Tiwi and English/Lexical selection
From LING073
Tiw → Eng
Case 1
mwarlinjangi → caterpillar, Milky Way
Example sentences:
Tiwi Sentence | English Translation |
---|---|
Mwarlinjangini arikulani. | Milky Way is big. |
Mwarlinjangini yirrima. | Caterpillar flies. |
Generalization for how to decide which translation is right:
- caterpillar is generally a more common word in English and can be used with action verbs while Milky Way cannot
Case 2
milawiyini → sun ray, paperbark
Example sentences:
Tiwi Sentence | English Translation |
---|---|
apakupunarligi milawiyini. | He is causing the rays to sink. |
Ngampamirali milawiyini ngawa ngarikirimi yikwani. | 'We light the paperbark to make a fire. |
Generalization for how to decide which translation is right: