| Torch: |
Mai þe prošeŭšu setu orsekrönþimu ob monže moldäm imentu Malero.
Zimätuj minšej šerðece monžatu moldaigu perplaivanu bäch sečenþüm. Žich et
vuebaše kamenej vueserde polja zemjai mörtuai pri morü. Malero vesekta morütuk
glendäch, vuaičaganþai koräb ak led bälai. Narame etu naseðech puda vilika. I
monž onte vuaigöniþe paitach, leš et dosenchþe ejdu nemožach. Kokta et nakönjece
dolnjö zväre selövil, et koräb üčitelitu suöhu videch. A datu šu Malero seböjach
zajenþe mästotu suöje nakoräbe üčitelentämes, et dolnjö murgach emuk, i radai
bäch kokta koräb bergutuk sedviknoþe načel. |
| Smooth translation: |
We'll tell you this story about a young man named Malero.
Last Winter, the heart of this young man was flooded with happiness. He lived in
a stone tower in the middle of a field of wasteland near the sea. Malero always
used to watch the sea, waiting for a ship as white as ice. On his shoulder, a
huge bird sat down. And the man tried to chase it away, but he couldn't get to
it. When he finally grabbed the animal with his hand, he saw the ship of his
teacher. And although Malero was afraid to take his place on the ship, next to
his teacher, he waved with his hand, and was glad when the ship started moving
in the direction of the shore. |
| Glossary/mini dictionary |
а/a (conj.) and, but
ак/ak (adv.) how; (conj.) like, as
баша/baša (f.) tower
берг/berg (m.) shore, beach
быће/baiþe (vi.) to be
бялы/bälai (adj.) white
бях/bäch (vi.) past tense of _быће/baiþe_
весекта/vesekta (adv.) always
відеће/videþe (vi.) to see
вілікы/vilikai (adj.) great, large, big
вуе-/vue- (prefix with loc.) in
вуесерде/vueserde (prep. with loc.) amidst, in the middle of
вуычагаће/vuaičagaþe (vi.) to await, to wait for
вуыгöніће/vuaigöniþe (vp.) to chase away
глендяће/glendäþe (vi.) to watch, to look
дату шу/datu šu (conj.) although (lit. "given that")
долн/doln (f.) hand
досенхће/dosenchþe (vp.) to reach
ейду/ejdu (pron.pers.) illative of _ета/eta_
емук/emuk (pron.pers.) allative of _ет/et_
ет/et (pron.pers.) he
ета/eta (pron.pers.) she
ету/etu (pron.pers.) genitive of _ет/et_
жіће/žiþe (vi.) to live
зајенће/zajenþe (vp.) to occupy, to take a place
звяре/zväre (n.) animal, beast
земја/zemja (f.) earth, land
зіма/zima (f.) winter
і/i (conj.) and
іме/ime (n.) name, first name
камены/kamenai (adj.) made of stone
кокта/kokta (conj.) when
коряб/koräb (m.) ship
кöнјец/könjec (m.) end
лед/led (m.) ice
леш/leš (conj.) but
Малеро/Malero (m.) a proper name
міншы/minšai (adj.) that what has passed, most recent, last
монж/monž (m.) man
можах/možach (vi.) past tense of _мöхће/möchþe_
молды/moldai (adj.) young
морје/morje (n.) sea
мöртуы/mörtuai (adj.) dead, fallow
мöхће/möchþe (vi.) can, to be able, to be allowed
мургаће/murgaþe (vi.) to wave
мы/mai (pron.pers.) we
мясту/mästu (n.) place
на-/na- (prefix with loc.) on, onto
насеђеће/naseðeþe (vp.) to sit down
наченће/načenþe (vp.) to begin, to start
не-/ne- (prefix) not
об/ob (prep. with loc.) about, around
онте/onte (pron.pers.) accusative of _ета/eta_
орсекрöнћіће/orsekrönþiþe (vp.) to tell
перплываће/perplaivaþe (vp.) to flood
полје/polje (n.) field
прі/pri (prep. with loc.) by, near, not far from, next to
прошеўшу/prošeušu (n.) that what has happened, history,
story
пуда/puda (f.) bird
пытаће/paitaþe (vi.) to try, to attempt
рады/radai (adj.) glad, joyful
раму/ramu (n.) shoulder
себöјаће/seböjaþe (vi.) to be afraid, to fear
седвікноће/sedviknoþe (vi.) to move
селöвіће/selöviþe (vp.) to catch, to grab
сет/set (pron.dem.) this
сету/setu (pron.dem.) neuter singular nom./acc. of _сет/set_
сеченће/sečenþe (n.) happiness
суöй/suöj (pron.poss.) one's own
ты/tai (pron.pers.) you
ће/þe (pron.pers.) dative of _ты/tai_
шерђеце/šerðece (n.) heart
ючітел/üčitel (m.) teacher
Abbreviations
※
acc. – accusative case
adj. - adjective
adv. - adverb
all. – allative case
com. – comitative case
conj. - conjunction
def. – definite declension
f. - feminine
gen. – genitive case
ill. – illative case
ind. – indefinite declension
instr. – instrumental case
loc. – locative case
m. - masculine
n. - neuter
nom. – nominative case
prep. - preposition
pron.dem. – demonstrative pronoun
pron.pers. – personal pronoun
pron.poss. – possessive pronoun
sg. - singular
vi. – imperfective verb
vp. – perfective verb |
| Grammar notes |
Syntax:
Vozgian is something between an inflecting and an agglutinative language.
