Re: Elet Anta course + translation

John Fisher <john@...> wrote:
>=20
> I've just put up the fifth section of "Teach Yourself Elet Anta"  If
> you'd like a look the index to the course is here:
>=20
>    http://www.drummond.demon.co.uk/anta/course
>=20
> Here's another translation exercise from the course, if anyone wants a
> go (sorry that it's rather culture-specific...)
I'd completely forgotten! Here's my translation to Drasel=E9q:


San olm=FCr th=E4 prant fombemth. En b=FCrth farth=E4thtots, kuorek.
=C4mol m=E8p i murs fombemth an=FCftr=FCr fiepp=FCr imalt=E8n kaslimn nai=
l=FCt.
Beq nerrid, "I arrgel u=E9rasir. Kanimb=E0n imalek =E1rrgelhadh
f=F3mbementh, tel olm=FCr frararsai i huerkur." St=F6m=FCr rel=FCt kladn=20
arrgelthn. T=E0rronaq t=E0qaimungovaq i kl=E1dnarsel, m=FCl det i gep lad=
haq.
Beq ang=F6n, "T=E0rim=E1l i f=F3mbementh". Rin thanen uer=FCt.
An=FCftr=FCr folg=E9tenaq arrgel, qgorroksel r=E9ilotaq b=FCn gep sarn.
En b=FCrr rin m=FCen ar=FCt, en fombadh rin rrath taus. Luamot tadh,
folget=FCr fn=E1rarsel arrgel i b=FCrr nail=FCt. T=E0navik areq i murs=20
fombemth. Qaimul siraldval areq i rrednel.


San olm=FCr     th=E4      prant fombemth.=20
my  house.LOC exist.3p many  mice

        _th=E4_, of the verb _th=FCas(ten)_, shows existence in a place
        or given context.

        _fombem_ 'mouse' is _fom_ (root _fomb-_) 'rat' plus <-em>,
        a diminutive-despising suffix.


En    b=FCrth farth=E4thtots,    kuorek.
about they  NEG.please.MV.1s dirty.3p

        Active voice can't be used here, since 'Mice don't please me'
        would show an attitude of the mice towards me, which it not
        the case, so I use middle voice, 'I'm not pleased about mice'.


=C4mol m=E8p i murs  fombemth
ago  day * three mice

        _=E4mol m=E8p_ 'yesterday', _=E4mol m=E8f_ 'some days ago', etc. is the
        usual way.

        The particle _i_ marks the mice as the non-affected object of the
        following finite verb, _nail=FCt_.

an=FCftr=FCr    fiepp=FCr   imalt=E8n kaslimn   nail=FCt.
kitchen.LOC table.LOC eating  bread.ACC see.1sPST

        _an=FCftr=FCr_ =3D _an=FCf-t-or_ 'cook+ing-place' + <-=FCr> LOC.
        It may mean 'kitchen' but more like 'oven' and its surroundings.

        _kaslim_ 'bread' comes from _kasal_ 'wheat' and it means anything
        made of wheat flour, not only bread.

Beq       nerrid, "I arrgel u=E9rasir.=20
say.3sPST mother   * cat    buy.2sFUT

Kanimb=E0n imalek =E1rrgelhadh f=F3mbementh,
glad.AP  eat.3p cats.GRP   mice.ACC

        _kanimb=E0n_ 'being glad, happy, satisfied'
        The cats are referred to as a group with the group plural mark.

tel  olm=FCr     frararsai      i huerkur."=20
then house.LOC NEG.stay.3sFUT * problem

        _tel_ is the conjunction form of _funtel_ 'then and from that moment on'.
        _i_ is an indefinite mark.

St=F6m=FCr   rel=FCt         kladn arrgelthn.
dock.LOC look_at.1sPST two   cats.ACC

        _st=F6m_ is both 'dock' and 'market', since there's where most of the
        businesses take place in the big coastal cities. In formal speech
        some could say _uerbor_ 'buying-place'.

T=E0rronaq      t=E0qaimungovaq       i kl=E1dnarsel,=20
AUG.big.3sPST AUG.resentful.3sPST * second

        _qaimungo(van)_ is _qaimu-_ 'calm, quiet, silent' plus
        the suffix <-ungo> indicating 'bad, evil, dirty', thus
        'resentful, falsely quiet, with bad feelings repressed
        inside'.

        _i_ is nominalizing here.

        _kladn-arsel_ 'being_two-staying', 'staying as number two',
        'second in place'.

m=FCl  det i gep ladhaq.
only one * eye have.3sPST


Beq       ang=F6n, "T=E0rim=E1l    i f=F3mbementh".=20
say.3sPST seller  AUG.eat.3s * mice.ACC

        Instead of 'it eats many mice' I chose this,
        *'it very eats mice', 'it eats mice a lot'.


Rin  thanen    uer=FCt.
with happyness buy.1sPST


An=FCftr=FCr    folg=E9tenaq arrgel,
kitchen.LOC sit.3sPST  cat


qgorroksel r=E9ilotaq         b=FCn gep sarn.
angry      look_at.MV.3sPST its eye I.ACC

        An eye doesn't look, its owner does. I use the middle voice=20
        to increase its status into a pseudo-volition (see the note
        about middle voice in my site for details).

Na      b=FCrr rin  m=FCen ar=FCt,
towards it   with fear be.1sPST

en    fombadh  rin  rrath  taus.
about mice.GRP with sorrow also

        These two show a very common pattern about feelings
        and sensations. The verb glossed as 'be' is the same
        used as 'stay' (more or less like Spanish _estar_).

Luamot     tadh,   folget=FCr  fn=E1rarsel arrgel=20
night_time however chair.LOC lying     cat

i b=FCrr nail=FCt.   T=E0navik  areq     i murs
* it   see.1sPST AUG.near be.3pPST * three

fombemth. Qaimul siraldval    areq     i rrednel.
mice      quiet  PRF.sleeping be.3pPST * four

        _si(r)-aldval_ means 'having gotten asleep';

        _aldvan_ means 'get asleep', so the perfective
        marker is needed here.


--Pablo Flores