Conlang Relay 18/Buruya Nzaysa

by Jan Strasser

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Buruya Nzaysa text

Sə atsa o lu mɛslu u kara puysa mpɛ, dal taxena mɔysa tu’o. Steyə o tselu nzɔ yɔsa əlmɔ kwɛno. Na ɔ ɔgi xat ño u reyo meko xananɔ, rɔma o lu tere ah lu mɛslu mvoñu. Esə xə ño u katsu ntsa muda! Esə xə ño u nuve ntsa muda! Ntenamɛ, pɔwə lo yɔsa ño u ɛtsɛ o gasu idə. Dal nte’a, ɔdɔwexa owa ɔ ivrɛ rumɛ rɛ sa nzɔ ŋkə ɔ mɔtsa mañi mvunɛ, rɛ esa ñalta ah katsu o nuve ɔ reyo ñolu.

Steyə rabɛ lu kwɛno ah nzɔ yɔsa o lu mɛslu, nə u ru lire o lu tere məlu. Ɔdɔwə nzɔ əbɔwə kwɛno; steyə rapsə puh lo mlaña nzɛda witsu. Ñalta, na lu ɛne ah tsɔmva, o ta nzɔ ləmo.

Translation

English

Mist is still lingering on the meadow, but it is starting to recede somewhat. A beautiful maiden is walking around there. She has carved a wooden statue of a fox, which she has placed at the gate of the meadow. This one looks very strong! This one looks very proud! In comparison, the maiden might seem weak and timid. But in fact we know from word of mouth that the same maiden has a remarkable soul, that she indeed matches a fox in strength and confidence.

While the maiden was walking around on the meadow, a young man has arrived at the gate. She has stopped walking; she is now flirting with him instead. Actually, she has untied her hair, and she begins to smile.

Literal English translation of previous text

(Feayran, by David Edwards)

Hey / it can be seen on the meadow / it has happened there / this:

A maiden / she is walking there // also / it is misty but beginning to clear up.
It is like a fox / she forms it from wood // at the meadow / she places it at the boundary.
Also / however / it seems to be strong // however / it seems to be proud.
Hey / however / she seems not to be strong / she seems not to be proud / this one.
But listen! / it is known by word of mouth / she is known to be energetic / like a fox / even as much as it.

Well / she is walking there // then / a boy / he has arrived at the boundary.
She has stopped walking // she is flirting towards him // indeed / she has untied it / her hair.
She begins to smile.

Smooth English translation of previous text

This is what happened at the meadow:

A maiden is walking on the meadow. It is misty, but the mist is beginning to clear up. She has carved a wooden fox, which she now places at the gate of the meadow. It looks very strong and proud. The maiden, however, seems not so strong and not so proud. But listen! It is known by word of mouth that she is in fact just as strong-willed as a fox.

While she is walking on the meadow, a boy arrives at the gate. She has stopped walking; she is now flirting with him. Indeed, she has untied her hair. She begins to smile.

Interlinear gloss

Sə

NULL.AUX-3SG

atsa

still

o

at.3

lu

DEF.ACC

mɛslu

meadow

u

INDEF.NOM

kara

mist

puysa

CONT.AUX

mpɛ,

sit,

dal

but

taxena

INC.AUX-3.REFL

mɔysa

recede

tu’o.

somewhat.

Mist is still lingering on the meadow, but it is starting to recede somewhat.

Steyə

PROG.AUX-3SG

o

at.3

tselu

that_place

nzɔ

TOP.NOM

yɔsa

maiden

əlmɔ

beautiful

kwɛno.

walk_around.

A beautiful maiden is walking around there.

Na

PFV.AUX-3SG>3

ɔ

INDEF.ACC

ɔgi

sculpture

xat

wood

ño

as.3

u

INDEF.NOM

reyo

fox

meko

lookalike

xananɔ,

carve,

rɔma

REL.AUX-3SG>3

o

at.3

lu

DEF.ACC

tere

gate

ah

of.3

lu

DEF.NOM

mɛslu

meadow

mvoñu.

set_up.

She has carved a wooden statue of a fox, which she has placed at the gate of the meadow.

Esə

EMPH.AUX-3SG

xə

this.NOM

ño

as.3

u

INDEF.NOM

katsu

strong

ntsa

very

muda!

look!

This one looks very strong!

Esə

EMPH.AUX-3SG

xə

this.NOM

ño

as.3

u

INDEF.NOM

nuve

proud

ntsa

very

muda!

look!

This one looks very proud!

Ntenamɛ,

GER-compare,

pɔwə

COND.AUX-3SG

lo

DEF.NOM

yɔsa

maiden

ño

as.3

u

INDEF.NOM

ɛtsɛ

weak

o

and

gasu

timid

idə.

seem.

In comparison, the maiden might seem weak and timid.

Dal

but

nte’a,

truly,

ɔdɔwexa

RES.AUX-1PL>3

owa

from.3

ɔ

INDEF.ACC

ivrɛ

narration

rumɛ

know

rɛ

that.ACC

sa

NULL.AUX-3SG>3

nzɔ

TOP.NOM

ŋkə

same

ɔ

INDEF.ACC

mɔtsa

soul

mañi

remarkable

mvunɛ,

hold,

But in fact we know from word of mouth that the same maiden has a remarkable soul,

rɛ

that.ACC

esa

EMPH.AUX-3SG>3

ñalta

indeed

ah

of.3

katsu

strength

o

and

nuve

pride

ɔ

INDEF.ACC

reyo

fox

ñolu.

match.

that she indeed matches a fox in strength and confidence.

