[Back to Table of Contents]

Prev: [Instrument Case]

[Printable (pdf) version of this lesson]

Next: [Your Turn 4]

Lesson 27
Translation 4

Vocabulary

abesh

all things; all-that-is

ashon

love for heart-kin

ban

to give

Bó

Type-of-Sentence Word: command

dam

to manifest; to show signs of some state or emotion

layun

to be orange

liyeth

to be silver (the color)

méesh

pleasure (not sexual)

nem

pearl

obeyal

gold

ozh

dream

rabohí

to be long, in 1 dimension

thil

vine

un

to lead

weth

road; path; way

wí

life

wida

to carry

woban

birth

wum

Postposition: entire; whole; all-of-it {JLP}

yeth

silver (the metal)

zhedam

to resemble

Along with the Type-of-Sentence word “bó” (command), we also get a verb, “dibó” (to command/demand). Of course it’s perfectly serviceable as a noun, meaning “command; demand.”

The meanings of “bó” (command) and “bóo” (request) might seem very similar. However, there is one major difference. If the person being asked to do something is allowed to refuse, “bóo” is the appropriate Type-of-Sentence Word; if this person is not allowed to refuse (eg, small child, employee, slave), then “bó” is appropriate.

Láadan Text

Ozh Letho

²Bíide melalom ash nemethu merod lom shathuth we. Ban woháya wolom hi sheth, méesheth, i shoneth.

³Bíide mehim Hérel Berídan, Máyel Áwith, wolayun worul, i le óomanan we. Wida Hérel ruleth, i le áwitheth. Un Hérel Berídan, i doth le. Rabohíháalish weth yethethu.

⁴Bíide methi yáanin bothu óolethu mewolula womith we; meléli mahina benetha. Medam medazh ud; mezhe mewoliyeth wohud i thom. Rilin le ili wilithuth, id en le wodutha wozho wilithuth. Ril di be Láadan; di be shim bethu i woban bethu i shebasheb bethu. Rilin Máyel Áwith zhenal, i be wili lalethum. Lámála Hérel Berídan ruleth ashonenal.

⁵Bíide wida yáanin nede thil obeyalethuth we; thi thil hi mahinath debe. Methi mahina mewohamedara wozhubeth menedebe; ileháalish rul beneth. Mezhedam oba zhubetha beyen i muda; mezhedam oba benetha beyezh i omid. Mezhedam oba woleyi wozhubetha nede i mazh. Yod mahina woleyi wozhubeth hi.

⁶Bíide di rul we, “Bó yod ne yuth. Bíi dush yod ne yu thilethath wáa.” Míi ra le; yod le yu thilethath, i bedi le beyeth: nin yu thiletha lawidath. Sháad hath, i wóoban le onida lethath wum, i beth lenethoth, i miwith lethoth, i Donith wum, i abesheth. Le tham wíthum we.

Morpheme-by-Morpheme Analysis with My Translation

Ozh Letho

Ozh

Dream

Letho

I + POSS

My Dream

²Bíide melalom ash nemethu nibethab lom shathuth we. Ban woháya wolom hi sheth, méesh, i shoneth.

²Bíide

DECL + NARR

melalom

PL + Sing

ash

Star

nemethu

Pearl + PARTV

merod

#1,000,000,000

lom

Song

shathuth

Harmony + PARTV + OBJ

we.

DREAM

Ban

Give

woháya

REL + BeBeautiful

wolom

REL + Song

hi

Demo1

sheth,

Comfort + OBJ

méesh,

Pleasure + OBJ

i

And

shoneth.

Peace + OBJ

²I dreamed a billion stars sang songs of harmony. This song gave comfort, pleasure, and peace.

³Bíide mehim Hérel Berídan, Máyel Áwith, wolayun worul, i le óomanan we. Wida Hérel ruleth, i le áwitheth. Un Hérel Berídan, i doth le. Rabohíháalish weth yethethu.

³Bíide

DECL + NARR

mehim

PL + Travel

Hérel

Carol

Berídan,

Aunt

Máyel

Michael

Áwith,

INFANT + Person = Infant

wolayun

REL + BeOrange

worul,

REL + Cat

i

And

le

I

óomanan

Foot + INSTR

we.

DREAM

Wida

Carry

Hérel

Carol

ruleth,

Cat + OBJ

i

And

le

I

áwitheth.

Infant + OBJ

Un

Lead

Hérel

Carol

Berídan,

Aunt

i

And

doth

Follow

le.

I

Rabohíháalish

NON + BeShort1D = BeLong1D + DEGextraord

weth

Path

yethethu.

