aicu a sapui katua zaljum mamaw a kinamasanpazangalan tua tja nasi.
Free translation:
This fire and water, they are equally important to our life.
Word gloss:
- a-icu: this
- a: subject case marker
- sapui: fire
- katua: and
- zaljum: water
- ma-(a)maw: the same, identical
- a: LIG
- k<in>a-masan-pa-zangal-an: to have become important things. masan 'to be'; pa- 'to cause to be'; the root is zangal 'value, significance'; -an 'nominalization'.
- tua: OBL
- tja: our, 1st person plural GEN
- nasi: life
Voice file:
From Raleigh Ferrell's Paiwan Dictionary (1982) and ILRDF Online Paiwan Dictionary sapui.
The more I study Paiwan, the more I am intrigued by the conjugation people choose. There are easier ways to say 'are', but why does this sentence use a complicated form invloving at least 6 layers of changing? There must be some reason.
Paiwan is a people of words; inventing witty remarks or lyrics to sing back earns you respect in the community. We admire people who are good with languages. Paiwan: A People of Words. Brilliant book title!
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