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Lesson 22: Path Case

Vocabulary


	ihé		in front of; before
	ihée		in back of; behind; beyond
	mesh		across
	–mu		Suffix (CP): Path case
	nil		in; inside; within
	nol		atop; on top of
	o		around
	obe		through
	óobe		along
	yil		below; under

Path Case

[(Aux) Verb (Neg) CP–S (CP–Source) (CP–Goal) CP–Path (Postposition)]

The Path Case describes the route the Subject takes to get from the Source to the Goal—although the Source and Goal need not be explicitly mentioned.

The Path Case phrase is usually followed by a word describing the relation of the route to the noun phrase involved. These words, called postpositions, are like English prepositions except that they follow, rather than precede, the case phrase. The Path Case element will sometimes occur without a postposition; in such a situation it would be translated “by way of” or something similar.

Postpositions’ forms are invariable; they take no affixes. They will also form the bulk of our vocabulary in this lesson.

Examples


	Bíi rilrili mesháad háawith déeladi wáa.		The children may come/go to the garden.
	Bíi rilrili mesháad háawith déeladi heshehothemu obe wáa.		The children may come/go to the garden through the park.
	Bíi rilrili mesháad háawith déeladi belid nethomu obe wáa.		The children may come/go to the garden through your house.

	Bíi eril doth le ruleth wa.		I followed the cat.
	Bíi eril doth le ruleth wethemu óobe wa.		I followed the cat along the road.
	Bíi eril doth le ruleth beth lethode wa.		I followed the cat from my home.
	Bíi eril doth le ruleth beth lethode wethemu óobe wa.		I followed the cat from my home along the road.
	Bíi eril doth le ruleth beth lethode olinedim wethemu óobe wa.		I followed the cat from my home to the forest along the road.
	Bíi eril doth le ruleth beth lethode olinedim wethemu wa.		I followed the cat from my home to the forest by way of the road.

	Báa eril wida be anath nudi?		Did she carry the food hither?
	Báa eril wida be anath dememu ihé?		Did she carry the food in front of the window?
	Báa eril wida be anath nudi bebáamu?		How (by what route) did she carry the food hither?

Exercises

Translate the following into English.


1	Bíi eril amedara Therísha beth bethode wohóya woheshehothedi wethemu óobe wáa.
2	Báa bel thul netha dizheth wehede bebáamu?
3	Bóo medoth nezh woshane womideth wilimu mesh.
4	Bíi nédeshub im Mázhareth woratháa wohothemu o wi.
5	Bíi eril dumina dená losheth renemu nol wa.
6	Bíi aril mehoób Máthu i Thíben worahíyahul wohudemu rayil wa.

Note the word “ratháa” in #4. “Tháa” means “to thrive,” so “ratháa” would be its opposite; I’ve translated it as “be blighted,” but it could as easily be translated “be withered” or any number of other common English terms.

Note the word “rayil” in #6. It comes, of course, from “ra–” (non–) + “yil” (below) and means “over; above.” This meaning is distinct from “nol” which means “upon; on top of.”

Incorporate the noun or phrase in the second column as a Path with the posposition from the third column; translate into English before and after.


7	Bíide eríli mesháad néehá ashede Donidi wo.	rosh	ihée
8	Bíi ril wida Bétheni ithedaleth edin lethadi wa.	olin	obe
9	Báa ham yul bebáade?	déela	nil
10	Bíi eril mehelash háawith wáa.	yáanin thuletho bezhetha	ihé
11	Báa aril bel Másha mahinath Hérel bedim?	nu	óobe
12	Bíi eril medoth ábedá mudath waá.	belid	o, nil i ranil

Did you note the word “ranil” in #12? It’s formed, of course, from “ra–” (non–) + “nil” (inside), and means “outside.”

Translate the following into Láadan.


13	I expect Mary will travel across Arkansas.
14	Would that you (many) might move the plant through the gate.
15	Anthony jumped behind the curtain.
16	How (by what route) might Anna go to California?
17	The boat will carry us upon the ocean from our family to a new place.
18	Mice followed the grain under my pillow.

Did you note, in #6 & #13, the English versions with “I expect...” at the beginning? This is a natural outgrowth of “wa” (according to my perception) being set in the future, where I cannot reasonably claim to have direct experience. “Wa” also pertains to internal perceptions; in the future, this internal perception might be termed “expectation.”

Did you note the word “demeren” in my answer to #15? Composed of “dem” (window) + “ren” (carpet), it means “curtain.”

Did you have trouble with the word for “mouse” in #18? It’s “edemid” from “ede” (grain) + “mid” (creature).

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Answers


1	Teresa danced along the street from her home to the beautiful park.
2	How (by what route) is your mother bringing the kettle from the store?
3	Prithee follow the furry creature across the river.
4	Of course Margaret intends to travel around the blighted place.
5	The helper tried to move the money upon the rug.
6	I expect Matthew and Steven will jump over the huge stone.

7	Once upon a time the aliens came to Earth from the star(s).
	Bíi eríli mesháad néehá ashede Donidi roshemu ihée wo.
	Once upon a time the aliens came to Earth from the star(s) (via a route) beyond the sun.
8	Bethany is carrying a lamp to my cousin.
	Bíi ril wida Bétheni ithedaleth edin lethadi olinemu obe wa.
	Bethany is carrying a lamp through the forest to my cousin.
9	Whence is the wind blowing?
	Báa ham yul bebáade déelamu nil?
	Whence is the wind blowing inside the garden?
10	The children were playing.
	Bíi eril mehelash háawith yáanin thuletho bezhethamu ihé wáa.
	The children were playing (on a route) in front of their parents’ tree.
11	Will Marsha bring flower(s) to Carol?
	Báa aril bel Másha mahinath Hérel bedim numu óobe?
	Will Marsha bring flower(s) to Carol (via a route) along here?
12	The farmers followed the pig (I’m skeptical).
	Bíi eril medoth ábedá mudath belidemu o, nil i ranil waá.
	The farmers followed the pig around, inside and outside of the house (I’m skeptical).

13	Bíi aril im Méri Araneshamu mesh wa.
14	Bíi wil memina nen dalath urahumu obe wa.
15	Bíi eril oób Ánetheni demerenemu ihée wáa.
16	Báa rilrili sháad Ána Halishónadi bebáamu?
17	Bíi aril wida esh leneth onida lenethade wobun wohothedi melamu nol.
18	Bíi eril medoth edemid edeth thomemu yil wa.

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