CONLANG Translation Relay 25

Ring B Buruya Nzaysa

Ring B next: Aingeljã
Ring B previous: Emihtazuu

English Translation of Buruya Nzaysa Text

As for my patience, a cat destroyed it completely.
I remember that it was a very large cat.
It played a trick on me on the occasion that Tɔma wanted to open a barrel of water.
"What kind of nonsense are you thinking?"
"In which corner of the marketplace could Tɔma possibly be a barrel?", I said.
"Of course he is not a barrel at all; Tɔma is a person!"
But the cat, who had been eating a fish, did not understand my words.
She had been given the fish by Tɔma.

English Translation of Previous Text (Emihtazuu)

My childlikeness, a large yurt-cat has killed it.
I believe it was a large cat.
This animal lied because Thomas needed to open a bottle.
'Is Thomas a bottle?', I said.
'He is not a large bottle; this person is Thomas.'
The cat, who had eaten a fish, did not understand (lit. was not made to understand).
The object that Thomas carried was a fish.

Buruya Nzaysa Text

Nzo ña’éxu axe, na u ñufɛ tsə xoñi leda.
Seya məmat rɛ nə lo ñufɛ ɔ ñavra ntsa.
Nɛ sɛga rabɛ rɛ ɛ’iya Tɔma ɔ raxolbo kwə u sɔmɛ mvomérɔ.
"Xɛwa ste’ɔwa ño u tsəñe nəbe? O ewa tso u lo ñuylu pɔwə dediɡa Tɔma ɔ raxolbo?", neya mve.
"Alme ma ntɛvɔ́ve loru ɔ raxolbo; esə Tɔma ɔ maldɔ!"
Dal ma lo ñufɛ, rɔma ɔ mpɛsa nə tul, lu lɛwi axe kwemi.
Nɔdɔwa lu mpɛsa nzɛwə u Tɔma.

Grammar Notes

Typology

- mostly isolating
- head-initial
- basic word order: AuxSOV with occasional topic fronting and subclause postposing
- basic morphosyntactic alignment: NOM-ACC
- pro-drop

Nominals

- no lexical distinction between nouns and adjectives
- nouns/adjectives do not inflect at all
- determiners are mandatory in full noun phrases (except when the head of the noun phrase is a pronoun or a proper name)
- nouns without a determiner usually have adjectival function
- most determiners are marked for case
- nominal number is unmarked

Prepositions

- prepositions inflect for the person of their object (almost all instances in the text are 3rd person)
- each preposition governs a specific case for their object
- objects of prepositions can be omitted if clear from context

Verbs

- content verbs do not inflect at all
- auxiliary verbs are mandatory in all clauses
- auxiliary verbs inflect for person and number of the subject AND person of the object
- aspect, mood, and voice are indicated by the choice of the auxiliary
- no tense marking
- additional distinctions may be made by adding one or more uninflected auxiliaries right before the content verb, or sentence-finally if the content verb is missing
- in clauses which have no content verb but contain an accusative-marked noun phrase, the auxiliary functions as a copula

Further Documentation

Buruya Nzaysa

Vocabulary

ah pp.+ NOM of, belonging to, with regard to
alme adv. surely, certainly, invariably, without exception, of course
axe (pp.) (1st person object form of ah: "of me")
dal cj. but, however
dediga adv. maybe, possibly, conceivably
ɛ’i- aux. (optative auxiliary: "want")
esə- aux. (emphatic/abilitative auxiliary: "do indeed, can indeed")
ewa det./pron. which one? (accusative)
kwemi v. understand
kwə pp.+ NOM with, having (comitative)
lɛwi n. word
leda adv. completely, thoroughly
lo det. (definite article, nominative)
loru pron. (3rd person animate singular, nominative)
lu det. (definite article, accusative)
ma- aux. (negative auxiliary: "do not")
maldɔ n. person; human beingfs
məmat v. recall, remember
mpɛsa n. fish
mve v. say, speak
mvomérɔ v. open sth.
nə- aux. (perfective auxiliary: "has done")
nəbe v. think about, refer to, have in mind, mean, intend
nɔdɔ- aux. (past resultative auxiliary: "had done before; had become")
ntɛvɔ́ve adv. in vain; (in negated clauses) not at all
ntsa adv. very
nzɛwə v. receive, be given sth.
nzo det. (topic marker, accusative)
ña’éxu n. patience, tolerance
ñavra n. broad, wide, large
ño pp.+ NOM as, like (essive)
ñufɛ n. cat
ñuylu n. main square, marketplace
ɔ det. (indefinite article, accusative)
o pp. +ACC at, on
pɔ- aux. (conditional/irrealis auxiliary: "might, would, could")
rabɛ pp. +ACC at the time of, while, during
raxolbo n. cask, barrel
cj. (complementiser, accusative)
rɔma- aux. (relative clause auxiliary; relativized noun is topic but not necessarily subject of subclause)
sɛga v. lie, deceive, play tricks on sb.
sə- aux. (null auxiliary: "do")
ste- aux. (progressive/durative auxiliary: "be doing")
Tɔma n. (a male name)
tul v. eat
tsə det./pron. (distal deictic, accusative: "that, those")
tsəñe n. unlikely, far-fetched, having a non-obvious connection
tso n. knee; corner
u det. (indefinite article, nominative)
u pp.+ NOM of, from, relating to (associative/genitive)
xɛwa pron. what? (accusative)
xoñi v. break, destroy, tear apart

