A Collection of Texts in Ghih

What follows is a collection of texts intended to illustrate the language in more natural and extended use than the glossed examples found in the grammar.

The Tower of Babel (Genesis 11:1–9)

And the whole earth was of one language, and of one speech.

[t͡sʲəmˠ qʷɨɽˠəfʲ ʋʲaizˤɨsˤ ʕˠɨɳˠəfʲ ɴˠaukʷəfʲ vˠanˠ d͡ʒɨmʲ vˠanˠ ɡˠɨʕʲ t͡sˤɨpʲəfʲ ɢʲanˤ ɡˠɨʕʲ xʲəɡʲaʜˠəfʲ]

t͡sʲə
have
-mˠ
PAST
qʷɨɽˠ
all
-əfʲ
sing
ʋʲaizˤ
human being
-ɨsˤ
plur
ʕˠɨɳˠ
whole
-əfʲ
sing
ɴˠaukʷ
earth
-əfʲ
sing
vˠanˠ
3.sing.POSS
d͡ʒɨmʲ
in_surface
vˠanˠ
3.sing.POSS
ɡˠɨʕʲ
one
t͡sˤɨpʲ
language
-əfʲ
sing
ɢʲanˤ
and
ɡˠɨʕʲ
one
xʲəɡʲaʜˠ
dialect
-əfʲ
sing

“All humans in the whole earth had one language and one dialect.”

(1)

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.

[sˤaɣʷaumˠ xʲaɾˠ tˤaʋˠəfʲ ɣʲanˠ]

sˤaɣʷau
journey
-mˠ
PAST
xʲaɾˠ
3.plur
tˤaʋˠ
east
-əfʲ
sing
ɣʲanˠ
from_inside

“They journeyed from the east.”

(2)

[ɢʲanˤ dˠəmˠ xʲaɾˠ ɗˠəʡˠəfʲ ŋˠauŋˠ ʡʲakʼˠət͡sˤəfʲ ŋˠauŋˠ xʲɨŋʲəfʲ ɾʲaumʲ vˠanˠ]

ɢʲanˤ
and
dˠə
find
-mˠ
PAST
xʲaɾˠ
3.plur
ɗˠəʡˠ
wide
-əfʲ
sing
ŋˠauŋˠ
a
ʡʲakʼˠət͡sˤ
plain
-əfʲ
sing
ŋˠauŋˠ
a
xʲɨŋʲ
land
-əfʲ
sing
ɾʲaumʲ
in_inside
vˠanˠ
3.sing.POSS

“And they found a wide plain in the a land.”

(3)

[ɾˠadˠəɾˠ ɡˠɨnˠamˠ xʲaɾˠ ʋʲəŋˠ]

ɾˠadˠəɾˠ
thus
ɡˠɨnˠa
dwell
-mˠ
PAST
xʲaɾˠ
3.plur
ʋʲəŋˠ
there

“Thus they dwelled there.”

(4)

And they said one to another, Go to, let us make brick, and burn them thoroughly.

[kˠamˠ xʲaɾˠ vʲəsˤ vˠanˠ bʲəʈˠaiɣʷəsˤafˠ hafˠ ɢʲanˤ vʲəsˤ vˠanˠ bʲəʈˠaiɣʷɨsˤ sˠəfˠ hafˠ ʔazˠɨnˠ]

kˠa
say
-mˠ
PAST
xʲaɾˠ
3.plur
vʲəsˤ
1incl.plur
vˠanˠ
3.sing.POSS
bʲəʈˠaiɣʷ
brick
-əsˤa
make
-fˠ
PRES
hafˠ
imperative
ɢʲanˤ
and
vʲəsˤ
1incl.plur
vˠanˠ
3.sing.POSS
bʲəʈˠaiɣʷ
brick
-ɨsˤ
plur
sˠə
burn
-fˠ
PRES
hafˠ
imperative
ʔazˠɨnˠ
thoroughly

“They said: Let us make bricks and burn them thoroughly.”

(5)

And they had brick for stone, and slime had they for morter.

[t͡sʲəmˠ xʲaɾˠ bʲəʈˠaiɣʷəfʲ fʲəqʼʲəfʲ qʼʷəsʲaufʲ]

t͡sʲə
have
-mˠ
PAST
xʲaɾˠ
3.plur
bʲəʈˠaiɣʷ
brick
-əfʲ
sing
fʲəqʼʲ
stone
-əfʲ
sing
qʼʷəsʲaufʲ
PURP

“They had bricks for stone.”

(6)

[ɢʲanˤ t͡sʲəmˠ xʲaɾˠ tˠaɣˠanˤəfʲ dʲaŋˠəfˠəfʲ qʼʷəsʲaufʲ]

ɢʲanˤ
and
t͡sʲə
have
-mˠ
PAST
xʲaɾˠ
3.plur
tˠaɣˠanˤ
slime
-əfʲ
sing
dʲaŋˠəfˠ
mortar
-əfʲ
sing
qʼʷəsʲaufʲ
PURP

“And they had slime for mortar.”

