A Collection of Texts in Loewa

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.

[ɡʲɔfˠi dʲi ʃˠidʲy ho nʲœ ʒˠɑːdʲy fʲiːhɑ bˠɔ kˠɑ sˠɛː bˠɔ kˠukˠøːlʲi]

ɡʲɔ
have
-fˠi
not.COMP
dʲi
PAST
ʃˠi
human being
-dʲy
def
ho
all
nʲœ
in_surface
ʒˠɑː
earth
-dʲy
def
fʲiː
whole
-hɑ
LOC
bˠɔ
one
kˠɑ
language
sˠɛː
and
bˠɔ
one
kˠukˠøːlʲi
dialect

“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.

[nʲumˠefˠi dʲi ŋˠi kʲoː nʲeːdʲy]

nʲumˠe
journey
-fˠi
not.COMP
dʲi
PAST
ŋˠi
3.anim
kʲoː
from_inside
nʲeː
east
-dʲy
def

“They journeyed from the east.”

(2)

[sˠɛː pʲifˠi dʲi ŋˠi mʲejy mˠæfʲyːʃˠɑ zˠuː fʲæ mʲenʲɑ sʲyː]

sˠɛː
and
pʲi
find
-fˠi
not.COMP
dʲi
PAST
ŋˠi
3.anim
mʲe
a
-jy
anim
mˠæfʲyːʃˠɑ
plain
zˠuː
wide
fʲæ
in_inside
mʲe
a
-nʲɑ
inanim
sʲyː
land

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

(3)

[sˠubˠɔ kʷimʲœːfˠi dʲi ŋˠi pˠe]

sˠubˠɔ
thus
kʷimʲœː
dwell
-fˠi
not.COMP
dʲi
PAST
ŋˠi
3.anim
pˠe
there

“Thus they dwelled there.”

(4)

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

[pʲɑfˠi dʲi ŋˠi ɡʷɑː ʒˠyzʲøŋˠu zʲødˠu lʲi sˠɛː ɡʷɑː ʒˠyzʲøŋˠu sˠɔːdˠu lʲi sʲæʃˠo]

pʲɑ
say
-fˠi
not.COMP
dʲi
PAST
ŋˠi
3.anim
ɡʷɑː
1incl
ʒˠyzʲøŋˠu
brick
zʲø
make
-dˠu
COMP
lʲi
imperative
sˠɛː
and
ɡʷɑː
1incl
ʒˠyzʲøŋˠu
brick
sˠɔː
burn
-dˠu
COMP
lʲi
imperative
sʲæʃˠo
thoroughly

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

(5)

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

[ɡʲɔfˠi dʲi ŋˠi ʒˠyzʲøŋˠu ɡʲæmʲœ ʒʲau]

ɡʲɔ
have
-fˠi
not.COMP
dʲi
PAST
ŋˠi
3.anim
ʒˠyzʲøŋˠu
brick
ɡʲæmʲœ
PURP
ʒʲau
stone

“They had bricks for stone.”

(6)

[sˠɛː ɡʲɔfˠi dʲi ŋˠi bʲuŋʲœlˠy ɡʲæmʲœ ɡʷizˠiːwʲy]

sˠɛː
and
ɡʲɔ
have
-fˠi
not.COMP
dʲi
PAST
ŋˠi
3.anim
bʲuŋʲœlˠy
slime
ɡʲæmʲœ
PURP
ɡʷizˠiːwʲy
mortar

“And they had slime for mortar.”

(7)

A Creation Myth

We are not like other people.

[t͡ʃyɡʷiːfˠi pˠy ɡʷɑː ʃˠi nʲo]

t͡ʃyɡʷiː
resemble
-fˠi
not.COMP
pˠy
NEG
ɡʷɑː
1incl
ʃˠi
human being
nʲo
other

“We do not resemble other humans.”

(8)

Their languages were shaped by struggle and time.

[wʲɑdʲifˠi dʲi fʲɔː sˠɛː ʒˠu ŋˠi kˠɑdʲy]

wʲɑdʲi
shape
-fˠi
not.COMP
dʲi
PAST
fʲɔː
fight
sˠɛː
and
ʒˠu
time
ŋˠi
3.anim
kˠɑ
language
-dʲy
def

“Their languages were shaped by fight and time.”

(9)

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

[wʲibˠyfˠi dʲi ŋˠi tʲɑlʲoːfʲy sˠɛː dˠuː lˠidʲy]

wʲibˠy
copy
-fˠi
not.COMP
dʲi
PAST
ŋˠi
3.anim
tʲɑlʲoːfʲy
mammal
sˠɛː
and
dˠuː
bird
lˠi
sound
-dʲy
def

“They copied the sounds of mammals and birds.”

(10)

But our language arose in a different way.

[dˠɛː zˠiŋʷɛfˠi dʲi lʲœːwˠædʲy, ɡʲo zˠifˠi ɡʷɑː kˠɑdʲy, fʲæ mʲenʲɑ zˠøŋʲæ ʒˠihɑ]

dˠɛː
but
zˠiŋʷɛ
arise
-fˠi
not.COMP
dʲi
PAST
lʲœːwˠæ
langname
-dʲy,
def
ɡʲo
RELPRON
zˠi
be
-fˠi
not.COMP
ɡʷɑː
1incl
kˠɑ
language
-dʲy,
def
fʲæ
in_inside
mʲe
a
-nʲɑ
inanim
zˠøŋʲæ
manner
ʒˠi
different
-hɑ
LOC

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

(11)

It was born whole and perfect in a single breath.

[ɡˠælˠufˠi dʲi ŋˠi fʲiː sˠɛː kʷifˠuː fʲæ mʲejy t͡ʃimˠøjɑ wʲɔihɑ]

ɡˠælˠu
appear
-fˠi
not.COMP
dʲi
PAST
ŋˠi
3.anim
fʲiː
whole
sˠɛː
and
kʷifˠuː
perfect
fʲæ
in_inside
mʲe
a
-jy
anim
t͡ʃimˠøjɑ
breath
wʲɔi
single
-hɑ
LOC

“It appeared whole and perfect in a single breath”

(12)

Our language did not evolve; it was created.

[tʲibˠɑfˠi dʲi pˠy ɡʷɑː kˠɑdʲy]

tʲibˠɑ
evolve
-fˠi
not.COMP
dʲi
PAST
pˠy
NEG
ɡʷɑː
1incl
kˠɑ
language
-dʲy
def

“Our language did not evolve.”

(13)

[dˠiɡˠaufˠi dʲi ŋˠi]

dˠiɡˠau
create
-fˠi
not.COMP
dʲi
PAST
ŋˠi
3.anim

“It was created.”

(14)

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

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