A Collection of Texts in Kir

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.

[t͡ʃəːɲ ɡakʼ ɡʷapɨkʼ tauɡat ɓarɨt kʼamak pauɓɨt kɨt͡ɕ sənət kʼʷɨːɡ taib ɡakaɡʷɨt kʼʷɨːɡ]

t͡ʃəːɲ
have
ɡakʼ
PAST
ɡʷap
all
-ɨkʼ
plur
tauɡ
human being
-a
plur
-t
NOM
ɓar
surface

sing
-t
NOM
kʼam
whole
-ak
sing
pauɓ
earth

sing
-t
NOM
kɨt͡ɕ
in
sən
language

sing
-t
NOM
kʼʷɨːɡ
one
taib
and
ɡakaɡʷ
dialect

sing
-t
NOM
kʼʷɨːɡ
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.

[ʃaʃɨt ɡakʼ kaːkʷ paujɨt taut͡ʃɨt t͡ʃəːk]

ʃaʃɨt
journey
ɡakʼ
PAST
kaːkʷ
3.plur
pauj
inside

sing
-t
NOM
taut͡ʃ
east

sing
-t
NOM
t͡ʃəːk
from

“They journeyed from the east.”

(2)

[taib ɓɨj ɡakʼ kaːkʷ ɲəlak makʼʷɨdɨt paujɨt lɨsɨt kɨt͡ɕ]

taib
and
ɓɨj
find
ɡakʼ
PAST
kaːkʷ
3.plur
ɲəl
wide
-ak
sing
makʼʷɨd
plain

sing
-t
NOM
pauj
inside

sing
-t
NOM
lɨs
land

sing
-t
NOM
kɨt͡ɕ
in

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

(3)

[hədəf fɨbat͡ʃ ɡakʼ kaːkʷ ʃən]

hɨdəf
thus
fɨbat͡ʃ
dwell
ɡakʼ
PAST
kaːkʷ
3.plur
ʃən
there

“Thus they dwelled there.”

(4)

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

[kʼaw ɡakʼ kaːkʷ ɡɨkʼ ʃɨkʼʷ ɓam kʼʷɨs tɨɓ ɓat͡ʃabat taib ɡɨkʼ maf ɓam kʼʷɨs tɨɓ ɓat͡ʃabat kanəkʼ]

kʼaw
say
ɡakʼ
PAST
kaːkʷ
3.plur
ɡɨkʼ
COMP
ʃɨkʼʷ
make
ɓam
imperative
kʼʷɨs
1incl.plur.SUBJ
tɨɓ
1incl.plur
ɓat͡ʃab
brick
-a
plur
-t
NOM
taib
and
ɡɨkʼ
COMP
maf
burn
ɓam
imperative
kʼʷɨs
1incl.plur.SUBJ
tɨɓ
1incl.plur
ɓat͡ʃab
brick
-a
plur
-t
NOM
kanəkʼ
thoroughly

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

(5)

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

[t͡ʃəːɲ ɡakʼ kaːkʷ ɓat͡ʃabɨt lakʷɨt hɨlaɡʷ]

t͡ʃəːɲ
have
ɡakʼ
PAST
kaːkʷ
3.plur
ɓat͡ʃab
brick

sing
-t
NOM
lakʷ
stone

sing
-t
NOM
hɨlaɡʷ
PURP

“They had bricks for stone.”

(6)

[taib t͡ʃəːɲ ɡakʼ kaːkʷ ɲapɨɲɨt hakʼəbət hɨlaɡʷ]

taib
and
t͡ʃəːɲ
have
ɡakʼ
PAST
kaːkʷ
3.plur
ɲapɨɲ
slime

sing
-t
NOM
hakʼəb
mortar

sing
-t
NOM
hɨlaɡʷ
PURP

“And they had slime for mortar.”

(7)

A Creation Myth

We are not like other people.

[hakʼʷat͡ʃ hɨl tɨɓ dəjəkʼ tauɡat]

hakʼʷat͡ʃ
resemble
hɨl
NEG
tɨɓ
1incl.plur
dəj
other
-ɨkʼ
plur
tauɡ
human being
-a
plur
-t
NOM

“We do not resemble other humans.”

(8)

Their languages were shaped by struggle and time.

[pakʼat͡ʃ ɡakʼ kʷat͡ɕɨt taib ʃamɨt sənat pɨkʼʷ kaːkʷ]

pakʼat͡ʃ
shape
ɡakʼ
PAST
kʷat͡ɕ
fight

sing
-t
NOM
taib
and
ʃam
time

sing
-t
NOM
sən
language
-a
plur
-t
NOM
pɨkʼʷ
3.plur.POSS
kaːkʷ
3.plur

“Their languages were shaped by fight and time.”

(9)

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

[ʃamaf ɡakʼ kaːkʷ laːkʼʷat pɨkʼʷ tajaːdat taib hat͡ɕat]

ʃamaf
copy
ɡakʼ
PAST
kaːkʷ
3.plur
laːkʼʷ
sound
-a
plur
-t
NOM
pɨkʼʷ
3.plur.POSS
tajaːd
mammal
-a
plur
-t
NOM
taib
and
hat͡ɕ
bird
-a
plur
-t
NOM

“They copied the sounds of mammals and birds.”

(10)

But our language arose in a different way.

[ɡaiɲ nakʼʷat ɡakʼ kʷɨrɨt, ʃait t͡ɕaud sənət t͡ʃak, paujɨt kaːɲak sələt kɨt͡ɕ]

ɡaiɲ
but
nakʼʷat
arise
ɡakʼ
PAST
kʷɨr
langname

sing
-t
NOM
ʃait
RELPRON
t͡ɕaud
be
sən
language

sing
-t
NOM
t͡ʃak
1incl.plur.POSS
pauj
inside

sing
-t
NOM
kaːɲ
different
-ak
sing
səl
manner

sing
-t
NOM
kɨt͡ɕ
in

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

(11)

It was born whole and perfect in a single breath.

[mahɨw ɡakʼ tɨt͡ɕ kʼamak taib kʷat͡ʃɨɡak paujɨt ɓat͡ʃak ɲafasɨt kɨt͡ɕ]

mahɨw
appear
ɡakʼ
PAST
tɨt͡ɕ
3.sing
kʼam
whole
-ak
sing
taib
and
kʷat͡ʃɨɡ
perfect
-ak
sing
pauj
inside

sing
-t
NOM
ɓat͡ʃ
single
-ak
sing
ɲafas
breath

sing
-t
NOM
kɨt͡ɕ
in

“It appeared whole and perfect in a single breath”

(12)

Our language did not evolve; it was created.

[sakʼʷaiɲ ɡakʼ hɨl sənət t͡ʃak]

sakʼʷaiɲ
evolve
ɡakʼ
PAST
hɨl
NEG
sən
language

sing
-t
NOM
t͡ʃak
1incl.plur.POSS

“Our language did not evolve.”

(13)

[narət͡ʃ ɡakʼ tɨt͡ɕ]

narət͡ʃ
create
ɡakʼ
PAST
tɨt͡ɕ
3.sing

“It was created.”

(14)

Language creation took 0.02 seconds; writing the texts 0.03 seconds.

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