Key

Subject Phrases (A, S, CS) are double underlined. Object Phrases (O, CC) are single underlined. Peripheral Phrases are dashed. Verb Phrases are unmarked. Clauses are set off by vertical lines.

Dunnolamiwa (What We Saw)

Interlinear

Tele dunnolami.

tele
WH
dunno
see
-la
-RP+DIR
=mi
=1PLex.A
=∅
=3

This is what we saw.

Cudu dunno-da-sedelamigo meli-lewa yisida.

cudu
rabbit
dunno
see
da
GO&
sede
PROG
-la
-RP+DIR
=mi
=1PLex.A
=go
=N3
meli
son
lewa
1SG.A
yisi
child
=da
=this.3A

My son and I were hunting rabbits.

The noun phrase meli-lewa yisida "my son" only partially renames the actual A argument =mi "we (exclusive)". The noun phrase is furthermore tagged with =da and will be referenced in the next sentence.

Kinship association used the pattern [kinship term - associate]. Here the associate is the first person full pronoun lewa.

Woŋŋi wabaŋe ŋakodu laja siŋi sonosu dunno-nomeladace.

woŋŋi
cloud
wabaŋe
unusual
ŋakodu
heap+to
laja
mountain
siŋi
tall
sonosu
top+at
dunno
see
nome
LET
-la
-RP+DIR
=da
=this.3A
=ce
=1SG.O

He showed me an unusual cloud at the top of the tall mountains.

What he showed me and where is fronted for topicality.

Siŋi medego wodune hadahada teŋi cidigo takane ŋaka tenela.

siŋi
tall
mede
tree
=go
=like
wodune
vertical+via
hadahada
several
teŋi
thin
cidi
platter
=go
=like
takane
horizontal+via
ŋaka
heap
tene
sit
-la
-RP+DIR
=∅
=3

It had a tall vertical tree-like part and several thin horizontal platter-like parts.

CS tene PP-via is the standard pattern for whole (CS) has a part (PP).

Xotoxoto legilegi xeye ŋaka tenela.

xotoxoto
everywhere
legilegi
blotchy
xeye
dark
ŋaka
heap
tene
sit
-la
-RP+DIR
=∅
=3

It was blotchy and dark all over.

Hadahada wono taka nolo-callola.

hadahada
several
wono
big
taka
horizontal
nolo
increase
callo
SEEM
-la
-RP+DIR
=∅
=3

The several horizontal parts seemed to become bigger.

Tenewa dullo-wolami.

tene
sit
-∅
-NP
=∅
=3
=wa
=NOM
dullo
know
wo
NEG
-la
-RP+DIR
=mi
=1PLex.A
=∅
=3

We did not know what it was.

Callolami, koxodu da-dememi, gennayo se-dememiyo woŋŋi wono wabaŋe ŋakane.

callo
think
-la
-RP+DIR
=mi
=1PLex.A
=∅
=3
ko
home
=xodu
=place+to
da
go
deme
EXPECT
-∅
-NP
=mi
=1PLex.A
genna
elder+PL
=yo
=yon.3O
se
say
deme
EXPECT
-∅
-NP
=mi
=1PLex.A
=yo
=yon.3O
woŋŋi
cloud
wono
big
wabaŋe
unusual
ŋakane
heap+via

We think we should go home and tell the elders about the unusual big cloud.

Everything after the first word is a complement clause in the O position of the verb callo. The complement clause itself consists of two clauses in juxtaposition.

 

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