The process of language development includes dictionary-making. We have not helped the Badwe'e people do their dictionary yet, so we are preparing one for them to add to and improve.
It is over 3000 words in length.
We are confident of the completeness of only one part of the dictionary, the adjectives. This is because the adjectives of Bantu languages are usually a "closed set". Otherwise stated, they are few in number. The other words used do qualify a noun are nouns.
The 12 adjectives in Badwe'e have the following meanings:
"light" and "dark"
"small" and "big"
"same" and "different"
"new" and "old-fashioned"
"cold" and "hot"
"genuine"
"complete"
I hope that the rest of the dictionary can become somewhat more complete now.
6/07/2010
6/02/2010
"Genesis" in Badwe'e is now being checked
Mary and I are comparing the Badwe'e translation of Genesis with the Hebrew text and finding many ways to assist the Badwe'e translation team in improving it. One of our advantages is knowing about those "literary devices" that were used by the human author of Genesis to lend prominence to the part of the text that was deemed most important.
Another important literary device is backgrounding. It may be hard to recognize for someone unable to read the Hebrew.
Fortunately, our main Badwe'e translator is now going to seminary and is learning Hebrew.
We expect that the benefits from this will be a more exact translation, which also maintains its high standard of clarily and naturalness.
Another important literary device is backgrounding. It may be hard to recognize for someone unable to read the Hebrew.
Fortunately, our main Badwe'e translator is now going to seminary and is learning Hebrew.
We expect that the benefits from this will be a more exact translation, which also maintains its high standard of clarily and naturalness.
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