Conlang Relay 18/Kamakawi

Smooth English Translation from Vašt î Kûvik

A cloud was on top of this field that began to clear up. A pretty woman was walking in that. Part of the statue of a fox was in gateway to the field; it appeared to be very strong and very proud. But the woman appeared to be weak and timid. But actually I know that part of her strange ego and that part of her pride and strength is the same as the fox. While the woman was walking in that field, a man came through the gate into the field. The woman stopped walking and then began flirting with the man, and began twisting her hair and began to smile.

The Kamakawi Text

Ka ovemu a'i o ikiki heva nili. Oi eili eyana ka olomo eine matai heva ipe nili a. Ka tiku meka o live te puka oe nili. Ke eovuku toko oi tola. Ioio ka eovuku eine ulu oi takeuai.

Io fe'a ei ie imata. A toko oi tola eine takeke live tou. Oi ka olomo eine heva nili, kape iu hopoko ie puka ke teiu ie nili. Ka olomo eine kuika ke kalailai ie hopoko he oi umeke ie neki o nea oi liki.

Smooth English Translation from Kamakawi

The morning mist began to dissipate over the field. During the afternoon a pretty woman was walking across that field. A statue of a coyote stood at the gateway to the field. It seemed strong and brave. By contrast the woman seemed weak and timid.

But I know the truth. A woman can be strong and brave like the coyote. While the woman was walking across the filed, a man passed through the gateway and into the field. The woman stopped walking and started to chat up the man, twisting her hair and smiling.

Lexicon

• a (part.) marks the progressive aspect (used sentence-finally)
• a'i (n.) mist

• e (part.) the (definite article, sg.; attaches to prepositions); (part.) marks

present tense, and that the subject of the sentence is identical to the subject of the previous sentence and singular

• ei (pron.) I (first person singular pronoun)
• eili (n.) sun
• eili eyana (n.) afternoon
• eine (n.) woman
• eovuku (v.) to seem, to appear to be
• eyana (adj.) good

• fe'a (v.) to know

• he (adv.) to begin, to start (used sentence-finally)
• heva (prep.) over, across
• hopoko (n.) man

• i (prep.) marks direct objects; marks general locations and/or times
• ie (contr.) contraction of /i/ and /e/
• ikiki (n.) morning
• imata (n.) truth
• io (conj.) but
• ioio (conj.) contrariwise, by contrast, however, nevertheless
• ipe (dem.) that
• iu (v.) to go through

• ka (part.) marks past tense, and that the subject of the sentence is

new or different

• kalailai (v.) to chat, to chat up
• ke (part.) marks past tense, and that the subject of the sentence is

the same as the last sentence and singular

• kuika (adv.) to stop x'ing (used sentence-finally as *tou)

• liki (v.) to smile
• live (n.) coyote

• matai (adj.) pretty
• meka (n.) statue

• nea (pron.) she (third person singular feminine pronoun)
• neki (n.) hair
• nili (n.) cultivated field

• o (prep.) marks the genitive (X o Y = "X of Y")
• oe (contr.) contraction of *o and *e
• oi (prep.) while, during; (conj.) and
• oi- (pref.) marks the genitive (X oi-Y = "X of Y")
• olomo (v.) to walk
• ovemu (v.) to begin to dissipate

• -pe (suf.) and then (attaches to subject status markers)
• puka (n.) door, gateway, gate

• takeke (prep./conj.) like, as
• takeuai (adj.) timid
• te (prep.) on, on top of, at
• teiu (v.) to go onto
• tiku (v.) to stand, to be standing
• toko (adj.) strong; (v.) to be strong
• tola (adj.) brave; (v.) to be brave
• tou (adv.) can (see grammar notes)

• u (part.) the (definite article, plu.; attaches to prepositions); (part.) marks

present tense, and that the subject of the sentence is identical to the subject of the previous sentence and plural

• u (prep.) plural marker
• ula (adj.) weak
• umeke (v.) to twist (something)