Practice CJ text #2

[David D. Robertson]

Klahawiam,

Here's another very short text.  As promised, this is accompanied by

-a translation into English;
-a vocabulary list, with translations;
-notes on interesting points of the text; and
-reading-comprehension questions in Chinook Jargon.

Here we go, from _Kamloops Wawa_, "Besieged in Pekin by the Boxers", circa
1900...



TEXT:
1      Iawa Shaps mamuk halak aias laport kopa tawn.
2 Frinsh solshirs mamuk hilp klaska.  Iawa
3 drit skukum pu:  Ayu tawsan pu kopa iht minit.
4      Wik lili pi  kopit fait:  800 Boksirs
5 mimlus.  Kopit mokst nsaika solshirs mimlus,
6 pi tlun kakshit.



TRANSLATION:
1     Then the Japanese opened the gate to the city.
2 The French soldiers helped them.  Then
3 there was a fierce firefight:  Several thousands of shots per
minute.
4      Soon the battle was over:  800 Boxers
5 were dead.  Only two of our soldiers died,
6 and three were wounded.




VOCABULARY:
aias: big
aias laport: gate(s)
ayu: many
Boksirs: Boxers (Chinese who rose in violent resistance against
European occupiers)
drit: very
drit skukum: ferocious / fierce
fait:  battle
Frinsh: French
halak: open
hilp: help
iaka: its / " 's "
iawa: then (at that time)
ihpui: closed / shut
iht:  a / one
ikta?: which? / what?
ilihi:  country
kakshit: wounded / hit
kata?: how?
kilapai: return
kilapai wawa: answer
klaksta?: who? / who are?
klaska: them
kopa: to / in
kopit: finished / only
kwanisim: always be / stay / remain
kwanisim ihpui: remain closed
k'o: reach / get (in)to
laport: door(s)
lili:  a long time / lasting a long time
maika: you [when addressing only one person]
mamuk: cause / make
mimlus: dead / die
minit: minute
mokst: two
nsaika: our (here:  Europeans')
pi:  and
pu:  gunshot(s) / shooting / gunbattle
pus: if / for (in order to)
Shaps: Japanese
skukum: forceful
solshirs: soldiers
stotkin: 8
takmunak: 100
tawn: city (Beijing, in this case)
tawsan: thousand(s)
tiki:  want
tilikom: people / nationality
tlus: good
tlus pus: ought to / should / please (giving a command / making a
request)
tlus pus maika kilapai wawa: Please answer

tlun: three
ukuk: this / that
wawa: tell / say
wik: not
wik lili: not long (until / since)
wik lili pi: soon



NOTES:
1A <iawa>: In _Kamloops Wawa_,  this word can mean "then", "at that
time".  Its basic meaning is "there", "at that place".  Can you see the
connection between these two meanings?

1B <Shaps>: This word came from English as spoken around
Kamloops, British Columbia.  How can we tell that this was taken from
informal, rather than "proper", English?

1C <aias laport>: Can you explain how <aias> and <laport> combine to
mean "gates (of a big city)"?

2A  <Frinsh>: This word also comes from regional English.  A more strictly
Chinook Jargon form would be <pasayuks>.

2B  <hilp>: This is another English-influenced form.  The more strictly
Chinook Jargon form would be <ilahan>.

3A "there was
":  No word in this sentence means "there was".  Instead, this
idea is expressed by simply saying *what* there was:  "Drit skukum pu".
Sometimes, you can express "there is / was / will be" in this sense ("there
exists" something) by using the verb <mitlait>, whose basic meaning is "be
located somewhere / have something".  Can you explain how <drit> combines
with <skukum> to mean "ferocious" or "fierce"?

3B <tawsan>, <minit>:  Both of these are influenced by regional English, but
are there any better alternatives in strictly Chinook Jargon vocabulary?

4 <wik lili pi>: Can you explain how <wik>, <lili>, and <pi> work
together to mean "soon"?

6 <kakshit>: The basic meaning of this word is "beat / hit / break (by
hitting) / broken".  Can you explain how this developed into the extended
meaning "wounded" seen in this text?


TLUS PUS MAIKA KILAPAI WAWA (questions about the text):
1  Klaksta fait pus k'o kopa tawn?

2 Ikta ilihi iaka solshirs, klaska mamuk hilp Shaps?

3 Klaksta tilikom, klaska tiki aias laport kwanisim ihpui?

4 Kata maika wawa "800" kopa Chinuk Wawa?

5 Lili ukuk aias fait?


MISCELLANEOUS NOTE:
I've tried to use good Chinook Jargon, following the rules of the variety
you'll find in the old _Kamloops Wawa_ newspaper.  There are some
differences between this variety and others, but none big enough to cause
misunderstandings.  --  Dave Robertson