Re: taboo jadoo translation

[John Cowan <cbmvax!snark.thyrsus.com!cowan>]

The "North Wind And Sun" story that has appeared in several versions is in
fact a Cantonese folk tale.  In the interests of authenticity, I will
present it here in Cantonese with interlinear glosses in English and in
Mandarin (partial).  Source:  Yuan Jiahua et al, >Hanyu fangyan gaiyao<
[An Outline of the Chinese Dialects].  Peking: Wenzi gaige chuban-she, 1960.
I took this version from Ramsey, >The Languages Of China<.

Since Cantonese is scarcely a conlang, why present this text here?  Primarily
because I distrust translations of translations.  The text offered for
translation is obviously an English rendering of this very story, differing
only in minor details of wording from the colloquial translation printed by
Ramsey.  I would suggest that all conlang translators give this text
(especially the English gloss :-)) the once-over to see if they missed any
salient points.  I suspect the answer will be "yes", at least for Lojban.

ASCII transcription conventions:
	:	lengthens previous vowel
	'	aspiration
	"	umlaut in o", u"
	*	second changed tone (long high rising)
	CAPS	indicate Chinese categorizers

Disclaimer:  I don't know any Chinese.  I am responsible for any errors
in transcription.

		Pak7a fong1 t'ong2 yat8 t'au2
		bei3 feng1 tong2 ri4 tou2
		north wind together sun

Pak7a fong1 t'ong2 ma:i2 yat8 t'au2, yau4 yat7a ts'i5 hai2 su"5
bei3 feng2 tong2 ??? ri4 tou2 you3 yi1 ci4 ??? chu4
north wind together-with sun exist one TIME in process of

tsang1 lo"n6 k'o"i4 lo"ng4 ko5 tsi1 tsong1 pin1 yat7a ko5 pun3 si6
zheng1 lun4 ta1 liang3 ge zhi1 zhong1 ??? yi1 ge ben3 shi4
dispute he/they two ONES among which one ONE power

ta:i6.  Sik7a tsik8 ko3 tsan6 si*, yau4 yat7a ko5 yan2, tso"k7b tsu"6
da4 shi4 zhi3 ??? zhen4 shi2 you3 yi1 ge ren2 zhao2 zhu4
great just then that PERIOD time exist one ONE person wear -ing

yat7a kin6 nu"n4 nu"n4 ke5 ts'o"ng2 p'ou* hai2 ko5 su"5 king1 kwo5.
yi1 jian4 nuan3 nuan3 de chang2 pao2 zai4 ??? chu4 jing1 guo4
one GARMENT warm warm 's long robe be at there pass by

K'o"i4 lo"ng4 ko5 tsau6 ts'ing2 yu"n3 lap8 yo"k7b, yu"2 kwo3
ta1 liang3 ge jiu4 qing2 yaun4 li4 yue1 ru2 guo3
he/they two ONES then be willing-to set-up agreement if

pin1 ko5 yau4 pun3 si6, nang2 sin1 sai3 tak7a ko3 ko5 yan2
??? ge you3 ben3 shi4 neng2 xian1 shi3 de2 ??? ge ren2
which ONE exist power can first cause get that ONE person

ts'o"i2 tso3 k'o"i4 ko3 kin6 p'ou*, tsau6 su"n5 pin1 ko5 ke5
chu2 ??? ta1 ??? jian4 pao2 jiu4 suan4 ??? ge ???
take off -ed his that GARMENT robe then be-regarded which ONE 's

pun3 si6 ta:i6.
ben3 shi4 da4
power great

Pak7a fong1 kam3 tsau6 yong6 tso"n6 k'o"i4 ke5
bei3 feng1 ??? jiu4 yong4 jin4 ta1 de
north wind thereupon then use exhaust he 's

lik8 lai2 ts'ui1 la5.  Sui2 tsi1 k'o"i4 yu"t8 fa:t7b ts'ui1 tak7a
li4 lai2 chui1 la shui2 zhi1 ta1 yue4 fa1 chui1 de2
strength come blow ! who know he the-more blow get

ka:u1 kwa:n1, ko3 ko5 yan2 yu"t8 fa:t7b la:m3 sat8 k'o"i4 kin6 p'ou*
jiao1 guan1 ??? ge ren2 yue4 fa1 lan3 shi2 ta1 jian4 pao2
intense that ONE person the-more pull tight his GARMENT robe

wai2 tsu"6 k'o"i4 ke5 san1 po5, tso"t7a tsi1 kin5 tak7a tou1 hai6
wei2 zhu4 ta1 de shen1 ??? zu2 zhi1 jian4 de2 dou1 shi
wrap -ing he 's body [pause] finally see get all is

m6 tsai5 tak7a kwo5 ke5 lo5, pak7a fong1 tsau6 m6 tsai5
bu2 zhi4 de2 guo4 ??? le bei3 feng1 jiu4 bu2 zhi4
not do -able ! north wind then not do

la5.  Ko3 tsan6 si* ko3 ko5 yat8 t'au2 tsau6 sai3 ts'o"t7a
la ??? zhen4 shi2 ??? ge ri4 tou2 jiu4 shi3 chu1
-ed! that PERIOD time that ONE sun then cause come-out

hou3 nu"n4 ke5 yit8 hei5.  Ko3 ko5 ha:ng2 lou6 ke5 yan2,
hao3 nuan4 de re4 qi4 ??? ge xing2 lu4 de ren2
really warm 's heat that ONE go road 's person

tsik7a hak7a tsau6 tso"ng1 k'o"i4 ko3 kin6 p'ou*
ji2 ke4 jiu4 jiang1 ta1 ??? jian4 pao2
immediately then taking he that GARMENT robe

t'u"t7b lak7a tso3.  Kam3 yo"ng3 ne1 ko3 ko5 pak7a fong1 tsau6
tuo1 ??? le ??? yang4 ne ??? ge bei3 feng1 jiu4
take off -ed this way [pause] that ONE north wind then

kam5 tsu"6 tsiu5 ying6, wa6 ko3 ko5 yat8 t'au2 hai6
??? zhu4 zhao4 ren4 hua4 ??? ge ri4 tou2 shi
force admit say that ONE sun is

lek7a kwo5 k'o"i4 tsi6 kei1 lo5.
??? guo4 ta1 zi4 ji3 le
capable [comparative] he himself!

--
cowan@snark.thyrsus.com		...!uunet!cbmvax!snark!cowan
		e'osai ko sarji la lojban