Aim: By the end of the lesson,
students should be able to ask and answer “what is your/his/her name?” and
introduce themselves. Additionally, they
should be able ask and answer “kire/ture/qare akus?” for a few simple neuter
nouns.
Story: Imagine you have been taken back in time to
before the 20th century, when Ket was used as a primary means of
communication along the middle Yenisei river and its tributaries. As you reflect on the coolness of the Ket
language and culture, you float down the river in a small boat made of
birchbark. The Yenisei river has just
begun to flow after its winter freeze, and there are still pieces of ice
floating in the water. The weather is
sunny but cold, and there is still snow on the ground. As you travel down the river you meet a
friendly man on the shore. He is putting
up some sort of structure on the riverside.
He greets you in Ket.
Dialog: ????: Bǝ’j-o:! (addressing a man) Kǝla-a:! (addressing a
woman)
You: Bǝ’j-o:! Uk i:
bila?
????: Ap i: Dahaniŋ. Uk i: bila?
You: A:p i: __________________. Ture akus?
Dahaniŋ: Kire ap qu’s.
Ture uk qa’p?
You: E’!
Grammar
1.
VOCATIVE POSTPOSITION: We can call out to our
friends by saying their name + o:! (masculine) or a:! (feminine). If you are calling to a woman who is not in
view, you change vocative particle to ə:!
a.
Since Ket has no direct translation to “hello”, we can make a
friendly greeting to someone we don’t know by saying bu’j- o:! or kǝla-a:!. This translates literally to “hey friend!”
2.
INTRODUCTIONS: We can ask someone’s name with U:k
i: bila? Or literally, “Your name how?”
3.
DEMONSTRATIVES: We can ask what something is by
saying Kire/ture akus? Or literally “This/that what?”
Vocabulary:
Nouns
|
|||
Bǝ’j m.
|
Friend (male)
|
||
Kǝla f.
|
Friend (female)
|
||
I:
|
Name
|
||
Qu’s
|
Birchbark teepee
|
||
Qa’p
|
Birchbark boat
|
||
Hɯssej
|
Forest
|
||
Se:s
|
River
|
||
Ke’t
|
Person, man
|
||
Pronouns
|
|||
A:t
|
I
|
Ap
|
My
|
U:
|
You
|
Uk
|
Your
|
Bu:
|
S/he
|
Bud
|
His/her
|
Other
|
|||
Kire
|
This
|
||
Ture
|
That (nearby)
|
||
Qare
|
That (far away)
|
||
Akus
|
What
|
||
E’
|
Yes
|
||
Bə:n
|
No
|
||
Exercise
Translate:
1. Uk i:
bila? ______________________
2. Bud
i: bila? ______________________
3. Kire
uk qa’b? _________________________
4. Ture
ap qu’s? ________________________________
5. Kire
se:s? ______________________________
6. Ture
hɯssej?
______________________________
7. How
do you greet a woman whose name you don’t know (assuming you can see her)?
8. How
do you greet a man whose name you don’t know?
