"ikta kata" in _Kamloops Wawa_

[David D. Robertson]

Jim,

Aias mirsi pus maika cim.  Yes indeed, Grand Ronde /ikta qhata/ means
specifically "is anything the matter?" or "what's the matter?"  (Thanks
also to an anonymous correspondent who wished to reinforce that point.)  I
mean to say that the _Kamloops Wawa_ form <ikta kata> might have a similar
sense, but not necessarily an identical one; it's hard to know, as I've
never yet found another occurrence of it.

The similar meaning that I've guessed at is "what's going on", based on the
knowledge that reading a good deal of K.W. has given me:  <ikta> can
mean "what?" or "something" or "anything", and <kata> can mean "how?"
or "how it is with someone/something" or "any way".  A fascinating point is
that perhaps K.W. and Grand Ronde Jargon independently created idiomatic
phrases using these two words in the same order, but with different
meanings.  Compare British English "knock up" with the meaning in American
English of the same phrase!

A very literal gloss of the relevant clause from K.W. might be "no-how we-
more-know what how at-outside".  Now, I've connected with hyphens the
elements that I feel sure work together to form constituents of the clause;
for example, "no-how" (<wik kata>) is a construction I'm familiar with from
its numerous appearances in K.W., and "we-more-know" (<nsaika wiht
komtaks>) is clearly a verbal complex.  This is a pretty good way to tackle
a Jargon sentence that's not clear to you at first blush.  What's left
unparsed after this start is the two words we're discussing here, and it
seems most likely that <ikta kata> here is the direct object of the verbal
complex.  If so, we've got to figure out a plausible meaning for it as an
object, taking the context into account.

The background of the sentence I quoted is a narrative, about 4 years after
the fact, of a French Catholic bishop's experience under siege in the Boxer
Rebellion in Peking, China.  I assume the narrative was translated into
Jargon by the editor of K.W., Father Le Jeune.

Based on the preceding, I read the K.W. <ikta kata> as "what's
happening", "anything being any way".  No implication of a problem, though
horrible problems were happening outside the bishop's besieged house.

--Dave


On Wed, 18 Sep 2002 20:29:58 -0700, Jim Holton <jim at ADISOFT-INC.COM> wrote:

>Dave, doesn't "ikta-qhata" sort of indicate there's a problem?  I am
>kind of interested in the translation of "wik kata" as "could not."  I
>am more interesting in what people where doing speaking CJ in China.
> Maybe you could give us the background? Hayash masi, Jim
>
>
>
>David D. Robertson wrote:
>
>>This was kind of interesting to find in _Kamloops Wawa_.
>>
>>>>From a page titled "Besieged in Pekin by the Boxers [page] 83", we have
>>
>>"Alta nsaika drit skukum haws:  wik kata nsaika wiht komtaks ikta kata
kopa
>>klahani."
>>
>>("Now ours was really a prison house:  We could no longer know what was
>>going on outside.")
>>
>>If my interpretation of this sentence is appropriate, <ikta kata> here is
>>the equivalent of the characteristic Grand Ronde Jargon /ikta qhata/
>>meaning "what's up?".
>>
>>