Steyə

PROG.AUX-3SG

rabɛ

during.3

lu

DEF.ACC

kwɛno

walk_around.VN

ah

of.3

nzɔ

TOP.NOM

yɔsa

maiden

o

at.3

lu

DEF.ACC

mɛslu,

meadow,

nə

PFV.AUX-3SG

u

INDEF.NOM

ru

man

lire

young

o

at.3

lu

DEF.ACC

tere

gate

məlu.

arrive.

While the maiden was walking around on the meadow, a young man has arrived at the gate.

Ɔdɔwə

RES.AUX-3SG

nzɔ

TOP.NOM

əbɔwə

CESS.AUX

kwɛno;

walk_around;

steyə

PROG.AUX-3SG

rapsə

instead

puh

for.3

lo

DEF.NOM

mlaña

visitor

nzɛda

flirt

witsu.

now.

She has stopped walking; she is now flirting with him instead.

Ñalta,

indeed,

na

PFV.AUX-3SG>3

lu

DEF.ACC

ɛne

hair

ah

of.3

tsɔmva,

let_loose,

o

and

ta

INC.AUX-3SG

nzɔ

TOP.NOM

ləmo.

smile.

Actually, she has untied her hair, and she begins to smile.

Vocabulary

morpheme	class	meaning
ah	pp.	of, belonging to, with regard to
atsa	adv.	still
dal	cj.	but
ɛne	n.	hair
ɛtsɛ	n.	weak, feeble, fragile
es-	aux.	(emphatic auxiliary: "do indeed")
əbɔ(w)-	aux.	(cessative auxiliary: "stop")
əlmɔ	n.	attractive, beautiful, handsome
gasu	n.	shy, timid, reticent, cautious
idə	v.	seem, be perceived as
ivrɛ	n.	tale, story, narration
kara	n.	mist, fog
katsu	n.	strong, powerful, vigorous
kwɛno	v.	walk around, stroll
ləmo	v.	smile
lire	n.	young, fresh, naïve
lo	det.	(definite article, nominative)
lu	det.	(definite article, accusative)
mañi	n.	rare, remarkable, special
mɛslu	n.	meadow, pastureland
meko	n.	lookalike, replacement, substitute, stand-in
məlu	n.	arrive, achieve, accomplish
mlaña	n.	visitor, stranger
mɔtsa	n.	soul, mind, personality
mɔysa	v.	recede, retreat, go backward
mpɛ	v.	sit
muda	v.	look, appear, resemble
mvoñu	v.	put up, erect, place, establish
mvunɛ	v.	have, own, hold
n-	aux.	(perfective auxiliary: "have done")
nte’a	adv.	really, truly, indeed
ntenamɛ	adv.	in comparison
ntsa	adv.	very
nuve	n.	proud, self-assured
nzɛda	v.	tease, be playful, flirt
nzɔ	det./pron.	(topic marker, nominative)
ñalta	adv.	indeed, actually
ño	pp.	as, like
ñolu	v.	match, rival, be equivalent
ŋkə	n.	same, identical, -self
ɔ	det.	(indefinite article, accusative)
ɔdɔ(w)-	aux.	(resultative auxiliary: "have become")
ɔgi	n.	sculpture, statue
o	cj.	and
o	pp.	at, on
owa	pp.	from
pɔ(w)-	aux.	(conditional auxiliary: "might, would")
puh	pp.	for
puysa-	aux.	(durative auxiliary: "keep, continue")
rabɛ	pp.	at the time of, during
rapsə	adv.	instead, rather
rɛ	cj.	(complementizer, accusative)
reyo	n.	fox
rɔma-	aux.	(relative clause auxiliary; relativized noun is topic but not necessarily subject of subclause)
ru	n.	man
rumɛ	v.	know, be aware of
s-	aux.	(null auxiliary: "do")
ste(y)-	aux.	(progressive auxiliary: "be doing")
ta-	aux.	(inceptive auxiliary: "start")
tere	n.	door, gate, entrance
tselu	pron.	there, that place
tsɔmva	v.	drop, let go of, set free
tu’o	adv.	somewhat, a little
u	det.	(indefinite article, nominative)
witsu	pron.	now
xananɔ	v.	carve, mold
xat	n.	wood
xə	det./pron.	(proximal deictic, nominative: "this, these")
yɔsa	n.	lady (usually of noble blood)

Auxiliary suffixes:

-a	suffix	3rd person singular subject, 3rd person object
-exa	suffix	1st person plural subject, 3rd person object
-ə	suffix	3rd person singular intransitive
-xena	suffix	3rd person reflexive

• Note: The suffixes -a and -ə are not distinct if the stem of the auxiliary ends in /a/.

Grammar

Typology

• mostly isolating
• head-initial
• basic word order: AuxSOV with occasional topic fronting
• basic morphosyntactic alignment: NOM-ACC
• pro-drop

Nominals

• no distinction between nouns and adjectives
• nouns/adjectives do not inflect at all
• determiners are mandatory in all full (i.e. non-pronominal) noun phrases
• nouns without a determiner usually have adjectivial function, but may refer to an abstract quality when used as the object of a preposition
• most determiners are marked for case
• nominal number is unmarked

Prepositions

• prepositions inflect for the person of their object (all instances in the text are 3rd person)
• objects of prepositions can be omitted if clear from context

Verbs

• content verbs do not inflect at all
• auxiliary verbs are mandatory in all clauses
• auxiliary verbs inflect for person and number of the subject and person of the object
• aspect and mood are indicated by the choice of the auxiliary
• no tense marking

Links

• Buruya Nzaysa grammar