Re: A new translation exercise (was: lexicons)

Okay, I'll try this

Irina Rempt wrote:
>       When my great-great-grandfather was a young man, he travelled
>       out into the world. First he went west; there was only sand
>       there. Then he went north; there was only snow there. Then he
>       went east; there the mountains were too high and
>       great-great-grandfather couldn't climb them. At last he decided
>       to travel south, on foot, on horseback, by cart and by boat. In
>       the south he saw the largest city in all the world.
Note: I'm changing the sex of the ancestor.

Qasapidi'ta'sdha' Tinani' tinani'q tinani'q tinani'kwa'q.
Qadhulidhuli'ta'ski' piqtani'yi' ku piqbyu'wi'yi'. Pibikadi'ta', pigla'
kla pitaklu'. Pibikagisu's, pigla' kla pislaka'. Pibikadi's,
piqnasanisna'i' qasanisnanisna'dhdha', ku qqasdhuli'ta'ski'
pidha'misupimai. Qadhiklu'l pwinna'pa' Pibidyagutta's, tiklu'li',
k-<udyas>-li, pamasi'li', ku qanipa'li'ta'ski'. Qlassi'l pibidyagutta'dh
pitani', pizaami' piqmita'i'ta' piqtani'ta'.

Red = reduplication
Rat = Rational
S = Singular
Abs = Absolutive
Hab = Habitual
Inch = inchoative
G# = Gender #
GEN = Genetive
Pl = Plural
Perl = Perlative
ABL = ablative
ALL = allative
VERB = Verbal Adjective
IRR = Irrational
INSTR = Instrumental
LOC = Locative

Qa-sa-pidi'-ta's-dha'        ti-nani'  ti-nani'-q    ti-nani'-q
Past-VERB-young-3RatSAbs-Hab G2-mother G2-mother-GEN G2-mother-GEN
ti-nani'-kwa'-q.  Qa-dhuli-dhuli'-ta's-ki' piq-tani'-yi'
G2-mother-my-GEN. Past-go-RED-3RatSAbs-Inch G7Pl-inhabited.places-perl
ku  piq-byu'wi'-yi'.              Pi-bi-kadi'-ta',    pi-gla' kla
and G7Pl-uninhabited.places-perl. G7-place.of-sun-ABL G7-all  be
pi-taklu'. Pi-bi-kagisu'-s,      pi-gla' kla pi-slaka'.
G7-sand.   G7-place.of-heat-ALL, G7-all  be  G7-snow.
Pi-bi-kadi'-s,       piq-nasa-nisna'-i'
G7-place.of-sun-ALL, G7Pl-that.which.is-high-plural
qa-sa-nisna-nisna'-dh-dha',      ku  q-qas-dhuli'-ta's-ki'
past-VERB-high-RED-3SIrrAbs-Hab, and Past-unable.to-go-3SRatAbs-Inch
pi-dha'misu-pima-i. Qa-dhiklu'-l         p-winna'-pa'
G7-head-their-PERL. Past-decide-3SIrrAbs G7-judgement-her
Pi-bi-dyagutta'-s,    ti-klu'-li',  k-<udyas>-li,     p-amasi'-li', ku
G7-place.of-cold-ALL, G1-foot-INSTR G4-<horse>-INSTR, G7-cart-INSTR, and
qa-nipa'li'-ta's-ki'.               Q-lassi'-l
past-travel.by.water-3SRatAbs-Inch. Past-see-3SIrrAbs
pi-bi-dyagutta'-dh   pi-tani',           pi-zaami' piq-mita'-i'-ta'
G7-place.of-cold-LOC G7-inhabited.place, G7-large  G7Pl-all.of-PL-ABL
piq-tani'-ta'.
G7Pl-inhabited.place-ABL

Loose translation:
My mother's mother's mother's mother was young.  She traveled thru the
inhabited places and the uninhabited places [expression meaning
"world"]. [She went] to the west, all was sand. [She went] to the north,
all was snow. [She went] to the east, the mountains [literally "tall
things"] were too high [reduplication is used in adjectives to indicate
"too much"], and she couldn't go thru their head [i.e., she couldn't go
over the top]. Her judgement chose [that is, she decided] South, [she
went] by foot [foot is a noun that agrees with its posessor in gender],
by horse, by cart, and she traveled by water.  In the south, she saw a
city, big [in comparison to] all the cities.

--
"It's bad manners to talk about ropes in the house of a man whose father
was hanged." - Irish proverb
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