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Supplement:
Babel Story


English Text

1Now the whole world had one language and a common speech. 2As men moved eastward, they found a plain in Shinar and settled there. 3They said to each other, “Come, let’s make bricks and bake them thoroughly.” They used brick instead of stone, and tar for mortar. 4Then they said, “Come, let us build ourselves a city, with a tower that reaches to the heavens, so that we may make a name for ourselves and not be scattered over the face of the whole earth. 5But the Lord came down to see the city and the tower that the men were building. 6The Lord said, “If as one people speaking the same language they have begun to do this, then nothing they plan to do will be impossible for them. 7Come, let us go down and confuse their language so they will not understand each other.” 8So the Lord scattered them from there over all the earth, and they stopped building the city. 9That is why it was called Babel—because there the Lord confused the language of the whole world. From there the Lord scattered them over the face of the whole earth.

Láadan Translation with Morphemic Analysis & Retranslation into English

1Now the whole world had one language and a common speech.

1Bíide thi doni wum daneth nede neda hiya wáa, i medi with woho beth.

1Bíide

DECL + NARR

thi

Have

doni

Earth

wum

Entire

daneth

Language + OBJ

nede

#1<

neda

Only

hiya

Demo1 + TIME

wáa,

TRUSTED

i

And

medi

PL + Speak

with

Person

woho

#All

beth.

X1 + OBJ

1The entire earth has only one language at this time, and all people speak it.


2As men moved eastward, they found a plain in Shinar and settled there.

2Úyahú mewida with henedim, meredeb ben raboth Shinaresha; menohim i menahabelid ben núusha.

2Úyahú

CONJtime

mewida

PL + Move

with

Person

henedim,

East + GOAL

meredeb

PL + Find

ben

X>5

raboth

NON + Mountain = Plain + OBJ

Shinaresha;

“Shinar” + PLC

menohim

PL + FINISH + Travel

i

And

menahabelid

PL + BEGIN + Dwell

ben

X>5

núusha.

There + PLC

2When people come to the east, they find a plain at Shinar; they stop traveling and begin to dwell there.


3They said to each other, “Come, let’s make bricks and bake them thoroughly.” They used brick instead of stone, and tar for mortar.

3Medi ben hin hinedim, “Wil mehel len yóhudeth menedebe i mehóowahal beneth.” Meduth ben yóhudeth hoth udethusha i donimutheth hoth dóshidihudethusha.

3Medi

PL + Speak

ben

X>5

hin

hinedim,

Demo>5

Demo>5 + GOAL

EachOther>5 + GOAL

“Wil

OPTV

mehel

PL + Make

len

We>>5

yóhudeth

ARTIFIC + Stone = Brick + OBJ

menedebe

#>5

i

And

mehóowahal

PL + Fire + DEGunusual

beneth.”

X>5 + OBJ


Meduth

PL + Use

ben

X>5

yóhudeth

Brick + OBJ

hoth

udethusha

Place

Stone + PARTV + PLC

InsteadOf + Stone

i

And

donimutheth

Earth + Tar = Bitumen + OBJ

hoth

dóshidihudethusha.

Place

CAUSEto + BeTogether + Stone = Mortar + PARTV + PLC

InsteadOf + Mortar

3They say to each other, “Let’s make many bricks and fire them unusually well.” They use bricks in the place of stone and bitumen instead of mortar.


4Then they said, “Come, let us build ourselves a city, with a tower that reaches to the heavens, so that we may make a name for ourselves and not be scattered over the face of the whole earth.

4Id medi ben, “Wil mehel len miwitheth shumatheden olimedim raheb úwanú aril zha lenethoth mehan witheshub woho i leneth meralolineshub ra Donisha wum mesh.”

4Id

AndThen

medi

PL + Speak

ben,

X>5

“Wil

OPTV

mehel

PL + Make

len

We>5

miwitheth

Town + OBJ

shumatheden

Air + Building = Tower + ASSOC

olimedim

Heaven + GOAL

raheb

Up

úwanú

CONJpurp

aril

FUT

zha

Name

lenethoth

We>5 + POSS + PATIENT

mehan

PL + BeAcquainted

witheshub

Person + PASSV

woho

#All

i

And

leneth

We>5 + PATIENT

meralolineshub

PL + NON + Gather = Disperse + PASSV

ra

NEG

Donisha

Earth + PLC

wum

Entire

mesh.”

Across

4And then they say, “Let us make a city with a tower up to heaven so that our name will be known by all people and we shall not be dispersed across the whole Earth.”


5But the Lord came down to see the city and the tower that the men were building.

5Izh ril sháad Lahila úwanú láad Ba mehel with miwitheth i shumathetheháath.

5Izh

But

ril

PRES

sháad

ComeGo

Lahila

HolyOne

úwanú

CONJpurp

láad

Perceive

Ba

XLove1

mehel

PL + Make

with

Person

miwitheth

Town + OBJ

i

And

shumathetheháath.

