Author Archives: jonafras

lissá (noun): arch, archway; city gate. rattámb lissá-culevut issá rupand cirnur-urc demolish.MID arch-old.DEF so.that kill.MID man.GEN-seven “the old archway collapsed and killed seven people”

lunámb- (intransitive verb), imperfective lunámbac: to hide, lurk, skulk. már lunámb-is párundatanut mburándur yat ca yallám he lurk-IMPERF.NON1 house.ANTESS.DEF hind.GEN then call.PERF.TRANS “he lurked behind the house until I called out [to him]” Listen to the example sentence here: W_HE_157_lunaambac_example

maring (noun): sunlight, sun, ray of the sun; shining, blinding. civa maring-es lárcacallitemec become.COMPL blinding-ESS slope.snow.INESS “there was blinding [sun] on the snowy slopes”

ndevá- (transitive verb), imperfective ndevácam: to deny, challenge, question, object to (a statement or idea). sunúcut ndevá-pam nget nundársá Arandálemec traitor.DEF challenge-PERF.TRANS COMPL bear.MID.POT.NON1 Arandála.INESS “the traitor challenged [the statement that] he was not born in Arandála”

yungun (noun): wind, breeze; air. tiná yungund-ut ngúya mbullas hullangur here air-DEF COP.IMPERF stinking.ESS death.GEN “the air here reeks of death”

nas- (ditransitive verb), imperfective nasárte: to leave, forget; to enlarge; to equip, decorate, improve ca nas-am párundalut vacec I forget.PERF-TRANS house.ACC.DEF coin.BEN “I forgot the money at [my] house” The original meaning of nasárte was ‘to equip, improve’, but it … Continue reading →

sácen (noun): form, shape; way, means. cá-mullangut civa sácend-atunúrces this-bread.DEF become.COMPL shape-strange.ESS “this bread has turned a strange shape”

ndingún (noun): net, netting. narcambúralurvem simbanendám ndingúnd-alut tándembur hunter.fish.GEN.DEF tear.COMPL.TRANS net-ACC.DEF accident.GEN “the fisherman tore up the net by accident”

littánd- (transitive verb), imperfective littándatam: to remember, recall, concentrate on. ta littánd-atam sungavarándalut NEG remember-IMPERF.1.TRANS maternal.uncle.father.ACC.DEF “I do not remember [my] father’s maternal uncle” The verb littándatam normally takes an object in the accusative case, but some variants/speakers prefer the … Continue reading →

suttám (noun): cheek, cheeks; (by extension) pink, pinkish. ma-suttámb-ut civa mullámbes his-cheek-DEF become.COMPL sweat.ESS “his cheeks are sweaty”