Re: The man who removes a mountain begins by carrying away small stones.

--- In conlang@yahoogroups.com, Christian Thalmann <cinga@G...> wrote:
> --- In conlang@yahoogroups.com, Trebor Jung <treborjung@F...> wrote:
> > How would your conlang(s) translate this? The primary obstacle, to
> me, for
> > translating of this sentence into Kosi is that I can't seem to
> figure out
> > what 'by' means here...
Obrenje:

|Jae tse browne prida kwoe, kjaje roj tuma u kcajritsu.|
[ja: tS# brown 'pri:da kwo:  kja:j rOj 'tu:ma M khaj'ritsM]

"He/she/they {subordinate} mountain removing
he/she/they_want, he/she/they_begin through carrying
{predicative} pebblelet."

Man, English is totally inadequate to express
indefiniteness in number and gender.  =P



Oro Mpaa:

|Ttou veena sem, tuer helai asso tair paha ccar esei.|
[to'viina Sim  tyr hila'jassu tEr 'paha kar'iSe]
"Man removing mountain, time source witness the_former
carry stone small."

"Time source" means "the time of the beginning" (head
first syntax!).  "X witnesses Y" is the idiomatic way
of saying "Y happens at X" or "There is Y at X".

This one took me bloody ages to translate.  This
colorful figurative way of saying things is just
exhausting.  Maybe I shouldn't have signed up Oro Mpaa
for the next relay.



-- Christian Thalmann