Unlocking the secret sounds of language

[Richard Smith]

Mia,
Yeah that guy at that mission really got under my skin too
Plus he didn't even mention to me that the goat always had birthing
troubles....

    (slash l)izhin...
It never dawned on me that the name for "goat" might be related to the color
we call "black"        t'oh daaht'si  (maybe!)
And as the descriptive words for coins, like: (slash-l)ichiiegii'
(the red one) "penny"
Or the geometric: Hoghan nimazii  (house-the round kind)

It might be Navajo slang...but I like the word used for "elephant"
which I guess roughly translates as "the one who ropes his food"

Or one slang used for balogna :  "ghámalii bi kwos" (mormon neck)

I like the Navajo tongue twisters the best
But I'd have one heck of a time spelling them
Without being able to type slashed ls !
richard

On 5/9/06 11:12 AM, "Mia Kalish" <MiaKalish at LEARNINGFORPEOPLE.US> wrote:

> What a great story! I had to remind myself at several places that this was
> you writing, because it seemed like a fiction novel. :-) Super storytelling.
> 
> 
> But your story reveals an assumption most people just slide over, one that
> says, In order to get good jobs, you have to speak English and live in a big
> city. With the internet, and with the improving awareness of the importance
> and value of language and culture, this is no longer true :-)
> 
> Great story, Richard! T'lizii jaadi. Actually, though, I don't think that
> t'lizii has much to do with the English "goat"; but it has everything to do
> with the English "dark brown". Barred-l-izhin is black. :-). This is another
> way in which words have deep relational connections.
> 
> mia