ooh, looks like i'm first out of line here :~)
> Talk of useful phrases and shopping has affected me. I'm getting it in
> Spanish class and on the list.
all of these sentences are VSO. all morphemes are separated in the
orthography by either a space or an apostrophe (for compounds or affixes).
Stress is on the first syllable of every morpheme (easier than saying
penultimate, but it ends up being the same thing with the words in minyeva).
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> 1. real
lite = real, genuine
mye sema kri u spenu lite.
not be this FOC silk real.
> This is not real silk.
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> 2. skirt
tsema = skirt
lije fula le u kwa tsema.
wish try.on I FOC that skirt.
> I'd like to try on that skirt. (No, I'm not a transvestite.)
the english words 'wish' and 'would like' are both rendered as 'lije' in
Minyeva.
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> 3. to need
mavi = need (obligation)
mavi to bavi le u ki zwado gi tavi'nyo o mi.
need find I FOC a present for sister of me.
> I need to find a present for my sister.
to bavi: literally means "change -> know about/of"
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> 4. stair
teka = stair
-de = natural set of
teka'de = staircase
zike te kafi u so sao teka'de cla fo sao vote.
located the shop FOC up the staircase and at the left.
> The shop is up the stairs and on the left.
zike = be located at. the normal 'sema' (to be) can't be used here.
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> 5. upper
so = up, upper
mye fle casi vye u loi boi sao so bute,
not HAB sell they FOC much in the up room,
potu jlo sime sao sneva.
conseq. probable cheap the rent.
> They don't sell much in an upper room, but it must be cheap to rent.
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> 6. to approve
sone = approve of, agree with
puqa = disapprove of
puqa le u kwa wepa'vyeta. li'sacli fe.
disapprove.of I FOC that style.of.clothing. immodest it.
> I don't approve of that style of clothing. It's immodest.
wepa = garment
vyeta = style
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> 7. jewelry
dusa = ornament, trinket
klajo = body
dusa'klaso = piece of jewelry
zla lije zode le u ki dusa'klajo.
now wish shop I FOC GEN jewelry.
> I would like to go shopping for jewelry now.
GEN = generic.
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> 8. golden
floje = gold
i have no idea what a torc is, and it isn't in my webster's dictionary. i'll
just assume the word "torch" instead.
sema kwa u zeja'waki vela o floje.
be that FOC torch beautiful of gold.
vao qali fe u byo bema?
QU available it FOC more large?
> That is a lovely golden torcH. Do you have it in a larger size?
zeja = fire
waki = pole
zeja'waki = torch
vao is a question word that assumes nothing about whether the answer will be
'yes' or 'no'. I have two other yes/no question words:
sla: expects yes
zwai: expects no
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> 9. color
lenu = color
jise le u sao lenu o ki floje.
love I FOC the color of GEN gold.
> I love the color of gold.
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> 10. expensive
nadi = expensive
mye mluti futa le u kwa; ju nadi fe.
not can buy I FOC that; too expensive it.
> I can't buy that; it is far too expensive.
> ~Wright
>
--
Garrett Jones
http://www.alkaline.org