| Site | Epiq  |
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| Translation Image | 
If image fails to load, try this link. |
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| Language | Epiq |
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| Year | 2004 |
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| Translator | David J. Peterson |
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| Introduction | Epiq is a language inspired by the idea of languages like Siglitun and Uummarmiutun, as well as Georgian. The text below is pretty much in X-SAMPA. Note the following exceptions: /f/ = [p\]; /x/ = [X]; /N/ is both [N] and [N\]; and stress (where unpredictable) is indicated with an accute accent over the vowel. |
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| Verse 1 | ixowwan@s kjaslamwatSiSikaqolja kasofantSiltuSi. |
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| Verse 2 | lafinukasot@Sifisus@tun saqwa Sinal@l ixoly m@ kanosqamistuSiqos ampaqa kanoq@l@xoSi. |
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| Verse 3 | kaq anoww@panu kanolkunolusu, "mas! t@sfa majtaSasqamistalSiqos mytaSamulk@ssunals@." ustufus ulk@sa kanofantuSi; foljas ilja kanofantuSi. |
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| Verse 4 | kaq anoww@panu kanonolusu, "mas! qoslâ majpalom@l@S@Sixa, upasofupil@kuSj@s@x@s, luNqe @x upasof@tSixol@kuSj@s@tun, qemylipisomanj@swaqos follan ixoly pas xomylipaloSifolj@Si." |
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| Verse 5 | jawe sunukanoSifus@qos qoslatun upja kaloSimasanixa @qosí piski kanom@li. |
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| Verse 6 | jawe anoww@panu kanonolusu, "pun mas! ixolutun kjaslamwaqoli an@Si taSakenusulfjatun, pwa kuqas tanjam@l@xolfi. ast@kwaloliní kuqas lipaljafikofolulfi. |
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| Verse 7 | xossa! sumupaSaSif@qos kjaslamwa ampus tSinapaSaSinakwanufiqos, upaSaNkifumowwa. |
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| Verse 8 | jawe tamman@s pas ampu an fixokanoSifuSiqos, qosla kanom@luNqoSi. |
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| Verse 9 | "papelas" uNqan kanokw@loxa, jawe tamman@s@ kjaslamwa ampus tSikanoSinakwanufuSix@s, jawe tamman@s pas ampu an fixokanoSifuSiqos. |
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| Interlinear Translation 1 | (land-all-NOMINATIVE) (language-quaint-only-ACCUSATIVE) (PAST-ACTIVE-IMPERFECT-NONEVIDENTIAL-speak-AORIST-AFFIRMATIVE-class 2). |
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| Translation 2 | (west-away-3sg.sbj.-PST.-ACT.-IMP.-NON.-travel-AFF.-cl.1-DURATIVE CONJUNCT) (plain-ACC.) (Shinar-GENITIVE) (land-DATIVE) (in) (PST.-ACT.-PERFECT-NON.-find-AFF.-cl.2-PURPOSIVE) (there-ACC.) (PST.-ACT.-PRF.-NON.-reside-INCEPTIVE-AFF.-cl.2). |
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| Translation 3 | (this) (word/speech-INSTRUMENTAL) (PST.-ACT.-IMP.-NON.-RECIPROCAL-say-AFF.-cl.4), "(Look-IMPERATIVE)! (hard, packed snow-ACC.) (1plu.sbj.+3sg.obj.-PRESENT-ACT.-IMP.-PRIMARY EVIDENTIAL-find-VOLITIVE-cl.2-PURP.) (1plu.sbj.-PRES.-ACT.-IMP.-PRIM.-[ice block]-make-VOL.-cl.1)." (brick-ADVERBIAL) (snow block-ACC.) (PST.-ACT.-PRF.-NON.-use-AFF.-cl.2); (mortar-ADVERBIAL) (water-ACC.) (PST.-ACT.-PRF.-NON.-use-AFF.-cl.2). |
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| Translation 4 | (this) (word/speech-INSTRUMENTAL) (PST.-ACT.-IMP.-NON.-say-AFF.-cl.4), "(Look-IMPERATIVE)! (village-GEN.) (1plu.sbj.3sg.obj.-FUTURE-ACT.-IRREALIS-Non.-build-INCEPTIVE-OPTATIVE-cl.2-DIRECT OBJECT REFERENCE CONJUNCT), (3sg.sbj.-FUT.-ACT.-IMP.-Non.-[tower]-have as part-AFF.-OPT.-cl.2-OTHER REF. CNJ.), (cloud-PLU./DAT.) (with) (3sg.sbj.-FUT.-INCHOATIVE-IMP.-NON.-[top]-have as part-AFF.-OPT.-cl.2-POSITIVE CNJ.), (PREVERB-1stplu.sbj.-PASSIVE-FUT.-ACT.-IMP.-Non.-know-OPT.-cl.3-PURPOSIVE CNJ.) (never) (land-DAT.) (across) (prev.-1stplu.sbj.-PASS.-FUT.-ACT.-IRR.-NON.-scatter-NEGATIVE-OPT.-cl.2)." |
