Verbs related to 'trying'

[jonathan.amith at yale.edu]

Gordon,

Here is my entry for the verb *yehyekowa, from Shoebox file. lxam is
Ameyaltepec, lxoa is Oapan.

\lxam iyekowa
\lxam_c kiyekowa
\lxoa yéyekówa
\lxoa_pr yeyekowa
\lxoa_c kí:yekówa; né:chiyekówa
\dt 04/Sep/2006
\lx_te No
\psm V2
\infv class-2b
\der V2-b
\lexical Reduced rdp-s(pref): <koa>nó:yekówa</koa>
\pitch yes-rdp
\sense_e to try to do (a task, or sth challenging); to attempt
\sense_s intentar (una tarea, o algo desafiante y difícil)
\phrase_n Xkiyeko!
\phrase_d Am
\phrase_e Give it a try!
\phrase_s ¡Inténtalo!
\phrase_n Yo:pe:w nikiyekowa, abé:r deke kineki.
\phrase_d Am
\phrase_e I've started to give it a try (in this case courting a girl), 
perhaps
she will agree (to marry me).
\phrase_s Ya empezéa intentarlo (en este caso cortejar una joven), a ver de que
quiere (casarse conmigo).
\phrase_n Xkaman nikiyekowa, kas xniwelis.
\phrase_d Am
\phrase_e I've never tried it (a job, playing an instrument, etc.), maybe I
won't be able to do it.
\phrase_s Nunca lo he intentado, a lo mejor no voy a poder.
\sense_e to court; to attempt to enamour
\sense_s cortejar; llegarle a decir (a una muchacha) si quiere andar de novia
\sense_e to test (a person, to see if he or she will help with a task, 
lend sth,
or is able to do sth)
\sense_s probar (una persona, para ver si va a ayudar con algo, si va a 
prestar
algo, si puede hacer algo)
\sense_d Pending
\phrase_n On ne:nkah toba:leh, mlá:k o:ne:chiyekoh para ne:chwisokis, pero tla:
xweli.
\phrase_d Am
\phrase_e That guy there, he really had a go at trying to beat me up, but then
he couldn't.
\phrase_s Ese cuate, de veras quiso intentar golpearme, pero, pues, no pudo.
\xref_t val_add_caus
\xref iyeko:ltia
\xref_d Am
\xref íyekó:ltia
\xref_d Oa
\root ekowa
\nse The headword is a lexicalized reduplication, i.e., historically
*<kn>yehyekowa</kn> with a phonological change generalized in 
Ameyaltepec (loss
of word-internal *h and of
stem-initial /y/ as onset. Karttunen notes that Carochi (fol. 127f) 
"points out
that the 'taste' sense of <kn>yecoa</kn> is generally expressed with the
reduplicated form of the verb
<kn>yehyecoa</kn>.
\nae In Oapan, as usual, the reduplicant is realized as vowel lengthening and
pitch accent on a preceding short vowel. Thus one has the reflexive
i<koa>nó:yekówa</koa> and, with the
nonspecific nonhuman object prefix <kn>tla-</kn>, <koa>ma nitlá:yekó</koa>
'let me try!' . When there is a preceding long vowel in Oapan the reduplicant
is overtly realized (though
here, as in Ameyaltepec, with loss of *h and of onset /y/). Thus
<koa>né:chiyekówa</koa>. Although some preliminary acoustic measurements
suggest a duration indicative of a long
vowel (in <koa>né:chiyekówa</koa>), all comparative evidence suggests that the
initial /i/ of <koa>íyekówa</koa> is phonologically short. Note also that the
reduplicant is overtly
represented when there is no preceding short vowel. Thus one has
<koa>x'yéyekó</koa> 'try it out!' (3sgO realized as zero). Check length of
/i/ in /kíyekówa/. In Oapan the reflexive
is <koa>nó:yekówa</koa>. The length of the pitch accented /o:/ of the
reflexive suggests that it is the result of the reduction of the reduplicant.
However, it is difficult to determine the
length of the /i/ in forms such as <koa>né:chiyekówa</koa>. Acoustic
measurements suggest a duration indicative of a long vowel, but all 
comparative
evidence suggests that the initial
/i/ of <koa>íyekówa</koa> is phonologically short. For now, and pending
further study, the vowel has been written as short.






Quoting Gordon Whittaker <gwhitta at gwdg.de>:

> Hi again!
>
> This time a short question regarding Nahuatl equivalents of the verb 'try'
> (in the sense of 'attempt'. Does anyone have any input on this one?
> Thanks.
>
> Best,
> Gordon Whittaker
>
> ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
> Gordon Whittaker
> Professor
> Linguistische Anthropologie und Altamerikanistik
> Seminar fuer Romanische Philologie
> Universitaet Goettingen
> Humboldtallee 19
> 37073 Goettingen
> Germany
> tel./fax (priv.): ++49-5594-89333
> tel. (office): ++49-551-394188
> ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
>
>
> _______________________________________________
> Nahuatl mailing list
> Nahuatl at lists.famsi.org
> http://www.famsi.org/mailman/listinfo/nahuatl
>



-- 
Jonathan D. Amith
Director: Mexico-North Program on Indigenous Languages
Research Affiliate: Gettysburg College; Yale University; University of Chicago
(O) 717-337-6795
(H) 717-338-1255
Mail to:
Dept. of Sociology and Anthropology
Gettysburg College
Campus Box 412
300 N. Washington Street
Gettysburg, PA  17325

_______________________________________________
Nahuatl mailing list
Nahuatl at lists.famsi.org
http://www.famsi.org/mailman/listinfo/nahuatl