For a key to the grammatical abbreviations and symbols used in this analysis, see the Abbreviations page.
Uncle Ahmad and the “Snake” (Narrative text)
Told by Sharofiddin
(1) ɑz=a dar bora=i vat͡s ahmad ozər naql kən-in
1SG.NOM=IND in about=LNK uncle Ahmad now narration do.NPST-1SG.AGR
kʲe na χi vat͡s-ɑθ=əm vad xəd-ɑ
that from REFL.GEN1 uncle/aunt-PL=1SG.AGR COP.PST hear.PST-PRF
kʲe naql=da kən-an kʲe vat͡s ahmad,
that narration=IND do.NPST-3PL.AGR that uncle Ahmad
musafed, ozər gəzaʃt-ɑ məd-ɑg…
old.man now pass.PST-PRF become.PST-PRF
‘I will tell you a story now about uncle Ahmad that I heard from my uncles/aunts, that they tell that uncle Ahmad… an old man, now passed away…’
(2) wu miθ=ɑ əndɑʒ-d,
one day=IND get.up.NPST-3SG.AGR
kud=d͡ʒe=da ʒ=wai laf-an kʲe non=ra=ai ʃabur ʁu,
house=at=IND ACC=3SG.DIST.M say.NPST-3PL.AGR that bread=DAT=3SG.PROX.AGR firewood want,
nest non.
NEG.EXIST.COP bread
‘One day he gets up, at the house they tell him that they want firewood for bread, there’s no bread.’
(3) əndɑʒ-d=a χi vəx=a χi arradot͡s=a zaz-d
get.up.NPST-3SG.AGR=IND REFL.GEN1 rope=and REFL.GEN1 sickle=IND take.NPST-3SG.AGR
ata oista oista=da rakai mit.
and slowly slowly=IND on.road become.NPST.3SG.AGR
‘He gets up and takes his rope and sickle and slowly slowly gets on the road.’
(4) qad=i pɑn=da bɑt i wazgʲ ður ʃabur.
height=LNK road=IND go.NPST.3SG.AGR to Wazg valley firewood
‘He starts out on the way to Wazg valley for firewood.’
(5) bɑt=a bɑt=a
go.NPST.3SG.AGR=IND go.NPST.3SG.AGR=IND
ən qad=i pɑn=da χi=ra fikr kəxt ənkʲo kʲe
in height=LNK road=IND REFL=DAT thought do.NPST.3SG.AGR thus that
ozər jak… kʲe bad-in kʲe wu ðəʁuft͡s ənda mit
now one that go.NPST-1SG.AGR that a snake there become.NPST.3SG.AGR
jo jagon t͡ʃigʲ mit kʲe ʒ=mon ʁərɑn-t.
or some thing become.NPST.3SG.AGR that ACC=1SG bite.NPST-3SG.AGR
‘He goes and he goes, and on the way he thinks to himself that now I’m going, there may be a snake or something that will bite me.’
(6) pze pze=da fikr kəxt kʲe xʷajek=ta mit=at
little little=IND thought do.NPST.3SG.AGR that afraid=IND become.NPST.3SG.AGR=and
u=da ag qarib=i wazgʲ=da bɑt.
3SG.DIST.AGR=IND INTNS almost=LNK Wazg=IND go.NPST.3SG.AGR
‘Little by little he thinks and becomes afraid, and he gets almost to Wazg.’
(7) joʁa du wai vəx ma wai dam vəst-agin,
thus the 3SG.DIST.M.GEN1 rope on 3SG.DIST.M.GEN1 back tie.PST-PTCP
ma wai arqa vəst-agin vad,
on 3SG.DIST.M.GEN1 back tie.PST-PTCP COP.PST
u na kʲe wai vəx xʷot͡s məd-ɑ,
3SG.DIST.M.NOM from that 3SG.DIST.M.GEN1 rope soft become.PST-PRF
kaxil pəʃa wai χo itɑ.
hung behind 3SG.DIST.M.ERG IMPF come.PST.PRF
‘His rope was tied on his back like this, it was tied to his back; his rope had gotten loose from him, it had come to be hanging down behind him.’
