For a key to the grammatical abbreviations and symbols used in this analysis, see the Abbreviations page.
The Drowning Soldiers (Narrative text)
Told by Ranobegim
(1) ɑz=a təmoχ=ra naql kən-in wu woqea=i
1SG.NOM=IND 2PL=DAT story do.NPST-1SG.AGR a event=LNK
kʲe xat=i moχ=i kud wərəʁd-ɑ vad.
that near=LNK 1PL=GEN1 house pass.PST-PRF COP.PST
‘I will tell you a true story that happened near our house.’
(2) moχ=i kud=u ən asfaltni.
1PL=GEN1 house=3SG.DIST.AGR in Asfaltni
‘Our house is on Asfaltni (Street).’
(3) xat=i moχ=i kud=u kanal.
near=LNK 1PL=GEN1 house=3SG.DIST.AGR canal
‘Near our house there is a canal.’
(4) kanal=i dəʃanbinka kanal=i qatol=u.
canal=LNK Dushanbinka canal=LNK big=3SG.DIST.AGR
‘The Dushanbinka Canal is a big canal.’
(5) moχ=an nak na kudakai χo ʃod,
1PL.NOM=1PL.AGR exactly from childhood IMPF go.PST
owbozai=jan χo kʲeg.
swimming=1PL.AGR IMPF do.PST
‘From childhood we would go and swim there.’
(6) bu=an reθ wu sol=an ʃod,
then=1PL.AGR then a year=1PL.AGR go.PST
ɑz ata ni fɑg=at wu mi dəgona tamina vad=at
1SG.NOM and 1SG.GEN1 sister=and a 3SG.F.GEN1 F.friend Tamina COP.PST=and
χai, ni fɑg=i nəm ʃalo.
well 1SG.GEN1 sister=LNK name Shalo
‘So then one year we went, me and my sister and a friend of hers, Tamina, were there and… well, my sister’s name is Shalo.’
(7) kaʃ vad, ai pixin ənda vad.
hot COP.PST 3SG.PROX.NOM noon there COP.PST
‘It was hot, it was noon there.’
(8) it͡ʃki=an wiχ-an na-vad,
nobody=3PL.AGR man-PL NEG-COP.PST
wiχ-an=an kəl dər=i mat͡ʃit ʃəd-ɑ vad.
man-PL=3PL.AGR all in-LNK mosque go.PST-PRF COP.PST
‘No men were there, all the men had gone into the mosque.’
(9) ʃod=an moχ waz-ad͡ʒ.
go.PST=1PL.AGR 1PL.NOM swim.NPST-INF
‘We went swimming.’
(10) waz-ad͡ʒ=an ʃod, wext=an, χela=an wext.
swim.NPST-INF=1PL.AGR go.PST swim.PST=1PL.AGR very=1PL.AGR swim.PST
‘We went swimming, we swam, we swam a lot.’
(11) χai, χeχ d͡ʒa ʁəl vad.
so water also deep COP.PST
‘So, the water was also deep.’
(12) bu=an nəmoχt ən kaʃai ma χəsrig=a
then=1PL.AGR go.out.PST in warmth on sand=and
dɑm=an χo ma χəsrig ðed=a t͡ʃaqt͡ʃaq=an χo kʲeg.
rest=1PL.AGR IMPF on sand hit.PST=and chat=1PL.AGR IMPF do.PST
‘Then we got out, we were resting in the heat on the sand and we were in the sand and we were chatting.’
(13) kuxt=an kʲe xat=i moχ=i kud wu vaijeni t͡ʃast moχ laf-ek vad,
look.PST=1PL.AGR that near=LNK 1PL=GEN1 house a military unit 1PL.NOM say.NPST-PTCP COP.PST
wu d͡ʒajan=e ki saldat-en=an ənda vad.
a place=REL.LNK that soldier-PL=3PL.AGR there COP.PST
‘We saw that near our house a military unit, as we call it, was there, a place where there were soldiers.’
(14) ənda χo χizmat=əf χo saldat-en kʲeg.
there IMPF service=3PL.AGR IMPF soldier-PL do.PST
‘The soldiers would serve there.’
(15) bu=an nak du kaʃai ənda wu t͡ʃer saldat fud=at jat=əf,
then=1PL.AGR exactly the warmth there a four soldier descend.PST=and come.PST=3PL.AGR
owbozai=əf kʲeg.
swimming=3PL.AGR do.PST
‘Then in the heat there again some four soldiers descended and came; they swam.’
(16) du ðow=an ʃod.
the two=3PL.AGR go.PST
‘Two of them left.’
