Re: Summertime task

In a message dated 6/20/04 4:05:38 PM Pacific Daylight Time, rfmilly@MSN.COM
writes:

<< This mower is so dull, all it's doing is bending the grass over. >>
 Rihana-ye:
Se *nigajijoja fugehi se kere fufe jo-mi niga *tewo-mi.
This grass-cutting-tool so very dull this from all doing grass bending over.

Comments: 1) In Rihana-ye culture, a "nigajijoja" would be something like a
sickle,
as they do not have lawnmowers. 2) "hi"  meaning "dull"is a rare (for me)
literal use of the term. "ji" "sharp" and "hi" "dull" tend to be used to mean
"clever" and "stupid"
respectively, and from that "hi" has been further generalized to be the
common word for "bad" applied very broadly.3) "se kere" "this from" i.e."therefore"
is inserted for clarity but would be optional. 4)  "fufe jo--mi" "all ( it
is) doing"  is a very literal translation which I do not think would be the
natural Rihana-ye expression. It would be more usual to say something like "se
hefu jo-mi" "this only doing"-- in English, "this is the only thing it is doing,"
 but in Rihana-ye  "only" here is an adverb (as indicated by the -u ending)--
a more exact equivalent might be "this solely doing."  5) I am very familiar
with the experience described, thanks to mowing with a 30+ year old push
mower--tiresome but excellent exercise.
John Leland