A Collection of Texts in Gaib

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.

[t͡ʃu mɯ bo ŋotɯ̰ fu soɡa ŋɤ ɓɤfḭ ŋotɯ̰ fa t͡ʃa̰bḭ t͡ʃau taiʃḭ hḛ t͡ʃau ninofḭ]

t͡ʃu
then

have
bo
PAST
ŋo
the
-tɯ̰
NOM
fu
all
soɡ
human being
-a
plur
ŋɤ
in
ɓɤf
surface
-ḭ
sing
ŋo
the
-tɯ̰
NOM
fa
whole
t͡ʃa̰b
earth
-ḭ
sing
t͡ʃau
one
taiʃ
language
-ḭ
sing
hḛ
and
t͡ʃau
one
ninof
dialect
-ḭ
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.

[ŋʷesḛʃḛ bo maino̰ ɡʷɯ taisḭ ŋotɯ̰ faiɡʷḭ]

ŋʷesḛʃḛ
journey
bo
PAST
m-
plur
aino̰
3.plur
ɡʷɯ
from
tais
inside
-ḭ
sing
ŋo
the
-tɯ̰
NOM
faiɡʷ
east
-ḭ
sing

“They journeyed from the east.”

(2)

[t͡ʃu nɤ bo maino̰ ɡase toŋunḭ ŋɤ taisḭ temḭ]

t͡ʃu
then

find
bo
PAST
m-
plur
aino̰
3.plur
ɡase
wide
toŋun
plain
-ḭ
sing
ŋɤ
in
tais
inside
-ḭ
sing
tem
land
-ḭ
sing

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

(3)

[hina̰ ɡʷomɤŋɤ bo maino̰ kɯ]

hina̰
thus
ɡʷomɤŋɤ
dwell
bo
PAST
m-
plur
aino̰
3.plur

there

“Thus they dwelled there.”

(4)

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

[sa̰ bo maino̰ ɡʷimeha mḭʃa tai bɯ ne hḛ ɡʷimeha mḭʃa ni bɯ ne ɡɯ̰ɓu]

sa̰
say
bo
PAST
m-
plur
aino̰
3.plur
ɡʷimeh
brick
-a
plur
m-
plur
ḭʃa
1incl.plur
tai
make

imperative
ne
COMP
hḛ
and
ɡʷimeh
brick
-a
plur
m-
plur
ḭʃa
1incl.plur
ni
burn

imperative
ne
COMP
ɡɯ̰ɓu
thoroughly

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

(5)

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

[mɯ bo maino̰ ɡʷimehḭ ŋat͡ʃa mihḭ]


have
bo
PAST
m-
plur
aino̰
3.plur
ɡʷimeh
brick
-ḭ
sing
ŋat͡ʃa
PURP
mih
stone
-ḭ
sing

“They had bricks for stone.”

(6)

[hḛ mɯ bo maino̰ kʷakʷidḭ ŋat͡ʃa niɓikʷḭ]

hḛ
and

have
bo
PAST
m-
plur
aino̰
3.plur
kʷakʷid
slime
-ḭ
sing
ŋat͡ʃa
PURP
niɓikʷ
mortar
-ḭ
sing

“And they had slime for mortar.”

(7)

A Creation Myth

We are not like other people.

[t͡ʃu ŋʷot͡ʃanu hɯ̰ mḭʃa he soɡa]

t͡ʃu
then
ŋʷot͡ʃanu
resemble
hɯ̰
NEG
m-
plur
ḭʃa
1incl.plur
he
other
soɡ
human being
-a
plur

“We do not resemble other humans.”

(8)

Their languages were shaped by struggle and time.

[hɤsimɯ̰ bo ʃikḭ hḛ ŋʷauʃḭ ŋotɯ̰ taiʃa ka maino̰]

hɤsimɯ̰
shape
bo
PAST
ʃik
fight
-ḭ
sing
hḛ
and
ŋʷauʃ
time
-ḭ
sing
ŋo
the
-tɯ̰
NOM
taiʃ
language
-a
plur
ka
3.plur.POSS
m-
plur
aino̰
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.

[dɯbaiɓi bo maino̰ ŋotɯ̰ kʷɤɓa ka foʃḛna hḛ dɯt͡ʃa]

dɯbaiɓi
copy
bo
PAST
m-
plur
aino̰
3.plur
ŋo
the
-tɯ̰
NOM
kʷɤɓ
sound
-a
plur
ka
3.plur.POSS
foʃḛn
mammal
-a
plur
hḛ
and
dɯt͡ʃ
bird
-a
plur

“They copied the sounds of mammals and birds.”

(10)

But our language arose in a different way.

[t͡ʃu ʃifeɓḛ bo kau ŋotɯ̰ ɡaibḭ ŋotɯ̰ taiʃḭ sɯ̰ ŋɤ taisḭ t͡ʃaŋʷo̰ kʷadḭ]

t͡ʃu
then
ʃifeɓḛ
arise
bo
PAST
kau
be
ŋo
the
-tɯ̰
NOM
ɡaib
langname
-ḭ
sing
ŋo
the
-tɯ̰
NOM
taiʃ
language
-ḭ
sing
sɯ̰
1incl.plur.POSS
ŋɤ
in
tais
inside
-ḭ
sing
t͡ʃaŋʷo̰
different
kʷad
manner
-ḭ
sing

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

(11)

It was born whole and perfect in a single breath.

[t͡ʃu ɓɤɡʷɯ̰be bo soŋʷa fa hḛ heŋedi ŋɤ taisḭ kʷemu dḛʃauɡḭ]

t͡ʃu
then
ɓɤɡʷɯ̰be
appear
bo
PAST
s-
sing
oŋʷa
3.sing
fa
whole
hḛ
and
heŋedi
perfect
ŋɤ
in
tais
inside
-ḭ
sing
kʷemu
single
dḛʃauɡ
breath
-ḭ
sing

“It appeared whole and perfect in a single breath”

(12)

Our language did not evolve; it was created.

[ɡḭt͡ʃimɯ bo hɯ̰ ŋotɯ̰ taiʃḭ sɯ̰]

ɡḭt͡ʃimɯ
evolve
bo
PAST
hɯ̰
NEG
ŋo
the
-tɯ̰
NOM
taiʃ
language
-ḭ
sing
sɯ̰
1incl.plur.POSS

“Our language did not evolve.”

(13)

[ɡeɓa̰ŋʷɤ bo soŋʷa]

ɡeɓa̰ŋʷɤ
create
bo
PAST
s-
sing
oŋʷa
3.sing

“It was created.”

(14)

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

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