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Lesson 38
Vocabulary Practice 6: Love


This is a “themed” Vocabulary Practice. Our theme is “love.” Láadan has many separate words for what in English would be various forms of “love.”

Vocabulary

a

love of inanimates

(previously presented in Lesson 21)

áama

love for one both liked and respected

áayáa

mysterious love, not yet known to be welcome or unwelcome

áazh

love for one sexually desired at one time, but not now

ab

love for one liked but not respected

ad

love for one respected but not liked

am

love for one related by blood

(previously presented in Lesson 21)

ashon

love for one not related by blood, but kin of the heart

aye

love that is unwelcome and a burden

azh

love for one sexually desired now

éeme

love for one neither liked nor respected

oham

love for that which is holy

sham

love for the child of one’s body, presupposing neither liking nor respect nor their absence

Additional Vocabulary

ahana

chocolate [a (LOVEinanim) + ana (food)]

donidan

lovingkindness

Emath

Mommy/Daddy

lash

indifference

lila

to female-sex act

ludi

to be female

luth

to rock (as a baby)

maha

sexual desire

Mathul

Mom/Dad [ma (OBS: listen) + thul (parent)]

Shathul

Honored Parent

We see here for the first time various modes of address to one’s parents. “Emath” is an intimate form that incorporates a strong sense of endearment; it is used largely by small children. “Mathul” is a casual form, still incorporating strong endearment but not such dependence. “Shathul,” on the other hand, is a much more formal form; it has a sense similar to that exemplified in English in Pearl S Buck’s The Good Earth and the film Flower Drum Song (filial piety being a pillar of traditional Chinese society) wherein offspring, even into adulthood, refer to their parents, even to their faces, as “my father” or “my mother;” formality and reverence predominate over intimacy and endearment. Of course, a gender suffix may be appended to any of these forms at the speaker’s discretion.

Examples

In lieu of example sentences for this lesson, here is a grid presenting abbreviated versions of the attributes of the various Láadan words for “love.”

Toward

a

inanimate

oham

holy


Welcome

áayáa

unknown

aye

no (& burden)


Liking

Respect

áama

yes

yes

ab

yes

no

ad

no

yes

éeme

no

no


Sexual Desire

azh

now

áazh

previously


Kin by

am

blood

ashon

heart

sham

child

Exercises

Translate the following into English

1

Bíi rilrili bere meloláad with ath Láadanedim ébere loláad Shuzhéth thenahul wa.

2

Bíi eril dam ehená ohameth Elá abeshethudim wáa.

3

Bíi di worabalin wowithizh withidedim áayáanal wáa.

4

Bíi rilrili othel wí Ánetheni betha wum—rizh ril loláad Ána ayeth behidedim wo.

5

Bé ril thi le woshad woheba wa; naya be leth áamanal.

6

Báa aril im hoshem Méri betha maridim abeda?

7

Bíi aril dutha Thérisha imáth adenan wáa.

8

Báa thad dónahin edaná lasheth éemem donidanenan?

9

Báa loláad ne azheth ledim?

10

Eril em, izh ril loláad le áazheth nadim wa.

11

Bíi eril loláad le shama beróo dam ra Máthu am lenedim wa.

12

Báa eril dibáa beye Mázhareth bedim ashonenal, “Báa tháa na?”

13

Bíi eril naloláad thul sham áwithedim úyahú wóoban be beth wáa.

Of course you had no trouble interpreting the word “Elá” (Creator, but without the feature “male”) in #6: “el” (to make) + –á (DOER); it’s capitalized here because it refers to an aspect of Deity.

Translate the following into Láadan

14

I love (inanim) fruit with chocolate.

15

The student carries her many books lovingly (holy).

16

My brother doesn’t understand my love (mysterious) for the baker.

17

He loves (unwelcome/burden) me; I try to be gentle for him.<

18

I requested of Steven, “Prithee answer (declaratively) me: when will I find love (+like +respect)?”

19

The healer is studying medicine; she wants to help many more sick people using love (+like –respect).

20

The priest listened for the sake of love (–like +respect).

21

The nurse showed signs of love (–like –respect) for the family.

22

She female-sex-acts with her husband (pleasurably) because she feels love (curr maha) toward him.<

23

Michael and I stopped feeling sexual desire for each other long ago; I now comfort him using love (prev maha).

24

Bethany makes her grandmother laugh using fun songs and old stories for the sake of love (blood kin).

25

Marsha stayed at Elizabeth’s home in the time of fear for the sake of love (heart kin).

26

Prithee rock me lovingly (child), Mommy.

In #23, did you remember the idiom for “each other” or “one another”? We use an appropriately numbered demonstrative pronoun (form of “hi”) twice: the first marked as Subject (no apparent case ending) and the second marked with the case ending appropriate to what the relationship is between “each other.” So for two of us feeling an emotion toward each other (or not, as in #23), the idiom would be “hizh hizhedim.”

In #25, we could use “benem” (to stay) as the verb; however, we could also emphasize that Marsha was temporarily dwelling at Elizabeth’s by using “néehabelid[née– (TEMP) + habelid (to dwell)].

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Answers

1

If people love (inanim) Láadan, then Suzette may feel extreme joy (good reason).

2

The philosopher demonstrated love (holy) toward the Creator of all-that-is.

3

The young woman speaks to the man lovingly (mysterious).

4

Anthony’s entire life may be blessed—except Anna feels love (unwelcome/burden) for him.

5

I swear I have the perfect spouse; he cares for me lovingly (+like +respect).

6

Mary’s grandchild will travel to the island for the sake of love (+like –respect).

7

Theresa will heal the traveler using love (–like +respect).

8

Can the linguist cause indifference to become love (–like –respect) using lovingkindness?

9

Do you love (curr maha) me?

10

I used to, but now I love (prev maha) you.

11

I grieved (ext cause/no blame/no remedy) because Matthew showed no signs of (blood kin) love for us.

12

Did someone ask Margaret, “How are you?” lovingly (heart kin).

13

The mother began to feel love (child) for the baby when she gave birth to her.


14

Bíi loláad le ath yudim ahanaden wa.

15

Bíi ril wida bedihá áabe bethoth menedebe ohamenal wáa.

16

Bíi ril en ra henahid letha áayáa lethoth ebaládim wa.

17

Bíi loláad behid aye ledim; dulema le behideda wa.

18

Bíi eril dibóo le Thíben bedim wa, “Bóo nédibíi ne ledim: báa aril redeb le áamath bebáaya?”

19

Bíi ril ulanin duthahá eduthath wo; néde den be mewohéeya wowitheth nidi menedebe abenan.

20

Bíi eril il wíitham oyunan adeda wáa.

21

Bíi eril dam onin éemeth onidadim wa.

22

Bíi ril lila behizh ebahid bethodan beróo loláad be azheth behidedim wáa.

23

Bíi eríli menóloláad le i Máyel mahath hizh hizhedim wa; ril she le behideth áazhenan.

24

Bíi dóhada Bétheni hothul bethath mewobil wolomenan i meworabun wodedidenan ameda wa.

25

Bíi eril néehabelid Másha beth Elízhabeth bethosha héeyaya ashoneda wáa.

26

Bóo luth na leth shamenal, Emath.

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