Re: Translation Exercise: Like a ...

Here are the Bendeh translations.

In the sentences that follow, the prefix “fi-” introduced a clause that is
parallel to the preceding clause - on its own it means “as,” and if the
main clause contains a comparative like “more” or “less,” it
means “than.”  It is glossed as “PRLL.”  The subject, object, and other
roles in the clause marked by “fi-” are understood to be the same as those
in the main clause unless they are explicitly stated in the “fi-” clause.
The predicate “fym” is a placeholder predicate (a “pro-verb” like
English “do”) in the “fi-” clause that stands for the predicate of the
main clause.  “PFV” in the glosses means perfective aspect.

 Lajacrúqez fifym epiv.
 1SG-TRANS-PRES-PFV-kill-OBJ-2FAM PRLL-do OBJ-dog
 I will kill you as (I will) a dog.

 Lajacrúqez fipiv.
 1SG-TRANS-PRES-PFV-kill-OBJ-2FAM PRLL-dog.
 I will kill as a dog (will)

Bendeh has (at least) three ways of translating the third sentence.  I
don’t have a word for bread right now (the lexicon is woefully
inadequate), so I have substituted “meat.”

The least precise way to express it would simply modify “meat” with the
prepositional phrase meaning vaguely “characterized by grandmother.”
(This is the preposition that one uses to talk about “a woman with red
hair.”) Relative clauses begin with the marker “o-” and end with the
marker “-yk.”

 Lalum ehat ozefymfýmyk.
 1SG-prefer OBJ-meat REL-characterized.by-grandmother-END.REL
 I prefer meat that is grandmotherish.
 (Understood to be “the way she makes it.”)

A much more precise way it to modify meat with the same preposition, only
with its object being not just “grandmother” but the subordinate
clause “that grandmother makes it.”

 Lalum ehat ozesifymfym jamrépehyk.
 1SG-prefer OBJ-meat REL-charaterized.by-SUB-grandmother TRANS-PRES-
HAB-make-3SG-END.REL
 I prefer meat that is “grandmother makes it”-ish.

This second form would, however, in ordinary speech, be “reduced,” that
is, the modifying prepositional phrase would be omitted and its object
attached directly to the head noun.  This is probably the most idiomatic
version.

 Lalum ehat esifymfym jamrépeh.
 1SG-prefer OBJ-meat OBJ-SUB-grandmother TRANS-PRES-HAB-make-3SG
 I prefer “grandmother makes it” meat .

There are also a few ways to translate the adverbial sentence.  The most
obvious way is to use two predicate:

 Bajamlul nol.
 3FEM-TRANS-PRES-HAB-sing LOUD.
 She sings, is loud.

Since however, there are no verbs in Bendeh, predicates can be modified by
adjectival phrases just like subjects and objects.

 Bajamlul onólyk.
 3FEM-TRANS-PRES-HAB-sing REL-loud-END.REL
 She is a loud habitual singer.

I am still working on the last sentence.

- Nat