The grammatical notes were added as being of interest to the more advanced students of Hausa. All the matter found in the book has been verified in actual conversation, and the explanation of the meanings and how they are arrived at has been frequently tested.
The native's way of looking at things, his standpoint, is so radically different from ours, that the exact meaning of many proverbs is very easily missed.
When being questioned as to the origin or meaning of a word natives do not always understand what the particular point is which puzzles a European: their explanation is, therefore, often somewhat hard to follow.
Sometimes, in order to save themselves trouble, they will jump at the first suggestion made and maintain that it is the correct one. The same man has been known to give three different interpretations of the same proverb on three successive days.
The explanation of many of the words and sentences given may therefore not always be correct; they have, however, been obtained from native sources and, even in their present form, it is hoped that they will be found of some use to students of the language.
Of these proverbs, &c., some were obtained from a native of Kabbi, some from a Ba Asbenchi who had lived all his life in Kano, some from a mallam of Zaria who had lived some years in Kano, and the rest from soldiers, carriers, &c.
