Letanis Language Example Texts

Babel Text

(Genesis 11:1-9)

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(English translation provided by the World English Bible project.)

Glossing Abbreviations

Translation Notes

1. The universal quantifier "gum" is used to clarify that the statement refers to all people in existence. Also, the absolute number "bam" ("one") is used to refer to the language, even though "letas" ("language") would have been in singular form without it as well. This leads to a similar emphasis as the pleonasm ("one language and one speech") in the original text. (verse 1)
2. At first glance, the loose temporal conjunction "lim" ("when") is not really needed, as the plain is obviously also called "Shinar" before and after the people found it. However, this conjunction serves the purpose of passing temporal information on to later sentences, so that the second "lam" ("before") refers back to the people finding the plain. (verse 2)
3. As there are no reflexive pronouns, "tas" is repeated. (verse 3a)
4. "Nom galam" ("after now"), a nonspecific reference to the future, is used to translate the hortative expression "let's". (verse 3b)
5. At first glance, the first nested loose temporal conjunction "galim" ("when") is not really needed, as it just connects the variable assignment from the previous sentence with the following sentence. However, the conjunction serves the purpose of chaining all wrapped statements together. Otherwise, another "natam" ("say") would have been necessary. (verse 3b)
6. The English word "thoroughly" is untranslatable; according to the Letanis philosophy, something is either done completely or not done at all. If for some reasons the bricks were not burnt enough to become useable, this would have to be specified separately. (verse 3b)
7. The temporal conjunction "lom" is a good example for its idiomatic use – implying causality by temporal connection. (verses 3c and 3d)
8. The Letanis word "ladus" refers to bricks of any materia; basically anything that can be used as a building block for a wall. The Letanis translation implies that the people made a specific type of brick (clay bricks) which require burning to become usable as building blocks, hoping that this captures the intent of the original text. (verses 3b and 3c)
9. There is no way to translate the benefactive expression "build ourselves" directly. Thus, it is translated idiomatically as "a city where the people will dwell" using the temporal conjunction "galom". (verse 4b)
10. There is no direct translation for "the top of the tower", instead, a temporal conjunction is used to describe that the process of building the tower overlaps with it beginning to be at the bottom of the sky (and possibly rising even higher from there). This also helps to emphasize the progressive nature of the process. (verse 4b)
11. To simplify the text and avoid misunderstandings regarding the temporal conjunctions, "natam" ("say") is repeated to start a new quotation. (verse 4c)
12. Again, at first glance, the nested loose temporal conjunction "galim" ("when") is not really needed, as it just connects the variable assignment from the previous sentence with the following sentence. However, the conjunction serves the purpose of chaining all wrapped statements together. Otherwise, yet another "natam" ("say") would have been necessary. (verse 4c)
13. Again, the benefactive expression "name for ourselves" cannot be translated directly. Instead, it is translated as "a name someone will use to call us". (verse 4c)
14. The expression "on the surface of the whole earth" is translated idiomatically with the universal quantifier "gum" used to refer to all plains that exist on Earth. It is intended to serve as a similar emphasis as in the original text. (verse 4c)
15. It is not possible to translate downwards motion directly, instead, it is explicitly stated that the city and tower are below God, which means that God must be above them, so the statement implies that God must be moving downwards to observe them. (verse 5)
16. Translation of the expression "children of men" is omitted for simplicity. It is implied that the reader understands from context that "gum das" ("all humans") refers to the so-called "children of men". It is a reference to the genealogy described in the previous chapter of the bible, Genesis 10. (verse 5)
17. Again, at first glance, the nested loose temporal conjunction "galim" ("when") is not really needed, as it just connects the imperative expression from the previous sentence with the following sentence. However, the conjunction serves the purpose of chaining all wrapped statements together. Otherwise, another "natam" ("say") would have been necessary. (verse 6b)
18. The pleonastic expression "bam letas" is a reference to verse 1. (verse 6b)
19. The whole phrase "Now nothing will be withheld from them, which they intend to do." as such negated expressions don't work well with Letanis' philosophy. The meaning remains the same: What the people intend do to, they will do. (verse 6b)
20. Again, to simplify the text and avoid misunderstandings regarding the temporal conjunctions, "natam" ("say") is repeated to start a new quotation. (verse 7)
21. Again, "Nom galam" ("after now"), a nonspecific reference to the future, is used to translate the hortative expression "let's". (verse 7)
22. As negative statements such as "not understand" don't work well with Letanis' philosophy, it is instead translated idiomatically as "their mutual understanding ends with God confusing the language". (verse 7)
23. The universal quantifier expression "gum bopes" ("all plains") is a reference to verse 4c. (verse 8)
24. There is no direct translation for "to stop doing something" as a verb, instead, it is translated using the grammatical temporal conjunction "lum". (verse 8)
25. The causality is expressed with the temporal conjunction "lam" ("before") in this case. (verse 9)
26. Again, the pleonastic expression "bam letas" is a reference to verse 1. (verse 9)
27. Again, the universal quantifier expression "gum bopes" ("all plains") is a reference to verse 4c. (verse 9)

Phonology

If you are interested in the phonological properties of Letanis, you can view the text in the letter freqency analyzer (loading… requires JavaScript).