Tepa texts

In this appendix I present short texts in Tepa. Each text is presented first in Tepa, then in an idiomatic English translation (the Tower of Babel story uses the KJV text as the idiomatic English translation), and finally in an interlinear, morpheme-by-morpheme gloss.

The Tower of Babel

The following was taken from the journal of Alma Walker:

Thursday November 16th, 1871. J[oseph] and I conversed at length concerning the bewildering number and general confusion of tongues, doubtless prompted by my inquiries concering the Miapimoquitch, with whom he spent so much of his youth. I felt compelled to read aloud the account from the book of Genesis concerning the confusion of tongues and the Lord's scattering of that proud but fallen people. J remarked that the Miapimoquitch would have enjoyed this story, and asked if I would like to hear it as they might have told it. I responded that I would very much, whereupon he related it to me in the Miapimoquitch dialect as follows.

Tepa

1 huisi leqa sukuuqu, huisi tepa. 2 hukahekahee metapu sinaa kenipa eaqa kitile. hukate yu. 3 huyakkee hawananpaqana. 4 huhawaqakkassa hanima etiqe ukaiqu kupine. huwaweletii pewalilkatta metasewe. 5 husahu qamana epite hanimaa akasa tukua. 6 huyakee qamana hasua! isi tukua huisi leqa nequ. huqanani humuqappulpa eqana eamine. 7 wasahu huhawanulu leqane numuhuyu eteppa. 8 hulika metasewe tukua yehupa huapupa ekasa hanimaa. 9 huten papele, anulu yu leqa tukua qamana elika yule metasewe.

The Tower of Babel (Genesis 11:1-9)

1 And the whole earth was of one language, and of one speech. 2 And it came to pass, as they journeyed from the east, that they found a plain in the land of Shinar; and they dwelt there. 3 And they said one to another, Go to, let us make brick, and burn them throughly. And they had brick for stone, and slime had they for mortar. 4 And they said, Go to, let us build us a city and a tower, whose top may reach unto heaven; and let us make a name, lest we be scattered abroad upon the face of the whole earth. 5 And the LORD came down to see the city and the tower, which the children of men builded. 6 And the LORD said, Behold, the people is one, and they have all one language; and this they begin to do: and now nothing will be restrained from them, which they have imagined to do. 7 Go to, let us go down, and there confound their language, that they may not understand one another's speech. 8 So the LORD scattered them abroad from thence upon the face of all the earth: and they left off to build the city. 9 Therefore is the name of it called Babel; because the LORD did there confound the language of all the earth: and from thence did the LORD scatter them abroad upon the face of all the earth.

Verse 1

huisi leqa sukuuqu, huisi tepa

hu=	0-	isi	leqa	sukuu	=qu	hu=	isi	tepa
and=	3-	one	language	earth:B	=to	and=	one	speech

And to the earth one language and one speech.

Verse 2

hukahekahee metapu sinaa kenipa eaqa kitile.

hu=	0-	kahekahee	meta	=pu	sinaa	kenipa	e=	0-	aqa	kiti	=le
and=	3>3'-	find:DIST:B	region	=in	Shinar	mesa	SS=	3-	journey	east	=from

hukate yu.

hu=	0-	kate	yu
and=	3-	dwell	there

And they found in the land Shinar a mesa as they journey from the East. And they dwelt there.

Verse 3

huyakkee hawananpaqana.

hu=	0-	yakkee	ha=	wa-	nanpa	+	qana
and=	3>3'-	say:G:B	!=	1>3-	adobe	+	make

And they said to each other, let us make adobe.

Verse 4

huhawaqakkassa hanima etiqe ukaiqu kupine.

hu=

ha=

wa-

qa"-

kassa

hanima

e=

0-

tiqe

ukai

=qu

kupi

-ne

and=

!=

1>3-

CBA-

build:G

pueblo

SS=

3-

reach

sky

=to

head

-3p

huwaweletii pewalilkatta metasewe.

hu=	wa-	weletii	pe=	wa-	lilka	=tta	meta	=sewe
and=	1>3-	know:L:B	IRR=	1>3-	scatter:L	=sometime	region	=through

And let us build for ourselves a pueblo, its top reaching the sky. And we will be known if sometime we are scattered through the land.

Verse 5

husahu qamana epite hanimaa akasa tukua.

hu=

0-

sahu

<am>

qana

e=

0-

pite

hanimaa

a=

0-

kasa

tukua

and=

3-

descend

<AGT>

make

SS=

3-

see

pueblo:B

DS=

3>3'-

build

person:COLL:B

And the Creator descended to see the pueblo that the people were building.

Verse 6

huyakee qamana hasua!

hu=	0-	yakee	<am>	qana	ha=	0-	sua
and=	3>3'-	say:B	<AGT>	make	!=	3>3'-	look

isi tukua huisi leqa nequ.

0-	isi	tukua	hu=	0-	isi	leqa	ne	=qu
3-	one	person:COLL:B	and=	3-	one	language	DEM	=to

huqanani humuqappulpa eqana eamine.

hu=

0-

qana

=ni

hu=

mu=

0-

qa"-

pulpa

e=

0-

qana

e=

0-

ami

=ne

and=

3>3'-

do

=this

and=

NEG=

3>3'-

CBA-

stop:L

SS=

3>3'-

do

SS=

3>3'-

desire

=DEM

And the Creator said, look! The people are one, and to them is one language. And they do this, and they will not be stopped (from) doing what they desire.

Verse 7

wasahu huhawanulu leqane numuhuyu eteppa.

wa-

sahu

hu=

wa-

nulu

leqa

=ne

hu=

mu=

0-

huyu

e=

0-

teppa

1-

descend

and=

1-

mix

language

=3p

and=

NEG=

3>3'-

understand

SS=

3>3'-

speak:G

I (will) go down and mix their language, and they will not understand what they speak to each other.

Verse 8

hulika metasewe tukua yehupa huapupa ekasa hanimaa.

hu=

0-

lika

meta

=sewe

tukua

<am>

qana

hu=

a=

0-

pupa

e=

0-

kasa

hanimaa

and=

3>3'-

scattered

region

=through

person:COLL:B

<AGT>

make

and=

DS=

3>3'-

stop

SS=

3>3'-

build

pueblo:B

And the Creator scattered the people throughout the land and they stopped building the pueblo.

Verse 9

huten papele, anulu yu leqa tukua qamana elika yule metasewe.

hu=

0-

ten

papele

a=

0-

nulu

yu

leqa

tukua

<am>

qana

e=

0-

lika

yu

=le

meta

=sewe

and=

3>3'-

name

Babel

DS=

3>3'-

mix

there

language

person:COLL:B

<AGT>

make

SS=

3>3'-

scatter

there

=from

region

=through

And its name is Babel, (because) the Creator mixed the people's language there and scattered them from there throughout the land.