Burkina Faso
7
3.9
- proper noun
- /bərˈkiːnə ˈfɑːsoʊ/
- The capital city of Burkina Faso, Ouagadougou, is famous for its vibrant markets.
- the southwestern region of Burkina Faso
Examples
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With regard to the southwestern corner of Burkina Faso, Roy also underlines that "the frontiers between peoples are very porous and constantly changing" (2007:32).
Academic text (2008) -
There has been increasing diversity in the performance of African governments trying to deal with these problems in recent years, with several countries making significant improvements, such as Burkina Faso, Ghana, Madagascar, Mauritius, and Mozambique.
Academic text (2008) -
Burkina Faso is a landlocked country in western Africa known for its diverse culture and history.
-
After attending school in Burkina Faso, he returned home with a greater appreciation for different cultures.
Synonyms
1
7.8
A former name for Burkina Faso before 1984
Surface Forms
Morphology
Burkina + Faso
Both elements 'Burkina' and 'Faso' are not English lexical items (no dictionary definitions given) but parts of a toponym from local languages, so their meanings do not compositionally yield 'a landlocked country in western Africa' for a B1 learner. Proper names are lexicalized referents that require world knowledge or specific cultural/linguistic information rather than transparent combination of constituent meanings, making this expression non-compositional for typical learners.
Etymology
Burkina Faso comes from two local words: Burkina meaning 'honest' or 'upright people' and Faso meaning 'father's house' or 'fatherland'. Put together, Burkina Faso was chosen after independence to mean 'land of honest people', replacing the old name 'Upper Volta' and showing a new national identity.