The Chumash languages often pack a lot
more information into a single word than English does — or other languages
you might be more familiar with.
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A Chumash verb may be very short,
such as k ip
"I say," but it also be the equivalent of an entire sentence in
English. A typical example is pi expenitwa
"the two of you sang to me" — or "sang for me."
Broken down into its component parts, the verb p-i-expen-it-wa
includes: |
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p– "you" |
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 i– dual
— "two" |
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expen
"sing" |
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–it
(to/for) me' |
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–wa
past tense
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A Chumash word may include layers
of meaning built around a core concept, such as apuq wni
"basket or scoop for bailing," which literally means something
like "tool for making water go down and out fast." Broken
down into its components, the word is: |
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su– "causing
to happen" |
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api–
"quickly" |
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u–
"out" |
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qwn
(water) "go down" |
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–i
"instrument, tool for"
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Even an apparently simple phrase
may include complex elements that a colloquial English translation doesn't
capture. For example, English simply sticks an adjective in front of a noun
in a phrase such as "a tall tree." The Samala equivalent
is more complex: malhy
ha pon
"tall tree" literally means "one that is tall, a tree." |
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ma– noun
marker, the article with nouns that come first in the phrase |
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l–
marks the following verb as relative:
"that which [is tall]" |
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hy
"to be long, tall" |
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ha
noun marker, the article for nouns that aren't
first in the phrase |
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pon
"tree, wood"
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The bottom line here is that words in any
of the Chumash languages — including Samala — may be considerably
more complex than their English translations imply.
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