The Irish standard., 1895-04-13
AN AFRIC AN ASH ola. TON
Organized Tor the Civilization of
Hausaland.s 1:Sss


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When white men decide to push their
enterprises into new lands they seldom
begin by making long preliminary
study of the languages They move
into the country and learn the lam
guages while they are buying products
or teaching the natives. A movement
is now well advanced, however, for
making thorough study Of great
African language while yet there is not
missionary in the field and scarcely q
trader. Everybody who knows the
facts thinks this is the best step that
can be taken towards getting foot
hold in the great and populous regions
Of the central Soudan. just south OF the
Sahara desert.
This region, says an eastern ex-
change, also known as Hausaland, is
dotted over with numerous towns and
has millions of inhabitants. It covers
an area of half million square miles,
and is one-sixth as large as the United
States, exclusive Of Alaska. The only
widely-spread language there is the
Hausa, and it is spoken by not less than
one one-hundredth of the human race.
It is one of the richest and most culti-
vated languages in Africa, and is not
only the vernacular where the Hausas
live, but is the lingua franco In wide
regions beyond its own home. Far
south and west of the lower Niger,
Hausa is coming to be more and more
spoken. In big coast towns like Lagos
and Badagry, wherever Mohammedans
are found, Hausa is the dominant Ian
euage The reason is that the Hausas
are the leading commercial people OF
Africa. Their caravans are found from
the Mediterranean states to the wild
regions west of the Gulf of Guinea, and
wherever they go they .. spread the
knowledge of their language.
It was decided long ago that the
study of this language was OF great Inn
portance to philologists, traders and
missionaries, and SO, in 1909, the Hausa
association was formed in England,
with the object Of obtaining q complete
knowledge of it. Well-known repre-
sentatives of science and philology
formed the committee and "a pro-
gramme of work was adopted. The
hrst step was to send student to
Tripoi and Tunis to get preliminary
knowledge of the tongue from the
Hausa caravans which visit those
cities. Mr.. Charles Robinson was se-
lected for this work, and he has carried
It on with enthusiasm and excellent re-
suits. He has mingled intimately with
the Hausa visitors to North Africa. He
has acquired knowledge Of their hab-
its of thought as well as of their Ian
guage, both of which are essential con-
ditions to useful residence in the CEN
trail Soudan He has translated some
of the Gospels into the language with 9
view, simply, to providing useful aid
to white students. In fact, the mis-
sionaries. while interested in the work,
are taking no active part in it, and it is
being carried on solely by an eclectic
body Of scientific men, with such sup
port as the public are giving them.
Mr.. Robinson has now started for the
central Soudan with q number of as,
sistants, including physician who has
picked up good deal of Hausa at
Tunis, and it is expected that he will
be particularly useful, for it is known
that doctor can often obtain access to
circles in Hausaland to which an ordi-