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Lesson 48
Translation 7

Vocabulary

biremeda

onion [bire (layer) + meda (vegetable)]

daleleyodewan

table [dalel (object; made-thing) + yod (eat) + –wan (PURP)]

hiwetha

left [hi (this) + weth (way) + a (left)]

homana

dessert [hom (nectar) + ana (food)]

medalayun

carrot [meda (vegetable) + layun (be orange)]

min

eating utensil

onelal

cream [on (head) + lal (milk)]

thizh

pie {CH}

thuzh

cake {CH}

udemeda

potato [ud (stone) + meda (vegetable)]

yodeyod

feast [yod (eat); patterned after elahela (celebration)] {AB}

Láadan Text

Daleleyodewan Diídinethu

²Bíi ril mebud le i Másha, hena letha, i Shahina, edin letha, daleleyodewaneth yodeyod diídinethuda wa. Dinime shub le úthú woho medibóo bezh.

³Bíi dibódi thul letha dinime ham rin hathamesha yodáda woho, i bin besha nol thulanada, i wohíya worin besha ihée homanadahé wa. Íi medinime meham batha shin rinesha hiwetha, i hum i bada shin besha hiwetho, i batha nidi rin homanathusha nol. Medinime meham hed ilida humesha ihée i hed rushida badasha ihée. Dinime ham ni yobeda e zhuda bathasha ihée.

⁴Bíi medush mewedethehul hed; medush mehithel min woho wáa. Dush áya daleleyodewan beróo eril memahinin Mathul i Ánetheni Berídanid i Hothul sháaleya boó obe, i ril menáhaninin bezh. Abaháalish belid wum wi. Aril meham deheni i thili i yáazh i thulana balinemidethu wáa. Íi meham udemeda onelaleden, i medalayun, i mud biremedaden, i bal i hob. Homana thuzh ahanathum i thizh doyuthum. Aril umeháalish daleleyodewan, hulehul.

⁵Bíi ril thódibódi Mathul ledim wil dam le shalehé wa. Bíilan methéenosháad with menedebe hothede nedebe udathihéeya ril wáa—i ben woho onida letham.

⁶Bíi mehabelid Máyel Berídanid (be hena thulidetha letham) i eba betho, Méri Berídanizh, hunehonesha, melasha thoma wáa; methi bezh shemeth boó: Nem, Oyimahina, i Elízhabeth. Máyel Berídanid wíithamem; ulanin Méri Berídanizh ehometh. Mehim bezh nudim mazhenan.

⁷Bíi mehabelid Therísha Berídan (be hena thulizhetha letham) i Thíben (wobun woheba betho) Halishónisha, shéesha thoma wáa; menáthi ra bezh shemeth. Meshumáad bezh núude zhazhenan, i bel Ánetheni Berídan bezheth nudim hozhazhede mazhenan. Úyahú meham Therísha Berídan i Thíben Berídan nusha, mehabelid bezh bothesha. En ra le bebáawáan wa, izh nime di neda Mathul aril en le úyahú le yáawithemehé.

⁸Bíi mehabelid Mathul i Shathulid i Másha i le (ham láad be hathóolethameth bud i le hathóolethameth bath i hathóoleth boó) belid Shuzhéth Hothulethosha baden wa. Shuzhéth Hothul thul Mathuletham. Mehabelid Ánetheni Berídan i Shahina (ham láad be hathóolethameth nib) íi lezheden. Ánetheni Berídan eril shebasheb eba henahidehóotho Mathulethaháam.

⁹Bíi ril loláad le thena beróo aril nebithim le onida lethath wa.

My English Translation with Morpheme-by-Morpheme Analysis

Daleleyodewan Diídinethu

Daleleyodewan Diídinethu

Table

Diídinethu

Holiday + PARTV

Holiday Table

²Bíi ril mebud le i Másha, hena letha, i Shahina, edin letha, daleleyodewaneth yodeyod diídinethuda wa. Dinime shub le úthú woho medibóo bezh.

²Bíi

DECL

ril

PRES

mebud

PL + Clothing

le

I

i

And

Másha,

Marsha

hena

BirthSib

letha,

I + POSSbirth

i

And

Shahina,

Rose

edin

Cousin

letha,

I + POSSbirth

daleleyodewaneth

MadeThing + Eat + PURP = Table + OBJ

yodeyod

Eat + Eat = Feast

diídinethuda

Holiday + PARTV + BENEF

wa.

