Nzva Tranlation Relay

Here's Nik's Watakassi poem:

Wafkassiss=E1i wafl=E1ssyasai pifnatt=E1idu y=E1nisnav=20
Lusnav=E1utasva wazun=EDpaka l=EDwanal pifl=EDtilwai=20
Ku lizlut=E1tasva wasak=E1tiv lal=E1ka wabikad=EDz=20
Zi kl=E1itasva-bu sutak=ED zib=FAtasva wanil=E1staz?=20

Here's My Nedm Translation:

Ro auheyz myjisaz muushhayik naksil,
e' naytayses plaat rim tartel skrazual
e' ryha ro noshim ma=FEingayn mek beyzanak
kasko ky ro vyya misaalis pony meynayn?

The song from the bird is about importance
A Heron's clothes clean with dew
A Lark religiously praises the sky at evening
But is the birdish way understood at all?

Pl=09=09Plural
G=09=09Genitive
F=09=09Future
(Mid)=09Middle voice
(Pass)Passive
ro  auhey-z   m-yj-isa-z muushay-ik     naksil
the song-Pl   bird-G-Pl  important-ness deal.with

e' naytays-es plaat    rim   tart-el skr-az-ual
a  heron-G    clothes  cut   clean-F dew-with
                      (Mid)

=09This requires a little explaining. rim + verb-F is the middle voiec. =20
Nzva uses modal constructions whose meanings are rarely clear from their=20
literal meanings.  Nzva verbs have two endings, Present (no ending) and=20
Future (-l/-el).  when used with the same modal verb, each form has its own=20
distinct meaning.  For example, 'Rim tartel' means "cleans" in the middle=20
voice, but 'rim tart' means "stops cleaning".

e' ryha ro  noshim ma=FEing-ayn  mek    b-eyz-anak
a  lark the sky    religion-ly praise evening-at

kasko  ky    ro  vyya mis-aalis pony       meyn-ayn?
but    lie   the way  bird-ish  understand least-ly?
      (Pass)

=09Another case of the cryptic modals.  ky + verb is the passive=20
construction.  Here the modal, ky, precedes the subject, vyya, indicating=20
this is a yes/no question.  meynayn means "at all"

To tell the truth the (Mid) and (Pass)=20
glosses weren't in what I sent to Chris Peters, but I think they're useful a=
t=20
least, now that the relay is over.

Pacs Precs
Joe Mondello