Re: CHAT: Happy Birthday

Daniel wrote:

>Hmm. Isn't today Christophe Grandsire's 26th birthday?
>(Why do I even remember that? :)
>
>Happy birthday!
>
>This might be a nice translation exercise, come to think
>of it.
Sea of umlauts ready!.......

Most formal: Se zdívedalths techetneketh la öçkek nü!
Neutralish: Se zdívedalths techetneketh!
Least formal and most familar: (Se) zvívedalths!

se - a (7th declension, affirmative, indef. art.)
zdívedalths - birthday, date of birth (7th, aff., nominative, sing.)
techetneketh - beautiful (7th, aff., nom., sing.) (does mean
"visually beautiful", but through constructions like this, it can
also take on the more banal nuances of the English word "nice", as in
"Have a nice day.")
la - present tense
öçkek - you (aff., dative, sing.)
nü - be (hortative mood)

"A beautiful birthday be unto you!"

Normally, greetings of this type would be either repeated:

A: Se ngaradalths techetneketh la öçkek nü!    Merry Christmas!
B: Se ngaradalths techetneketh!  Merry Christmas!

or responded to along the lines of "The same to you as well."

A: Se ngaradalths techetneketh la öçkek nü!    Merry Christmas!
B: Öçkek la ífa-u hereçkeveçö!

ífa-u - also, too, as well
hereçkeveçö - thus, in that way (2nd person referent)

But that's tricky unless A and B have the same birthday. When someone
compliments you on something you can control (like an accomplishment
or something bought), you can say "Thank you." ("Sí la öçkek
síuthta.") But when it's a compliment on something you really can't
completely control ("Gee, your wife's nice."; "Your son's grown into
a fine young man."; "Happy Birthday!"), you use " Sí la augzébezh."
("I enjoy [it]."; "I am blessed [with it].") So....

A: Se zdívedalths techetneketh (la öçkek nü)!
B: (Sí la) Augzébezh.

Kou