MYPERC

Dinime

BeBeholden

shub

Do

le

I

úthú

CONJobj

woho

#All

medibóo

PL + Speak + REQ = Request

bezh.

X2-5

²I and Marsha, my sister, and Rose, my cousin, are setting the table for the holiday feast. I’m supposed to do everything they ask.

³Bíi dibódi thul letha dinime ham rin hathamesha yodáda woho, i bin besha nol thulanada, i wohíya worin besha ihée homanadahé wa. Íi medinime meham batha shin rinesha hiwetha, i hum i bada shin besha hiwetho, i batha nidi rin homanathusha nol. Medinime meham hed ilida humesha ihée i hed rushida badasha ihée. Dinime ham ni yobeda e zhuda bathasha ihée.

³Bíi

DECL

dibódi

Speak + MAND + DIDACT

thul

Parent

letha

I + POSSbirth

dinime

BeBeholden

ham

BePresent

rin

Plate

hathamesha

Center + PLC

yodáda

Eat + DOER = Diner + BENEF

woho,

#All

i

And

bin

Bowl

besha

X1 + PLC

nol

Upon

thulanada,

Parent + Food = Soup + BENEF

i

And

wohíya

REL + BeSmall

worin

REL + Plate

besha

X1 + PLC

ihée

Behind

homanadahé

Nectar + Food = Dessert + BENEF + EMBED

wa.

MYPERC

Íi

Also

medinime

PL + BeBeholden

meham

PL + BePresent

batha

Fork

shin

#2

rinesha

Plate + PLC

hiwetha,

Left

i

And

hum

Knife

i

And

bada

Spoon

shin

#2

besha

X1 + PLC

hiwetho,

Right

i

And

batha

Fork

nidi

Add’l

rin

Plate

homanathusha

Dessert + PARTV + PLC

nol.

Upon

Medinime

PL + BeBeholden

meham

PL + BePresent

hed

Glass

ilida

Water + BENEF

humesha

Knife + PLC

ihée

Behind

i

And

hed

Glass

rushida

Wine + BENEF

badasha

Spoon + PLC

ihée.

Behind

Dinime

BeBeholden

ham

BePresent

ni

Cup

yobeda

Coffee + BENEF

e

Or

zhuda

Tea + BENEF

bathasha

Fork + PLC

ihée.

Behind

³My parent instructs me that there ought to be a plate in the center for each diner, and a bowl on top of it for soup, and a small plate beyond it for dessert. Also there should be two forks to the left of the plate and a knife and two spoons to its right, and another fork on top of the dessert plate.

⁴Bíi medush mewedethehul hed; medush mehithel min woho wáa. Dush áya daleleyodewan beróo eril memahinin Mathul i Ánetheni Berídanid i Hothul sháaleya boó obe, i ril menáhóomahinin bezh. Abaháalish belid wum wi. Aril meham deheni i thili i yáazh i thulana balinemidethu wáa. Íi meham udemeda onelaleden, i medalayun, i mud biremedaden, i wobun wobal womáanan wohobeden. Homana thuzh ahanathum i thizh doyuthum. Aril umeháalish daleleyodewan, hulehul.

⁴Bíi

DECL

medush

PL + Must

mewedethehul

PL + BeClear + DEGextreme

hed;

Glass

medush

PL + Must

mehithel

PL + Light + Make = Shine

min

EatUtensil

woho

#All

wáa.

TRUSTED

Dush

Must

áya

BeBeautiful

daleleyodewan

Table

beróo

Because

eril

PAST

memahinin

PL + CookPot + PROCof = ToCook

Mathul

Mom

i

And

Ánetheni

Anthony

Berídanid

Aunt + MALE = Uncle

i

And

Hothul

GRAND + Parent = Grandparent

sháaleya

Day + TIME

boó

#3

obe,

Through

i

And

ril

PRES

menáhóomahinin

PL + CONT + FOCUS + ToCook

bezh.

X2-5

Abaháalish

BeFragrant + DEGextraord

belid

House

wum

Entire

wi.

SELFEVID

Aril

FUT

meham

PL + BePresent

deheni

Meat

i

And

thili

Fish

i

And

yáazh

Goose

i

And

thulana

Soup

balinemidethu

BeOldAnim + Creature = Turtle + PARTV

wáa.

