Tag: sentences

Continuing with Gary’s list:

117. Come with your father or mother.

And here is where I am glad that “or” uses a completely different structure than “and”/”with”.

117. susi ŋidi baŋi sobanɛn baŋi madanɛn ono ki.

Questions?

Continuing with Gary’s list:

115. Is this tree an oak or a maple?
116. Does the sky look blue or gray?

And “or” uses baŋi, previously seen as “which”, making questions.

115. da mɛdɛ sɛdɛ baŋi atad baŋi sɛnɛt dɛmɛ?

116. ŋi doŋi kɛɬɨdiya ono baŋi uŋahɨdiya baŋi delɨdiya dɛmɛ?

Questions?

Continuing with Gary’s list:

114. He is small, but strong.

But? But. I hereby decree that “but” requires a serial predicate. And the adverb badi “unexpectedly, but-ly”.

114. mava sɛdɛ ɨsa sɛdɛ kɨtɬɛ badi dɛstɛ.

Questions?

Continuing with Gary’s list:

113. They opened all the doors and windows.

They sent all the doors and windows to open.

113. mavna syudɨdi nadɨdi kotɬɨdinɛn otni okottɨdi dɛstɛ.

Questions?

Continuing with Gary’s list:

112. You and I will go together.

And this is really simple. Togetherness is implied with –nɛn. To say otherwise, you would have to add the adverb liya ‘separately’.

112. ŋidi lenɛn tɨŋi dɛga.

Questions?

Continuing with Gary’s list:

111. John and Elizabeth are brother and sister.

This is actually fairly straightforward.

111. John Elizabethnɛn sɛdɛ kaɬa tiɬanɛn dɛstɛ.

Questions?

Continuing with Gary’s list:

110. Pip and his dog were great friends.

This paraphrases to Pip and the cat (no dogs!) are inside friends. Now, people sɛdɛ and cats tɛndɛ. Either can be used for a combination. Since friends is also a class I noun, I would use sɛdɛ and elevate the cat to personhood. But then, I am a cat person.

110. Pip idɛlnɛn esɛdɛ syanna dɛstɛ.

Questions?

Continuing with Gary’s list:

108. Be careful.
109. Have some tea.

These are: You go carefully. and A cuppa tea goes to you Q. #109 isn’t really a command or even a polite request. It’s a question.

108. ŋidi tɨŋi mɨdeya ki.

109. mahɨdɛn tɨŋi ŋideya dɛmɛ.

And now we are half way to 218!

Questions?

Continuing with Gary’s list:

106. Come with us.
107. Bring your friends with you.

These two have exactly the same structure. Go with us, and go with your friends.

106. ŋidi lɛnnanɛn tɨŋi ki.

107. ŋidi syannanɛn tɨŋi ki.

Questions?

Continuing with Gary’s list:

105. Keep this secret until tomorrow.

This needs paraphrased to Don’t say this hidden-thing before tomorrow. And hidden-thing is an example of an adjective without its noun, so therefore a nominalized adjective. And mɛdduso is duso prefixed to allow only one S. Since duso is often used for speech between multiple people, this implies an unspoken someone for you to tell the secret to.

105. ŋidi lamɨdɛn mɛdduso lannal galaba be.

Questions?