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1/11/2012

Adaptation of New Testament

Terese Noumabouk and I are done adapting Matthew from Badwe'e into Njyem. This means
that we are now 26.5% done with the preparation of a first draft of the Njyem New Testament.
One of the problems we run into is that the Njyem language seems more rich than the Badwe'e in some respects, which means that more distinctions in meaning have to be made as adaptation proceeds.
Three examples will help prove the point: 1.) In Badwe'e, all crowds are the same. One refers to a crowd as "emɛl e bʉr". In Njyem, it is necessary to know if a crowd has a collective purpose and
identity. If it has a collective identity, it is called "nyee bʉr". If it is simply a mass of people, it is "mwa bʉr".
2.) In Badwe'e, actions that are either promptly-initiated or quickly-executed are all described by the adverb "kpahbe". In Njyem, an earlier distinction continues to be maintained, with promptly-initiated events being characterized by the adverb "kula" and quickly-executed events being described by "kwɛh".
3.) In Badwe'e, all things that "surprise" you (twɨra) are the same, but in Njyem, if one is "scared and surprised", the verb is "letwɨra", while if you are caught off-guard and surprised, the verb is "lesɔga".

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