(17) du ðow=an ʃod=at bu=an du ðow=i dəge daʁd.
the two=3PL.AGR go.PST=and then=3PL.AGR the two=LNK other enter.PST
‘Two of them left and then the other other two entered the water.’
(18) du ðow=i dəge=an daʁd dər=i χeχ,
the two=LNK other=3PL.AGR enter.PST in=LNK water
nak dər du ʁəlai=jan daʁd jo na ikʲe.
exactly in the depth=3PL.AGR enter.PST or not thus
‘The other two entered the water, entered right into the deep part or so.’
(19) ən darən=i χeχ=an, qarib=i kʲe ən darən=i χeχ ɣarq v-ɑn.
in inside=LNK water=3PL.AGR almost=LNK that in inside=LNK water drowned become.NPST-3PL.AGR
‘They’re inside (i.e. under) the water, they almost drown in the water.’
(20) χeχ ʒ=if ajes-t.
water ACC=3PL.DIST carry.NPST-3SG.AGR
‘The water takes them.’
(21) nak du t͡ʃəqərai=da ʒ=if χərax-t.
exactly the depth=IND ACC=3PL.DIST pull.NPST-3SG.AGR
‘It pulls them right into the deep part.’
(22) moχ=an nist-ɑ, t͡ʃaqt͡ʃaq=ta kən-əm.
1PL.NOM=1PL.AGR sit.PST-PRF chatting= IND do.NPST-1PL.AGR
‘We’re sitting and chatting.’
(23) nak dəmba=da kʲas-əm
exactly so.much=IND look.NPST-1PL.AGR
kʲe χi ðust=ama=da χeχ=ra t͡ʃap t͡ʃap t͡ʃap daj-an.
that REFL.GEN1 hand=with=IND water=DAT slap slap slap hit.NPST-3PL.AGR
‘We just see that with their hands they’re hitting the water slap slap slap.’
(24) χeχ=ra=da t͡ʃap t͡ʃap daj-an
water=DAT=IND slap slap hit.NPST-3PL.AGR
ata qeʁər=u if=me qeʁər=u if=me
and shout=3SG.DIST.AGR 3PL.DIST=GEN2 shout=3SG.DIST.AGR 3PL.DIST=GEN2
ə jordam kən-it, jordam kən-it.
oh help do.NPST-2PL.AGR help do.NPST-2PL.AGR
‘They’re slapping the water and they shout and shout, “Help! Help!”’
(25) ɑz=a dəmba waz-ad͡ʒ=i χəb χai na-bas-in,
1SG.NOM=IND so.much swim.NPST-INF=LNK good so NEG-be.able.NPST-1SG.AGR
nekin tamina ata ʃalo=an ʁaz-arm ʃod
but Tamina and Shalo=3PL.AGR run.NPST-PTCP go.PST
ata daʁd=an dər du χeχ.
and enter.PST=3PL.AGR in the water
‘I can’t swim very well myself, but Tamina and Shalo went running and entered the water.’
(26) dər du χeχ=an daʁd ata
in the water=3PL.AGR enter.PST and
nak na du ðow saldat=əf nijud ata
exactly from the two soldier=3PL.AGR grasp.PST
χərax-an=da, χərax-an=da.
and pull.NPST-3PL.AGR=IND pull.NPST-3PL.AGR=IND
‘They entered the water and just grabbed the two soldiers and they pull them, they pull them.’
(27) χai dif=an ʁət͡ʃkʲ-eʒg=i joʃ, ponzda sola ʃonzda sola nak dəmba=an.
so 3PL.PROX=3PL.AGR girl-PL=LNK young fifteen years.old sixteen years.old exactly so.much=3PL.AGR
‘So, they’re young girls, fifteen, sixteen years old or so.’
(28) dəmba=da kʲe χərax-an; ʁərən=an bət͡ʃkʲ-en.
so.much=IND that pull.NPST-3PL.AGR heavy=3PL.AGR boy-PL
‘They pull them so much; they’re heavy guys.’
(29) bu=əf wu azob qatai zext ata χəraxt=at
then=3PL.AGR a difficulty with take.PST and pull.PST=and
vəg=əf, vəg=əf nak ma du darjo=i zam=əf vəg
bring.PST=3PL.AGR bring.PST=3PL.AGR exactly on the river=LNK bank=3PL.AGR bring.PST
ata pze=əf dɑm ðed.
and little=3PL.AGR breath hit.PST
‘Then with difficulty they took them and pulled them, they brought them; they brought them right on to the river bank and they caught their breath a little.’
