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We’ll be looking at more vocabulary than usual this lesson. We’re going to cover two related lists of words: days of the week and months of the year.
Monday
Henesháal: East Day
Tuesday
Honesháal: West Day
Wednesday
Hunesháal: North Day
Thursday
Hanesháal: South Day
Friday
Rayilesháal: Above Day
Saturday
Yilesháal: Below Day
Sunday
Hathamesháal: Center Day
January
Anede: One Month
Alel: Seaweed Month
February
Ashin: Two Month
Ayáanin: Tree Month
March
Aboó: Three Month
Ahesh: Grass Month
April
Abim: Four Month
Athil: Vine Month
May
Ashan: Five Month
Amahina: Flower Month
June
Abath: Six Month
Athesh: Herb Month
July
Ahum: Seven Month
Ameda: Vegetable Month
August
Anib: Eight Month
Adalatham: Berry Month
September
Abud: Nine Month
Ahede: Grain Month
October
Athab: Ten Month
Ayu: Fruit Month
November
Anedethab: Eleven Month
Athon: Seed Month
December
Ashinethab: Twelve Month
Adol: Root Month
When Suzette Haden Elgin first formed Láadan words for the months of the year, she naturally chose poetic forms that conformed to the growing season. Regrettably, the growing season she chose was that of the northern hemisphere, which is offset by six months from that in the southern hemisphere (eg, winter in the southern hemisphere begins in June rather than December in the north).
This did not sit well with the second generation working with Láadan, who felt that Láadan should not present a calendar that fails so dramatically to reflect the life experience of the speakers of such a large segment of the population of the planet. The second generation took the decision to use the words for the numbers (this scheme is not at all poetic, but is easy to understand—and is reminiscent of the English month names September through December, which reflect the Latin words for “seven” through “ten”.
We will not be using the poetic forms in these lessons, but you should be able to recognize them if you should happen upon them in older texts.
Bíi thi híyahath sháaleth um wi.
A week has seven days, obviously.
Bíi thi hathóoletham hathóoleth shinethab wi.
A year has twelve months, obviously.
Bíi methi hathóol nedebe sháaleth thabeboó wa.
Several months have thirty days.
Bíi methi hathóol menedebe sháaleth thabeboó i nede wa.
Many months have thirty-one days.
Bíi thi hathóol nede neda, Ashin, sháaleth e thabeshin i nib e thabeshin i bud wa.
Only one month, February, has either twenty-eight or twenty-nine days.
Bíi thi hathóoletham sháaleth e debeboó i thabebath i shan e debeboó i thabebath i bath wa.
A year has either three hundred sixty-five or three hundred sixty-six days.
Bíi merahahí hathóol i hathóoletham wi; hesho hathóoletham.
A month and a year clearly are long; a year surpasses.
A year is clearly longer than a month.
1
Béli aril éthe le beth nathoth Henesháaleya barada wa.
2
Báa eril meróo onida dalathameth thil nizhethode Anibeya eril?
3
Bíid benem duthahá shod bethosha nil Rayilesháaledim wa.
4
Bíi en obeth letho úwanú el le ódon belidesha yil Anedethabeya baradan wa.
5
Báa aril thi Anede Hathamesháal bim e shan hathóolethameya aril?
6
Bíidi meban with menedebe binith hin hinedim Ashinethabeya wi.
7
Báadi thoneth merumadoni Aboóya? Bíi em, hunesha; hanesha Abudehóoya wi.
8
Bíi aril sháad Leyaneshem Méri Yáabe Bo Líithisha raheb Yilesháaleya shin aril wáa.
9
Bíith eril loláad ril ulanin sháawithizh ezhubetheháa hishima Ashinede nede eril Abimedim wa.
10
Bé eril bel Shósho mewowíi woléeli menedebe habelid le yedehóoshaháadim Ashaneya wa.
Did you note, in #1, that the stative verb (in English, an adjective) “éthe” (be clean) would be understood to be an active verb (to clean) when supplied with an Object? The more formal form “dóhéthe” (cause to be clean; to clean) is another option.
Did you note, in #6, that the quantifier “menedebe”, while formally correct, is unnecessary? The information that “many” people give is amply represented by the duplicated pronoun “hin” (these/those, many) in the construction “hin hinedim” (to each other).
11
Baker Margaret begins to work before sunrise every day except Tuesday.
12
Last Thursday, a bird flew alone above the forest that was on the island.
13
The farm where the the wild animal sleeps is thriving this August.
14
[Angry] The unusually rude shopkeeper smirked at the child who loves tart fruit last Wednesday.
15
My suitcases will remain at the hotel until June.
16
Clergyman Matthew interpreted the big-and-little story for his many contented (no reason) students last winter.
17
During which month and season is the holiday?
18
Which is sooner: October or December?
19
Elizabeth will begin learning chefing (cookery science) in the autumn.
20
The young man who fell off my boat into the deep lake on Thursday shows trust (despite) toward me.
There are two different strategies for presenting the information in #13. In one we use a subordinating conjunction, in the other we use an embedded relative clause. If you’d like, try your hand at both; one version of each is in the answers.
Did the word “tart” in #14 pose a problem for you? Did you consider that “tart” means “a little bit sour?”
And the word “remain” in #15? We know “benem” (stay); however, “stay” and “remain” aren’t quite synonyms; “stay” has a component of volition that isn’t necessarily present in “remain”, which means merely “to continue to be (somewhere);” try “náham.”
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[promise, lovingly] I shall clean your (beloved) home on Mondays.
2
Did the families harvest berries from your (honored you few) vines last August?
3
[angry] The healer is staying in her room until Friday.
4
My neighbor understands why I make cheese under the house every Novermber.
5
Will January have four or five Sundays next year?
6
[didact] Many people give gifts to each other in December [obviously].
7
[didact] Are seeds buried in farmers’ fields in March? Yes, in the north; in the south it’s in September [obviously].
8
Miss Mary Brown will go up White Mountain the Saturday after next.
9
[pain] The woman who is studying entomology felt sadness (Int,Ø,–) from last February to April.
10
I swear Magic Granny brought many living jonquils to the valley where I live in May.
11
Bíi nahal Mázhareth Ebalá nasháaleya eril sháaleya woho rizh Honesháaleya wáa.
12
Bíi eril shumáad babí sholanenal in olinehóo marishaháasha rayil Hanesháaleya nede eril wa.
13
Bíi ril tháa ábed úshahú áana romid Ahumeya ril wa. —or— Bíi ril tháa áana romid ábedehóoshaháa Ahumeya ril wa.
14
Bíid eril lháada worashalehal wowehehá ril a háawith woyemehel woyutheháadim Hunesháaleya eril wa.
15
Bíi aril menáham imedim letho buthesha Abathedim wa.
16
Bíi eril déedan Wílem Wíitham wonóowid wodedideth mewoníina wobediháda menedebe wemaneya eril wáa.
17
Báa diídin bebáaya? Hathóoleya nedaba? Hathemeneya nedaba?
18
Bíi methoma Athad i Ashinethab; báa hesho bebáa?
19
Bíi aril nabedi Elízhabeth emahineth wemoneya wáa.
20
Bíi ril dam eril háda yáawithid esh lethode woruhob wowilidunedim Hanesháaleyaháa lehenath ledim wa.
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