Author Archives: jonafras

lavarc (noun): herder, herdsman. lavarca-Vándangá ngúya yanár-simímbes herder-Vánda.EL.PL COP.IMPERF weak.SOC-cowardly.ESS “the herdsmen of Vánda are weak and cowardly”

curtav- (transitive verb), imperfective curtavaram: to torture, harass. mercandut curtav-árte lendec manúcalá officer.DEF torture.PERF-CAUS we.BEN prisoner.ACC.PL “the officer made us torture the prisoners”

lumbán (noun): nice or pleasant smelling. larenda-lumbánd-as nartáyis ma-párundatanut flower-nice.smelling-ATTR grow.IMPERF.NON1 their-house.ANTESS.DEF “there are pleasant-smelling flowers [growing] around their house”

pulláng- (transitive verb), imperfective pullángaram: to steal. ras cá-cirnut pulláng-endám calendal yurtasangut MIR this-man.DEF steal-COMPL.TRANS money.ACC judge.EL.DEF “this man stole money from the judge”

nírat (adverb), also niyír: very well, splendid, excellent, best. nírat carlavut rissángacam mullatal excellent mother.DEF bake.ITER.TRANS bread.ACC “[my] mother bakes excellent bread” (= bakes bread very well) Note that nírat only occurs in the adverbial sense of ‘excellent’. The noun … Continue reading →

aveng (noun): wheat; ear of grain; bunch (of hair) ta aveng ngúya tálendes nandec cúmaremec NEG wheat COP.IMPERF sufficient.ESS all.BEN valley.INESS “there is not enough wheat for everyone in the [Central] Valley”

cangára- (transitive verb), imperfective cangáracam: to renovate, rebuild, make again. essát cangára-p lanúcatrecácut crándisemecut later rebuild.MID-PERF wall.city.BEN.DEF war.INESS.DEF “the walls of the city were rebuilt after the war”

nartá- (intransitive verb), imperfective nartác: to lie, lie around. tayat carná lusúrut nartá-ngac early in.the.evening grandfather.DEF lie-ITER “[my] grandfather lies [down] early [every] evening” The verb nartác also has a transitive counterpart, nartácam, meaning ‘to lie on’ or ‘to sleep … Continue reading →

cellú (noun): teacher, instructor. yat ca-cellú-vándecut ngúya ceretirces then my-teacher-letter.BEN.DEF COP.IMPERF very.old.ESS “my writing teacher was very old”

cundec (adverb): at home, in one’s homeland. carandur-tutú cuttús Vitrevis cundec lake.GEN-many exist.IMPERF.NON1 Vitrian-SUBL in.homeland “there are a lot of lakes in the Vitrian homelands” (literally “a lot of lakes exist among the Vitrians in [their] homelands”)