(30) du bət͡ʃkʲ-en=i əx qarib ʃəd-ɑ na fi kal,
the boy.PL=LNK mind almost go.PST-PRF from 3PL.GEN1 head
χeχ ən fi ʃam ɣam məd-ɑ.
water in 3PL.GEN1 stomach full become.PST-PRF
‘The guys had almost passed out, their bellies were full of water.’
(31) χəraxt=an=at ajed=an ma du χəsrigʲ=i kaʃai.
pull.PST=3PL.AGR=and carry.PST=3PL.AGR on the sand=LNK warmth
‘They pulled and brought them onto the warm sand.’
(32) χai, əf=i lond͡ʒ ʃtu=an ðed=a ðed=a ðed=at
so 3PL.DIST=GEN1 cheek thus=3PL.AGR hit.PST=and hit.PST=and hit.PST=and
əf=i ðust-must=an joʁa harakat ənda=an awad=at
3PL.DIST=GEN1 hand-REDUP=3PL.AGR like.this movement there=3PL.AGR put.PST=and
əf=i ʃam=an ʒəqt=a ʒəqt=a ʒəqt.
3PL.DIST=GEN1 stomach=3PL.AGR compress.PST=and compress.PST=and compress.PST
‘So, they slapped their faces repeatedly, and they put their hands and all in motion like this, and they compressed and compressed and compressed their stomachs.’
(33) na fi ʁax χeχ nəmoχt.
from 3PL.GEN1 mouth water go.out.PST
‘From their mouths the water came out.’
(34) ənkʲo soz=an mad=at
thus healthy=3PL.AGR become.PST=and
ba əx=an jat=at
to consciousness=3PL.AGR come.PST=and
χi t͡ʃɑm=əf ow kʲeg.
REFL.GEN1 eye=3PL.AGR open do.PST
‘And so they recovered like this and they returned to consciousness and they opened their eyes.’
(35) χi t͡ʃɑm=əf kʲe ow kʲeg, daraw=əf reθ laft kʲe
REFL.GEN1 eye=3PL.AGR that open do.PST quickly=3PL.AGR then say.PST that
ej apa, təmoχ kʷonda iki owbozai jod nijad-ɑ?
oh older.sister 2PL.NOM where like.this swimming learning grasp.PST-PRF
‘When they opened their eyes, they immediately said, “Oh older-sister! where did you learn to swim like this?”’
(36) moχ laft kʲe moχ owbozai nak na kudakai wanda jod nijad-ɑ.
1PL.NOM say.PST that 1PL.NOM swimming exactly from childhood here learning grasp.PST-PRF
‘We said that from childhood we had learned to swim here.’
(37) əndoʁd=an, χi laq-ɑθ-paq-ɑθ=əf nəʁʷost=at,
get.up.PST=3PL.AGR REFL.GEN1 clothing-PL-REDUP-PL=3PL.AGR put.on.PST=and
moχ=ra=əf rahmat=i kalon laft=at,
1PL=DAT=3PL.AGR thanks=LNK big say.PST=and
oista oista=an pai bad-ad͡ʒ mad=at
slowly slowly=3PL.AGR on.foot go.NPST-INF become.PST=and
ni fɑg ʃalo ata tamina ʃuχai kʲeg, kʲənɑ
1SG.GEN1 sister Shalo and Tamina joking do.PST, saying
ej bət͡ʃkʲ-en, maʃ waz-ad͡ʒ na-zaj-it!
oh boy-PL more swim.NPST-INF NEG-come-2PL.AGR
‘They stood up and they put on their clothes and things and they thanked us very much and slowly slowly walked away, and my sister Shalo and Tamina joked and said, “Hey guys! Don’t come swimming again!”’
(38) mailəʃ apa ai laft;
okay older.sister 3SG.PROX.NOM say.PST
mailəʃ χai, maʃ=a waz-ad͡ʒ na-zai-əm.
okay so, anymore=IND swim.NPST-INF NEG-come.NPST-1PL.AGR
‘“Ok sister,” they said. “Ok, yeah, we won’t come swimming again.”’
(39) ʃod=an if.
go.PST 3PL.PROX.NOM
‘They left.’
(40) moχ=an bu d͡ʒa χi laq-ɑθ nəʁʷost=at,
1PL.NOM=1PL.AGR then also REFL.GEN1 clothing-PL put.on.PST=and
fərawd=an χi qawd-pawd=at,
rinse.PST=1PL.AGR REFL.GEN1 dress-REDUP=and
əndoʁd=a ʃod=an i kud.
get.up.PST=and go.PST=1PL.AGR to house
‘We then also put on our clothes and we rinsed off our dresses and things, and we got up and went home.’
English 
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