Re: Translation

I've been playing with a polysynthetic language.  I thought I'd do a
translation.  I'm feeling patriotic, so here it is:

'e niva'asavu'afaaduli
shema'aavakutali
teapu'abaabaavi ge'upoli
usamagushi

Amerika, Amerika

u'uke'uese'gaa'ineteni kame'

The ' is pronounced as a glotal stop.  The vowels have their cardinal
values.  Doubled vowels are pronounced twice as long.

'e niva-'a-savu'-a-faadu-li
Lo! beautiful-MOD-large-MOD-sky-BEN.pl

The 'a indicates that the root modifies the main root of the word.  Li is
a benefactive or causitive ending, meaning "for" or "because of".

shema-'a-ava-kuta-li
yellow-MOD-grain-wave-BEN.pl

teapu-'a-baabaa-vi ge'u-po-li
Purple-MOD-mountain-GEN.pl King-MET-BEN.pl

the -po- infix indicates that the root is to be understood metaphorically;
this isn't a literal king of purple mountains, it's the king-ness of
purple mountains.

usa-magu-shi
fruit-plain-SUPERLOC.pl

-shi is a superlocative ending, meaning "above" or "on top of."

Amerika, Amerika

u'u-ke-'u-ese-gaa-'i-nete-ni kame-'
give-PERP-OBJ-mercy-EXHOR-SUB-God-VERBEND you-DAT

-ke- indicates temporal perpetuity, or timelessness.  'u indicates one of
several possible object roots follows.  -gaa- indicates exhortative mood.
'i indicates a following subject pronoun (which can be one of a large
number of roots), -ni is the verbal ending for a transitive verb having
three arguments.  -' is the dative singular ending.

Smooth translation

Hey, because of the beauty of wide skies,
And because of the yellow waves of grain,
And because of the magesty of purple mountains,
Over the plains of fruit,
America, America,
Let God give to you mercy.

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