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Re: Translation exercise: phrases from Jäschke

From:Nik Taylor <yonjuuni@...>
Date:Tuesday, September 24, 2002, 7:16
Where necessary, I'll make the assumption that one is speaking to a
woman, and that the speaker is female.  Also, I mark stressed syllables
with ' in front of the syllable.

Tim May wrote:
> Where are you from?
Assuming this is asking one's origin: Klaffaki uadiitaniiua biibaa? Klaf -la-ki ua-diitani-iua biibaa? Be.equat-it-NonPunct G6-home -your where?
> Who are you?
Klaffinki tibaa? Klaf -fin -ki tibaa Be.equat-you.sing-NonPunt female.who? [kl_0Af'feJCi tSi'bA:]
> Whose (man, servant) are you?
There's no real word for "servant" in Uatakassi, only "slave", altho that word may overlap somewhat with "servant" Klaffinki tisista tibaaf? Klaf-fin-ki ti-sista tibaa -f? (see above) G1-female.slave/girl female.who-gen (Same word is used for "girl" and "female slave"; likewise, "boy" and "male slave" are identical) [kl_0Af'feNCi tSi'SeSta tSi'bA:f]
> What is your name?
Pasagaatufinki plal pibaa? Pa- sagaatu-fin -ki plal pibaa DatObj-call -you.sing-NonPunct Appositive.particle what? Pa- is the "Dative Object" voice - it converts a dative argument into an absolutive argument; sagaatu means "to call" in the sense of "name", rather than "summon"; the caller is absolutive, the callee is dative, and the name is an appositive phrase, headed by "plal". [pAsagA:tu'feJCi pl_0al_0pi'bA:]
> Where is your house?
Launilki uadiitaniiua biibaav? Launi -la-ki ua-diitani-iua biibaa-av? Be.loc-it-NonPunct G6-home -your.sing where -loc? [lAw'nelCi wAdZi:ta'ni:wA]
> Why are you here?
Launifinki bliiv plassi pibaa? Launi -fin -ki bli -av plassi pibaa? Be.loc-you.sing-NonPunct here-loc because.of what? [lAwni'feJCi ble:v 'pl_0ASSi pi'bA:]
> I sit here to watch.
Divauki plisslassi. Diva-u-ki plis-s -lassi Sit -I-NonPunct Part-AP-look [dZi'vAWC= pl_0eS'Sr\_0aSSi]
> What is the name of this village?
Klaffaki uaatuu uanakataf pibaa? Klaf -la-ki ua-katuu ua-nakata -af pibaa? Be.equat-it-NonPunct G6-name G6-village-gen what? [kl_0Af'fAC= wA:'tu: wAna'kAtaf pi'bA:]
> I am ill (I have got, am befallen with, an illness).
Sagavlauki Sa-gavla-u-ki Be-sick -I-NonPunct [sagA'vlAwC=]
> I feel pain.
Paskutiuki uaavali. Pa- takutti-u-ki ua-gava-li DatObj-feel -I-NonPunct G6-pain-inst Geminate stops can only occur between vowels, thus, the -tti at the end of takutti must be simplified before -u (since the final i becomes the glide /j/ before the vowel). Also, takutti belongs to a class of verbs that begin with Ca- in their stem forms wherein the /a/ is dropped after a vowel-final prefix, with stops becoming fricatives (k and g completely lost with compensatory lengthening of the previous vowel). Likewise, _gava_ is the same kind of phenomenon. [pAsku'tSoC= wA:'vAli]
> Where?
Biibaav? Biibaa-av? Where -loc [bi:'bA:v]
> In the stomach.
Ualaiv Ua-alai -av G6-stomach-loc ['wAlajv]
> I have headache.
Gualiuki tivamisukual. Guali-u -ki ti-vamisu-kua-al Hurt -I.abs-NonPunct G2-head -my -erg "Head" is one of a small class of body-part nouns whose gender is determined by their possessor. This sentence translates literally as "My head hurts me" [gwA'ljoC= tSivAmi'sukwAl]
> Take this!
Manuu plii! Manuu pi-li! Take G7-this [mA'nu: 'pl_0i:]
> Take this with (you)!
Manuu tivaan plii! Manuu tivaa -nan pi-li Take you.sing.fem-Commitative G7-this [mA'nu: tSi'vA:n 'pl_0i:]
> Bring this!
Lufaissi plii! Lufaissi pi-li! Bring G7-this [lu'fajSSi pl_0i:]
> Clean this!
Mataz plii! Mataz pi-li! Wash G7-this ['mAtaz 'pl_0i:]
> Wash it with sand!
Mataz pitakluli! Mataz pi-taklu-li! Wash G7-sand -inst ['mAtaz pita'kl_0uli]
> Are (your) hands clean?
Sanvaunkibu titlunikiuai? Sa-navau-na -ki =bu ti*- tlunii-iua -i Be-clean-they-NonPunct=Question.clitic G2pl-hand -your.sing-pl tlunii becomes tlunik- before certain endings [sam'vAwJCibu tSitr\_0uni'Ciwaj]
> What did you say, sir (did the gentleman say)?
Sagatas tikipita plal pibaa? Saga-tas -0 ti-ki- pita plal pibaa? Say -he/she-Punct G2-aug-woman appositive.particle what? Present punctual has the meaning of immediate past [sa'gAtas tSiCi'pita pl_0al pi'bA:] -- "There's no such thing as 'cool'. Everyone's just a big dork or nerd, you just have to find people who are dorky the same way you are." - overheard ICQ: 18656696 AIM Screen-Name: NikTaylor42