Re: A theatre play for translation

On Sun, 9 May 1999, FFlores wrote:

> The word "curse" fits, but the actual translation would
> have been "The story of resentful P=E1lmadhel" or something
> like that...=20
Ah, I thought that she actively wanted something bad to happen to her
husband. "Resentful" wouldn't have been strong enough for that. As it
was, I had no word for either, so I had to find one anyway.

> > laui     lea nashenesat                  havien,   lien, =20
> > moon-gen REL NEG-become.light-INC-PRS-3s night-loc far-loc=20
> >=20
> > in the night of the moon that gets dark, far away,=20
>=20
> If there's a word or phrase for "new moon", you should use
> it here; the original word meant "darkened".
I don't have one (yet, probably). I thought it was "darkening".

> You've got it right. If she doesn't become a widow
> (which would be an obstacle), then she will take him to court.
No use taking a dead man to court, I should say :-)

> > Lau  ich     pyrenet!
> > moon if.only stay-PRF-IRR-3s
> >=20
> > If only the moon had stayed!
>=20
> Oh God, I made a mistake! (see what happens when
> you write directly in your conlang and skip the gloss?)
I know! I wrote _Hanleni halsin varsinen laynat_ "The song of the
starlings says that I'm lying" for _Hanleni halsin varyenan laynat_
"The song of the starlings speaks of heroic deeds" once.
=20
> _M=FCl qat=E0s=E1r is_ "only mine is the moon"
> (with qat=E0- for superlative emphasis on "be mine").
>=20
> I glossed _qat=E0s=E1r_ as SUP.stay.3s, but *that*
> would be _qat=E0r=E1r_ (epenthetic -r- between qat=E0-
> and -ar).
That's easy: _In chanie lau_ "mine only the moon".

Your mistake did yield a word for "if only" that has the right
plaintive sound, though.

   Irina


            Varsinen an laynynay, saraz no arlet rastinay.
                     irina@rempt.xs4all.nl (myself)
     http://www.xs4all.nl/~bsarempt/irina/frontpage.html (English)
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