Auxiliary Verb Suffixes

-’ɔwa suffix 2nd person singular subject, 3rd person object
-a suffix 3rd person singular subject, 3rd person object (-ya after /i e ɛ/, -wa after /u o ɔ/)
suffix 3rd person singular subject, 1st person object
-e suffix 1st person singular intransitive
-eya suffix 1st person singular subject, 3rd person object
suffix 3rd person singular intransitive (-Ø after /a/, -wə after /u o ɔ/)

Interlinear Gloss


 Nzo     ña’éxu   axe,  na            u         ñufɛ tsə      xoñi  leda.
 TOP.ACC patience GEN.1 PFV.AUX-3SG>3 INDEF.NOM cat  that.ACC break completely
 As for my patience, a cat destroyed it completely.

 Seya           məmat    rɛ      nə          lo      ñufɛ ɔ         ñavra ntsa.
 NULL.AUX-1SG>3 remember SUB.ACC PFV.COP-3SG DEF.NOM cat  INDEF.ACC large very
 I remember that it was a very large cat.

 Nɛ            sɛga    rabɛ     rɛ      ɛ’iya         Tɔma ɔ raxolbo kwə    u         sɔmɛ  mvomérɔ.
PFV.AUX-3SG>1 deceive during.3 SUB.ACC OPT.AUX-3SG>3 NAME INDEF.ACC barrel  with.3 INDEF.NOM water CAUS-open
 It played a trick on me on the occasion that Tɔma wanted to open a barrel of water.

 "Xɛwa     ste’ɔwa        ño   u         tsəñe          nəbe?"
  what.ACC PROG.AUX-2SG>3 as.3 INDEF.NOM unlikely_thing think
 "What kind of nonsense are you thinking?"

 "O    ewa       tso    u      lo      ñuylu       pɔwə         dediɡa Tɔma ɔ         raxolbo?", neya          mve.
  at.3 which.ACC corner from.3 DEF.NOM marketplace COND.COP-3SG possibly NAME INDEF.ACC barrel     PFV.AUX>1SG>3 say
 "In which corner of the marketplace could Tɔma possibly be a barrel?", I said.

 "Alme       ma          ntɛvɔ́ve    loru         ɔ         raxolbo; esə         Tɔma ɔ         maldɔ!"
  invariably NEG.COP-3SG not_at_all 3SG.ANIM.NOM INDEF.ACC barrel EMPH.COP-3SG NAME INDEF.ACC person
 "Of course he is not a barrel at all; Tɔma is a person!"

 Dal ma            lo      ñufɛ, rɔma          ɔ         mpɛsa nə tul, lu      lɛwi axe  kwemi.
 but NEG.AUX-3SG>3 DEF.NOM cat   REL.AUX-3SG>3 INDEF.ACC fish  PFV.AUX eat  DEF.ACC word of.1 understand
 But the cat, who had been eating a fish, did not understand my words.

 Nɔdɔwa        lu      mpɛsa nzɛwə   u      Tɔma
 RES.AUX-3SG>3 DEF.ACC fish  receive from.3 NAME
 She had been given the fish by Tɔma.

page started: 2018.Feb.01 Thu
current date: 2018.Feb.08 Thu
content originated by Jan Strasser
form originated by qiihoskeh

Up to Parent Page