Re: The Magical Tree (Translation project)

Nik Taylor <fortytwo@...> wrote:
>=20
> Pikapaffa'v, pil wafkadi'sita, wabizi' wanlafisya'su
etc.

As I promised, here's the translation of this story, in
Drasel=E9q.



---=C9uvathtel m=E0s i themar

Smasin nainvith neft=FCr th=FC =E9uvathtel m=E0s.

Rin euvas i g=ECs g=FCf fes m=E0s. Be imal b=FCrrn per
ent=EDdhdotek, frarenn=F3ltotek, frarentri=F3qsotek fret.

En fa i bin=E1v g=FCfek renth.

Nots=FCr m=E8b famp en m=E0s isroneq rath renth. M=E1talpian m=E0sn
b=FC'ndhuveq rront h=E8gn. Kersel b=FCrr=FCr paveleq, n=FCs h=E8g
farmatedhaq kaf.

Klivaq skr=EDmimaq m=E0s, gi assineq matim=E1ltimpian taikth.

Fa t=F2teq p=E1velhadh, taus m=FAntimaq h=E8g, taus en g=ECs i bin=E1v
g=FC'f=FCfeq renth. Fa lif taikth imaldeq b=FCtth kanimaq m=E0s.


Interlinear translation
Abbreviations:

 *  the genitive/partitive/object-marking particle _i_
ABL abilitive prefix ('can, be able to')
ACC accusative case
CAU causative prefix ('make to, cause to')
DUP reduplication (continuous, progressive action)
GRP group plural
LOC locative case
MV  middle voice
NEG negative prefix
NEU neuter/neutral gender (in 3s pronoun)
OBJ objective infinitive ('in order to')
PST past tense (present is not marked)
PV  passive voice


=C9uvathtel m=E0s  i themar
magical   tree * story
'Story of [a] magical tree'

        I thought it deserved a title, and this is the way you
        start in Drasel=E9q when you tell one. The root them- in
        _themar_ originally means 'to repeat'.


1. Smasin nainvith neft=FCr  th=FC      =E9uvathtel m=E0s.
   beyond skyfoot  far.LOC exist.3s magical   tree
   'Beyond the horizon, faraway, there is a magical tree.'

        I had no word for 'horizon', so I coined a compound.
        _vith_ is the base or foot of anything (a person, an animal,
        a mountain...)
        In _neft-=FCr_ the LOC suffix seems redundant, but _neft_
        really means 'faraway' (the adjective), and <-=FCr> used to
        be a free word meaning 'place'.

2. Rin  euvas i g=ECs   g=FCf     fes  m=E0s.
   with magic * fruit make.3s this tree
   'This tree gives fruit with magic.'

        This might be ambiguous, but it sounds nice. In any case,
        it's clear the tree doesn't *use* magic to create the fruit,
        since _rin_ isn't used for that purpose.

3. Be imal   b=FCrrn     per  ent=EDdhdotek,=20
   if eat.3s 3sNEU.ACC then CAU.young.MV.3p

   frarenn=F3ltotek,   frarentri=F3qsotek  fret.
   NEG.CAU.old.MV.3p NEG.CAU.ill.MV.3p no
   'If they eat it, they become young,
    they don't grow old nor become ill.'

4. En    fa   i bin=E1v  g=FCfek   renth.
   about this * battle make.3p men
   'People have fights over this.'

        No verb 'fight' in the sense of violent fight (there's one
        for 'argument').

5. Nots=FCr   m=E8b famp en    m=E0s  isroneq          rath renth.
   time.LOC day now  about tree victorious.3pPST some men
   'One day in time, some people were victorious
    [in the fight about] the tree.'

        _Famp_ 'now' is not out of place. The proximal deictics are
        often used like that; most time expressions don't use the locative
        case or any preposition. This I call 'adverb marking', and it's
        extensively used.
        There was no word for 'to win' (as in a prize).

6. M=E1talpian    m=E0sn     b=FC'ndhuveq  rront h=E8gn.
   surround.OBJ tree.ACC build.3pPST large wall.ACC
   'They built a large wall to surround the tree.'

7. Kersel b=FCrr=FCr    paveleq,   n=FCs  h=E8g  farmatedhaq         kaf.
   brave  3sNEU.LOC face.3pPST into wall NEG.ABL.enter.3sPST other
   'Brave[ly] they stood there, and no other could get inside the wall.'

        The verb 'to defend' is rephrased as 'to face [whatever, elided here]
        in [sthg's place]'; 'to stay in resistance'.

8. Klivaq      skr=EDmimaq      m=E0s, gi
   begin.3pPST wilt.DUP.3pPST tree because
   'The tree began to wilt, because

   assineq            matim=E1ltimpian taikth.
   there_not_be.3pPST ABL.eat.PV.OBJ bodies
   there weren't bodies to be eaten.'

        Note the serial verb construction in the first part.
        There's no negative element in _assineq_, it means 'to be lacking'.
        The complicated verb in the last part is doubtful... And
        _taik_ 'body' doesn't imply 'corpse'.

9. Fa   t=F2teq      p=E1velhadh,    taus m=FAntimaq         h=E8g,=20
   this lose.3pPST defenders.GRP and  destroy.PV.3pPST wall
   'At this, the defenders lost, and the wall was destroyed,'

        The pronoun _fa_ 'this' is often used to join sentences
        like this. The conjugated verb _t=F2teq_ means 'they lost,
        they failed'; no connection to the verb for 'lose the
        possession of'.

   taus en    g=ECs   i bin=E1v  g=FC'f=FCfeq       renth.
   and  about fruit * battle make.DUP.3pPST men
   'and people went on having fights over the fruit.'

   Fa   lif  taikth imaldeq    b=FCtth     kanimaq     m=E0s.
   this from bodies fill.3pPST 3pNEU.REL happy.3sPST tree
   'At this, the tree was happy because of the bodies which
    fed it.'

        You may notice the similarity between imal- 'eat' and
        imald- 'fill, feed'. It's not coincidental, of course,
        but I'm trying to see if I find another example of that
        -d in verb roots. How would you call it, BTW? Not a
        passive...


--Pablo Flores
  http://draseleq.conlang.org/pablo-david/