Tower + OBJ + EMBEDrel + OBJ

5But the Holy One comes in order to perceive the city and tower they were building.


6The Lord said, “If as one people speaking the same language they have begun to do this, then nothing they plan to do will be impossible for them.

6Di Lahila, “Bíi bere thónashub mehin ben shonidam nede i medi ben wozhe wodaneháa hihóoth, ébere aril methad meshub ben wonédeshub wodaleth wahahóo wa.

6Di

Speak

Lahila,

HolyOne

“Bíi

DECL

bere

If…

thónashub

JUST + BEGIN + Do

mehin

PL + Exist

ben

X>5

shonidam

Peace + Family = Tribe + IDENT

nede

#1

i

And

medi

PL + Speak

ben

X>5

wozhe

REL + BeAlike

wodaneháa

REL + Language + EMBEDrel

hihóoth,

Demo1 + FOCUS + OBJ

ébere

…Then

aril

FUT

methad

PL + BeAble

meshub

PL + Do

ben

X>5

wonédeshub

REL + Intention

wodaleth

REL + Thing + OBJ

wahahóo

#Any + FOCUS

wa.

MYPERC

6The Holy One says, “If they who are one tribe and who speak the same language have just begun to do even this, then they will be able to do any intended thing at all.


7Come, let us go down and confuse their language so they will not understand each other.”

7Wil dórawedeth Lan dan benethoth úwanú aril mehen ra ben hin hineth.”

7Wil

OPV

dórawedeth

CAUSEto + NON + BeClear

Lan

WeLove>5

dan

Language

benethoth

X>5 + POSS + OBJ

úwanú

CONJpurp

aril

FUT

mehen

PL + Understand

ra

NEG

ben

X>5

hin

hineth.”

Demo>5

Demo>5 + OBJ

EachOther>5 + OBJ

7Let us go and make their language unclear so that they may not understand each other.”


8So the Lord scattered them from there over all the earth, and they stopped building the city.

8I rabuth Lahila beneth núude Donidim wum mesh, i menóhel ben miwitheth.

8I

And

rabuth

NON + GatherX = Scatter

Lahila

HolyOne

beneth

X>5 + OBJ

núude

There + SRC

Donidim

Earth + GOAL

wum

Entire

mesh,

Across

i

And

menóhel

PL + STOP + Make

ben

X>5

miwitheth.

Town + OBJ

8And the Holy One broadcast them thence across the entire Earth, and they stopped building the city.


9That is why it was called Babel—because there the Lord confused the language of the whole world. From there the Lord scattered them over the face of the whole earth.

9Hotheth hi zhashub Babel hiwáanehóo—beróo dórawedeth Lahila dan withethoth woho núushahóo. Rabuth Lahila beneth núude Donidim wum mesh.

9Hotheth

Place + PATIENT

hi

Demo1

zhashub

Name + PASSV

Babel

Babel

hiwáanehóo

Demo1 + COZ + FOCUS

—beróo

Because

dórawedeth

CAUSEto + NON + BeClear

Lahila

HolyOne

dan

Language

withethoth

Person + POSS + OBJ

woho

#All

núushahóo.

There + PLC + FOCUS


Rabuth

Scatter

Lahila

HolyOne

beneth

X>5 + OBJ

núude

There + SRC

Donidim

Earth + GOAL

wum

Entire

mesh.

Across

9For this reason this place is called Babel—because there the Holy One made their language unclear. From there the Holy One scattered them across the entire Earth.

Láadan Text

1Bíide thi doni wum daneth nede neda hiya wáa, i medi with woho beth. 2Úyahú mewida with henedim, meredeb ben raboth Shinaresha; menohim i menahabelid ben núusha. 3Medi ben hin hinedim, “Wil mehel len yóhudeth menedebe i mehóowahal beneth.” Meduth ben yóhudeth hoth udethusha i donimutheth hoth dóshidihudethusha. 4Id medi ben, “Wil mehel len miwitheth shumatheden olimedim raheb úwanú aril zha lenethoth mehan witheshub woho i leneth meralolineshub ra Donisha wum mesh.” 5Izh ril sháad Lahila úwanú láad Ba mehel with miwitheth i shumathetheháath. 6Di Lahila, “Bíi bere thónashub mehin ben shonidam nede i medi ben wozhe wodaneháa hihóoth, ébere aril methad meshub ben wonédeshub wodaleth wahahóo wa. 7Wil dórawedeth Lan dan benethoth úwanú aril mehen ra ben hin hineth.” 8I rabuth Lahila beneth núude Donidim wum mesh, i menóhel ben miwitheth. 9Hotheth hi zhashub Babel hiwáanehóo—beróo dórawedeth Lahila dan withethoth woho núushahóo. Rabuth Lahila beneth núudehóo Donidim wum mesh.

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