Babel Text in Ini (formerly named Nine)

Hello all.  I've been working on Danny Wier's proposed nine-phoneme
lang, originally dubbed "Nine."  My version of it is now called "Ini."
After doing a basic sketch (a small part of which I posted to the list)
I decided to give the language a "test-run" and do a translation of the
Babel Text.  I did this for two main reasons:  I wanted to work through
more of how the language would behave, and I wanted to see what it would
look and sound like in a short passage like this.  Just thought the list
-- especially someone else who's working on a separate version of the
nine-phoneme lang (sorry, but I forgot who it was) -- might be
interested in seeing how things were coming out.  Also, the passage in
Ini is almost exactly the same length as the passage in English -- I was
happy about this, as I had worried that such a small number of phonemes
would cause words to have lots of syllables, but this happily didn't
occur.  So, without further ado (Everything as in IPA, but <n'> is /N/):

Pam pamum ta natan’a anin’kin na anam nu tu mimpimi kunatamun.  Nu pam
kutunuk tuk ikamikatinu pap tu anan’an it u umit a Atina nu pam
tikutamum ik tun’a.  Nu pam kukin’anuk it mumum, "Kan’ kintampanu
kunin’kantu, nu kan’ tikina kimpunu mup."  Nu pam pamum in’kantu kit
imut, nu ukan’u kit utintum.  Pam mi kukin’anuk, "Kan’ kintampanu u
an’kuk ka munun, nu u ampanut kik tu apuntu a tu ita, nu kan’ kintampanu
u ipatan’ ka munun; nin’ nika katitin’u tap tu natan’a antam."  Pam
pikunin’at ta ukatu pi katitanu tu an’kuk nu tu ampanut, kuma pakam
kintampanuk kunin’kin.  Nu pam kukin’anak ta ukatu, "An’ katitanuk, mum
na in’ka, nu pamum mitantut na anam; nu tuma kutan’uk tu ikikimu ut pu
ma kintan’ut; ka inananunum, ma ka kukin’anuk kintan’u, nukuputata ka
mum.  Kan’ pikunin’u nu kan’ papanimun tu anam ut mum ik tuna, pi kan
mitantanuk tu atut ut mumum."  Un’ pam katitin’at ta ukatu mum pap tun’a
tap tu natan’a antam, nu pim kintampanuk tu an’kuk.  Un’ nikapam
kipatan’akat Apapan, man pam ik tun’a papanimam ta ukatu tu anam ut ta
natan’a anin’kin; nu pam pap tun’a katitin’at ta ukatu mum tap tu
natan’a antam.

Interlinear:

Abbreviations:
dp – distant past
imp – imperfect
nar – my newly coined "narrative mood"
masc – masculine
neut – neuter, or non-human
def – definite article
pl – plural
redup – reduplication
1, 2, 3 – 1st, 2nd, and 3rd person
part – present participle
ind – indefinite
impr – imperative
nf – near future
df – distant future
neg – negative
pass – passive voice
inf – infinitive
rel-obj – object of a relative clause
perf – perfect
gen – genitive, "of"
term – terminative

Pam        pamum        ta  natan’a anin’kin na  anam
dp.imp.nar have.masc3pl def all     world    one language

nu  tu  mimpimi kunatamun.  Nu  pam        kutunuk
and def same    pl.word.    And dp.imp.nar come.masc3pl

tuk   ikamikatinu  pap  tu  anan’an it u   umit  a  Atina
while migrate.part from def east    to ind field in Shinar

nu  pam        tikutamum    ik tun’a.  Nu pam
and dp.imp.nar stay.masc3pl at there.  And dp.imp.nar

kukin’anuk  it mumum,        "Kan’        kintampanu
say.masc3pl to masc3pl.redup "nf.imp.impr make.masc1pl

kunin’kantu, nu  kan’        tikina kimpunu      mup."
pl.brick     and nf.imp.impr well   burn.masc1pl neut3pl."

