600 Phrases in the Liangshan Yi Dialect

Lesson 4 : Family Circumstances (Part 2)

ꆃꎭꆈꉙꅇꂷꃘꉐꇬ：（ꇖ）ꀁꇬꃆꂮ（2）

New Vocabulary

1. ꇭꀧ gop bo : body, health
2. ꃪ vat : good, well
3. ꋍꑊ cyp nyit : the two of them
4. ꐯꇯ jjy gex : all, both, together
5. ꐯ jjy : very
6. ꄡꇗ tat lyp : still
7. ꄎ dox : is able to
8. ꑴꌦ yip sy : still
9. ꂘꃀ hmat mop : teacher
10. ꇪꎹ got shep : commune [Chinese gōngshè 公社]
11. ꇬ go : in, inside
12. ꄉ da : at, in
13. ꑘꁨꊖꑣ nyop bbop za xie : to work, produce
14. ꇿꇬ kat go : where ?
15. ꐥ jjo : to be (somewhere)
16. ꇔꇷ lyt gur : worker
17. ꆿꈌ lat ke : Lake 拉克 [a place name]
18. ꍰꄖ chep du : Chengdu 成都 [the capital of Sichuan province]
19. ꄯꒉ tep yy : book
20. ꀘ bi : to read
21. ꋌ cy : he, him
22. ꀄꊭ iet zyr : small
23. ꌶꅉ ssox dde : school
24. ꄊꄐ dap dop : production brigade [Chinese dà duì 大队]
25. ꈅꏹ kuop jyp : accountant [Chinese kuàijì 会计]
26. ꋠꅍ zze ddu : food
27. ꈚꅍ ggat ddu : clothing
28. ꈍꃅꐙ kep mu jjix : how is it ? how are things ?
29. ꀋꃉ ap myt : now
30. ꆏ ne : [particle]
31. ꂄ nbop : good
32. ꀊꁪ a bbe : ah [interjection]
33. ꐥꌒ jjo sa : lucky
34. ꅊꇈ ddep lox : [particle]
35. ꑠ xip : thus, so
36. ꐥꌒꄻꌒ jjo sa ddie sa : happy and prosperous
37. ꌦ sy : to die
38. ꄉꏽ da qix : almost

Text

ꃅꏸ：ꅽꀉꁌꀊꂵꇭꀧꃪꀕ？

ꃄꏦ：ꋍꑊꐯꇯꇭꀧꃪꐯꃪ，ꄡꇗꑘꁨꄎꑴꌦ。

ꃅꏸ：ꅽꀉꄉꀉꂿꑞꀕꃅ？

ꃄꏦ：ꉠꀉꄉꆹꂘꃀꂷꉬ，ꀉꂿꆹꇪꎹꇬꄉꑘꁨꊖꑣ。

ꃅꏸ：ꅽꃺꃶꀁꑳꇿꇬꐥ？

ꃄꏦ：ꉠꃺꃶꆹꇔꇷꂷꉬ，ꀋꃋꆿꈌꐥ；ꀁꑳꆹꍰꄖꇓꈓꐥꄉꄯꒉꀘ。

ꃅꏸ：ꅽꅫꃀꑞꃅ？

ꃄꏦ：ꋌꀄꊭꑴꌦ，ꌶꅉꇬꄉꄯꒉꀘ。

ꃅꏸ：ꆏꆹꑞꃅ？

ꃄꏦ：ꉢꆹꄊꄐꈅꏹꉬ。

ꃅꏸ：ꆍꋠꅍꈚꅍꈍꃅꐙ

ꃄꏦ：ꀋꃉꆏꋠꅍꑌꐥ，ꈚꅍꑌꐥ。

ꃅꏸ：ꀊꁪ，ꆍꏤꐥꌒꄻꌒꐯꐥꌒꄻꌒꅊꇈ。

ꃄꏦ：ꑠꉬ，ꉪꏤꐥꌒꄻꌒꌦꄉꏽꀐ。

Translation

Mujy : How are your grandfather and grandmother ?

Muxjie : They are both quite healthy, and are still able to work.

Mujy : What do your father and mother do ?

Muxjie : As to my father, he is a teacher. As to my mother, she works in a commune.