Silver + PARTV

³Aunt Carol, Baby Michael, an orange cat, and I traveled on foot. Carol carried the cat, and I the baby. Carol led and I followed. The road of silver was extraordinarily long.

⁴Bíide methi yáanin bothu óolethu mewolula womith we; meléli mahina benetha. Medam medazh ud; mezhe mewoliyeth wohud i thom. Rilin le ili wilithuth, id en le wodutha wozho wilithuth. Ril di be Láadan; di be shim bethu i woban bethu i shebasheb bethu. Rilin Máyel Áwith zhenal, i be wili lalethum. Lámála Hérel Berídan ruleth ashonenal.

⁴Bíide

DECL + NARR

methi

PL + Have

yáanin

Tree

bothu

Mountain + PARTV

óolethu

Moon + PARTV

mewolula

PL + REL + BePurple

womith

REL + Leaf + OBJ

we;

DREAM

meléli

PL + BeYellow

mahina

Flower

benetha.

X>5 + POSSbirth

Medam

PL + Manifest

medazh

PL + BeSoft

ud;

Stone

mezhe

PL + BeAlike

mewoliyeth

PL + REL + BeSilver

wohud

REL + Stone

i

And

thom.

Pillow

Rilin

Drink

le

I

ili

Water

wilithuth,

River + PARTV + OBJ

id

AndThen

en

Understand

le

I

wodutha

REL + Heal

wozho

REL + Sound

wilithuth.

River + PARTV + OBJ

Ril

PRES

di

Speak

be

X1

Láadan;

Láadan

di

Speak

be

X1

shim

SexAct

bethu

X1 + PARTV = About

i

And

woban

Birth

bethu

About

i

And

shebasheb

Death

bethu.

About

Rilin

Drink

Máyel

Michael

Áwith

Infant

zhenal,

BeAlike + MANN = Likewise

i

And

be

X1

wili

River

lalethum.

Milk + PARTV + IDENT

Lámála

Caress

Hérel

Carol

Berídan

Aunt

ruleth

Cat + OBJ

ashonenal.

LoveHeartKin + MANN

⁴The trees of the mountains of the moon had purple leaves; their flowers were yellow. The stones manifest being soft; the silver stones are like pillows. I drank the river-water, and then I understood the river’s healing sound. Now it spoke Láadan; it spoke about sex and about birth and about death. Baby Michael drank likewise, and it was a river of milk. Aunt Carol caressed the cat with love as for a heart-sibling.

⁵Bíide wida yáanin nede thil obeyalethuth we; thi thil hi mahinath debe. Methi mahina mewohamedara wozhubeth menedebe; ileháalish rul beneth. Mezhedam oba zhubetha beyen i muda; mezhedam oba benetha beyezh i omid. Mezhedam oba woleyi wozhubetha nede i mazh. Yod mahina woleyi wozhubeth hi.

⁵Bíide

DECL + NARR

wida

Carry

yáanin

Tree

nede

#1

thil

Vine

obeyalethuth

Gold + PARTV + OBJ

we;

DREAM

thi

Have

thil

Vine

hi

Demo1

mahinath

Flower + OBJ

debe.

#100

Methi

PL + Have

mahina

Flower

mewohamedara

PL + REL + Dance

wozhubeth

REL + Insect + OBJ

menedebe;

#>5

ileháalish

PayAttn + DEGextraord

rul

Cat

beneth.

X>5 + OBJ

Mezhedam

PL + Resemble

oba

Body

zhubetha

Insect + POSSbirth

beyen

Indef>5

i

And

muda;

Pig

mezhedam

PL + Resemble

oba

Body

benetha

X>5 + POSSbirth

beyezh

Indef2-5

i

And

omid.

Horse

Mezhedam

PL + Resemble

oba

Body

woleyi

REL + BeBlue

wozhubetha

REL + Insect + POSSbirth

nede

#1

i

And

mazh.

Car

Yod

Eat

mahina

Flower

woleyi

REL + BeBlue

wozhubeth

REL + Insect + OBJ

hi.

Demo1

⁵One tree carried a vine of gold; this vine had a hundred flowers. The flowers had many insects; the cat paid extraordinarily close attention to them. The bodies of many of the insects resembled pigs; the bodies of several of them resembled horses. One blue insect’s body resembled a car. A flower ate that blue insect.

⁶Bíide di rul we, “Bó yod ne yuth. Bíi dush yod ne yu thilethath wáa.” Míi ra le; yod le yu thilethath, i bedi le beyeth: nin yu thiletha lawidath. Sháad hath, i wóoban le onida lethath wum, i beth lenethoth, i miwith lethoth, i Donith wum, i abesheth. Le tham wíthum we.

