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Ring B: 11/20: Old Tükwäi |
Leland Paul | ||
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łasj doxir nös ömismöi. njäräk ljäirs-käärip mena müsöim loosłi ee. sjela ljäirs-käärip rookti, kjallel maapwim määkjil do önjinsöi kwanrel twa. hülnel maapwim nas önjitköi se ääŋljin. süsjmel saaxil mol nootsi nas mjün öpwipdöi. müsöim paslel pasjak sääxil masjdel ee. kaksjel saaxil pwüpdöi e ömismöi na kjallel njünöis-määkjil e äätjrið kwanrel twa. pootwol määpwin sjöi njünöis-määkjil kwanrel pwa. damlel mani mjün kaakisj mena dadsel nääljin. djast naaljin ljoorsi ee, maapwin ðoosti sü sjöi njünöis-määkjil e äätrjrið kwanrel pwa. lasłel maapwin sjela ääkrip e kwiinrö e njünöis-ääkjil e äätjrið. |
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(Using the "singular they" to avoid gender specification.) This is a story about a youth. Winter was removed so as to make the youth happy. During a long winter, a student sees a ship made of ice arriving. The student lives in a field by a wall. A small dark bird sits on the their shoulder. The youth attempts to force the bird to move. The bird grips the youth's shoulder and sees the ice-ship of the teacher arriving. The student worries about why the ice-ship is arriving. They raise their hand to touch the wall. Because the wall is cold, the student becomes calm regarding the arrival of the teacher's ice-ship. The student rejoices in the time of the arrival of the teacher's ice ship. |
Grammar |
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Transcription -- All consonantal phonemes in Old Tükwäi are represented using monographs, with these exceptions: <pw tw kw> are all digraphs for single labialized consonants. A <j> indicates palatization of the preceding consonant. (These facts facts will be necessary in deciphering the above text.)
Morphology -- Old Tükwäi follows a root-and-pattern system, similar to the Semitic languages. All roots are triconsonantal. There are six verbal patterns and nine nominal patterns; the verbal patterns consist only of a thematic vowel, while the nominal patterns specify all vowels to be used and their placement among the consonants. See the respective sections on nominals and verbals, below.
Nominals -- All roots may be nominalized using nine different "grades"; within each grade there are three separate patterns corresponding to the nominative, accusative, and oblique cases, respectively. A chart of the nominal grades follows, with the grades not necessary for this translation omitted.
Nominative Accusative Oblique
I)Actor 1aa2i3 1ää2i3 ää12i3
II)Patient 1o2i3 1ö23äi 1o23ai
IV) Process 1i2öö3 1ii23ö 1äi23öö
VI) Causer 1ä23 1äi23i 1äi23ü
IX) Result 1ü2öim 1ü23öi ö1i23öi
The Result grade is perhaps a slight catch-all category, semantically: It signifies either "that which results from" or "that which has the quality of." Where unclear, idiomatic usage will be noted in the lexicon.
Verbals -- All roots may be verbalized into six different "grades" and conjugated for one of four persons (I, thou, it, and one). The verbal grades are grouped into two categories (Stative and Dynamic), each with an Active, Mediopassive, and Applicative grade. The verbal grades are presented below:
STATIC: I)Active -ü- II)Passive -oo- III)Applicative -ö- DYNAMIC: IV) Active -a- V)Passive -ä- VI)Applicative -äi-
The thematic vowel of each verbal grade is inserted into the root a) between the first two consonants in the case of a suffix conjugation, b) between the second two consonants in the case of a prefix conjugation, and c) between both the first and second and second and third consonants in the case of the null conjugation (which represents both the 4th person singular and the infinitive form). The conjugations are as follows:
1 ha- 2 -ið 3 -el 4 0 ->Most commonly used as the infinitive in this passage.
An example: KTM is the root for "thought." Therefore, katam - "to think," but katmel "he/she/it thinks."
Adjectives may be derived using the second grade and the suffix -i.
Syntax -- Old Tükwäi follows a relatively strict VSO word order, although occasionally important constituents may be fronted. Adjectives always follow their head nouns, while possessive pronouns precede them. Existential and attributive clauses may be formed by simply placing an "Existential Particle" after the noun phrase; only three such particles are used in this translation, each associated with a different aspect: ee - aorist twa - progressive sü - inceptive These particles are also used for relative phrases: The head noun of the phrase is followed by the relative clause followed by the proper particle.
Vocabulary |
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Particles: djast - because do - composed of e - of (genitive) łjasj - this mani - 3rd person nominative mena - for the purpose of, so that, in order to mol - small (A borrowing, therefore not derived from a root.) mjün - 3rd person possessive nas - in, on nös - about ŋa - and se - near, by sjela - during sjöi - why, for what reason Roots: DXR - tell (nominal grade II -- "story") DML - raise DDS - touch HLN - reside KRP - time KwNR - arrive KjLL - see KKSj - grip (nominal grade I -- "hand") LjRS - be cold (idiom: ljäirs-käärip -- "time of cold, winter") LSŁ - happy, rejoice MSM - be young (nominal grade IX -- "a youth") MPwM - to learn (nominal grade I -- "student") MKjL - sail (nominal grade I -- "ship") MSjD - move NjNS - freeze NjRK - remove NjTK - flat (nominal grade IX -- "plain, field") NTS - dark ŊLjN - wall PSL - attempt PSjK - force to, cause to PwPD - shoulder (ie, the body part) PTwL - worry RKT - be long (in duration) SXL - fly (grade I -- "bird") SSjM - sit, rest TjRÐ - teach ÐST - calm
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