Standard word order is SOV. Modifiers are always placed after the noun. Pro-drop
is not allowed.
Nouns:
I won't terrify you with Vozgian's noun declensions from hell. All you need to
know is the following:
There are three genders: masculine, feminine, neuter.
There are three numbers, too: singular, dual, plural. The dual is used rarely
and does not appear in this text.
There are thirteen cases. In this text, you will find the nominative,
accusative, genitive, dative, instrumental, comitative, locative, and
allative.
In addition to that, it is important to know that Vozgian nouns distinguish
between a definite and an indefinite declension. The definite declension can
easily be recognised by the –т-/-t-.
In this text, you will encounter the following forms:
-Ø: m. sg.ind. nom./acc.
-а/-a: m./n. sg.ind. gen.
-а/-a: f. sg.ind. nom.
-ату/-atu: m./n. sg.def. gen.
-е/-e: m./f./n. sg.ind. loc.
-е/-e: n. sg.ind. nom./acc.
-енту/-entu: n. sg.def. gen.
-ентямес/-entämes: m. sg.def. com.
-іту/-itu: m. sg.def. gen.
-јö/-jö: f. sg.ind. instr.
-оту/-otu: n. sg.def. gen.
-у/-u: n. sg.ind. nom./acc.
-утук/-utuk: m. sg.def. all.
-ы/-ai: f. sg.ind. gen.
-юм/-üm: n. sg.ind. instr.
-ю/-ü: n. sg.ind. loc.
-ютук/-ütuk: n. sg.def. all.
-ятуй/-ätuj: f. sg.def. loc.
Adjectives:
These are always placed after the noun they modify, and agree with it in number,
case and gender. Unlike nouns, however, they do not distinguish between definite
and indefinite (because their endings contain something like a rudimentary
article already).
You will encounter the following forms:
-а/-a: f. sg. nom.
-ану/-anu: n. sg. nom./acc.
-ей/ej: f. sg. loc.
-у/-u: n. sg. nom./acc.
-ыгу/-aigu: m. sg. gen.
-ы/-ai: f. sg. gen.
-ы/-ai: m. sg. nom.
-ям/-äm: m. sg. loc.
Participles are inflected like adjectives.
Pronouns:
The personal and demonstrative pronouns are taken care of in the glossary. The
reflexive possessive pronoun is _суöй/suöj_. The forms _суöғу_ and _суöје_ are
resp. m.gen.sg. and n.nom./acc.sg.
Verbs:
On important thing to know about verbs is that they have aspect. The difference
in meaning depends on the tense. In general, it can be said that imperfective
verbs concentrate on the action itself, while perfective verbs concentrate on
its result once it is completed.
In the present tense, imperfective verbs indicate an action that is currently
going on, while perfective verbs indicate an action that will soon be completed.
The former should be translated into English as something along the lines of
"I'm xxx-ing", the later with "I'll", "I'm gonna". A good English example: "to
sit, to be seated" (imperfective) vs. "to sit down" (perfective).
In the past tense, an imperfective verb indicates an action that was taking
place at some point in the past, or that used to take place in the past. A
perfective verb refers to an action that was already completed at the moment of
reference (thus fulfilling the role of a pluperfect).
The perfect tense can be used for perfective verbs only, and indicates an action
that has been completed in the present.
In order to translate correctly, you'll always need to take into account whether
a verb is perfective or imperfective.
You'll encounter the following forms:
-л/-l: perfect tense, 3rd person singular
-му/-mu: present tense, 1st person plural
-ны/-nai: perfect passive participle
-нћы/-nþai: present active participle
-ће/-þe: infinitive
-х/-ch: past tense, 1st/2nd/3rd person singular
Passive forms are constructed by using a form of _быће/baiþe_ in combination
with the perfect passive participle. |