⁶Bíide

DECL + NARR

di

Speak

rul

Cat

we,

DREAM

“Bó

MAND

yod

Eat

ne

You1

yuth.

Fruit + OBJ

Bíi

DECL

dush

Must

yod

Eat

ne

You1

yu

Fruit

thilethath

Vine + POSSbirth + OBJ

wáa.”

TRUSTED

Míi

BeAmazed

ra

NEG

le;

I

yod

Eat

le

I

yu

Fruit

thilethath,

Vine + POSSbirth + OBJ

i

And

bedi

Learn

le

I

beyeth:

Indef1 + OBJ

nin

Cause

yu

Fruit

thiletha

Vine + POSSbirth

lawidath.

Pregnant + OBJ

Sháad

ComeGo

hath,

Time

i

And

wóoban

GiveBirth

le

I

onida

Family

lethath

I + POSSbirth + OBJ

wum,

Entire

i

And

beth

Home

lenethoth,

We>5 + POSS + OBJ

i

And

miwith

TownCity

lethoth,

I + POSS + OBJ

i

And

Donith

Earth + OBJ

wum,

Entire

i

And

abesheth.

AllThatIs + OBJ

Le

I

tham

Circle

wíthum

Life + PARTV + IDENT

we.

DREAM

⁶The cat said, “Eat a fruit! I’m reliably informed you must eat a fruit of the vine.” I wasn’t amazed; I ate a fruit of the vine, and I learned something: the fruit of the vine causes pregnancy. Time passed, and I gave birth to my entire family, and our home, and my city, and the whole world, and all-that-is. I am the circle of life.

My English Text

My Dream

²I dreamed a billion stars sang songs of harmony. This song gave comfort, pleasure, and peace.

³Aunt Carol, Baby Michael, an orange cat, and I traveled on foot. Carol carried the cat, and I the baby. Carol led and I followed. The road of silver was extraordinarily long.

⁴The trees of the mountains of the moon had purple leaves; their flowers were yellow. The stones manifest being soft; the silver stones are like pillows. I drank the river-water, and then I understood the river’s healing sound. Now it spoke Láadan; it spoke about sex and about birth and about death. Baby Michael drank likewise, and it was a river of milk. Aunt Carol caressed the cat with love as for a heart-sibling.

⁵One tree carried a vine of gold; this vine had a hundred flowers. The flowers had many insects; the cat paid extraordinarily close attention to them. The bodies of many of the insects resembled pigs; the bodies of several of them resembled horses. One blue insect’s body resembled a car. A flower ate that blue insect.

⁶The cat said, “Eat a fruit! I’m reliably informed you must eat a fruit of the vine.” I wasn’t amazed; I ate a fruit of the vine, and I learned something: the fruit of the vine causes pregnancy. Time passed, and I gave birth to my entire family, and our home, and my city, and the whole world, and all-that-is. I am the circle of life.

Comments

Names in Láadan are organized somewhat differently than in English. We will have a future lesson covering nothing else, but in brief, naming in Láadan proceeds from the general to the specific. This means that the family name will precede the personal name, and any title will follow the personal name. We see this here in reference to two of our characters: “Hérel Berídan” (Aunt Carol) and “Máyel Áwith” (Baby Michael). One advantage of this arrangement is that a title—such as “Berídan” (Aunt) or “Áwith” (Baby)—can take any case ending, just as we’ve seen “be” do up to this point.

How else would a cat bespeak a mere human (read: “monkey-slave;” “bearer-of-thumbs”) than by command?

Answering a stated need for more detail in the semantic domain including “híya” (to be small) and its opposite “rahíya” (to be large), the following were proposed and approved:

bohí

to be short in 1 dimension [insp: bod (line) + híya (be small)]

mihí

to be small in 2 dimensions [insp: mi (leaf) + híya (be small)]

hahí

to be brief; of small duration [insp: hath (time) + híya (be small)]

This left the canonical “híya” (to be small) to stand for “to be small in three dimensions”.

Of course, this list suggests their opposites, including “rabohí” from the vocabulary presented in this lesson. Also, of course, the canonical “rahíya” (be large) stands for “to be large in three dimensions.”

rabohí

to be long in 1 dimension [ra– (NON) + bohí (be short, 1D)]

ramihí

to be large in 2 dimensions [ra– (NON) + mihí (be small, 2D)]

rahahí

to be long-lived; of great duration [ra– (NON) + hahí (be brief)]