Herman Miller wrote:
> All the examples of Rotokas I have are from _Laboratory Manual for
> Morphology and Syntax_ (one of the textbooks from a morphology class I
> took back in the mid-80s, published by SIL). Here's a few examples
> selected at random.
Oh boy, sentences!!! (Even if, as you say, they don't always strike one as
idiomatic.......but it looks like an interesting language.)
>
> karerovoviroravere "I will begin to return all the way."
makasito mamaçan riyun {??not sure how they mean 'all the way')
I-begin-fut. I-return there(distant)
>
> kakaeto uriopa kepa iava "The boy is coming from the house."
andi (ya) yarata alo punayi
boy (that[masc.]) 3s-come from house-gen.
(In speech, one would avoid two ya's in a row)
>
> ikauvira raga pouviroaepa "They arrived only momentarily."
iratasa nasanipo ~ ....nasani cosapo
3pl-come just-for-a-moment ~moment go-just(=ago)
>
> voropato aiteva uriopa "The hunter is coming with father."
kacohi (ya) yarata yam aman (~amambi?)
AGT-hunt (that) 3s-come with father-acc (~...my?)
>
> ragai urioraverea rovopakekiraia "I will come in January (remote)."
maratato anju açumbres
1s-come-fut when 1st-month
>
> rerapa opuruva kipuriva "You painted a canoe for him."
harungunisa lofi uçoñi
2s-caus-paint-past canoe benefit-his
>
> vi papapakepa voririva ipavira "You bought the airplane in the mountains."
(Assuming papapakepa = airplane, I wonder if it's based on the word for
'butterfly')
hatrakasa pratundri (r)i surañaç
2s-buy-past airplane-def LOC mountain-pl(acc)
airplane: pratur < apral 'device, machine' + tur 'fly, float in air'
>
> vi wiliwili vorepieriva "You made the bicycle come back."
harumeksa re yetroni yamaçan
2s-cause-past THAT bicycle-def. 3s-return
yetro < eyet 'wheel' + ro 'two'
>
> rera siraorovere voeaia oea oiraia siposipoavere "He will sorrow for
> them who will teach her."
iyavando uçoñi nili re ne içivatro (or for ne substitute iyene which is
marked feminine)
3s-grieve-fut. benefit-its them-gen. REL 3s-dat 3pl-teach-fut.
>
> A lot of these seem like made up examples. It doesn't seem likely that
> anyone ever said "you bought the airplane in the mountains."
Perhaps more sensible than buying a boat in the mountains........