(7)

A Creation Myth

We are not like other people.

[kʼʲat͡sʲɨfˠ kʲəsˠ vʲəsˤ ɴʲaqʲəfʲ ʋʲaizˤɨsˤ vˠanˠ]

kʼʲat͡sʲɨ
resemble
-fˠ
PRES
kʲəsˠ
NEG
vʲəsˤ
1incl.plur
ɴʲaqʲ
other
-əfʲ
sing
ʋʲaizˤ
human being
-ɨsˤ
plur
vˠanˠ
3.sing.POSS

“We do not resemble other humans.”

(8)

Their languages were shaped by struggle and time.

[tˤəɴʷaimˠ ɗˠaiɴʲəfʲ ɢʲanˤ pˠəɢʷəfʲ xʲaɾˠ t͡sˤɨpʲɨsˤ nʲənˤ]

tˤəɴʷai
shape
-mˠ
PAST
ɗˠaiɴʲ
fight
-əfʲ
sing
ɢʲanˤ
and
pˠəɢʷ
time
-əfʲ
sing
xʲaɾˠ
3.plur
t͡sˤɨpʲ
language
-ɨsˤ
plur
nʲənˤ
3.plur.POSS

“Their languages were shaped by fight and time.”

(9)

They copied the sounds of beasts and birds, and they learned to speak like that.

[θʲət͡sʲamˠ xʲaɾˠ ɢˠəbˠaɳʲɨsˤ ɢʲanˤ sˤaɖˠɨsˤ ɣʲauŋˠɨsˤ nʲənˤ]

θʲət͡sʲa
copy
-mˠ
PAST
xʲaɾˠ
3.plur
ɢˠəbˠaɳʲ
mammal
-ɨsˤ
plur
ɢʲanˤ
and
sˤaɖˠ
bird
-ɨsˤ
plur
ɣʲauŋˠ
sound
-ɨsˤ
plur
nʲənˤ
3.plur.POSS

“They copied the sounds of mammals and birds.”

(10)

But our language arose in a different way.

[ɢˠamˠ tʲəkˠɨmˠ ɣʷɨhəfʲ vˠanˠ t͡sˤɨpʲəfʲ sʲənˤ kʼˠaifˠ ɢˠaɽˠəfʲ ŋˠauŋˠ ɡʷauɓʲəfʲ vˠanˠ ɾʲaumʲ]

ɢˠamˠ
but
tʲəkˠɨ
arise
-mˠ
PAST
ɣʷɨh
langname
-əfʲ
sing
vˠanˠ
3.sing.POSS
t͡sˤɨpʲ
language
-əfʲ
sing
sʲənˤ
1incl.plur.POSS
kʼˠai
be
-fˠ
PRES
ɢˠaɽˠ
different
-əfʲ
sing
ŋˠauŋˠ
a
ɡʷauɓʲ
manner
-əfʲ
sing
vˠanˠ
3.sing.POSS
ɾʲaumʲ
in_inside

“But Ghih, which is our language, arose in a different way.”

(11)

It was born whole and perfect in a single breath.

[fʲɨpʲamˠ qˠaɾʲ ʕˠɨɳˠəfʲ vˠanˠ ɢʲanˤ ʜʲɨɡʷɨɡʲəfʲ vˠanˠ ʋʲaŋˠəfʲ ŋˠauŋˠ ðˠanʲɨɓˠəfʲ vˠanˠ ɾʲaumʲ]

fʲɨpʲa
appear
-mˠ
PAST
qˠaɾʲ
3.sing
ʕˠɨɳˠ
whole
-əfʲ
sing
vˠanˠ
3.sing.POSS
ɢʲanˤ
and
ʜʲɨɡʷɨɡʲ
perfect
-əfʲ
sing
vˠanˠ
3.sing.POSS
ʋʲaŋˠ
single
-əfʲ
sing
ŋˠauŋˠ
a
ðˠanʲɨɓˠ
breath
-əfʲ
sing
vˠanˠ
3.sing.POSS
ɾʲaumʲ
in_inside

“It appeared whole and perfect in a single breath”

(12)

Our language did not evolve; it was created.

[t͡sʲakʼˠamˠ kʲəsˠ t͡sˤɨpʲəfʲ sʲənˤ]

t͡sʲakʼˠa
evolve
-mˠ
PAST
kʲəsˠ
NEG
t͡sˤɨpʲ
language
-əfʲ
sing
sʲənˤ
1incl.plur.POSS

“Our language did not evolve.”

(13)

[nˤaxˠamˠ qˠaɾʲ]

nˤaxˠa
create
-mˠ
PAST
qˠaɾʲ
3.sing

“It was created.”

(14)

Language creation took 0.05 seconds; writing the texts 0.04 seconds.

Show texts normally.