James Teit writing in CJ (fwd from L Riding)

[David Robertson]

Leanne Riding [whose email to the list failed, so I'm forwarding it] wrote:

Here's my go at it:

"A little while ago I got a letter from my friend Magnus Jamieson
who resides in Levenwick, and he says to me: 'Really good if I
visit him this winter, and stay also.' A little while ago he
slaughtered a bull and he bought many dry fish, so has lots of
food, and he'd like me and him to eat it all.  He fished all this
last summer, but he scarcely made money, so he
says not sure when he'll marry.  I know his mind --
he prefers my company, and wants to have a good time with me after.
And I think he errs, as he won't get a wife quickly, if I'm first.
I hear folks caught lots of fish in Shetland this summer. Really
great, if always thus, even better. Soon I'll go to sleep so I'll
finish this letter now."

-- Leanne (http://timetemple.com)


On Monday, August 30, 2004, at 09:53 , David Robertson wrote:

> Here's a challenge for all of you: some Chinook to try & translate.
>
> Thanks to Dr. Wendy Wickwire for passing along an article by Roy
> Gronneberg, "James Teit--friend of the Indians" that appeared in
> the "New
> Shetlander", no. 126 (Yule number) 1978, pages 28-29.  I'd never
> heard of
> this piece!
>
> It includes a bit of a letter dated Dec. 20, 1902 from Teit to his
> friend
> Haldane Burgess.  The letter accompanied a Chinook dictionary, so Teit
> wrote a paragraph in CJ for his friend to practice translating.
> The part
> that's in CJ goes like this (apostrophes = accent marks;
> square-bracketed
> stuff = Teit's own translation of a word):
>
> "Tena's a'nkotte na'ika tlap pe'pa ko'pa na'ika tellekom Magnus
> Jamieson
> kla'sla [WHO] me'tlait ko'pa Levenwik, pe ya'ka wa'wa kopa naika:
> 'Hai'as
> tloos poos na'ika cha'ko kopa ya'ka o'kook kool, pe me'tlait
> konamokst.'
> Tena's a'nkotte ya'ka me'maloost ight mo'osmoos pe ya'ka huihui
> haiyu' dlai
> pish, ka'kwa yaka stop [HAS] haiyu' mo'kamok, pe ya'ka te'ke na'ika
> ko'namokst ya'ka mo'kamok ko'nawe.  Ya'ka ma'mook pish ko'nawe o'kook
> kapi't [LAST] warm, pe ya'ka tena's too'ls [GAIN] chi'kamen,
> ka'kwa ya'ka
> wa'wa tlona's le'le ya'ka meli-i'.  Naika komto'ks ya'ka to'mlon
> [HEART] --
> ya'ka te'ke e'lep kopa' na'ika, pe te'ke haiyu' hi'hi poos na'ika
> ki'mta.
> Pe na'ika to'mlon [THINK] ya'ka tsi'pi -- poos ya'ka he'lo i'skom
> kloo'tchman haia'k tlona's na'ika e'lep.  Na'ika kola'n te'llekom tlap
> haiia' [PLENTY] pish ko'pa Shetland o'kook warm.  Dlet tloos
> ka'kwa, poos
> kwa'nsem ka'kwa dlet e'lep tloos.  Wek le'le na'ika tla'tawa
> moo'sem ka'kwa
> na'ika ma'mook kapi't o'kook pe'pa a'lla [NOW]."
>
> What do you think Teit's saying here?
>
> --Dave R
>
> To respond to the CHINOOK list, click 'REPLY ALL'.  To respond
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>
>

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