Sample
Text with morpheme-by-morpheme translation and also
with free translation.
Henloŋ
həy li?waŋ
Helong
and Lihwang
1. hípek yo?oŋe tay-taki wàkeɨŋ-me nòk-ca
ŋo?
adv. phr. Nploc. Npobj. Vpast.
time in wakching
very go-already
house-one be-past
Very long time ago in Wakching (there)
was a family.
2. təw-nòk-me henloŋ-se mɨnpu sɨko-naha-ca
ŋo?
Nploc. NP-se N Npobj. V-past.
that-house-in henlong-by name
female-child-one was
In that family (there) was a girl by
name Henlong.
3. ya-ə nawya yooŋe məye ŋo?.
NP-nom. Npobj. adj.phr. V-pt.
she girl very beautivul was
She the girl was very beautiful.
4. e*-cey li?waŋə e-naw henloŋ-nawya-məypu
ŋè-è
Npnom. Npobj. Vparti.
-------------
*In
narrations masculine vs feminine distinctions are not maintained. Very frequently e is used for both the
genders.
her-brot. lihwang his-sist. henlong-girl-beauti.
see-ing
e-ə may-ne 1meəŋ-húè-təy?
Npnom.
Vinf. VP
he love-to desired
her brother, Lihwang seeing his sister
Henlong-beautiful desired
to make love to her.
5. təwkhəy
eə mi?-pan-nawse kí?e e-nòk-te
ya-cey?-e
conn. Npnom. kí?e phr. Npdat. adv. phr.
so he other-morung-boy-like
his-house-to night-each-by
ən-me pəy-ne ŋo?
adv.phr. Vinf. Vp-pt.
evening-at come-to was.
So he like boy of other morung each
night in the evening used to come
to his morung.
6. hípək yo?oŋe-ləwe lén-yáŋ-phəyme henloŋ-ə
e-phəy
adv.phr.
Npnom. NPoss.
time very-ling spend-ing-after henlong
she-with
həw-himpu nawsi yoy-cey2
həyya-se moŋ.
Npobj Npobj VP-pat.
meeting boy self-brother so thought
After spending longtime (like this),
Henlong thought that the boy
who visits her each night is her own
brother.
7. təwkhəy ya-ə you-ñù-te hə-kí?e è
“O-ñù mɨn-yá ətaŋte
conn.
Npnom. Npdat. ki?ephr.
Vpst. Npobj. advphr.
Npdat.
so she self-mother-to this-like said
“O mother lastnight me-to
------------------
1. According to Konyak culture a boy can visit a
girl in her privacy. But a boy and girl
cannot have sex relations if they belong
to same morung (clan).
2. As the sleeping rooms never have any sort of
light, and as the visits would be in the nights for some time only (the boys
are expected to be in their morungs by dawn), it would be very difficult to identify
one if he wanted to be anonymous. Also
the sleeping rooms are always at the end of the villages-near the granaries.
pəypu nawsi ə-cey” ki?e nàŋ-əy
Vpast NPobj Npobj
adv Vppast-def.
came boy my-brother so felt-def.
So to her mother like this said “O
mother last night the boy who came
to me was my own brother “ so (I)
felt.
8. ya-te
ə-ñù è “təya e-pəy-wante nàŋ-ə yàk-me tɨkmàk
Npdat. Npnom. VPpt. adv.
adv.phr. Npnom. Nploc. Npobj.
she-to her-mot. said “tonight he-come-during you hand-in soot
ya?yáŋe e-sèta-te həycunlɨm ki?e
cuntəw?” se è
Vpparti. Npdat.
ki?e phr. Cpimp.con.
VPpst.
take-ing his-face-to without
pretending-like rub” so said.
To her mother, said “To night when he
comes, you taking soot in your
hand, without giving any indications,
rub on his face”
9. təw-ki?e ya-ə
yàkpha-te tɨkmàk phò-yáŋe
conn. NPnom. NPdat.
NPobj. VPparti.
that-like she palm-to soot
rub-ing
təw-nawsi-seta-te cun.
NPdat. VPpast.
that-boy-face-to rubbed.
Like that she, taking soot in her palm rubbed the
soot on the face of that boy.
10. e-cey3 pan-məpu sɨnləwe pəy-wante
seta-te tɨkmàk
NPnom.
NPabl. VPparti. VP-sub.
NPgoal NPobj.
her-brot. morunt-from getting up
come-while face-to soot
phò-yáŋe ŋo?
VPparti. VPpast.
rub-ed was
Her brother from the morung after
getting up, while coming (home), his
face was rubbed with soot.
11. tə-wante e-nòk həy ka?ta-lan-nə em-ñí
əcey-ənaw
conn. NPnom. NPobj.
then
his-house and people their-two
brother-sister
---------------
3. In narrations the nominative case marker is optionally used
particularly when an object is not in the sentence.
əcu-əmayne meəŋpu sɨŋ
NPobj. VPpast.
relation
bad know.
Then his household and people (came to) know of their
brother-sister’s prohibited relationship.
12. təwkhəy wàkcɨŋ waŋləm kí?e təw-ñí cey-naw
conn. ki?e
phr. NPobj
so
wakching rule-like
those-two brother-sister
pe-coŋ-ñí-me
wən-te cak
NPloc.
NPgoal. VPpast.
wood-gate-two-in/at fire-to burnt
So according to Wakching rule(s), those brother-sister were
(tied) to two wooden gates (and) burnt.
13. pe-coŋ-ñí-me
ŋáypi-əsi waŋ-taŋme cà-ŋo? ne
səy-yáŋe
Nploc.
NPobj. NPloc. NPinf. VPparti.
wood-gate-two-at/in appeared-smoke sky-above-in 1 at one-to
roll-after
waŋ-te
teŋkhakke óŋe-ma?
NPgoal
adv. VPpast
upward-to
straightly went-disappeared
In the two gates appeared smoke became one in the sky(and)
rolled together upward straightly (and) wen (and) disappeared.
14. tə-wante ka?ta-lan-nə
həkí?e è “em-ñí-pɨm yan-ya?pəy?
conn.
NPnom. adv. VPpast NPobj. VP-rel.
then people this-like said their-two-body departed
yaha kən həy
móŋa yɨ-yan pu-yáŋ
NPobj
VP-neg-past
soul heart and mind not-separated
Then people said like this “the soul, heart and mind of the
two departed bodies are not separated (at all !!)
15. sa?a-te ŋóye wàkcɨŋ ka?ta-lan-nə
təw-ñí púŋáw
adv.phr. NPnom. NPobj.
until now
wakching people
those-two’story
yɨ-ləkpe è áŋ-nàŋ
adv. Vppres.
without-stop say-keep-on
Till today wakching people keep narrating the story of
these two without stop.