A Collection of Texts in Amapi

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.

Hiitoo faa pi lushii wii nu pi wataa patoo wutaa wisaa fii ka witaawahu fii.

[hiːtoː faː pi luʃiː wiː nu pi wataː patoː wutaː wisaː fiː ka witaːwahu fiː]

hiːt
have
-oː
not.Q
faː
PAST
pi
the
l-
plur
uʃiː
human being
w-
plur

all
nu
in
pi
the
w-
sing
ataː
earth
p-
sing
atoː
whole
w-
sing
utaː
surface
w-
sing
isaː
language
fiː
one
ka
and
w-
sing
itaːwahu
dialect
fiː
one

“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.

Mishofoo faa ngu ho pi wipa woni.

[miʃofoː faː ŋu ho pi wipa woni]

miʃof
journey
-oː
not.Q
faː
PAST
ŋu
3.plur
ho
from
pi
the
w-
sing
ipa
east
w-
sing
oni
inside

“They journeyed from the east.”

(2)
Ka nishoo faa ngu wisasawaa posaa nu wipii woni.

[ka niʃoː faː ŋu wisasawaː posaː nu wipiː woni]

ka
and
niʃ
find
-oː
not.Q
faː
PAST
ŋu
3.plur
w-
sing
isasawaː
plain
p-
sing
osaː
wide
nu
in
w-
sing
ipiː
land
w-
sing
oni
inside

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

(3)
Waama fangumoo faa ngu shuu.

[waːma faŋumoː faː ŋu ʃuː]

waːma
thus
faŋum
dwell
-oː
not.Q
faː
PAST
ŋu
3.plur
ʃuː
there

“Thus they dwelled there.”

(4)

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

Pawoo faa ngu nge puu henoo sii ko limekalo ka nge puu hopoo sii ko limekalo hiita.

[pawoː faː ŋu ŋe puː henoː siː ko limekalo ka ŋe puː hopoː siː ko limekalo hiːta]

paw
say
-oː
not.Q
faː
PAST
ŋu
3.plur
ŋe
1incl.plur
puː
GEN
hen
make
-oː
not.Q
siː
imperative
ko
ACC
l-
plur
imekalo
brick
ka
and
ŋe
1incl.plur
puː
GEN
hop
burn
-oː
not.Q
siː
imperative
ko
ACC
l-
plur
imekalo
brick
hiːta
thoroughly

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

(5)

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

Hiitoo faa ngu wimekalo mengi wale.

[hiːtoː faː ŋu wimekalo meŋi wale]

hiːt
have
-oː
not.Q
faː
PAST
ŋu
3.plur
w-
sing
imekalo
brick
meŋi
PURP
w-
sing
ale
stone

“They had bricks for stone.”

(6)
Ka hiitoo faa ngu wefolili mengi weshoonapi.

[ka hiːtoː faː ŋu wefolili meŋi weʃoːnapi]

ka
and
hiːt
have
-oː
not.Q
faː
PAST
ŋu
3.plur
w-
sing
efolili
slime
meŋi
PURP
w-
sing
eʃoːnapi
mortar

“And they had slime for mortar.”

(7)

A Creation Myth

We are not like other people.

Shefaamoo loo nge lushii weni.

[ʃefaːmoː loː ŋe luʃiː weni]

ʃefaːm
resemble
-oː
not.Q
loː
NEG
ŋe
1incl.plur
l-
plur
uʃiː
human being
w-
plur
eni
other

“We do not resemble other humans.”

(8)

Their languages were shaped by struggle and time.

Mameekoo faa woli ka wuhoo puu ngu pi lisaa.

[mameːkoː faː woli ka wuhoː puː ŋu pi lisaː]

mameːk
shape
-oː
not.Q
faː
PAST
w-
sing
oli
fight
ka
and
w-
sing
uhoː
time
puː
GEN
ŋu
3.plur
pi
the
l-
plur
isaː
language

“Their languages were shaped by fight and time.”

(9)

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

Teneenoo faa ngu puu lomifaafu ka luushaa pi luni.

[teneːnoː faː ŋu puː lomifaːfu ka luːʃaː pi luni]

teneːn
copy
-oː
not.Q
faː
PAST
ŋu
3.plur
puː
GEN
l-
plur
omifaːfu
mammal
ka
and
l-
plur
uːʃaː
bird
pi
the
l-
plur
uni
sound

“They copied the sounds of mammals and birds.”

(10)

But our language arose in a different way.

Ti husukoo faa pi wamaapii, mi hikoo puu nge pi wisaa, nu waakengo pota woni.

[ti husukoː faː pi wamaːpiː, mi hikoː puː ŋe pi wisaː, nu waːkeŋo pota woni]

ti
but
husuk
arise
-oː
not.Q
faː
PAST
pi
the
w-
sing
amaːpiː
langname
mi
RELPRON
hik
be
-oː
not.Q
puː
GEN
ŋe
1incl.plur
pi
the
w-
sing
isaː
language
nu
in
w-
sing
aːkeŋo
manner
p-
sing
ota
different
w-
sing
oni
inside

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

(11)

It was born whole and perfect in a single breath.

Piihohoo faa naa patoo ka ponguumu nu wiifikesii posi woni

[piːhohoː faː naː patoː ka poŋuːmu nu wiːfikesiː posi woni]

piːhoh
appear
-oː
not.Q
faː
PAST
naː
3.sing
p-
sing
atoː
whole
ka
and
p-
sing
oŋuːmu
perfect
nu
in
w-
sing
iːfikesiː
breath
p-
sing
osi
single
w-
sing
oni
inside

“It appeared whole and perfect in a single breath”

(12)

Our language did not evolve; it was created.

Wiipipoo faa loo nge pi wisaa.

[wiːpipoː faː loː ŋe pi wisaː]

wiːpip
evolve
-oː
not.Q
faː
PAST
loː
NEG
ŋe
1incl.plur
pi
the
w-
sing
isaː
language

“Our language did not evolve.”

(13)
Sasafoo faa naa.

[sasafoː faː naː]

sasaf
create
-oː
not.Q
faː
PAST
naː
3.sing

“It was created.”

(14)

Language creation took 0.04 seconds; writing the texts 0.03 seconds.

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