Miskito and English/Lexical selection
From LING073
Contents
Miq → Eng
Case 1
mani - summer, year
Miskito Sentence | English Translation |
---|---|
Mani an brisma. | How old are you? (lit. How many years do you have?) |
Miskitu nani ba mani piuara insla irbisa. | The Miskitu prepare crops in the summer. (lit. The Miskitu tear apart farm with machete in summer.) |
Generalization for determining which translation is correct:
* If mani is followed by the adjective raya (new) or by the verb briaia (to have), then year is selected. * We set summer as the default select for mani, but if it's followed by the noun piu (time/season), it must be summer.
Case 2
ra - in, on, at
Example sentences:
Miskito Sentence | English Translation |
---|---|
John rum ra sa. | John is in the room. |
Buk ba tibil ra sa. | The book is on the table. |
Mairin ba dur ra sa. | The woman is at the door. |
Generalization for determining which translation is correct.
* We can assume ra translates to in except for other edge cases. * If the sentence has table, translate to on. * If the sentence has door, translate to at.
Case 3
sangni- green, clear
Miskito Sentence | English Translation |
---|---|
Yang naikra yula sangni sa. | My pupils are green. |
Tuktan nani ba lî sangni disa. | The children drink clear water. |
Generalization for determining which translation is correct:
* The default translation is green. * If sangni is preceded by the noun lî (water), then it should be translated as clear.
Case 4
taya - skin; family
Miskito Sentence | English Translation |
---|---|
Man taya pihini brisma. | You have white skin. |
Yang taiya tara kum brisna. | I have a big family. |
Generalization for determining which translation is correct:
* The default translation skin. * If the noun is followed by size adjectives like tara (big), then it will be translated as family.