TRUSTED

Íi

Also

meham

PL + BePresent

udemeda

Stone + Vegetable = Potato

onelaleden,

Head + Milk = Cream + ASSOC

i

And

medalayun,

Vegetable + BeOrange = Carrot

i

And

mud

Mushroom

biremedaden,

Layer + Vegetable = Onion + ASSOC

i

And

wobun

REL + BeNew

wobal

REL + Bread

womáanan

REL + Salt

wohobeden.

REL + Butter + ASSOC

Homana

Dessert

thuzh

Cake

ahanathum

LoveInanim + Food = Chocolate + PARTV + IDENT

i

And

thizh

Pie

doyuthum.

BeStrong + Fruit = Apple + PARTV + IDENT

Aril

FUT

umeháalish

BeFull + DEGextraord

daleleyodewan,

Table

hulehul.

ForSure

⁴The glasses must be extremely clear, and all the eating utensils must shine. The table has to be beautiful because Mom and Uncle Anthony and Grandmother have been cooking for three days and are STILL cooking. Clearly, the entire house is extraordinarily fragrant. I understand there will be meat and fish and goose and turtle soup. Also there will be potatoes with cream, carrots, and mushrooms with onions, and fresh bread with salted butter. Dessert will be chocolate cake and apple pie. The table is going to be extraordinarily full, for-sure.

⁵Bíi ril thódibódi Mathul ledim wil dam le shalehé wa. Bíilan methéenosháad with menedebe hothede nedebe udathihéeya ril wáa—i ben woho onida letham.

⁵Bíi

DECL

ril

PRES

thódibódi

JUST + Speak + MAND = Command

Mathul

Mom

ledim

I + GOAL

wil

OPTV

dam

Manifest

le

I

shalehé

Courtesy + EMBED

wa.

MYPERC

Bíilan

DECL + CELEB

methéenosháad

PL + ABOUTto– + Arrive

with

Person

menedebe

#>5

hothede

Place + SRC

nedebe

#2-5

udathihéeya

ril

Afternoon + TIME

PRES

This Afternoon

wáa

TRUSTED

—i

And

ben

X>5

woho

#All

onida

Family

letham.

I + POSSbirth + IDENT

⁵Mom just told me to mind my manners. Many people will be arriving from several places this afternoon—and they all will be my family.

⁶Bíi mehabelid Máyel Berídanid (be hena thulidetha letham) i eba betho, Méri Berídanizh, hunehonesha, melasha thoma wáa; methi bezh shemeth boó: Nem, Oyimahina, i Elízhabeth. Máyel Berídanid wíithamem; ulanin Méri Berídanizh ehometh. Mehim bezh nudim mazhenan.

⁶Bíi

DECL

mehabelid

PL + Dwell

Máyel

Michael

Berídanid

Uncle

(be

X1

hena

Sibling

thulidetha

Father + POSSbirth

letham)

I + POSSbirth + IDENT

i

And

eba

Spouse

betho,

X1 + POSS

Méri

Mary

Berídanizh,

Aunt

hunehonesha,

North + West + PLC

melasha

Ocean + PLC

thoma

BeNear

wáa;

TRUSTED

methi

PL + Have

bezh

X2-5

shemeth

Offspring + OBJ

boó:

#3

Nem,

Pearl

Oyimahina,

Violet

i

And

Elízhabeth.

Elizabeth

Máyel

Michael

Berídanid

Uncle

wíithamem;

Clergy + IDENT

ulanin

Study

Méri

Mary

Berídanizh

AuntUncle

ehometh.

Education + OBJ

Mehim

PL + Travel

bezh

X2-5

nudim

Here + GOAL

mazhenan.

Car + INSTR

⁶Uncle Michael (he’s my father’s brother) and his wife, Aunt Mary, live in the northwest near the ocean; they have three children: Pearl, Violet and Elizabeth. Uncle Michael is a clergyman; Aunt Mary is studying education. They are traveling hither by car.

