Re: Fadawana si Buruda
| From: | Joseph Fatula <joefatula@...> |
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| Date: | Monday, August 27, 2007, 5:00 |
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Herman Miller wrote:
> Joseph Fatula wrote:
>> I'm working on a translation of some of Aesop's Fables. Here's
>> the start of one that some of you might find interesting. It's
>> actually taking a rather circuitous route, as I'm starting with a
>> Spanish translation (of what are originally Greek fables),
>> translating them into my language, then back out into English for you
>> to read.
>>
>> Any feedback on the grammar, syntax, feel of the language overall
>> would be very appreciated. When pronouncing words, all the spellings
>> should be quite straightforward. "ng" represents a velar nasal. "r"
>> is an alveolar tap. Stress tends to be on the last syllable,
>> especially in longer words, and the stress generally is raised in
>> pitch as well. I'm aiming for something a bit unusual...
>
> The actual sound of the language doesn't seem all that unusual,
> although from the look of it I would have guessed stress on the
> next-to-last syllable. Certainly some of the morphological changes are
> unusual (e.g. miyafa < tinta-[infinitive]-ka-[patient])!
That particular set actually goes something like this:
tinta + [infinitive] > tiza
tiza + -ka > tizaka
tizaka + [patient] > miyafa
You're right, that it's a bit unusual, but it's all entirely regular in
the language. I posted some examples of these as puzzles to work
through, but apparently they're just too weird for people, which is
understandable.
>
> Aesop's fables could make good translation exercises; I've done a
> couple of them (The North Wind and the Sun in Olaetian, The Fox and
> the Grapes in Jaghri). Here's a link to a Greek version if anyone
> wants to try a more direct translation. (It's all Greek to me, so I'll
> try one of the English versions.)
>
>
http://mythfolklore.net/aesopica/chambry/254.htm
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