Nu  pam        pamum        in’kantu kit imut, nu  ukan’u
And dp.imp.nar have.masc3pl brick    as  stone,and tar

kit utintum. Pam        mi   kukin’anuk, "Kan’
as  mortar.  Dp.imp.nar then say.masc3pl "nf.imp.impr

kintampanu   u   an’kuk ka  munun,        nu  u   ampanut
make.masc1pl ind city   for masc1pl.redup and ind tower

kik  tu  apuntu a  tu  ita, nu  kan’        kintampanu
with def top    in def sky, and nf.imp.impr make.masc1pl

u   ipatan’ ka  munun;         nin’   nika
ind name    for masc1pl.redup; if-not pass.nf.imp

katitin’u       tap        tu  natan’a antam."  Pam
scatter.masc1pl throughout def whole   earth."  Dp.imp.nar

pikunin’at      ta  ukatu pi       katitanu tu  an’kuk nu
descend.masc3sg def god   in-order see.inf  def city   and

tu  ampanut, kuma       pakam       kintampanuk  kunin’kin.
Def tower,   pl.rel-obj dp.perf.nar make.masc3pl pl.man.

Nu  pam        kukin’anak  ta  ukatu, "An’      katitanuk,
And dp.imp.nar say.masc3sg def god,   "imp.impr see.masc3pl,

mum     na  in’ka,  nu  pamum        mitantut na  anam;
masc3pl one people, and have.masc3pl all      one language;

nu  tuma kutan’uk tu  ikikimu   ut  pu         ma
and this only     def beginning gen that-which df.imp

kintan’ut;  ka     inananunum, ma      ka     kukin’anuk
do.masc3pl; nf.imp nothing,    rel-obj nf.imp say.masc3pl

kintan’u, nukuputata          ka  mum.     Kan’
do.inf,   lacking.possibility for masc3pl. nf.imp.impr

pikunin’u       nu  kan’        papanimun       tu
descend.masc1pl and nf.imp.impr confuse.masc1pl def

anam     ut  mum     ik tuna,  pi       kan
language gen masc3pl at there, in-order nf.imp.neg

mitantanuk         tu  atut   ut  mumum."          Un’
understand.masc3pl def speech gen masc3pl.redup."  So

pam        katitin’at      ta  ukatu mum     pap  tun’a
dp.imp.nar scatter.masc3sg def god   masc3pl from there

tap        tu  natan’a antam, nu  pim         kintampanuk
throughout def whole   earth, and dp.term.nar make.masc3pl

tu  an’kuk. Un’ nipam           kipatan’akat Apapan, man
def city.   So  pass.dp.imp.nar name.neut3sg Babel,  because

pam        ik tun’a papanimam       ta  ukatu tu  anam
dp.imp.nar at there confuse.masc3sg def god   def language

ut  ta  natan’a anin’kin; nu  pam        pap  tun’a
gen def whole   world;    and dp.imp.nar from there

katitin’at      ta  ukatu mum     tap        tu  natan’a
scatter.masc3sg def god   masc3pl throughout def whole

antam.
earth.

Notes about Ini grammar:
The first word in a declarative sentence is a particle marking tense,
aspect and mood.  In an interrogative sentence this particle appears as
the last word in the sentence.  Present tense and indicative mood are
unmarked, so wherever tense or mood is unspecified it is present or
indicative.
Gender, number and person of the subject of the sentence are marked
directly on the verb.  Unmarked word order is VSO.  A subject pronoun is
not required, the same information is expressed on the ending of the
verb.  There are three verb classes.
Adjectives precede nouns, genitive phrases follow nouns.  Ini has
prepositions.  Adverbs directly precede verbs or adjectives they
modify.  Something other than the subject can be topicalized by moving
it to the position directly before the conjugated verb.
Ini is zero-copula.
There are three genders, masc human, fem human and non-human.
Narrative mood is used in storytelling.
Reduplication on personal pronouns indicates a reflexive or reciprocal
meaning -- for example, "it mum" would mean "to them".  "It mumum" means
"to each other" or "to themselves".
Also note that the verb "say" plus an infinitive means "propose."

Questions and/or comments are as always more than welcome and much
appreciated.

Nicole
--
nicole.eap@snet.net
http://www.geocities.com/nicole_eap
AIM sn:  iiiieeeee