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A Collection of Texts in Auma

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.

[xˠakʲu tʲa fʲə̃kʼʲi tʲɯ bˠa fʲiʃˠəkʼʲa ʃˠi ɽʲikʼʲa mʲai sˠa ɽʲisʲakʼʲikʼʲa mʲai]

xˠa
have -kʲ
indicative -u
not.COMP tʲa
PAST fʲ-
def ə̃
human being -kʼʲ
ABS -i
plur tʲɯ
all bˠa
in_surface fʲ-
def iʃˠə
earth -kʼʲ
ABS -a
sing ʃˠi
whole ɽʲ-
not.def i
language -kʼʲ
ABS -a
sing mʲai
one sˠa
and ɽʲ-
not.def isʲakʼʲi
dialect -kʼʲ
ABS -a
sing mʲai
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.

[pˠəɳʲikʲu tʲa t͡ʃi bʲə fʲiʃˠikʼʲa]

pˠəɳʲi
journey -kʲ
indicative -u
not.COMP tʲa
PAST t͡ʃi
3.plur bʲə
from_inside fʲ-
def iʃˠi
east -kʼʲ
ABS -a
sing

“They journeyed from the east.”

 (2)

[sˠa wʲikʲu tʲa t͡ʃi ɽʲəmʲabʲikʼʲa xʲawˠi bʲi ɽʲaɽˠakʼʲa]

sˠa
and wʲi
find -kʲ
indicative -u
not.COMP tʲa
PAST t͡ʃi
3.plur ɽʲ-
not.def əmʲabʲi
plain -kʼʲ
ABS -a
sing xʲawˠi
wide bʲi
in_inside ɽʲ-
not.def aɽˠa
land -kʼʲ
ABS -a
sing

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

 (3)

[bˠuɡʲa ɳʲikʲəkʲu tʲa t͡ʃi lˠə]

bˠuɡʲa
thus ɳʲikʲə
dwell -kʲ
indicative -u
not.COMP tʲa
PAST t͡ʃi
3.plur lˠə
there

“Thus they dwelled there.”

 (4)

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

[xʲikʲu tʲa t͡ʃi mˠau ɽʲiɓʲḭɓˠikʼʲi sˠaipˠa sˠa mˠau ɽʲiɓʲḭɓˠikʼʲi ʂʲaupˠa dʲəwʲi]

xʲi
say -kʲ
indicative -u
not.COMP tʲa
PAST t͡ʃi
3.plur mˠau
1incl.plur ɽʲ-
not.def iɓʲḭɓˠi
brick -kʼʲ
ABS -i
plur sˠai
make -pˠ
imperative -a
COMP sˠa
and mˠau
1incl.plur ɽʲ-
not.def iɓʲḭɓˠi
brick -kʼʲ
ABS -i
plur ʂʲau
burn -pˠ
imperative -a
COMP dʲəwʲi
thoroughly

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

 (5)

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

[xˠakʲu tʲa t͡ʃi ɽʲiɓʲḭɓˠikʼʲa ʈˠɯsˠɯ ɽʲaɽʲukʼʲa]

xˠa
have -kʲ
indicative -u
not.COMP tʲa
PAST t͡ʃi
3.plur ɽʲ-
not.def iɓʲḭɓˠi
brick -kʼʲ
ABS -a
sing ʈˠɯsˠɯ
PURP ɽʲ-
not.def aɽʲu
stone -kʼʲ
ABS -a
sing

“They had bricks for stone.”

 (6)

[sˠa xˠakʲu tʲa t͡ʃi ɽʲə̰kʼʲimʲikʼʲa ʈˠɯsˠɯ ɽʲaɡʲixˠukʼʲa]

sˠa
and xˠa
have -kʲ
indicative -u
not.COMP tʲa
PAST t͡ʃi
3.plur ɽʲ-
not.def ə̰kʼʲimʲi
slime -kʼʲ
ABS -a
sing ʈˠɯsˠɯ
PURP ɽʲ-
not.def aɡʲixˠu
mortar -kʼʲ
ABS -a
sing

“And they had slime for mortar.”