(8) du vəx naʒ t͡sux ənt͡səvd-agin vəd-ɑ, ən t͡sux=u wuʁn=a roχn.
the rope from wool sew.PST-PTCP COP.PST-PRF in wool=3SG.DIST.AGR black=and white
‘The rope was woven from wool, the wool is black and white.’
(9) bu kʲe apaskʲ beχabar joʁa kʲas sado məd-ɑ,
then that backward suddenly thus look.NPST sound become.PST-PRF
joʁa kʲe apaskʲ ʁʷafs kʲas ʁa,
thus that backward return.NPST look.NPST now
du vəx=ta pəʃa wai zaj-d, wai χajol=i ðəʁuft͡s kjɑ.
the rope=IND behind 3SG.DIST.M.ERG come.NPST-3SG.AGR 3SG.DIST.M.GEN1 imagination=LNK snake do.PST.PRF
‘Then when he suddenly looks back, a sound happened, now when he turns back and looks like this, the rope comes behind him, his imagination has made it a snake.’
(10) reθ ʁez apaskʲ ʁʷafs ata i kud rað
then run.NPST backward return.NPST and to house flee.NPST
kʲe ʁez=a ʁez=a ʁez awgor.
that run.NPST=and run.NPST=and run.NPST tired
‘Then he runs and returns back and flees homeward, so that running and running and running he gets tired.’
(11) apaskʲ ʁʷafs kʲe du vəx=ta anəz pəʃa zaj-d,
backward return.NPST that the rope=IND still behind come.NPST-3SG.AGR
χəjol=da kəxt kʲe du ðəʁuft͡s=a ʒ=wai peʃ kəxt.
imagination=IND do.NPST.3SG.AGR that the snake=IND ACC=3SG.DIST.M behind do.NPST.3SG.AGR
‘He looks back, and sees that the rope still comes behind him, he imagines that the snake is following him.’
(12) na tars kʲe ʁʷafs ʁez=a ʁez du vərazai tur ðaj=at
from fear that return.NPST run.NPST=and run.NPST the ridge above hit.NPST=and
laft-ɑ=ai χoj χoj ʒ=mon ʁərɑn-t.
say.PST-PRF=3SG.AGR oh oh ACC=1SG bite.NPST-3SG.AGR.
‘When he flees in fear, running and running, and ascends the ridge and he said, “Oh, oh, it will bite me!”’
(13) na χi dam=ta χo wiðd ʃ=χud,
from REFL.GEN back=IND IMPF throw.NPST-3SG.AGR ACC=REFL
joʁa kʲe wiðd ʃ=χud,
thus that throw.NPST-3SG.AGR ACC=REFL
kʲe kʲas-t=a wai vəx=u nak ai.
that look.NPST-3SG.AGR=IND 3SG.DIST.M.GEN1 rope=3SG.DIST.AGR exactly this
‘From his back he’s throwing it from himself, when he throws it from himself like this, when he looks at it, his rope is like this.’
(14) du vəx zaz=at kəp=ama t͡ʃokt tit tit ʒ=wai kən=at wið-d.
the rope take.NPST=and stone=with crash.PST broken broken ACC=3SG.DIST.M do.NPST=and throw.NPST-3SG.AGR
‘He grabs the rope and hits it with a rock, smashes and smashes it to bits and throws it away.’
(15) laft-ɑ=ai kʲe isqot, neki mon χajol kʲeg
say.PST-PRF=3SG.AGR that EXPL but 1SG.ERG imagination do.PST
kʲe ðəʁeft͡s=ai, qarib kʲe ʁərɑn-t ʒ=mon.
that snake=3SG.PROX.AGR almost that bite.NPST-3SG.AGR ACC=1SG
‘He said isqot*, but I imagined that it’s a snake and it’s almost biting me.’
(16) ai vad qissai vat͡s ahmad.
3SG.PROX.M.NOM COP.PST story uncle Ahmad
‘This was the story of uncle Ahmad.’
*This word isqot is a curse word related to wishing death on someone; however, it is used here as an exclamation with purely emotive meaning.
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