⁷Bíi mehabelid Therísha Berídan (be hena thulizhetha letham) i Thíben (wobun woheba betho) Halishónisha, shéesha thoma wáa; menáthi ra bezh shemeth. Meshumáad bezh núude zhazhenan, i bel Ánetheni Berídan bezheth nudim hozhazhede mazhenan. Úyahú meham Therísha Berídan i Thíben Berídan nusha, mehabelid bezh bothesha. En ra le bebáawáan wa, izh nime di neda Mathul aril en le úyahú le yáawithemehé.

⁷Bíi

DECL

mehabelid

PL + Dwell

Therísha

Teresa

Berídan

AuntUncle

(be

X1

hena

Sibling

thulizhetha

Parent + FEM = Mother + POSSbirth

letham)

I + POSSbirth + IDENT

i

And

Thíben

Steven

(wobun

REL + BeNew

woheba

REL + Spouse

betho)

X1 + POSS+ IDENT

Halishónisha,

California + PLC

shéesha

Desert + PLC

thoma

BeNear

wáa;

TRUSTED

menáthi

PL + CONT + Have

ra

NEG

bezh

X2-5

shemeth.

Offspring + OBJ

Meshumáad

PL + Air + ComeGo = Fly

bezh

X2-5

núude

There + SRC

zhazhenan,

Plane + INSTR

i

And

bel

BringTake

Ánetheni

Anthony

Berídan

AuntUncle

bezheth

X2-5 + OBJ

nudim

Here + GOAL

hozhazhede

Airport + SRC

mazhenan.

Car + INSTR

Úyahú

Úyahú

meham

PL + BePresent

Therísha

Teresa

Berídan

AuntUncle

i

And

Thíben

Steven

Berídan

AuntUncle

nusha,

Here + PLC

mehabelid

PL + Dwell

bezh

X2-5

bothesha.

Hotel + PLC

En

Understand

ra

NEG

le

I

bebáawáan

Qprn1 + COZ

wa,

MYPERC

izh

But

nime

BeWilling

di

Speak

neda

Only

Mathul

Mom

aril

FUT

en

Understand

le

I

úyahú

CONJtime

le

I

yáawithemehé.

TEEN + Person + IDENT + EMBED

⁷Aunt Teresa (she’s my mother’s sister) and Uncle Steven (her new husband) live in California near a desert; they don’t have children yet. They’re flying thence in a plane, and Uncle Anthony is driving them here from the airport. While they are here, Aunt Teresa and Uncle Steven will stay in a hotel. I don’t understand why, but Mom will only say that I will understand when I’m a teenager.

⁸Bíi mehabelid Mathul i Shathulid i Másha i le (ham láad be hathóolethameth bud i le hathóolethameth bath i hathóoleth boó) belid Shuzhéth Hothulethosha baden wa. Shuzhéth Hothul thul Mathuletham. Mehabelid Ánetheni Berídan i Shahina (ham láad be hathóolethameth nib) íi lezheden. Ánetheni Berídan eril shebasheb eba henahidehóotho Mathulethaháam.

⁸Bíi

DECL

mehabelid

PL + Dwell

Mathul

Mom

i

And

Shathulid

HonoredParent + MALE = HonoredFather

i

And

Másha

Marsha

i

And

le

I

(ham

láad

BePresent

Perceive

Be # Old

be

X1

hathóolethameth

Time + Moon = Month + Circle = Year + OBJ

bud

#9

i

And

le

I

hathóolethameth

Year + OBJ

bath

#6

i

And

hathóoleth

Month + OBJ

boó)

#3

belid

House

Shuzhéth

Suzette

Hothulethosha

Grandparent + POSS + PLC

baden

XLove1 + ASSOC

wa.

MYPERC

Shuzhéth

Suzette

Hothul

Grandparent

thul

Parent

Mathuletham.

Mom + POSSbirth + IDENT

Mehabelid

PL + Dwell

Ánetheni

Anthony

Berídan

AuntUncle

i

And

Shahina

Rose

(ham

láad

BePresent

Perceive

Be # Old

be

X1

hathóolethameth

Year

nib)

#8

íi

Also

lezheden.

We2-5 + ASSOC

Ánetheni

Anthony

Berídan

AuntUncle

eril

PAST

shebasheb

Death

eba

Spouse

henahidehóotho

Sibling + Male = Brother + FOCUS + POSS

Mathulethaháam.

