Re: CHAT: translation (was: Re: CHAT: "have a nice day")

>From: "Matt Pearson"
>
>> >> pâtakimwukêc atimwêsup apiyêsupim ecanukwûpôk?
>
>> >...>it means, um.... 'hast thou never seen a dog sitting in a tree?'
>
>> I like this one.  Here it is in Tokana:
>>
>>         Ni hieloton uithat ikei palahtai?
>>         QU see-NEG-PI sit-DEP dog tree-DAT
>
>Throw down the chalice, will ya?  :) I accept.
>
>In Géarthnuns:
>
>Fenfe lö höi fau bursaub kür vau bözhalörsaut fö ngarekhsös hötel?
>
>you-nom/neg perfect höi a-neg tree-postpositional/neg on the-neg
>sitting-acc/neg a-neg dog-genitive/neg see-interrogative mood?
>
>Normally, one would use the locative with "tree", "burs", but that would
>place the dog at the tree, near the tree, under the tree, at the foot of the
>tree (where we might normally expect a dog).
Ooh, I hadn't thought about that.  The Tokana sentence is actually
ambiguous, and would probably be interpreted as "by/at the tree",
given normal assumptions about the habits of dogs.  I should
probably disambiguate thus:

        Ni hieloton uithat ikei himai palahta

"Himai palahta" is "interior-DAT tree", or "at a tree('s) interior".
If the dog were perched on top of the tree, rather than in amongst
the leaves, then you'd say "ypiai palahta", literally "pinacle-DAT
tree".

Matt.