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A Collection of Texts in Lish

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.

Dríde li fé nede sís’a nefé díde safe txy ñynre hi fý d’as’áse hi.

[ɖiːde li feː nede siːsˤa nefeː diːde safe t͡ʃə̃ ɲə̃ɳe hi fə̃ː dˤasˤaːse hi]

ɖiː
have -de
indicative li
PAST feː
the ne
all -de
indicative siːsˤ
human being -a
plur ne-
fem feː
the diː
whole -de
indicative saf
earth -e
sing t͡ʃə̃
in_surface ɲə̃ɳ
language -e
sing hi
one fə̃ː
and dˤasˤaːs
dialect -e
sing hi
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.

Ñun’údo li n’i nefé hydahe nre.

[ɲunˤuːdo li nˤi nefeː hə̃dahe ɳe]

ɲunˤuː
journey -do
indicative li
PAST nˤi
3.plur.fem ne-
fem feː
the hə̃d
east -ah
LOC -e
sing ɳe
from_inside

“They journeyed from the east.”

 (2)
Fý káde li n’i ly tíde drañulo nely srunahe ty.

[fə̃ː kaːde li nˤi lə̃ tiːde ɖaɲulo nelə̃ ʂunahe tə̃]

fə̃ː
and kaː
find -de
indicative li
PAST nˤi
3.plur.fem lə̃
a tiː
wide -de
indicative ɖaɲul
plain -o
sing ne-
fem lə̃
a ʂun
land -ah
LOC -e
sing tə̃
in_inside

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

 (3)
S’ad’é jatxáde li n’i d’á.

[sˤadˤeː jat͡ʃaːde li nˤi dˤaː]

sˤadˤeː
thus jat͡ʃaː
dwell -de
indicative li
PAST nˤi
3.plur.fem dˤaː
there

“Thus they dwelled there.”

 (4)

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

Nródo li n’i rrelatxisata ni my fý játa rrelatxa nrañi ni my.

[ɳoːdo li nˤi ɽelat͡ʃisata ni mə̃ fə̃ː jaːta ɽelat͡ʃa ɳaɲi ni mə̃]

ɳoː
say -do
indicative li
PAST nˤi
3.plur.fem ɽelat͡ʃ
brick -isa
make -ta
imperative ni
3.sing.fem.POSS mə̃
1incl.plur fə̃ː
and jaː
burn -ta
imperative ɽelat͡ʃ
brick -a
plur ɳaɲi
thoroughly ni
3.sing.fem.POSS mə̃
1incl.plur

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

 (5)

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

Dríde li n’i rrelatxe drydahe d’arrú.

[ɖiːde li nˤi ɽelat͡ʃe ɖə̃dahe dˤaɽuː]

ɖiː
have -de
indicative li
PAST nˤi
3.plur.fem ɽelat͡ʃ
brick -e
sing ɖə̃d
stone -ah
LOC -e
sing dˤaɽuː
PURP

“They had bricks for stone.”

 (6)
Fý dríde li n’i kanubo d’atovahe d’arrú.

[fə̃ː ɖiːde li nˤi kanubo dˤatoʋahe dˤaɽuː]

fə̃ː
and ɖiː
have -de
indicative li
PAST nˤi
3.plur.fem kanub
slime -o
sing dˤatoʋ
mortar -ah
LOC -e
sing dˤaɽuː
PURP

“And they had slime for mortar.”

 (7)

A Creation Myth

We are not like other people.

D’a d’uñudo my nréde sís’a.

[dˤa dˤuɲudo mə̃ ɳeːde siːsˤa]

dˤa
NEG dˤuɲu
resemble -do
indicative mə̃
1incl.plur ɳeː
other -de
indicative siːsˤ
human being -a
plur

“We do not resemble other humans.”

 (8)

Their languages were shaped by struggle and time.

Jafáde li nibe fý natxe da nefé ñynra n’i.

[jafaːde li nibe fə̃ː nat͡ʃe da nefeː ɲə̃ɳa nˤi]

jafaː
shape -de
indicative li
PAST nib
fight -e
sing fə̃ː
and nat͡ʃ
time -e
sing da
3.plur.fem.POSS ne-
fem feː
the ɲə̃ɳ
language -a
plur nˤi
3.plur.fem

“Their languages were shaped by fight and time.”

 (9)

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

S’oxudo li n’i he nefé txoma jad’arra fý txifa.

[sˤoʃudo li nˤi he nefeː t͡ʃoma jadˤaɽa fə̃ː t͡ʃifa]

sˤoʃu
copy -do
indicative li
PAST nˤi
3.plur.fem he
3.plur.masc.POSS ne-
fem feː
the t͡ʃom
sound -a
plur jadˤaɽ
mammal -a
plur fə̃ː
and t͡ʃif
bird -a
plur

“They copied the sounds of mammals and birds.”

 (10)

But our language arose in a different way.

Kó fujudo li sride s’i nefé ñynre fé líxe nely kéde tryqe ty.

[koː fujudo li ʂide sˤi nefeː ɲə̃ɳe feː liːʃe nelə̃ keːde ʈə̃kʼe tə̃]

koː
but fuju
arise -do
indicative li
PAST ʂi
be -de
indicative sˤi
1incl.plur.POSS ne-
fem feː
the ɲə̃ɳ
language -e
sing feː
the liːʃ
langname -e
sing ne-
fem lə̃
a keː
different -de
indicative ʈə̃kʼ
manner -e
sing tə̃
in_inside

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

 (11)

It was born whole and perfect in a single breath.

Tosródo li d’u díde fý ximade nely núdo lumúlo ty

[toʂoːdo li dˤu diːde fə̃ː ʃimade nelə̃ nuːdo lumuːlo tə̃]

toʂoː
appear -do
indicative li
PAST dˤu
3.sing.fem diː
whole -de
indicative fə̃ː
and ʃima
perfect -de
indicative ne-
fem lə̃
a nuː
single -do
indicative lumuːl
breath -o
sing tə̃
in_inside

“It appeared whole and perfect in a single breath”

 (12)

Our language did not evolve; it was created.

D’a sifade li s’i nefé ñynre.

[dˤa sifade li sˤi nefeː ɲə̃ɳe]

dˤa
NEG sifa
evolve -de
indicative li
PAST sˤi
1incl.plur.POSS ne-
fem feː
the ɲə̃ɳ
language -e
sing

“Our language did not evolve.”

 (13)
Badyde li d’u.

[badə̃de li dˤu]

badə̃
create -de
indicative li
PAST dˤu
3.sing.fem

“It was created.”

 (14)

Language creation took 0.02 seconds; writing the texts 0.04 seconds.

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