Test Sentences, 49

Continuing with Gary’s list:

  1. On the top of the hill in a little hut lived a wise old woman.

Way back in episode 8 I discussed the pattern SRC LOC mɛhaŋi ko as “SRC makes a home in|dwells in|lives in LOC”. But that gets a bit unwieldy with a complex location like “on the top of the hill in a little hut”. So, an alternative construction involves the verb ɛmɛmɛ, which we haven’t used yet. Specifically, it involves ey-ɛmɛmɛ in the construction SRC ko-hɨdɛn ey-ɛmɛ LOC, which leaves room for a complex LOC.

71. kyɛnɛ tɛta syena kohɨdɛn eyɛmɛ laka ɨsa da tɛndɛ lɛnɛ da olat dɛstɛ.

kyɛnɛ
woman.MTsg
tɛta
old.MTsg
syena
wise.MTsg
kohɨdɛn
home.MTsg
ey-
in
ɛmɛmɛ
ɛmɛmɛ.IMP
laka
hut.SSsg
ɨsa
little.SSsg
da
REL
tɛndɛ
tɛndɛ.IMP
lɛnɛ
hill
da
PS
olat
top
dɛstɛ
I’m told

In Kēlen:

71. ñamma jamāra ā macēna mahēna masōnen sū jakō jīña sū jalāīñ ōl;

ñ-
NI
amma
3SG.A
jamāra
home
ā
A
macēna
woman
mahēna
old
masōnen
wise
at
jakō
hut
jīña
little
at
jalāīñ
hill
ōl
on top

Questions?