Paiwan Every Day 472: kai (I)

a kai nua caucau sinipavai nua cemas, 

a napakisumalji a manguaqan, 

tjasipakakeljakeljangan tua tjavarung. 

Free translation: 

Human language is a gift from God, 

a very special blessing, 

the means through which we reveal our heart. 

Word gloss: 

1. a: subject case marker
2. kai: language
3. nua: GEN
4. caucau: people, human being
5. s<in>i-pa-vai: given, UV. si- 'IF'; pa- 'to cause to be'; the root is vai 'give, offer'. 
6. nua cemas: literally of god, but to be understood as by god because the agent of a UV verb in Paiwan is in GEN. 
7. a: subject case marker
8. na-pa-ki-su-malji: different or special. na- 'PRF'; pa- 'to cause to be'; ki- 'to get, obtain'; su- '?';  the root is malji 'different'. 
9. a: LIG
10. ma-nguaq-an: blessing, NVZ. ma- 'to be in the condition of'; the root is nguaq 'good, well'; -an 'nominalization'. 
11. tja-si-pa-ka-kelja-keljang-an: used by us to make known or to show, IF. tja- 'our, GEN, proclitic, used as the agent of IF sentence'; si- 'IF'; pa- 'to cause to be'; ka- 'inchoative marker'; the root is keljang 'know, understand' in RED; -an 'referent focus'. [This word is complicated. A Paiwan word is a sentence. Can there be two focuses in one Paiwan word? Can this word combine UV and IF?]
12. tua: OBL
13. tja-varung: our heart. The root is varung 'heart'. 

Voice file: 

From tinagiljan a semanvecik tua kai nua sepaiwan 'The Origin of Writing in Paiwan Language'. 

This article is narrated by Pastor ljumeg, Tsai Ai-lien, and very likely written by her too.