Re: A new translation exercise (was: lexicons)

Irina Rempt <ira@...> wrote:
> On Tue, 30 Mar 1999, FFlores wrote:
>=20
> > and the Cherokee legend about the origin
> > of strawberries [sent by Irina Rempt (?)].
>=20
> No, that wasn't me, it was Adam Walker; I haven't even tried that
> one.
Sorry. You sent the "to all children" text, right?
Adam, are you here? Where did you get that legend from?=20

> Here's a translation exercise of my own: the first paragraph of the
> story about Grandpa and the Dragon (to be found in whole on my web
> page in Valdyan and English), that I originally wrote in Valdyan (no
> translation from the Dutch).
>=20
>=20
>       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.
>=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).

[a while later]
Ok, here it is (no new words, a few coinings):


Qamp q=FCaq tidhdel ren san nolnolululdid,
when was  young   man my  oldoldfathfather

nail=FCan    olmonn    vuosuval  s=E4q.
to-see.OBJ world.ACC departing he-went

M=FCntil  segna    s=E4q;    m=FCl  i anf  faik th=FCaq.
firstly westward he-went only * sand here was

Gentel aithna    s=E4q;    m=FCl  i ar=F3sfar=ECn faik th=FCaq.
then   southward he-went only * snow      here was

Funtel pi=E0rna   s=E4q;    hotil  t=E0grais=FCek     graisst
then   eastward he-went widely very-tall-were mountains

mi  thurfaravvidh=FCaq  nolnolululdid    b=FCrthn.
and he-couldn't-climb oldoldfathfather them

V=FCstel  thraul=FCaq  g=F9lna     s=E4nen, anth v=EDdhoumbal,
finally he-decided northward to-go  this on-foot

sr=FAkoumbal,  th=E4n flulv=EDth, =E1sk=FCmbal porr.
on-horseback with chariot   by-boat  he

G=F9l=FCr     nail=FCaq rront on  =F3lmon=FCr   qat=E0rrontel arsomn.
north.LOC he-saw  large all world.LOC most-large  city.ACC



Notes:

_nol-nol-ul-uldid_ "great-great-grandfather" I translated
by "oldoldfathfather" to reflect the reduplication.

_nail=FCan_, glossed as to-see.OBJ, means "in order to see".

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.

_ar=F3sfar=ECn_ "snow" is not a long, high-sounding word by chance.
The word is a Biyuron compound loan, _arost(a) far=ECni_ "cold rain".
The Dr=E1selhadh had never seen snow until they came to Thaqulm.

_hotil_ "widely" (HOT "[too] wide") has a negative connotation,
so it's used to mean "too" in Drasel=E9q.

_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".

_-oum(bal)_ means "using, transported by, -borne", thus
_v=EDdhoumbal_ "on foot", _sr=FAkoumbal_ "on horseback". The
word _=E1sk=FCmbal_ is older and more worn down, _askain-oumbal_
"ship-borne".


--Pablo Flores

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
 The trouble with the rat race is that even=20
 if you win,  you're still a rat.
                                             Lily Tomlin