Re: Who wants to play a Conlang Gloss Game?

Staving Amanda Babcock:
>On Tue, Apr 06, 2004 at 04:58:39PM +0100, Peter Bleackley wrote:
>
> > I have written eight lines of rhyming verse in an unknown language (8-9
> > syllables per line, words 1-3 syllables syllables usually CV but not
> > exclusively so). I would like to play the following game -
> > 1) Somebody posts an English text of similar length.
> > 2) I then post the original verse.
> > 3) We then assume the English to be a translation of my verse, and try to
> > gloss my verse appropriately.
>
>This sounds neat.  I've just hammered out 8 lines of iambic pentameter
>in an ABBC ADDC rhyme scheme if you want them (random sappy love poetry).
>The first four lines start with one phrase, and three of the remaining
>four start with another, but if we can analyze your text as having bound
>morphemes instead of words for "until" and "this long", and assume that
>the translator beat it into shape to create the English, that shouldn't
>be too much of a problem.
>
> > Who's up for it?
>
>I am if you'll have my doggerel, which here follows:
>
>Until the stars should fall beneath the waves,
>Until the moon should tarnish in her skies,
>Until the earth adopt a different guise,
>Until the sun should fade and cease to shine -
>
>This long will I search out your tender gaze,
>This long will I engage your delicate ear
>with praises of the luster of your hair,
>This long will I endure till you be mine.
>
nali maka hibil na wi
tupango xoro tala ta ki
ibari tovo seldat o ture
samago tilonda ketu sene
esalan, axahe, poto la si
tando obaran neko umfi.
tiki torore, suni disa
mala to make, ronde ku nga!

Maybe for this one "nali" and "esalan" could be aspect markers, whose scope
lasts until the next aspect marker is encountered.

Pete