Relay 10/R

List of translations

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Glossary

The English translations were of course not given to the next participant

a adaucer "bring in" < ADDUCERE
adaucht "brought in" < ADDUCTUS
adefust "home (c.f Romanian 'adapost')" < ADDEPOS(I)TUM
a aschunder "hide" < ABSCONDERE
a ädeiljar "blow" < *ADILIARE
il bastarde "bastard" < Old French “bastarde”
cand "when" < QUANDO
la cäntzun "song" < CANTIONE
cel "that, the" < *ECCE-ILLE
la cestun "question" < QUAESTIONE
comu "how" < QUOMODO
a cowentzar "discuss" < *CONVENTARE
cüllei "with the" < *CUM ILLI
il cuwentz "word" < CONVENTUM
da "of the" < DE ILLA
dja "of the" < DE ILLAE
a daunar "damn" < DAMNARE
a defenestrare < English "defenestrate"
a dewodar "devour" < DEVORARE
la döin "woman" < DOMINA
ele "she" < ILLA
el "he" < ILLE
a einsultar "insult" < INSULTARE
a fecer "do, make" < FACERE
fasch "made, done" < FACTUS
il fein "end" < FINIS
la fortzaun "luck, fortune" < FORTUNA
il gotz "god" < Old High German got “god”
il "the" < ILLE
a introjar "ask" < INTERROGARE
il inquisitor "inquisitor" < INQUISITOR (loan-word)
l’ironje "irony" < Gk. eironia “irony”
jan "already" < IAM
jaun "young, youth" < IUVENIS
jär "yesterday" < HERI
je "I" < EGO
jechel "that" < *ECCE-ILLE
il jerätz "advice" < OHG girati “advice”
ke "which" < QUE
kei "who, whom" < QUI
lan "the" < ILLAM
le "the" < ILLAE
lei "the" < ILLI
len "the" < ILLUM
mäj "but" < MAGIS
la miedein "young woman" < MHG magedîn “maiden”
mun "my" < MEUM
natz "someone" < (HOMINE) NATUS
a niezar "enjoy, delight in" < OHG niozzan “enjoy, share”
nun "not" < NON
il omun "man" < HOMO
lei öin "men" < HOMINES
a pfesar "think" < PENSARE
pfujer "poor" < PAUPERE
prewatz "one's own" < PRIVATUS
renatz "something" < REM NATA
sau "his/her" < SUUS
sechretz "secret" < SECRETUS
a seifer "know" < SAPERE
a selbar "save" < SALVARE
a slachar "butcher, murder" < OHG slahan “kill, slay”
a sperar "hope" < SPERARE
a suponer "suppose" < SUPPONERE
a uscholzar "listen" < AUSCULTARE
a wäineir "come" < VENIRE
il wentz "wind" < VENTUS
il weich "war" < OHG wîc “battle, war”
la werezätz "truth" < VERITAS
zau "you" < TU
ze "you" < TE
la zicht "poem" < OHG tihta “poem”


Jelbazech

Dan Jones

Ring R


Cowentzar le miedeine

Mun gotz, comu ädelje il wentz! Jär es wäineitz il weich a nuster adefust prewatz.

"Uscholze, zau bastarde jaun, de cand wul le döine ze selbartz?"
"Ele es fasch dja ironjen da sau pfujer fortzaun."
"Jechel es on döin kei natz supone ke nieze le cäntzune e le zichte, mäj spere sechrezementz z'eisultartz, ze slachartz, ze dewodartz, e pfesand k'al fein el es daunatz, len defenestrarlen!"
"Proch fü l'adaucht? Deich, en nöin da Weirjen Bjandecht, proch l'adauce?"
"Je aschund nun lei cuwentz da werezätz, e cel jerätz es renatz ke jan seife zau. Mäj an lei öin la fortzaun meljur cüllei inquisitör dja cestunen introjatz le jaune!"


Discussing Young Women

My god, how the wind blows! Yesterday war came into our own home.

"Listen, you young bastard, since when will women save you?"
"She was made [as she is] by the ironies of her bad luck"
"That is a woman whom one supposes to constantly delight in songs and poems, but in secret hopes to insult, butcher and devour you, and thinking that in the end he is damned, to throw him out of the window."
"Why was she brought into this? Say, in the name of the Blessed Virgin, why bring her?"
"I do not hide the words of truth, and this advice is something you already know. But men have better fortune with inquisitors than asked of the young!"


Grammatical tidbits

Nouns

Nouns retain a two-case system. A small declension table:

Masculine
direct singular: maur
indirect singular: mauren
direct plural: mäur (yeah, i-affection)
indirect plural: maure

Feminine
direct singular: rus
indirect singular: rusen
direct plural: ruse
indirect plural: ruse

Verbs

In a fit of total generosity, here’s the present tense of the first conjugation (there are three in total, but they don’t differ hugely in the forms used in the text.):

cantar “to sing”
  Indicative Subjunctive
1s
2s
3s
1p
2p
3p
cant
cante
cante
cantam
cantätz
canten
canten
cante
cante
cantem
cantetz
canten

The forms of "to be" used in the text are (3ps imperfect indicative) and es (3ps present indicative).

Pronouns

ze reduces to tz when suffixed to an infinitive.

Syntax

This shouldn’t trouble you too much, just remember that Jelbazech has a very strong Germanic (High German) adstrate.

One particular quirk of J. is that objects of an infinitive are both suffixed *and* preposed.


Note

A direct translation from the text in Germanech can be found here. Given the fact that in many respects both languages share the same design principles, comparing them is extremely interesting.


© Jan van Steenbergen, Dan Jones, 28 Aug. 2004