Tedim Zolai Gelhmaan By Taang Zomi

A Nostalgic Small Piece of Zolai Grammar

By Taang Zomi

Today (19 APR 08 SAT), I looked for and found a brief piece of writing on Tedim Zolai
grammar, which I wrote way back in 1996 (some twelve years ago).

In 1996, I began a newsletter-cum-mailing list, called The TBC (The Thang Bawi Communique,
http://web.archive.org/web/19991011083218/private.fuller.edu/~pthang/tbc1.html), which was a
precursor of Zomi International Network (http://groups.yahoo.com/group/zomi) and other
yahoogroups and googlegroups.

In March 1996, I began the first-ever Zomi websiste (The Thang Bawi Home Page,
http://private.fuller.edu/~pthang).

This webpage is no longer valid, but most – but not all – of it is archived here:
http://web.archive.org/web/19991010190932/private.fuller.edu/~pthang/

During 1996, Thuah Aung (Wilfred Bening), a famous singer and computer software
programmer, also had his webpage (Rammawi Home Page,
http://adams.patriot.net/~premil/rammawi.html), which was the third or fourth webpage after
mine.

He sent us a list of sentences in English to be translated into Tedim, Falam, Hakha, Matu, Mara,
Cho, etc.

He translated it into Falam. I translated it into Tedim. He put our translations on his webpage.

Today, I looked for his webpage, and found out that the webpage no longer existed. I looked for
the webpage on the Internet Archive (http://www.archive.org), but it was not there.

I remember that Dr. Vum Son put my translation on his webpage (Information Central for topics
related to Zo Re-unification and Democracy and Federalism in Burma,

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 Tedim Zolai Gelhmaan By Taang Zomi

http://home.us.net/~suantak). When I tried to go there, I found out that the webpage was no
longer in existence. I went to the Internet Archive, and fortunately the archive of the webpage is
still there: http://web.archive.org/web/20031008112250/home.us.net/~suantak/

Fortunately, my translation is still there:

http://web.archive.org/web/20031029234540/home.us.net/~suantak/l_tedim.htm

In 1995-1996, I used Eudora Light 1.x for Macintosh (see http://www.eudora.com) as my main
POP3 email client, which was plain text only (that is, it did not have RTF or HTML format). At
that time web-based email (such as Hotmail or Yahoo Mail) was un-heard of. I used Monaco
(fixed, monospaced font) 9 points when I wanted to write columnar tables, and Palatino
(proportional font) 12 points when I wrote academic papers. (I used Micosoft Word 5.1 for
formal writing.)

Now that I use Windows operating system, I use Outlook Express 6 (both plain text and HTML)
as one of my POP3 email clients. For tabulation, I use Courier New (fixed, monospaced font) 10
points in place of Monaco, and for academic papers, I use Times New Roman 12 points in place
of Palatino. (Actually, I now use OpenOffice.org Writer 2.4 to create tables.)

There have been lots of changes within 12 years!

With a deep feeling of nostalgia, I hereby reproduce my small piece of writing on Tedim Zolai
grammar.

We Zomis have not yet had a good, reliable grammar book. We are still in the process of
developing grammar and a grammar book.

I look forward to comments from my readers.

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 Tedim Zolai Gelhmaan By Taang Zomi

http://web.archive.org/web/20031029234540/home.us.net/~suantak/l_tedim.htm

Tedim
ENGLISH Tedim
================================ =================================

How are you? Dam maw?

I'm fine. Dam mah.

Have you had your dinner (meal)? Nitaak-an (An) ne khin maw?
Yes I have He, ne khin.

What's up? Bang thu om a hia?

What are you up to? Bang seem na hia?

Nothing much. Bangmah seem khol ke'ng ee.

Where are you going? Koi-ah pai na hia?

To "Van kau tlang" "Vankau Mual"-ah.

It's too hot Sa lua si.

Let's go to Church Kikhawm ve ni ee.

It's very delicious Lim mahmah si.

Give me that (something) (Tua) hong pia ve.

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 Tedim Zolai Gelhmaan By Taang Zomi

Glossary:
========

dam*1 = (adjective or verb) healthy; be healthy

maw; hia; hiam = end particle used to show that the sentence is a question
mah = affirmative particle
nitaak-an = (noun) dinner
an = (noun) food, meal
ne = (verb) eat
khin = (verb to be) present/past perfect tense
(adverb of frequency) already
he = (adverb of affirmation) yes
bang = (interrogative pronoun or interrogative determiner) what
thu = (noun) news; event; word; case; matter
om = (verb) exist; be
a*2 = copulative particle used to refer to third person singular
pronoun (amah)
na*2 = copulative particle used to refer to second person
singular pronoun (nang; nangmah)
bangmah = negative particle
seem = (verb) work; do
khol = (adverb of degree in a negative sense) not much
ke'ng = short for "kei ing"
kei = (adverb) not
ing*3 = end particle for first person singular
ee = cosmetic end particle used to enhance the beauty of the
sentence
koi-ah = (adverb) whither; to where
ah*4 = (postposition) to
mual = (noun) hill; hillock; mount; mountain
sa*1 = (adjective/verb) hot; be hot
lua = (adverb) too; excessively
si = end particle
kikhawm = verb) worship (at church, etc.)
(literally) be gathered
ve = cosmetic particle (to enhance the beauty of the sentence)

