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Lesson 27: Vocabulary Interlude 5

Vocabulary


	Bé		Type-of-Sentence Word: Promise
	beye		Indefinite Pronoun (someone, somebody, something)
	Bó		Type-of-Sentence Word: Command (rare except to small children)
	–hal		Degree Marker: to an unusual degree; quite; fairly
	han		south (direction)
	hene		east (direction)
	hon		west (direction)
	hun		north (direction)
	íizha		although
	lohil		to pay attention (to), internally
	loláad		to perceive, internally
	ná–		Prefix (verb): continue to VERB; keep VERBing
	nó–		Prefix (verb): cease to VERB; stop VERBing
	sholan		to be alone
	shóo		to happen; to come to pass; to occur
	thena		joy
	weman		winter (season)
	wemen		spring (season)
	wemon		autumn; fall (season)
	wuman		summer (season)

With the addition, here, of “bé” (promise) and “bó” (command), we now have the full complement of Type-of-Sentence Words. A note about “bé:” we’ve seen it before. The word “bédi” (to promise; promise) is composed of “bé” (promise) and “di” (speak).

“Beye” means “somebody”—just one somebody. Like all the other pronouns, it can take the ending “–zh” to mean two to five persons, and the ending “–n” to mean many persons. It can also mean “something” and is made clear by the verb used with it.

“Beye,” “beyezh,” and “beyen” can also be used following a case phrase to indicate that the precise nature of the noun(s) being discussed is unknown—as the English word “some” is used in sentences such as: “We’re going to some mountains,” (Bíi mesháad lezh bodi beyen wa.) or “She made three dishes using some tool,” (Bíi eril el be bodeth boó edenan beye wáa.)

The new Degree Marker “–hal” means “very,” but not as strong a “very” as “–hul” does.

We also see here two new Duration Markers. “Ná–,” (to continue to...) is related to “na–” (to begin to...). “Nó–” (to stop...; to cease...) is related to “no–” (to finish) in much the same way.

The form “thena” given here for “joy” is the most general of five related words for different kinds of joy and is more accurately translated as “joy for good reason(s).” The different forms will be addressed in a future lesson.

Examples


	Bíi wil hal beye wa..mp3">		I wish someone would work.
	Bóo hal ne.		Prithee work.
	Bó hal ne.		Work!
	Bée them hal ne wa.		(Warning) You need to work.
	Bé aril hal le wa.		I promise I will work.

	Bíi lohil le thenath wa.		I pay attention (internally) to joy.
	Bíi loláad le thenath wa.		I perceive-internally joy (I am joyful).

Láadan handles perceptions and emotions rather differently than English does. In Láadan you perceive things externally, with your eyes or your ears or your nose or your skin. [The organ of perception may, optionally, be described in an Instrument Case Phrase.] Emotions are something you perceive internally, inside yourself. In Láadan you could add an Instrumental Case Phrase to the final example above “with (my) mind” or “with (my) heart” or something of the kind, but it would be considered as odd as saying “I hear you with my ears” in English; the organ or organs of internal perception are assumed.

Exercises

Translate the following into English


1	Báa eril bédi eb woden wowithid belideth amedaraháde?
2	Bíi loláad sherídan letha thenath bróo boóbin héena betho delith bethath wa.
3	Bíi thi dala mewoliyen womi menedebe i mewolirihal womahina boó wa.
4	Bíi néde di wolawida wohalá Láadan háawith bethadi wa.
5	Bíi eril mime omá bedihádi wáa, “Báa ril en shinehothul netha ehasheth?”
6	Báa aril ban Ána wodazh wobaleth mudadi?
7	Bíi eril el lan nezhetho wohaba woranath yunan wa.
8	Báa ril dom hal bebáa leneden?
9	Bíi eril nosháad worahíyahul wobeye honede wáa.
10	Bíi rilrili naya ábedá mewohéeya womid woho wa.

Of course you had no difficulty deciphering the word “bedihádi” in #5. Just in case, it means “student” from “bedi” (to learn) + “–á” (doer); of course, it’s in Goal Case since the teacher is speaking to the student.

Did you notice that, without more context, it’s impossible to tell whether “mewohéeya” in #10 means that the animals are “fearful” (héeya) or “sick” (éeya).

Translate the following into Láadan


11	Is the weather good?
12	Yes, it’s sunny and warm, although there’s also a moderate breeze.
13	Prithee depart to the river.
14	How will I be able to perceive the river?
15	You will hear it and see it.
16	The baker carried the food with two helpers using a container.
17	Long ago, the old people traveled thence (I dreamed).
18	The light of the many red stars is beautiful.
19	The small bird is not afraid to eat the grain.
20	Will the families, in the far future, move to the five southern mountains?

Note the word “depart” in #13. Were you able to form it? A hint: “to depart” means “to begin to go.”

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Answers


1	Did the helpful man promise to buy the house from the dancer?
2	My niece is joyful because her heart-sibling is braiding her hair.
3	The plant has many green leaves and three quite colorful flowers.
4	The pregnant worker wants to speak Láadan to her child.
5	The teacher asked the student, “Does your great-grandmother understand astronomy?”
6	Will Anna give the soft bread to the pig?
7	Your friend made a fragrant drink from fruit.
8	Who remembers to work with us?
9	Something extremely large arrived from the west.
10	Suppose the farmer cares for all the sick animals.

11	Báa thal ro?
12	Em, ham rosh i owa, íizha ham yulehil íi wa.
13	Bóo nasháad ne wilidi.
14	Báa aril thad láad le wilith bebáanan?
15	Bíi aril láad ne beth oyunan i oyinan wa.
16	Bíi eril wida ebalá anath denáden shin dimenan wáa.
17	Bíi eríli mehim mewobalin wowith núude we.
18	Bíi áya ith mewolaya wohashethu menedebe wa.
19	Bíi héeya yod ra wohíya wobabí edeth wa.
20	Báa aríli memina onida mewohan wobodi shan?

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