Mujy : Where are your elder and younger brothers ?

Muxjie : My elder brother is a worker, who is currently living in Lake. My younger brother is studying in Chengdu.

Mujy : What does your sister do ?

Muxjie : She's still young, and is at school.

Mujy : What about yourself ?

Muxjie : I am the accountant in a production brigade.

Mujy : What's your life like ?

Muxjie : Nowadays we've got plenty of food to eat and also good clothes to wear.

Mujy : Aah, your family leads a really fortunate life !

Muxjie : That's right ! Our family's life is extremely happy and prosperous.

Notes

1. ꃪꐯꃪ (vat jjy vat) : The adverb ꐯ (jjy) is inserted between a reduplicated adjective to intensify its meaning :

• ꃪꐯꃪ (vat jjy vat) : "very good"
• ꀉꑌꐯꀉꑌ (ax nyi jjy ax nyi) : "very many"

2. ꇪꎹꇬꄉ (got shep go da) : the preposition ꄉ (da) "at, in, from" goes after the place it modifies :

• ꇪꎹꇬꄉꑘꁨ (got shep go da nyop bbop) : "work in a commune"
• ꇿꄉꇁ (kat da la) : "come from where"

3. ꑘꁨꊖꑣ (nyop bbop za xie) : This is an example of a four-syllable phrase, of which we have seen several so far :

• ꑘꁨꊖꑣ (nyop bbop za xie) : "work and labour"
• ꐥꌒꄻꌒ (jjo sa ddie sa) : "happy and prosperous"
• ꋬꂻꈨꅪ (zzyr muo gge hni) : "happy and healthy"

The common characteristics of four-syllable phrases are :

• They are usually four syllables in length, comprising two two-syllable components : the first two syllables usually make up a word that can be used on its own (e.g. ꑘꁨ (nyop bbop) : "work"); whereas the last two syllables usually cannot be used by themselves, but are only used to support the meaning of the first two syllables (e.g. ꊖꑣ (za xie) cannot be used by itself to mean "work").
• To form the negative of a four-syllable phrase, the negative particle ꀋ (ap) is inserted between the syllables of each two-syllable componant, thus ꑘꀋꁨꊖꀋꑣ (nyop ap bbop za ap xie) "not work nor labour".
• Four-syllable phrases have an intensity of meaning that goes beyond the simple word from which it derives. Thus ꑘꁨ (nyop bbop) simply means "to work", whilst ꑘꁨꊖꑣ (nyop bbop za xie) intensifies the meaning to something like "to toil and labour".

4. ꌶꅉ (ssox dde) : Like the syllable ꅍ (ddu), the syllable ꅉ (dde) is an extremely useful noun former. It has the meaning of "place, location",and though it cannot be used in isolation, it can be appended to a verbs and adjectives to form nouns :

• ꌷ (sso) "to study" : ꌶꅉ (ssox dde) "school" (literally "studying place")
• ꀀ (it) "to sleep" : ꀀꅉ (it dde) : "dormitory" (literally "sleeping place")
• ꑌ (nyi) "to sit" : ꑋꅉ (nyix dde) : "seat" (literally "sitting place")
• ꃪ (vat) "good" : ꃪꅉ (vat dde) : "strong point, advantage" (literally "good place")

Note that single syllable words in the Mid Level tone mutate to the Secondary High tone before ꅉ (dde). Thus, ꌶꅉ (ssox dde) and ꑋꅉ (nyix dde) from ꌷ (sso) and ꑌ (nyi).

5. ꉢꆹ (nga li) : The word ꉢ (nga) "I" is read in the Secondary High tone, as if written ꉡ (ngax), before the particle ꆹ (li). Cf. Lesson 3 Note 6.

6. ꋠꅍꑌꐥ, ꈚꅍꑌꐥ (zze ddu nyi jjo, ggat ddu nyi jjo) : ꑌ (nyi) "also" can be used in two parallel clauses to mean "both ... and ...".

7. ꅊꇈ (ddep lox) : This particle is used to express either a sense of affirmation that something is the case or hope that something will be the case.

8. ꐥꌒꄻꌒꌦꄉꏽ (jjo sa ddie sa sy da qix) : Literally "happy and fortunate to the point of almost dying".

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