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| Translation 5 | (YHWH-NOM.) ("down"-3sg.sbj.-PST.-ACT.-IMP.-NON.-go-AFF.-cl.1-PURP.) (village-ACC.-CNJ.) (tower-ACC.) (PST.-ACT.-IRR.-NON.-survey-cl.2-D.O. CNJ.) (human-PLU.GEN.) (child-PLU.) (PST.-ACT.-PRF.-NON.-build-cl.2). |
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| Translation 6 | (YHWH-NOM.) (this) (word/speech-INST.) (PST.-ACT.-IMP.-NON.-say-AFF.-cl.4), "(that-NOM.) (look-IMP.)! (land-NOM.) (language-ACC.stem-only-NOM.) (everyone-DAT.) (PRES.-ACT.-IMP.-PRIM.-there's-AFF.-DISAPPROVAL-CNJ.), (that-ACC.) (now) (PRES.-ACT.-PERF.-PRIM.-build-INCEP.-DIS.-cl.2). (plan-ACC.stem-none-NOM.PLU.-3rdplu.-GEN.PLU.) (now) (PASS.-FUT.-ACT.-IRR.-PRIM.-keep from-NEG.-DIS.-cl.2). |
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| Translation 7 | (Well, then)! (downwards-1sg.sbj.-FUT.-ACT.-IMP.-PRIM.-go-PURP.CNJ.) (language-ACC.) (there-ADV.) (deliberate movement-1sg.sbj.+3rdobj.-FUT.-ACT.-IMP.-PRIM.-divide-INTENS./REPETITIVE-cl.2-PURP.CNJ.), (3rd.reflex.-FUT.-ACT.-IMP.-PRIM.-ABILITIVE-hear/understand-NEG.-cl.3). |
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| Translation 8 | (YHWH-NOM.) (earth-ACC.stem-all-DAT.) (across) (there-INST.) (at) (away-prev.3rdsbj.+3rdobj.-PST.-ACT.-PRF.-NON.-scatter-AFF.-cl.2-PURP.CNJ.), (village-ACC.) (3rd.sbj.+3rd.obj.-PST.-ACT.-PRF.-NON.-build-CESSIVE-AFF.-cl.2). |
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| Translation 9 | (Babel-ADV.) (therefore) (3rd.sbj.+3rd.obj.-PST.-ACT.-PRF.-NON.-name-cl.4-D.O.CNJ.), (YHWH-NOM.) (earth-ACC.stem-all-GEN.) (language-ACC.) (there-ADV.) (deliberate movement-3rd.sbj.+3rdobj.-PST.-ACT.-PRF.-NON.-divide-INTENS./REP.-AFF.-cl.2-OTHER.CNJ.), (earth-ACC.stem-all-DAT.) (across) (there-INST.) (at) (away-prev.3rdsbj.+3rdobj.-PST.-ACT.-PRF.-NON.-scatter-AFF.-cl.2-PURP.CNJ.). |
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| English Paraphrase 1 | (Long ago), the whole land spoke only one simple language. |
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| Paraphrase 2 | While traveling westward, they found a plain in the land of Shinar, and they took up residence there. |
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| Paraphrase 3 | And they said to each other, "Hey! Let's find some hard snow and make ice blocks." And they used ice blocks as bricks; and they used water as mortar. |
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| Paraphrase 4 | And they said, "Hey! Let's build a village with a tower whose head is in the clouds, and then we will come to be well-known, so that we'll never be scattered across the land." |
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| Paraphrase 5 | And Yaweh went to see the village and the tower that the children of humanity had built. |
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| Paraphrase 6 | And Yaweh said, "Look at that! One land, and only one language for the lot of them, and now they've started to build this! Now none of their plans will be kept from them. |
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| Paraphrase 7 | Well, then! I shall go down and I shall dice up their language there, so that they won't be able to understand each other. |
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| Paraphrase 8 | And Yahweh scattered them from there across the entire earth, and they stopped building the village. |
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| Paraphrase 9 | Therefore they named it "Babel", for there YHWH diced up the whole earth's language, and from there YHWH scattered them across the entire earth. |
