Re: Sad translation

On Mon, 19 Jul 1999, John Fisher wrote:

> --------
> Peter: The government is really bad; all the ministers are wicked.  All
> the roads in the town are full, the buses are dirty and my car is
> broken. My house out of the town is small and wet, and the furniture in
> it is old and ugly.  I don't like my job in this nasty place, the
> computers are old and slow, and I just sit there and am unhappy.
> Everything is really expensive and the stupid salespeople in their dirty
> shops don't help me.  It rains a lot here and my leg hurts, and the
> doctors are useless.  The ground in the rain is wet, and animals eat my
> plants.  Nobody loves me.
> Paul: Dammit, you're such a bore.
> --------
>
> Any offers (in any language)?
>
Despite the fact that there are buses nor cars, and no computers
either in Andal, this little text was quite useful to demonstrate
the far-reaching power of reduplication in Denden... And the use
of nominalisation particle _ga_ NOM as a copula.

bera:  afardir     kira.ra ga: desh padangpal  kira.ra ga.
stone  government  bad.bad NOM all  councillor bad.bad. NOM
Peter: the government is real bad, all the councillors are bad.

desh kulin  nanin ga,  qunam.an.im sanu.nu     ga.
all  street full  NOM  sit.go.OPC  dirty.dirty NOM

All the streets are crowded, the sit-down-and-go's are real
dirty.

E.do       qunam.an.im.yi qazir.ir      ga.
poss.1sMGH sit.go.OPC.DIM broken.broken NOM

My small sit-down-and-go is real broken

boyu nil   glon  yi.yi       lashek.shek ga,
town EXESS house small.small wet.wet     NOM

wei       verech.ech telaymay.may ga.
furniture old.old    ugly.ugly    NOM

The house outside the town is real small and damp,
and what passes for furniture is real old and ugly.

Tan taugyan ya.al           qenter      ta.luan.ju,
TAN nasty   this.place_here mental_work NEG.like.CRT

I certainly don't like the work in this nasty place here,

Ding'mezew'qure   verech.ech yaryuan.yuan ga.
thing.picture.see old.old    slow.slow    NOM.

The thing-to-see-pictures-in is real old and slow.

Qunam.am, qunam.am, tuzin.ju!
sit.DEL   sit.DEL   unhappy.CRT

I just sit, sit and am certainly unhappy!

<... (I agree with Paul) ...>

Turantos luan.za  do!
nobody   love.EXP 1sMGH

Nobody has ever loved me!

Yiyi:      Aya Tan yadiri         hereran, yai  taugyan.zi ga
Small.one  Oh  TAN younger.sister moan    2sLGH bore.AUG   NOM
Paul: Oh, moans of the Sister, you're a crashing bore.


Boudewijn Rempt  | http://www.xs4all.nl/~bsarempt