Re: Weekly Vocab 6

On Sun, May 04, 2003 at 03:58:20PM -0400, Christopher Wright wrote:
> This one's for randomness.
Sure.    The below examples are from Methkaeki /meT'kaiki/, my first
conlang.  I created it when I was a kid, and in some ways it's
boringly Englishlike, but for that very reason it is the most complete
of any of my projects, and so far the only one far enough along for
me to dive into something like this with.

> 1. to know
In this case, bupeth ("to know how [to]").

> I know how to wield a sword.
Opeth bugu vausk.
o- "I", bupeth "know how",  bugu "do", vausk "sword".

The verb "bugu" ("to do") is really a sort of generic verb along the
lines of Latin agio, whose precise English meaning varies with the
object.   If the object is a weapon, as here, then it means "wield".


> 2. contents
shoroth

> I know the contents of that letter.
Othush shoroth zuth ujniveki.
o- "I", buthush "know, be aware of", shoroth "contents",
zuth "that" (demonstrative), uj- "of"/genitive, "niveki" "letter, message".

> 3. might
tushis (also = strength, power)

> The army's might is not to be mocked, because the four of them can throw
> you in the dungeon.
Thub gunup tushis ujesno, pavi zuth juas rizedmi bubuv ri othbugathkiuth.

thub "not", gu- imperative, bunup "mock", tushis "might",
uj- "of"/genitive, esno "army", pavi "because", zuth "those", juas "four",
riz- "they", buedmi, "are able to", bubuv "throw, toss", ri "you (sg)",
othbu- "into", gathkiuth "dungeon".

The "gunup" ("is to be mocked") is really an impersonal imperative form:
a more literal back-translation might be "Let no-one mock the might of the
army".

I chose singular "you" - for plural, replace "ri" with "zua".

I treated "throw" as literal throwing, tossing; for the simpler "put, place",
replace "bubuv" with "butab".


> 4. murder
bunasgis (v: to murder)

> They did that to me, saying I murdered someone.
Rizgogu ni rav; rizgogvez zeb ogognasgis vunitisvuth.

riz- "they", -gog- past tense, bugu "do", ni "me", rav "thus",
buvez "say", zeb "that" (conj), o- "I", bunasgis "murder",
vuni- indefinite,  tisvuth "person".

Another instance of "bugu" - with a person as object, it
effectively means "to do".  There's not really any equivalent
of the second clause as a modifier, so I
rendered it as independent "they said I murdered someone".

> 5. to release
busimievi

> They released me because the judge is my uncle.
Rizgogsimievi ni pavi zuth lali jidi no athpi.

riz- "they", -gog- past tense, busmievi "release", ni "me",
pavi "because", zuth "that" (demonstrative), lali "judge",
ji- "he/she/it", budi "be", no "my", athpi "uncle".

(Literally "that judge" since there is no definite article)

> 6. feud
jiag

> Now there is a feud between my family and the army.
Euse ov jiag baith no jenomo eth esno.

euse "now", ov "there is/are", jiag "feud", baith "between",
no "my", jenomo "family", eth "and", esno "army".

> 7. sheep
No sheep where Methkaeki is spoken.  Guess they'd translitarate
it as "shiip" .

> They raid our sheep in the night.
Riseog was shiip ebthobi.

riz- "they", seog "raid, steal", was "our", shiip "sheep",
eb- "at"/locative, thobi "night".

> 8. poverty
butus - literalliy the verb "to be poor", which may be used as a noun.

> They shall soon reduce us to poverty.
Vuth rizyemgimowis av othebutis.

vuth "soon", riz- "they", -yem- future tense, bugimowis "deliver",
av "us", otheb- "into"/allative, butis "be poor"/"poverty".

The verb for "reduce" (busigap) doesn't really work for this sense,
so I substituted bugimowis "deliver".

> 9. vengeance
siwithki

> We are taking vengeance, though.
Dab shigu siwithki.

dab "but", shi- "we", bugu "do", siwithki "vengeance".

Another example of bugu in action.  With an object of "vengeance"
it can be translated "take" or "exact".

> 10. funding
jathgothk

> We have convinced the ruler to cut funding to the army. Now they, too,
> shall be forced to poverty.
Shigogtisvaegi samis zeb jisigap jathgothk ujesno.  Euse emvu
juspmo rizyemgimowisig othebutis.

shi- "we", -gog past tense, tisvaegi "convince, persuade", busami "rule",
-is "one who does, -er", zeb "that" (conj), ji- "he/she/it",
sigap "reduce", jathgothk "funding", uj- "of"/genitive, esno "army"
euse "now", emvu "also", juspmo "forcibly", riz- "they", -yem- future tense,
gimowis "deliver", -ig passive, otheb "into"/allative, butis "poverty".

Here we have a legitimate use of sigap ("reduce").  A more literal
back translation would be "We persuaded the ruler that he reduce
the army's funding.  Now they, also, will be forcibly delivered into
being poor".

-Mark