Re: Amanda's sentences as translation exercise

OK. In Kash:

>  1. This is my child.
Taya anami (male) or taye anami (fem.)
this  ana/mi child/my

>  2. His name is Peter.
arañi peter ['peter], or petro (< Span. Pedro)
aran/ni name/his

>  3. I love him.
ne masisa
him/her(dat.) ma/sisa I/love

>  4. The baby cannot speak (yet).
vevemi tamét yapoçindi
baby/my not.yet ya/po/çindi 3s/able/speak
Somewhat colloquial. We assume it's one's own baby; someone else's would be
veve yu/ye (M/F)... poçindi refers specifically to babies; the tra- ('un-')
form trapoçindi also means 'unable to speak' but in the sense of having a
physical problem, or deliberately not speaking, or being prevented e.g. at a
meeting.

>  5. But he can sit without help.
mowa yañitu yapokuka
but yam/ni/tu with/him/self ya/po/kuka he/able/sit
"he can sit by himself"-- as close as we can get at the moment ;-(
"By himself" = 'alone, apart' would be something else...or maybe not?

>  6. His eyes are blue.
içunuçni (i)tele
içun/ç/ni eye/pl/his,her (they)blue
tele colloq. < kundele < kuni nele 'color sky'
probably a rarity amongst the Kash...

>  7. He desires excessively that I should play with him.
sut-sut yamelo re mapanip yañi
too-too he/want THAT I/play yam/ni with him

That's neutral. Another way, suggesting annoyance/exasperation:
yacakamendro lire mapanip yañi
ya/caka/mendro liri+re
he/accid./insist concerning+that....
cakamendro = 'overly insistent/demanding' (negative connotations)
or maybe _sut yacakamendro..._ TOO overly-insistent/demanding...

>  8. Holding Baby is so nice!
makumbe vevembi, sambat pasam
I/embrace veve/n/mi baby/acc./mi (TOPIC), so.much pleasant (COMMENT)
We need a word for 'hold in the arms (in front of one's body)'-- perhaps
specifically for carrying a baby but 'embrace' fills the bill for now.

>  9. The baby and I went for a walk down the street today.
mam i veve(mi) miharakaran ratu-vaka letrayu
I  and baby(my) we/haran-redup took a stroll street-down today.
Another way: yam vevembi, maharakaran... 'with my baby(acc.), I strolled...'
Technically, veve without poss. -mi would mean 'a baby', but we assume one
would ordinarily go for a walk only with one's own baby.
letrayu 'today' < lero tayu 'day this'

> 10. Although he can take several steps in a row while I hold his
> hands, I carried him on our walk.
kambun yapole mepu priç anika luso-lusok pun maçucuña niyoñi, takanda nin
mafilan(sa) anju miharakaran.

kambun ya/pole mepu pris/ç anika lusok-redup. pun ma/çuña-redup.
altho  he/can make step/pl. a few follow      if I/grasp

niyon/ni, takanda nin ma/filan(sa) anju mi/haran-redup.
hand/his nevertheless him/acc I/carry(past) when we/stroll.

Instead of luso-lusok 'in succession', we might have used yañitu 'with=by
himself' here.  The basic meaning of çuña is 'grab, catch hold of' (sudden);
the redup. form is 'grasp, hold onto...' (continuing action)

Not a single new word needed-- yay!-- but some new constructions.