Babel text: Vilani 1.0

Here's a roughish draft of the Yardstick into Vilani (as a refresher:
Vilani is essentially the form of Sumerian spoken by interstellar IRS
agents trying to pass themselves off as Aztecs).  Sorry for the poor
formatting; I'll clean it up once I've incorporated the changes I'm making
to the morphology -- which, at this rate, should be before April 2002.
Any comments welcomed!

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1.  Guuze mada araaka khii neludiimum lan in dugimish dugumak.
    (And then (for) the entire land existed one intercommunication and few
speeches.)

2.  Guuze khii lur ud unekhiig mirurad, nemninanisuud ka naashi ka mada
Shin-Ar, nelaagsir.
    (And then there was the time when they came out together from the
East, having found on the plain the land Shin-Ar they lived together
(there).)

3.  Guuze nedug, "Urakki!  Kha nikdimuud khakhunasum nikgis ekharlii."
Ziki kimaashazishii khakunasum ka ana, in kimaashazishii keku ka anirmik.
    (Thereupon they said to each other, "Join in!  Having shaped bricks,
let's bake them solid."  Then bricks functioned as their stones, and clay
functioned as their sealant.)

4.  Guuze nedug, "Urakki!  Kha nikneshenki suru in sekhursag mirrika, aame
niknedusha esangu ka shisha, ziki reknegiirlarki semu, gure em
shedgakiikursha sekashagi ka pipilaa.
    (Thereupon they said to each other, "Join in!  Let's together build us
our city and our tall arcology, such that (we) together erect its top into
outer space, so then (we) together spread out our fame, so that we may not
start getting divided out to the edges of our world.)

5.  Guuze zedki IIKHUUKHE ka ekginimuush uru in khursag mirrika lii
gakshen Imegi midumiirgim.
    (Thereupon IIkhuukhe descended for the inspecting of this city and
tall arcology which the descendants of Man built.)

6.  Guuze zidug IIKHUUKHE, "Irgimke, khii mumadum lan, in khii neludiimum
lan irgesh baasad, ziki ekgikikshi.  Diluukhe redrigdimur lekushushmii
disa, kalii gaamuurzurna."
    (Thereupon IIkhuukhe said, "Look here, there is one society, and there
is one intercommunication shared by all, so then they have started working
(on this).  And now any of their various plans which they will settle on
are not to be vetoed.)

7.  "Dape, sedzusuud senakzina ka leneludiimumku, gure khe gaadneshiish."
    ("Well, I will descend and then I will mix this intercommunication of
theirs, so that they may not speak to each other.")

8.  Guuze gaakkiikshasuud IIKHUUKHEGIM kashagi ka pipilaa, zigi reshilig
leneshenina ka uruku.
    (Thereupon IIkhuukhe divided them out to the edges of the planet, so
then their building together of that city ceased.)

9.  Rimlaa kisakher iru Babele, laa karuu reknakimuud IIKHUUKHEGIM kashagi
araaka neludiimum, in karuurad lekkiikshuu IIKHUUKHEGIM kasha gi ka
pipilaa.
   (Therefore its name is Babele, because there IIkhuukhe mixed the entire
planet's intercommunication, and then from there IIkhuukhe divided them
out to the edges of the planet.)

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Rough parsing:

1.  Guuze mada araa-ka khii ne-ludiim-um la-n in du-gimish dug-um-ak.

1a. thereupon land entire-ADJ exist recip-communicate-abstr one-ADJ and
not-many speak-abstr-POSS

2.  Guuze khii lur ud u-ne-khiig miru/Kelem-rad, nemn-i-na-ni-suud ka
naashi ka-mada Shin Ar, ne-laagsir.

2a.  Thereupon exist time when hpi-recip-exit east-ABL, find-a/p-dat
loc-pger IO-plain IO-land Shin Ar, recip-dwell.

3.  Guuze ne-dug, "Urak-ki! Kha ni-k-dim-uud khakhunasum ni-k-gis ekhar
lii."  Ziki ki-maasha-zish-ii khakunasum ka-a-na, in ki-maasha-zish-ii
keku ka-a-nirmik.

3a. thereupon recip-say, "confer-impv!  let's ndi-DH-form-pger
cinderblocks ndi-DH-bake hard-ADV."  So-then ndr-function.as-BEN-INSTR
cinderblocks IO-hp-stone, and ndr-function.as-BEN-INSTR clay IO-hp
sealant.

4.  Guuze ne-dug, "Urak-ki!  Kha ni-k-ne-shen-ki s-uru in se-khursag
mirri-ka, aame ni-k-ne-du-sha e-sangu ka-shisha, ziki re-k-ne-giirlar-ki
se-mu, gure em she-d-ga-kiik-ur-sha se-kasha-gi ka-pi-pi-laa."

4a. Thereupon recip-say, "confer-impv!  let's ndi-DH-recip-build-BEN us
city and us-arcology tall-ADJ, so then ndi-DH-recip-erect-TRANS its-top
IO-outer.space, so.then abstr-DH-recip-spread.out-BEN our-fame, so.that
may si-neg-incept-divide-pass-TRANS our-planet-part IO-edge-edge ALONG.

5.  Guuze z-ed-ki IIKHUUKHE ka-e-k-ginim-uu-sh uru in khursag mirri-ka lii
ga-k-shen Ime-gi midumiir-gim.

5a.  Thereupon hon/d-descend-BEN PN IO-npr-DH-inspect-hinstr-act/part city
and arcology tall-adj which npi-DH-build man-part descendants-ERG.

6.  Guuze zi-dug IIKHUUKHE, "irgimke, khii mumad-um la-n, in khii ne
ludiim-um la-n irge-sh baas-ad, ziki e-k-g-ik-ikshi.  Diluukhe re-d
rigdim-ur le-kushushmi-ii dis-a, ka-lii gaa-muurzu-r-na."

6a.  Thereupon hon/d-say PN, "behold, exist society-abstr one-adj, and
exist recip-communicate-abstr one-adj share-act/pcpl all-ADV, so.then
npr-DH-incept-dur-work.on And.now abstr-not-veto-pass hd's-plans distrib
any-adj, IO-which hdi-decide.on-fut-dat."

7.  "Dape, s-ed-zu-suud se-nak-zi-na ka-le-ne-ludiim-um-ku, gure khe
gaa-d-ne-shiish."

7a.  "Well, I-descend-fut-pger I-mix-fut/apass-dat IO-hd's-recip
communicate-abstr-spec, so.that let.them hdi-neg-recip-talk."

8.  Guuze gaa-k-kiik-sha-suud IIKHUUKHE-gim kasha-gi ka-pi-pi-laa, zigi
re-shilig le-ne-shen-i-na ka-uru-ku.

8a.  thereupon hdi-DH-divide-TRANS-pger PN-erg planet-part IO-edge
edge-along, so.then abstr-stop hd's-recip-build-a/p-dat IO-city-spec.

9.  RIMLAA ki-sakhel iru Babele, laa ka-ruu re-k-nak-im-uud IIKHUUKHE gim
kasha-gi araa-ka ne-ludiim-um, in ka-ruu-rad le-k-kiik-sh-uu IIKHUUKHE-gim
kasha-gi ka-pi-pi-laa.

9a.  Therefore nd's-name is PN, because IO-that abstr-DH-mix-LOC-pger
PN-erg planet-part whole-adj recip-communicate-abstr, and IO-that-ABL
hdr-DH-divide-TERM-hinstr PN-erg planet-part IO-edge-edge-across.

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Kenji Schwarz