Hausa is a major world language, spoken as a mother tongue by more than 30 million people in northern Nigeria and southern parts of Niger, in addition to diaspora communities of traders, Muslim scholars and immigrants in urban areas of West Africa, e.g. southern Nigeria, Ghana, and Togo, and the Blue Nile province of the Sudan. It is also widely spoken as a second language and has expanded rapidly as a lingua franca. Hausa is a member of the Chadic language family which, together with Semitic, Cushitic, Omotic, Berber and Ancient Egyptian, is a coordinate branch of the Afroasiatic phylum. This comprehensive reference grammar consists of sixteen chapters which together provide a detailed and up-to-date description of the core structural properties of the language in theory-neutral terms, thus guaranteeing its on-going accessibility to researchers in linguistic typology and universals.

This up-to-date volume, the first Hausa-English dictionary published in a quarter of a century, is written with language learners and practical users in mind. With over 10,000 entries, it primarily covers Standard Nigerian Hausa but also includes numerous forms from Niger and other dialect areas of Nigeria. The dictionary includes new Hausa terminology for products, events, and activities of the modern world. Its definitions show the use of Hausa words in context, and particular attention is paid to idioms, figurative meanings, and special usages. As a guide to pronunciation, headwords and illustrative sentences are fully marked for tone and vowel length. The book adopts a unique approach to the presentation of verb forms that clarifies lexical relationships and their correct usage.

First Published in 1969. This is a translation from Hausa of Frank Edgar’s three volumes of his African folktale, Tatsunijoyi Na Hausa, his major work. The Hausa whose folklore Edgar recorded so industriously are the largest ethnic group in Northern Nigeria and number many millions.

When R. Sutherland Rattray joined the School of Anthropology at Exeter College, Oxford, he had already published Chinyanja Folklore which documented the tales and customs of the Chinyanja of Central Africa. He was also quite familiar with several West African languages. Therefore on his transfer to West Africa learning about the Hausa language and culture became another string in his already full bow and it was only a matter of time before Hausa Folklore was published. However, understanding the Hausa culture requires an understanding of Islam itself-a task that can seem near insurmountable when the student is from a Western back- ground. Hausa Folklore does not claim to stand alone-a considerable library of Hausa literature already exists. Hausa Folklore is an enrichment of this proud tradition, which brings the Western world directly into contact with Hausa culture. This volume tells of the origin of the spider, of beautiful maidens, of how hartebeest came by the teardrops under their eyes, of witches, of doctors riding hyenas on pilgrimages, of the cause of thunder, and more. Some of these tales are more fairy than legend and others more folk than fairy. Each story imparts a clear message about right and wrong while showing what colour and variety lies hidden in the monotone of the Sahara. A percentage of the profit from the sale of this book will go towards organisations which offer educational scholarships in Africa. So curl up with these unique West African stories from yesteryear with the knowledge that you have helped sponsor the education of an underprivileged African youth.

Written by the world's leading expert on Hausa, this book provides a lucid and comprehensive linguistic history of the language, highlighting changes in phonology, tonology, morphology, grammar, and lexicon. It is an invaluable resource for specialists in African and Afroasiatic languages, as well as general historical linguists and typologists.