Nouchi (or noussi or noushi) is a form of slang found in Côte d'Ivoire and West Africa. The noushi (or noussi) is a mixture of French and several languages of Côte d'Ivoire, it appeared in the early 1970s.
Origin:
Nouchi was originally spoken by young city dwellers who were poorly educated or delinquent, who did not speak French well. The nouchi was practiced by them especially near markets, stations, cinemas before being conveyed in most social strata. From the language of little thugs, Nouchi has become the language of popular Ivorian comedy, even Ivorian music. It is also the language of "getting by" in the poor neighborhoods of Abidjan. Nou, in Malinké, means "the nose", while chi means "hair". It gives in a word "hair of nose", therefore "mustache", to designate the villain, who everyone wanted to look like. A nouchi is a strong man (notably a Mexican western bandit chief who is often a mustachioed man), feared by everyone and who is not afraid of anything or anyone. The nouchi was notably popularized by the song Premier gaou from the group Magic System.
Description:
The nouchi was born in the Ivory Coast, but it is unclear who holds it. This language is nourished by the numerous dialects of the country and French. The speakers of this language are called "nouchis".
Construction of sentences:
Nouchi is a language that is based on short sentences or additions of terms drawn from street experiences, English, French and Ivorian ethnic groups or even those of the West African sub-region. However, there are expressions specific to the nouchis and the ziguéhis (the bad-boys of the Abidjan ghettos) such as: "têguê", "gbôlô" or "daba le gaou" (beat up someone) "daba mon garba" (eat my attiéké with fried tuna fish); on the one hand "daba" or "gbolo" means "to strike, knock or defeat" and on the other hand, it means to eat.
Origin of expressions:
Strongly based on French, it uses English and Spanish words, inserted by the students, with words from almost all the languages spoken in Côte d'Ivoire. However, we should note a strong dominance of Malinké and Baoulé, languages of the ethnic groups most represented on the markets and popular places.
Examples:
Here are some specific words:
- Bingue: Term designating France or a western country.
- Binguist or Binguiss: Ivorian living or having lived in the West.
- Boucantier (derived from "boucan" = "din"): Person who likes to display his material ease and his ostentatious lifestyle; person showing off with luxury brands, sharing his money to whomever during a trip.
- chap chap: quickly, quickly.
- cut, throat or house: fool, rip off, take money from someone, defraud.
- daba: hit, eat
Example of conversation in Nouchi:
This conversation simulates a scene in which a driver of a gbaka, a public transport vehicle, and his apprentice are about to be racked up by a crooked police officer:
- The policeman: Hééééé !! Apprentice give me my two togo I will save time.
- The driver: my pehi come take already there you will give him tell him that I have togo only if he does not want it has only stung.
- The apprentice: Chef must know, I have togo only we just came out like that we haven't had a good mangeman yet so we have to do this because of God.
Translation :
- The policeman: Héééé, the apprentice!, Give me my two hundred francs that I disappear.
- The driver: Apprentice !, come and take the money; you will give it to him and tell him that I have a hundred francs; if he doesn't want it, let him drop.
- The apprentice: Chef !, please understand, I have [only] a hundred francs. We have barely left; we didn't make a good recipe, so accept that for God's grace.
Origin:
Nouchi was originally spoken by young city dwellers who were poorly educated or delinquent, who did not speak French well. The nouchi was practiced by them especially near markets, stations, cinemas before being conveyed in most social strata. From the language of little thugs, Nouchi has become the language of popular Ivorian comedy, even Ivorian music. It is also the language of "getting by" in the poor neighborhoods of Abidjan. Nou, in Malinké, means "the nose", while chi means "hair". It gives in a word "hair of nose", therefore "mustache", to designate the villain, who everyone wanted to look like. A nouchi is a strong man (notably a Mexican western bandit chief who is often a mustachioed man), feared by everyone and who is not afraid of anything or anyone. The nouchi was notably popularized by the song Premier gaou from the group Magic System.
Description:
The nouchi was born in the Ivory Coast, but it is unclear who holds it. This language is nourished by the numerous dialects of the country and French. The speakers of this language are called "nouchis".
Construction of sentences:
Nouchi is a language that is based on short sentences or additions of terms drawn from street experiences, English, French and Ivorian ethnic groups or even those of the West African sub-region. However, there are expressions specific to the nouchis and the ziguéhis (the bad-boys of the Abidjan ghettos) such as: "têguê", "gbôlô" or "daba le gaou" (beat up someone) "daba mon garba" (eat my attiéké with fried tuna fish); on the one hand "daba" or "gbolo" means "to strike, knock or defeat" and on the other hand, it means to eat.
Origin of expressions:
Strongly based on French, it uses English and Spanish words, inserted by the students, with words from almost all the languages spoken in Côte d'Ivoire. However, we should note a strong dominance of Malinké and Baoulé, languages of the ethnic groups most represented on the markets and popular places.
Examples:
Here are some specific words:
- Bingue: Term designating France or a western country.
- Binguist or Binguiss: Ivorian living or having lived in the West.
- Boucantier (derived from "boucan" = "din"): Person who likes to display his material ease and his ostentatious lifestyle; person showing off with luxury brands, sharing his money to whomever during a trip.
- chap chap: quickly, quickly.
- cut, throat or house: fool, rip off, take money from someone, defraud.
- daba: hit, eat
Example of conversation in Nouchi:
This conversation simulates a scene in which a driver of a gbaka, a public transport vehicle, and his apprentice are about to be racked up by a crooked police officer:
- The policeman: Hééééé !! Apprentice give me my two togo I will save time.
- The driver: my pehi come take already there you will give him tell him that I have togo only if he does not want it has only stung.
- The apprentice: Chef must know, I have togo only we just came out like that we haven't had a good mangeman yet so we have to do this because of God.
Translation :
- The policeman: Héééé, the apprentice!, Give me my two hundred francs that I disappear.
- The driver: Apprentice !, come and take the money; you will give it to him and tell him that I have a hundred francs; if he doesn't want it, let him drop.
- The apprentice: Chef !, please understand, I have [only] a hundred francs. We have barely left; we didn't make a good recipe, so accept that for God's grace.
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