A Collection of Texts in Fo

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.

Hiqu ngungw gquoong quääsh ngwơch ngweesh mưch ngwơn was gquơngw bogk bygwyf gquơngw.

[hikʷ ŋuŋʷ kʼʷoːŋ kʷæːʃ ŋʷɤt͡ʃ ŋʷeːʃ mɯt͡ʃ ŋʷɤn ʋɑs kʼʷɤŋʷ bokʼ bɨɡʷɨf kʼʷɤŋʷ]

k-
POS
hikʷ
have
ŋuŋʷ
PAST
kʼʷoːŋ
all
kʷæːʃ
human being
ŋʷɤt͡ʃ
in
ŋʷeːʃ
whole
mɯt͡ʃ
earth
ŋʷɤn
surface
ʋɑs
language
kʼʷɤŋʷ
one
bokʼ
and
bɨɡʷɨf
dialect
kʼʷɤŋʷ
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.

Konguf ngungw guw hig chigk kɒngw.

[koŋuf ŋuŋʷ ɡuʋ hiɡ t͡ʃikʼ kɒŋʷ]

k-
POS
ɡʷoŋuf
journey
ŋuŋʷ
PAST
ɡuʋ
3.neut
hiɡ
from
t͡ʃikʼ
east
kɒŋʷ
inside

“They journeyed from the east.”

(2)
Bogk kii ngungw guw ruuqu fungwưgw ngwơch kyb kɒngw.

[bokʼ kiː ŋuŋʷ ɡuʋ ɾuːkʷ fuŋʷɯɡʷ ŋʷɤt͡ʃ kɨb kɒŋʷ]

bokʼ
and
k-
POS
ᵏǀiː
find
ŋuŋʷ
PAST
ɡuʋ
3.neut
ɾuːkʷ
wide
fuŋʷɯɡʷ
plain
ŋʷɤt͡ʃ
in
kɨb
land
kɒŋʷ
inside

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

(3)
Chutoch dihow ngungw guw gig.

[t͡ʃutot͡ʃ dihoʋ ŋuŋʷ ɡuʋ ɡiɡ]

t͡ʃutot͡ʃ
thus
k-
POS
dihoʋ
dwell
ŋuŋʷ
PAST
ɡuʋ
3.neut
ɡiɡ
there

“Thus they dwelled there.”

(4)

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

Kɒm ngungw guw ngwơơm kengefơygw bogk ngwơơm kiaygw menge synưưg.

[kɒm ŋuŋʷ ɡuʋ ŋʷɤːm keŋefɤɨɡʷ bokʼ ŋʷɤːm kiɑɨɡʷ meŋe sɨnɯːɡ]

k-
POS
kɒm
say
ŋuŋʷ
PAST
ɡuʋ
3.neut
ŋʷɤːm
1incl
k-
POS
meŋe
brick
-fɨ
make
-ɑɨɡʷ
imperative
bokʼ
and
ŋʷɤːm
1incl
k-
POS
t͡ʃiɾ
burn
-ɑɨɡʷ
imperative
meŋe
brick
sɨnɯːɡ
thoroughly

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

(5)

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

Hiqu ngungw guw menge dymưs nơr.

[hikʷ ŋuŋʷ ɡuʋ meŋe dɨmɯs nɤɾ]

k-
POS
hikʷ
have
ŋuŋʷ
PAST
ɡuʋ
3.neut
meŋe
brick
dɨmɯs
PURP
nɤɾ
stone

“They had bricks for stone.”

(6)
Bogk hiqu ngungw guw dɒshưg dymưs sofyqu.

[bokʼ hikʷ ŋuŋʷ ɡuʋ dɒʃɯɡ dɨmɯs sofɨkʷ]

bokʼ
and
k-
POS
hikʷ
have
ŋuŋʷ
PAST
ɡuʋ
3.neut
dɒʃɯɡ
slime
dɨmɯs
PURP
sofɨkʷ
mortar

“And they had slime for mortar.”

(7)

A Creation Myth

We are not like other people.

Gquwơchưk ngwơơm shequ quääsh.

[kʼʷʋɤt͡ʃɯk ŋʷɤːm ʃekʷ kʷæːʃ]

kʼʷ-
NEG
ʋet͡ʃɯk
resemble
ŋʷɤːm
1incl
ʃekʷ
other
kʷæːʃ
human being

“We do not resemble other humans.”

(8)

Their languages were shaped by struggle and time.

Kegwog ngungw wưs bogk gkơr guw was.

[keɡʷoɡ ŋuŋʷ ʋɯs bokʼ kʼɤɾ ɡuʋ ʋɑs]

k-
POS
kʼeɡʷoɡ
shape
ŋuŋʷ
PAST
ʋɯs
fight
bokʼ
and
kʼɤɾ
time
ɡuʋ
3.neut
ʋɑs
language

“Their languages were shaped by fight and time.”

(9)

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

Kơstưgk ngungw guw chyrɒs bogk gkingw ngwɒf.

[kɤstɯkʼ ŋuŋʷ ɡuʋ t͡ʃɨɾɒs bokʼ kʼiŋʷ ŋʷɒf]

k-
POS
ᵑǀestɯkʼ
copy
ŋuŋʷ
PAST
ɡuʋ
3.neut
t͡ʃɨɾɒs
mammal
bokʼ
and
kʼiŋʷ
bird
ŋʷɒf
sound

“They copied the sounds of mammals and birds.”

(10)

But our language arose in a different way.

Kuugk kưquưng ngungw fo kɒɒd ngwơơm was ngwơch sew chäw kɒngw.

[kuːkʼ kɯkʷɯŋ ŋuŋʷ fo kɒːd ŋʷɤːm ʋɑs ŋʷɤt͡ʃ seʋ t͡ʃæʋ kɒŋʷ]

kuːkʼ
but
k-
POS
kʼʷikʷɯŋ
arise
ŋuŋʷ
PAST
fo
langname
k-
POS
ʋɒːd
be
ŋʷɤːm
1incl
ʋɑs
language
ŋʷɤt͡ʃ
in
seʋ
different
t͡ʃæʋ
manner
kɒŋʷ
inside

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

(11)

It was born whole and perfect in a single breath.

Kisɒɒm ngungw wơt ngweesh bogk shumid ngwơch sưng gkängɒɒ kɒngw

[kisɒːm ŋuŋʷ ʋɤt ŋʷeːʃ bokʼ ʃumid ŋʷɤt͡ʃ sɯŋ kʼæŋɒː kɒŋʷ]

k-
POS
kisɒːm
appear
ŋuŋʷ
PAST
ʋɤt
3.masc
ŋʷeːʃ
whole
bokʼ
and
ʃumid
perfect
ŋʷɤt͡ʃ
in
sɯŋ
single
kʼæŋɒː
breath
kɒŋʷ
inside

“It appeared whole and perfect in a single breath”

(12)

Our language did not evolve; it was created.

Gqurɒnun ngungw ngwơơm was.

[kʼʷɾɒnun ŋuŋʷ ŋʷɤːm ʋɑs]

kʼʷ-
NEG
ɾɒnun
evolve
ŋuŋʷ
PAST
ŋʷɤːm
1incl
ʋɑs
language

“Our language did not evolve.”

(13)
Kaquưgqu ngungw wơt.

[kɑkʷɯkʼʷ ŋuŋʷ ʋɤt]

k-
POS
t͡ʃækʷɯkʼʷ
create
ŋuŋʷ
PAST
ʋɤt
3.masc

“It was created.”

(14)

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

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