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 Tedim Zolai Gelhmaan By Taang Zomi

ni = (imperative or hortative mood of verb) let us

lim*1 = (adjective/verb) delicious; be delicious
mahmah = (adverb of degree) very
tua = (demonstrative pronoun; demonstrative adjective) that
hong*5 = adverbial particle used to refer to direction inward
pia = (verb) give

_________________________________________________

Footnote *1 What is regarded as an adjective in English grammar can be

regarded as a verb in Burmese, Zomi (Laimi) and Hebrew grammar. Look at
the following sentences:

(1) Amah hau hi. (He is rich.)

(2) A hau mi suak nuam ing. (I want to become a rich person.)

In the first sentence, "hau" (=be rich) is a verb in Zomi (Laimi) and
Burmese grammar. [In Burmese, the sentence reads: "Thu chantha thi."] But
in English, "rich" is a predicative adjective (an adjective used
predicatively).

In the second sentence, "a hau mi" means "a rich person". [In Burmese,
it is: "chantha thaw thu".] Here "hau" is an attributive adjective
(an adjective used attributively). In this case, Zomi (Laimi), Burmese and
English grammars have the same opinion.

Footnote *2 There are three such copulas, viz., "ka", "na" and "a". Look
at the follwing sentences:

(1) Kei ka pai hi. (I go.)

(2) Nang na pai hi. (You go.)
(3) Amah a pai hi. (He goes.)

"Ka" is the pronominal copula joining the subject "kei" (first person
singular pronoun) and the verb "pai". "Hi" is the end particle used to
signify that the sentence comes to an end.

"Na" is the the pronominal copula joing the subject "nang" (second person
singular pronoun) and the verb "pai".

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 Tedim Zolai Gelhmaan By Taang Zomi

"A" is the pronominal copula joining the subject "amah" (third person
singular pronoun) and the verb "pai".

Footnote *3 When we want to omit a pronominal copula, such as "ka" or

"na", we replace the end particle "hi" with the pronominal particle
concerned. Look at the following sentences:

(1) Kei ka pai hi.

Kei pai ing.

(2) Nang na pai hi.

Nang pai teh.

(3) Amah a pai hi.

Amah pai hi.

In the first sentence, we omit the pronominal copula "ka" and the end
particle "hi". In place of "hi" we put the prominal end particle for first
person singular "ing".

In the second sentence, we omit the pronominal copula "na" and the end
particle "hi". In place of "hi" we put the pronominal end particle for the
second person singular "teh".

In the third sentence, we omit the pronominal copula "a". But we do not
omit the end particle "hi" because there is no separate pronominal end
particle for the third person singular to replace "hi".

Footnote *4 In English, the preposition (pre-position) is one of the eight

parts of speech. The word that is put before (=pre) a noun or a noun
equivalent is called a preposition. Look at the following sentence:

(1) Tedim-ah va pai in. (Go to Tedim.)

(1) Tedim- ah va pai in. (Go to Tedim.)

Here, in the sentence in English, the word "to" is put _before_ a noun
(Tedim). Therefore "to" is a preposition.

But in Zomi (Laimi) and Burmese grammar, "ah" ("to" in English) is put
_after_ (=post) a noun (Tedim) or noun equivalent. Therefore we should call

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 Tedim Zolai Gelhmaan By Taang Zomi

it "postposition" (post-position) instead of "preposition". I think

Japanese grammar is the same as ours in this case.

Footnote *5 There are two adverbial particles used to refer to direction of

movement, viz., "hong" and "va". Look at the following sentences:

(1) Hong pai in. (Come here.)

(2) Va pai in. (Go there.)

In the first sentence, the vocative of address is omitted. The sentence is

the same as the following:

(1) (Nang) hong pai in. [(You) come here.]

"Hong" is used to refer to direction inward, or to a destination

directed toward the person speaking.

In the second sentence also, the vocative of address is omitted. The

sentence is the same as the following:

(2) (Nang) va pai in. [(You) go there.]

"Va" is used to refer to direction outward, or to a destination

directed away from the person speaking.

Our special thank goes to Rev. Pau Cin Thang for his contribution
of Tedim dialect.

Back to Dialect

Back to Rammawi

Saturday, April 19, 2008 Page 7 of 7