Turtle's Exploit

	Turtle's Exploit
	Cahto Language
	from Bill Ray (via Goddard 1909)

Cahto ¹		English Translation ²

Ts'inteelh see yaa'lhk'aas yaa'nii.		Turtle was throwing a stone up into the air, they say.
	ts'u^n.te;---se---ya^E;.k'as---ya^E.n"Ü
	Turtle / stone / he threw up / they say.
See yaa'ghilhk'aas-it kwaanii' dii kwaalaagh yaa'nii.		When he threw the stone he up he did like this with his arm (letting the stone bounce of his shoulder), they say.
	se---ya^E.gu^;.k'a.sit---kwa.n"Ü^E---d"Ü---kwa.laG---ya^E.n"Ü
	Stone / he threw up when / "shoulder" (actually= his arm) / this / he did / they say.
Kwdiishee' bilh see yaa'ghilhk'aas.		He threw the stone up with his shoulder, they say.
	kw.d"Ü.ce^E---bu^;---se---ya^E.gu^;.k'as
	"His arm" (actually = his shoulder) / with it / stone / he threw up.
Kwdiishee' naalhchit yaa'nii.		He caught it with his shoulder, they say.
	kw.d"Ü.ce^E---na;.tcu^t---ya^E.n"Ü
	"His arm" (actually = his shoulder) / he caught it / they say.
Hootaa wang-yii yaa'nii.		Then there were other people there, they say.
	ho#.ta---wu^n).y"Ü---ya^E.n"Ü
	Then / others were / they say.
Winyeehneeljit yaa'nii.		They were afraid of (doing) it, they say.
	wu^n.ye.nel.git---ya^E.n"Ü
	They were afraid of it / they say.
"Tee-hee-hee," tc'in yaa'nii, Ch'siitcing.		"Hah-hah-hah," Coyote said, they say.
	---------------te.he.he---tc'in---ya^E.n"Ü---tc'.s"Ü.tcu^n)
	"Tehehe," / he said / they say, Coyote.
"Kaa', shii beesh'ai'," tc'in yaa'nii.		"Ok, I'll try it," he said, they say.
	---------------ka^E---c"Ü---bec.^Eai^E---tc'in---ya^E.n"Ü
	"Well, / I / will try," / he said / they say.
"Hee'uu'," tc'in yaa'nii, Ts'inteelh.		"Yes," Turtle said, they say.
	---------------he.u#^E---tc'in---ya^E.n"Ü---ts'u^n.te;
	"Yes," / he said / they say / Turtle.
Ch'siitcing nins'is'aang yaa'nii, see.		Coyote picked up the stone, they say.
	---------------tc'.s"Ü.tcu^n)---nu^n.su^s.^Ean)---ya^E.n"Ü---se
	Coyote / took up / they say / stone.
Yaa'ghilhk'aas yaa'nii.		He threw it up in the air, they say.
	ya^E.gu^;.k'as---ya^E.n"Ü
	He threw it up / they say.
Kowan-tagit tc'ghilk'aalh yaa'nii.		It fell in the middle of his back, they say.
	ku#.wu^n.tu^k.k'u^t---tc'.gu^l.k'a;---ya^E.n"Ü
	His middle / it fell / they say.
Kwilh kwinyeehtc'ilhsiil' yaa'nii.		It pounded into the ground with him, they say.
	kwu^;---kwu^n.ye.tc'u^;.s"Ül---ya^E.n"Ü
	With him / it pounded into the ground / they say.
See yaa'ghilk'aas-it kowan-tagit tc'iilhk'alh yaa'nii.		When he threw up the stone and it struck his back, they say.
	se---ya^E.gu^l.k'a.sit---ko#.wu^n.tu^k.ku^t---tc'"Ü;.k'a7;---ya^E.n"Ü
	Stone / he threw up when / his back / it struck / they say.
---- Kwanlhang.		---- That is all.
	-------kwu^n.;a7n)
	---- All.

₁. Click on highlighted words to search for them in the Dictionary/Lexical database. The top line is in the practical orthography. The middle line is in Goddard's transcription except that "underhook"/"Polish hook" is represented by "subscript left half-ring" ("underhook" is not present in the SIL IPA fonts). The bottom line is Goddard's word-by-word translation, with [occasional additions or emendations by me in square brackets].
₂. Line-by-line translation by me, largely informed by Goddard's translation, but attempting to translate every sentence, and to do so more literally (within the limits of English readability).

Goddard's Translation

Turtle was throwing up a stone and letting it bounce off his shoulder when it fell. He threw it with his shoulder and caught it again. The others were afraid to try it.
"Tehehe," laughed Coyote, "I will try that."
"Very well," replied Turtle.
Coyote took the stone up and threw it into the air. It fell in the center of his back and drove him into the ground.
That is all.

8/30/99 Sally Anderson using perl version 5.034000