 (7)

A Creation Myth

We are not like other people.

[ɽˠḭnˠakʲu fʲi mˠau ɽʲə̃kʼʲi ʃʲa]

ɽˠḭnˠa
resemble -kʲ
indicative -u
not.COMP fʲi
NEG mˠau
1incl.plur ɽʲ-
not.def ə̃
human being -kʼʲ
ABS -i
plur ʃʲa
other

“We do not resemble other humans.”

 (8)

Their languages were shaped by struggle and time.

[ᵏǀʲaɓˠikʲu tʲa ɽʲaikʼʲa sˠa ɽʲuʃˠəkʼʲa t͡ʃi fʲikʼʲi]

ᵏǀʲaɓˠi
shape -kʲ
indicative -u
not.COMP tʲa
PAST ɽʲ-
not.def ai
fight -kʼʲ
ABS -a
sing sˠa
and ɽʲ-
not.def uʃˠə
time -kʼʲ
ABS -a
sing t͡ʃi
3.plur fʲ-
def i
language -kʼʲ
ABS -i
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.

[mʲiwʲikʲu tʲa t͡ʃi ɽʲaɳʲidʲḭkʼʲi sˠa ɽʲə̰kʼʲi fʲɯkʼʲi]

mʲiwʲi
copy -kʲ
indicative -u
not.COMP tʲa
PAST t͡ʃi
3.plur ɽʲ-
not.def aɳʲidʲḭ
mammal -kʼʲ
ABS -i
plur sˠa
and ɽʲ-
not.def ə̰
bird -kʼʲ
ABS -i
plur fʲ-
def ɯ
sound -kʼʲ
ABS -i
plur

“They copied the sounds of mammals and birds.”

 (10)

But our language arose in a different way.

[dˠai mʲəjakʲu tʲa fʲaumʲəkʼʲa mˠau fʲikʼʲa bˠɯkʲa bʲi ɽʲimʲəkʼʲa nˠiwˠa]

dˠai
but mʲəja
arise -kʲ
indicative -u
not.COMP tʲa
PAST fʲ-
def aumʲə
langname -kʼʲ
ABS -a
sing mˠau
1incl.plur fʲ-
def i
language -kʼʲ
ABS -a
sing bˠɯ
be -kʲ
indicative -a
COMP bʲi
in_inside ɽʲ-
not.def imʲə
manner -kʼʲ
ABS -a
sing nˠiwˠa
different

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

 (11)

It was born whole and perfect in a single breath.

[t͡ʃalˠukʲu tʲa jə ʃˠi sˠa ɡʲaɳʲaiɓʲa bʲi ɽʲikʲipˠakʼʲa kʼˠiʈʲa]

t͡ʃalˠu
appear -kʲ
indicative -u
not.COMP tʲa
PAST jə
3.sing ʃˠi
whole sˠa
and ɡʲaɳʲaiɓʲa
perfect bʲi
in_inside ɽʲ-
not.def ikʲipˠa
breath -kʼʲ
ABS -a
sing kʼˠiʈʲa
single

“It appeared whole and perfect in a single breath”

 (12)

Our language did not evolve; it was created.

[fʲə̰xˠəkʲu tʲa fʲi mˠau fʲikʼʲa]

fʲə̰xˠə
evolve -kʲ
indicative -u
not.COMP tʲa
PAST fʲi
NEG mˠau
1incl.plur fʲ-
def i
language -kʼʲ
ABS -a
sing

“Our language did not evolve.”

 (13)

[ʈˠuʂʲḭkʲu tʲa jə]

ʈˠuʂʲḭ
create -kʲ
indicative -u
not.COMP tʲa
PAST jə
3.sing

“It was created.”

 (14)

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