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| Notes 1 | Third person subject and object agreement is marked on the verb by the absence of exponence, to use the WP term. |
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| Notes 2 | The NP in the genitive precedes the possessed NP in Epiq. Also, these conjuncts are use to connect sentences. |
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| Notes 3 | "Ice block" is a noun that has a circumfix attached to it that takes a noun and returns a verb meaning "to make [the noun in question]". The volitive is used as a kind of exhortative imperative. The normal imperative is much more forceful: This comes as kind of a suggestion. Also, I changed the text so that they're making an igloo, not a building. The words "brick" and "mortar" are borrowings from Sathir. |
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| Notes 4 | Indefinite direct objects are rendered with the genitive case with class 2 verbs. The word for "tower" is a borrowing from Sathir. I plead ignorance wrt the exact definition of the term "inchoative". I use the word as a name for the type of mood that is rendered in English by "to come to" as it's used in the paraphrase above. Preverbs are derivational affixes. Thus, the meaning of a verb is held by the verb stem and the preverb and the class suffix. This isn't much different from verbs like "make up" in English. |
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| Notes 5 | Though it betrays the phonotactics of Epiq, I made YHWH into "Yaweh". |
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| Notes 6 | The verb "to see" (whose imperative is "look" above) is a class 3 verb, whose subjects take the dative case, and whose objects take the nominative case. Hence, "that" is in the nominative. "This" gets translated as "that" because the thing being referred to is the tower, which is neither close to the speaker nor listener (who, in this case, are the same person or entity). The accusative stem is what specifiers (which are like adjectives) get attached to. It's simply the accusative singular form of a noun. The marker "DISAPPROVAL" indicates that the speaker disapproves of what he's saying. Finally, the last sentence features a kind of triple negation, with the noun "plans" being negated, as with the negative polarity verb "keep from" or "deny", as well as a third person pronominal clitic. |
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| Notes 7 | I switched the "we" to "I". I don't know how many of him YHWH thinks there is, but as far as I'm concerned, he gets treated as a deity of one. In Epiq, to hear is to understand. |
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| Notes 8 | The verb "to scatter" has two preverbs on it: One derivational; one inflectional. Guess which is which! |
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| Notes 9 | What does it mean to "confuse" a language? Did he switch the third person pronoun with the first person pronoun, driving all the people out of their minds? Maybe that's the root of He Hate Me (cf. the XFL). Or perhaps he simply flip-flopped the first person plural and singular, as might be inferred from his speech. At any rate, I like the verb I used, because "dicing up" indicates that a whole bunch of languages arose, maybe one taking a pronoun here, a verbal paradigm there, and so forth. |
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| Submitted By | David J. Peterson |
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| Date Submitted | Saturday, July 03, 2004 |
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| Date Edited | Saturday, July 03, 2004 |
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| Date To Headline | Sunday, July 04, 2004 |
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