Sentences 21 and 22

Nam, kin bodú wol tai úwed

Dok, yao reb mapena melion úwidant kembí

Two sentences today. The second does not introduce new material. There are some useful comparisons between them.

Pupil replies to Teacher's question, No, but I am willing to learn. Nam means no and is used as an exclamation. After a negative the word for 'but' is kin. Wol is the first person singular form of the verb to want, to wish, to be willing. It is followed by the desiderative particle tai.

Teacher replies I will do my best to teach you. This sentence was used in an earlier dialogue. I will describe it briefly. Dok is a sequence or balancing word used to mean so or then. Reb is the first person word for strive. The phrase for 'best' is mapena melion. Melion is the neuter form of the adjective, better, used as an adverb. The particle mapena marks it as a superlative.

Two different words for 'I' are used in these two sentences. Pupil calls himself bodú the egalitarian first person, the equivalent of 'your servant'. Teacher addresses himself as yao, the superior first person used by persons formally in charge. As the form of the word comes from Indo-European languages I imagine that there has been some language shift to restrict its use.

Úwed and úwidant are different forms of the same verb. Úwed is the first person singular; úwidant is the verbal noun or infinitive verb. The underlying meaning is to come to know. In ghostian it translates both 'teach' and 'learn'.

I've just noticed I titled my last post a 'introducation' (sic)! I'm going to hide under a pillow!