Mom + POSSbirth + EMBEDrel + IDENT

⁸Mom and Pater and Marsha and I (she’s nine and I’m six years and three months old) live in Grandmother Suzette’s house with beloved-her. Grandmother Suzette is Mom’s mother. Uncle Anthony and Rose (she’s eight) also live with us. Uncle Anthony is Mom’s brother whose spouse died.

⁹Bíi ril loláad le thena beróo aril nebithim le onida lethath wa.

⁹Bíi

DECL

ril

PRES

loláad

PerceiveInt

le

I

thena

JoyGood

beróo

Because

aril

FUT

nebithim

AGAIN + Meet

le

I

onida

Family

lethath

I + POSSbirth + OBJ

⁹I’m happy because I’ll be meeting my family again.

Free Translation

Holiday Table

²I and Marsha, my sister, and Rose, my cousin, are setting the table for the holiday feast. I’m supposed to do everything they ask.

³My parent instructs me that there ought to be a plate in the center for each diner, and a bowl on top of it for soup, and a small plate beyond it for dessert. Also there should be two forks to the left of the plate and a knife and two spoons to its right, and another fork on top of the dessert plate.

⁴The glasses must be extremely clear, and all the eating utensils must shine. The table has to be beautiful because Mom and Uncle Anthony and Grandmother have been cooking for three days and are STILL cooking. Clearly, the entire house is extraordinarily fragrant. I understnad there will be meat and fish and goose and turtle soup. Also there will be potatoes with cream, carrots, and mushrooms with onions, and fresh bread with salted butter. Dessert will be chocolate cake and apple pie. The table is going to be extraordinarily full, for-sure.

⁵Mom just told me to mind my manners. Many people will be arriving from several places this afternoon—and they all will be my family.

⁶Uncle Michael (he’s my father’s brother) and his wife, Aunt Mary, live in the northwest near the ocean; they have three children: Pearl, Violet and Elizabeth. Uncle Michael is a clergyman; Aunt Mary is studying education. They are traveling hither by car.

⁷Aunt Teresa (she’s my mother’s sister) and Uncle Steven (her new husband) live in California near a desert; they don’t have children yet. They’re flying thence in a plane, and Uncle Anthony is driving them here from the airport. While they are here, Aunt Teresa and Uncle Steven will stay in a hotel. I don’t understand why, but Mom will only say that I will understand when I’m a teenager.

⁸Mom and Pater and Marsha and I (she’s nine and I’m six years and three months old) live in Grandmother Suzette’s house with beloved-her. Grandmother Suzette is Mom’s mother. Uncle Anthony and Rose (she’s eight) also live with us. Uncle Anthony is Mom’s brother whose spouse died.

⁹I’m happy because I’ll be meeting my family again.

Comments

You will have noticed that Máthu refers to his uncles and aunts—and his parents and his grandmother—sometimes with gendered relation-words (berídanizh/berídanid, thulizh/thulid) and often with the non-gendered base form (berídan, thul, hothul). This is perfectly normal and acceptable. Arguably, a speaker or writer insisting on the “–id” or “–izh” suffix is going out of the way to emphasize that the person referred to is male or female—in effect saying “…how like a man…” or “…how typically female…” with every noun or pronoun. This is similar to English speakers who insist on referring, for instance, to a female sculptor as a “sculptress” as though to set her apart, to rate her work on a different scale than that applied to a “real” (ie, male) sculptor. The man saying, in Láadan, “Bíi le withem wa,” is not lying, even though he uses “with” rather than “withid;” he’s merely stating that he is a person, no gender declared.

Throughout this text, you’ll notice that when Matthew refers to his various relations, the word-order he uses is the opposite of that used in English. In the lesson covering Names and Honorifics, we’ll explore the mechanisms in more depth. For now, it’s sufficient to know that titles (in this case, degrees of relationship) follow the name, if any, they’re used with. A happy consequence of this word order is that the relationship word can accept the name’s case ending, removing the need to provide a pronoun for that purpose.

A new idiom: “bud S daleleyodewan(eth)” is “S sets the table.” Here, “bud” (clothing) is used in a sense of “to clothe.”

There is one usage here that may not be transparent to English speakers. For the adverbial meaning “yet,” either in the positive or negative, Láadan uses the prefix “ná–” (CONT). Examples: “…náham wí oba bathasha…” (…there is yet life in beloved-her body…) or, as in the above, “…náthi ra bezh shemeth…” (…they don’t yet have child(ren)…).