Vocab exercise - PLZ CRITIQUE!!

Please check over this for me, guys. This is my first translation in
Taalen, and my verb system (and topicalization) is weird enough I may have
made goofs.

NB: sa, si, wa, wi are noun classes: strong animate or inanimate, and weak
animate or inanimate, respectively. S or W indicate strong or weak
conjugations in reference to verbs. Stative denominal verbs are always
weak, and are not marked.

On verbs: C = conjunct, A = absolute. a = 3sg animate, i = 3sg inanimate
On nouns: O = oblique, G = genitive, NP = nom. pl., INF =
infixed/objective, and sometimes POSS too!

Topicalization: the topic is moved to the front of the sentence, followed
by the particle |a| and then a conjunct verb. Normal order is VSO.

>1. crowd
SA. lhau, SA. hang (used of violent or militaristic groups)

>There was a huge crowd in front of the building.
There was a huge crowd in front of the building.
|Lhau   mo                a       ven           mei          'n       amahta.|
crowd big:PresC:a  TOP be:PretC:a in_front ART building:GS
/'Law 'mo @ 'ven mejn @.'max.t@/

Note: the SV _mo_ is in the present tense because the crowd was big at the
time in reference: it was relatively present. If it had been in the
preterite tense, it would mean that a small crowd, which had been large in
the past, was in front of the building.

>2. lead
cod'h: S. to lead, guide
codhyl: WI. leash, lead (obl. stem coil-, < cod'h + inst. suff. yl)
mul: WI. lead

>She led her dog into the field.
|Codas   a       vena           e                chon me  'n      ghortha.|
lead:VN TOP be:PretC:i   3sa:POSS dog    in   ART field:OS
/'ko.d@s @ 've.n@ e 'xon men 'Gor.T@/

>Her dog was on a lead.
|Me 'n      chodhyl  a        vena           e                 chon.|
in    ART leash       TOP  be:PretC:i   3sa:POSS  dog
/men 'xo.DIl @ 've.na e 'xon/

>The pipes are made of lead.
|Mula             a       harath           na         feida.|
lead:SV:VN   TOP be:PresC:3p ART:pl pipe:NP
/'mu.l@ 'har.aT n@ 'fej.d@/

Note: just for interest, a non-topicalized version:

|Mulath                  na         feida.|
lead:SV:PresA:3p ART:pl pipe:NP
/'mul.aT n@ 'fej.d@/

>3. ready
W. valme

>He's ready to go now.
|Valme       thuilara                  a       hara                leu.|
ready:VN  go:VN:SV:PresC:i TOP be:PresC:3si now
/'val.me TwI.'la.r@ 'ha.r@ lew/

Note the denominal stative verb _thuilara_. First, the VN of tul is the
irreg. tuilas, which is made into a denominal SV with a, causing rhotacism
of the s. The breathed mutation is due to the inanimate noun (valme)
preceding it.

>4. slow
W. mall

>Snails are slow.
|Mallu      a      har        shaeled'h.|
slow:VN TOP be:PresC:a snail
/'mal.lu @ 'har 'Saj.leD/

>He runs slowly, and I bet he won't win the race.
|Ho     vall   a    nor,                     as    mechoerin      yan
    eveanor         i       reth.|
Adv slow  TOP run:PresC:3sa &    bet:PresA:1s  SUB:neg win:FUT:3sa ART race
/h@ 'val @ 'nor @s me.'xOr.In y@n e.'v&n.or @ 'reT/

yan marks a negative subordinate clause.

/O/ = the barred o of Icelandic

>5. rent
SI. cis

>I have to pay rent on the 5th of every month.
|Cis        a      har               cae                    'n          y
     'a
rent:NS REL be:PresC:a obligation_on 1s:INF   RE  TOP
/'kis @ 'har 'kajn y@

ichan                viru           reane        chaa.|
buy:PresA:1s five:ORD month:GS  each:PresA:a
  'i.x@n 'vi.ru 'r&.ne 'xA/

RE = relative clause ender

cis: S. to rent, lease
I rent a small room.
|Ciras   o       'n             a     har               huone       phina.|
rent:VN from 1s:INF TOP be:PresC:a  room:NS small:PresC:i
/'kir.@s on @ 'har 'hwo.ne 'fi.n@/

>6. popularity
WA. gadhanas (<gadhan: W. be popular, lit. ga 'with' + adan 'people')

>This was just a popularity contest.
|Gadhanas ve           gaumyl   a        adhir   vena         ta.|
popularity  type_of contest   TOP  just    be:PretC:i this:NS
/'ga.D@n.@s ve 'gaw.mIl @.'Dir 've.n@ 'ta/

ve: Conj. as; WI. type (of); particle often used to reverse the position of
head and modifying verb, which then appears as a VN in the nominative.

>7. -ion
>two parts here: first, how are verbal nouns formed?
-as is the most common (verbal) nominalizer. Others include: -a, -e, -en, -u.

>   act > action, move > motion, see > vision.
dean > deanu,   corra > corra,    eitha > eithas

>second, the sentence:
>   His action was hasty.
|Deanu  o      'r             a     vrissia.|
act:VN from 3sa:INF TOP hasty:PretC:i
/'d&.nu or @ 'vrIs.si.j@/

>8. addition
WA. lascu

>Even the addition of an extra student increased class sizes beyond
>tolerable limits.
|Lascu           hen   lenyone       avresh    a      mothane
  meidha  rangath
addition:NS even student:GS extra:P:a  TOP increase:PretC:a  size:NP
class:SV:Pres:3p
/'las.ku hen len.'yo.ne @.'vreS @ mo.'Ta.ne 'mej.D@ 'raN.aT

hal         tyorana  loethima.|
beyond limit:OS tolerable:Pres:i
hal tSo.'ra.n@ 'lO.TI.m@/

>9. hat
WI. lac'h

>Today is a say-something hat day!
|Lach  ve            laa  a      sev             odra           y      'a
  hara         innos.|
hat      type_of day REL say:Pres:a something RE TOP be:Pres:i today
/'lax ve 'lA 'sev 'o.dra y@ 'ha.r@ In.nos/


>10. pack
  S. bul

>I need to pack for my trip.
|Bullu      a       shedin           re   'n         dhonas.|
pack:VN TOP need:Pres:1s for 1s:INF fare:VN
/'bul.lu @ 'Se.dIn ren 'Do.nas/

>The pack she wore on the trip was way too heavy.
spin: WI. backpack; bundle

|Spin a           oveirsi           me  'n      dhonas  a      rothroemsia.|
pack 3si:INF wear:PretC:a in   ART fare:VN TOP INT:heavy:PretC:i
/'spIn o.'vejr.si men 'Do.nas @ r@.'TrOm.si.j@/

That's it.

Aidan