension)

    1. Before the policy, the office had no specific rights policy; everyone followed their manager's own style.
    2. Some employees raised a question about respect for their customs, which led the managers to begin a review.
    3. The policy was changed because many employees were dissatisfied with the old way, and so everyone would feel treated fairly.
    4. Ibrahim says this chapter's change grew out of the same underlying care described in Chapter 15: recognizing conditions, cautioning against assumptions, and showing the basis for each statement.

    Kula na sauraro (Listening responses)

    (1) The grandmother learned Hausa from her parents, as a young girl. (2) Before the school was built, the village had no school, so children had to travel far to study. (3) After the school was built, children no longer needed to travel far to learn to read and write. (4) The grandmother says the custom of helping one another in the village has not changed.

    Tambayoyin karatu (Reading comprehension)

    1. Twenty years ago, the market was small, with only a few traders.
    2. The building of a major road near the town led people from other towns to start coming to shop.
    3. Traders began selling a wider range of goods in order to satisfy the new customers.
    4. Today the market is about twice as large as it was twenty years ago, and it continues to grow.

    Sashi na B (Grammar)

    1. Sample: Da farko, na tashi da wuri. Sannan, na wanke fuska. Bayan haka, na sha shayi. Kafin in fita, na kalli lokaci.
    2. Sample: An canza tsari saboda mutane da yawa ba su gamsu ba. An yi taro domin kowa ya ba da ra’ayinsa.
    3. Sample: Yau, gari ya fi girma fiye da yadda yake shekaru goma da suka wuce. Yanzu ana rayuwa kamar yadda ake yi a manyan birane.
    4. Sample: Da farko, ofishinmu bai da ƙa’ida. Sannan, ta canza bayan wata tambaya. Tun daga wancan lokacin, ta ci gaba da inganta.

    Sashi na C (Sample writing)

    Da farko, iyalinmu na zaune a wani ƙaramin gari, kuma kakana ya yi aikin noma. Sannan, bayan garinmu ya samu wutar lantarki, sai mutane da yawa suka fara buɗe ƙananan kasuwanci. Saboda wannan canjin, iyalinmu suka fara sayar da kayan gona a kasuwa maimakon amfani da su kawai a gida. Tunda gari ya ci gaba da girma, yau muna da kantuna fiye da yadda muke da su a da. Duk da haka, kamar yadda kakana ya koya mana, muhimmancin taimakon juna bai canza ba.

    Other accurate, well-organized narratives that use sequencing, reason/plan, and comparison connectors and track reference clearly are equally acceptable.

    Looking Ahead

    Abin da ka/ki koya — What you have learned

    This chapter introduced sequencing connectors, reason/plan connectors, and comparison connectors, along with reference-tracking strategies for connected narration, while continuing the Amina, Ibrahim, and Salamatu workplace storyline from Unit III into a new, historically oriented Unit IV.

    Mai Zuwa — Coming Up

    Chapter 17, Rubutun Ilimi (Academic and Analytical Writing), develops these connected-discourse tools further, moving learners from narrating change over time toward writing analytical paragraphs, summaries, and short responses, ahead of the structured debate of Chapter 18 and the community project of Chapter 19.