Re: A new translation exercise (was: lexicons)

On Wed, 31 Mar 1999, FFlores wrote:

> Sorry. You sent the "to all children" text, right?
Not that either; I got that from the archive on the onelist site just
before I joined the list. The translation of that was the first thing
I sent, though.

> > Here's a translation exercise of my own:=20
> I'll be trying that. Though I may have to exchange north
> and south to keep the Dr=E1selhadh frame of reference (they
> live in the southern hemisphere).
Like Nik, who has the snow in the "place of heat". I like it that
you're keeping to the spirit instead of the letter :-)

> I used _faik_ "here" instead in _doik_ "there" for "there
> was only ... there" because in Drasel=E9q the last thing
> named is considered proximal, not distal. Indeed, the
> relative pronoun of the two series ("this" and "that")
> are also a kind of resumptives.
The Valdyan has _yom_ "there" (distal); it's being looked at from the
perspective of the recipient of the story, who certainly is not
"there".

> _hotil_ "widely" (HOT "[too] wide") has a negative connotation,
> so it's used to mean "too" in Drasel=E9q.
V. _dorythe_ "too much". The adverb _rythe_, from _ryth_ "highest,
chief", is used to make the superlative, "most"; _do-_ is the
augmentative prefix - obviously more than most is too much.

> _thraul=FCaq ... s=E4nen_ "he decided to go" doesn't only imply the
> intent, but the actual action. A better translation of the verb
> _thraul=FCn_ would be "decide and begin doing".
_le radat_ "he swears to himself", "he makes up his mind". This does
indicate intent without actual action, but it's binding; once you've
done that you have to go through with it.

   Irina

            Varsinen an laynynay, saraz no arlet rastinay.
                     irina@rempt.xs4all.nl (myself)
     http://www.xs4all.nl/~bsarempt/irina/frontpage.html (English)
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