Mixe texts. - article ; n°1 ; vol.25, pg 41-64

Paul Radin

Description

Journal de la Société des Américanistes - Année 1933 - Volume 25 - Numéro 1 - Pages 41-64
24 pages
Source : Persée ; Ministère de la jeunesse, de l’éducation nationale et de la recherche, Direction de l’enseignement supérieur, Sous-direction des bibliothèques et de la documentation.

Sujets

• Sociologie, société et politique

Informations

• Publié par: JOURNAL_DE_LA_SOCIETE_DES_AMERICANISTES
• Publié le: 01 janvier 1933
• Nombre de lectures: 13
• Langue: English
• Poids de l'ouvrage: 1 Mo

Extrait

Paul Radin
Mixe texts.
In: Journal de la Société des Américanistes. Tome 25 n°1, 1933. pp. 41-64.
Citer ce document / Cite this document :
Radin Paul. Mixe texts. In: Journal de la Société des Américanistes. Tome 25 n°1, 1933. pp. 41-64.
doi : 10.3406/jsa.1933.1870
http://www.persee.fr/web/revues/home/prescript/article/jsa_0037-9174_1933_num_25_1_1870MIXE TEXTS,
by Paul RADIN.
PREFACE.
The following texts were obtained at Oaxaca, Mexico, from a Mixe
of Juquila, Villa Alta, who was a member of the city band. He had com
plete mastery of the language. Unfortunately owing to the extreme
fear which even the Villa Álta Mixe who come to Oaxaca to trade have
of Europeans, it was impossible to control my informant's phonetics. The
quality of certain vowels is by no means clear.
PHONETIC TABLE. •
All the vowels have their continental values. The Greek vowels are
short and open. Vowels without diacritical marks are short and close. The
following have special values ;
ï = front high palatal г.
ů = high back
-г denotes palatalization.
All the consonants have their continental values except that
x = Spanish jota
^ = ch in German ich.
n — probably surd.
ç = sh with medial stricture.
t is occasionally heard as fortis.
5 between d and th in English the.
6t and th in thin.
Tha glottal stop ('V) is very weak.
— denotes whispered vowel or consonant. I have not standardized the
texts.
Mixe is one of the best known of the Oaxaca languages. A large voca- 42 SOCIÉTÉ DES AMÉRICANISTES
bulary with a short and not very satisfactory grammar was published by
Seňor F. Belmar entitled : 4< Estudio del Idioma Ayook ". Oaxaca, 1902.
Besides this has given a sketch of the language in his " Lenguas
Indigenas de Oaxaca". The best works on the Mixe language are how
ever those of Fray Augustin Quintana, consisting of a grammar reprin
ted by Belmar which serves as an introduction to his " La instrucción
y guia de ignorantes para el cielo " (1759), translated in part by Raoul
de la Grasserie, in his " Langue Zoque et Langue Mixe " ; a " Doctrina
Gristiana "(1729) and a " Confesion Sacramental " (1729).
Cambridge, March 1924. TEXTS 43 MIXE
I
mburo* Icďin xědi'ťpi tpr"c tuug тйпй. Ти'ш
hurro went walking (and) came to a , . large river. A
yo' 7.И yan- mina'"tc хе-лс gi têmidoix trfu% xa
he heard a voice There he was eating when (and)
ya'p' ' ' yapïd^û' ëmguts lagantixa* ; tsa maiyiyi tu"ug " Free me stone here said to him an alligator ;
ba'tm'cp'. ' " о Us v.ya porks. mïts yadxpiix xa bufiu*,
" I not hecause you from under. Answered the burro,
%ya yadxdïmbïtc lagartixa*,
not wish to eat me. " the Answered alligator,
mburo* Ta1 onts ndiabu'd^em. xa a
" went took him you 1 (shall) eat. Then the burro
net' dia%pu' d?eml tamyatsu'yï xa -np( tsa ba't-AUnp\ w
and there stone from under. When he had taken him it seized him
' či" " nd%ud%ubuněť porvi* tca'vn tcuv-tuk up yanma''yï,
days " I shall eat you now because it is now eight said to him,
" nig'oi1- .* w'abu'ts mgat ïx. ta a
"It would have I have eaten. " Then burro since said,
xa'p* jip1 • tÎTjgadïm'xu'ïtc tsa ba'tKU"p\ " neť
stone from under. " Then hetter had I not freed you there been
жуа nya-Ôgib. xoôrn ya'ddxpi-ïx xa lagartixa*,
1 not I shall kill yon. Let us go said the alligator,
FREE TRANSLATION.
A burro went walking and came to a large river. There he was eating
when he heard a voice which called to him, (that of) the lizard, "Free
me from under the stone. "Then the burro answered," "That I will not
do, because you wish to eat me. "But the lizard answered," I will
not devour you." Then the burro went over and freed him from under
the rock. When he freed her, she seized him and said to him, "Now I"
shall eat you for it ia fully eight days since I have eaten. "Then the
burro said," It would indeed have been better had I not freed you from
under the rock. "Then the lizard said, "Well, I will not kill you (imme- .
44 SOCIÉTÉ DES AMERIČANI STES
gù"pl laguna* w'tsxô- xacïm p'or/Jr xêm tïrgivô'ffi
yonder lagoon near ani- for there all
w'tsxuyw"-/.* pii'mni- yu\ xya'"tc пй-и'кро, myuiïgu'xpô
mais come todrinkwater, in groups of three the animals. If л one
tu" siďmpněm* nya! m. mgani%actu"idfitc
of them take your part I shall killyo.u " then
agu"pl laguna* Ta nyuJkctû xa'm
So they went there the lagoon near when they noticed
ta1 nômbiyï* byl'od* montras* 'nyayu'tsu'yt
an old. Then they hid themselves while
a' te xa nôbiJyï Л-* byè'xï* w xya''tc ta' xama y y
approached the ox old. When he got there then the
buro* " mbuen* xinaint, mbu-Ôx*, nd^èpu'èts ja'gïb
" Good ox, I wish you tell me burro said,
de-darasidn* lagartix'i* ctcu''ud%a'èmbïts tu'ugil Yďabu
a word. This alligator wishes to devour me
tïnyapû'tsem*its 'iits tsa bat7.iinp\ taběna''ts xa-p
and I took him there stone from under. Then he was about
yadxpi'x ëis ba'djïis ndii'm janôgQ-ïnyu.
■ to kill me. " Tai to die and therefore he wishes said
" tu"ugu oîx'ai'-ïx xaJ'a lagartixo*, tu"ug
" a good (deed) with a the alligator,
mbwo'ix* byëxu* tmvftc. " ajxoi'ix ta yadioi'lx xa''a
bad should he repaid. Then answered the ox old,
Ta' mbô'ï* mbyexii* u tô-ixyuïdu'ïn'mga'ps*. nyi vxnu xa
" you speak well. " Then the old. went away
diately). Let us go yonder near the lagoon for there all the animals come
to drink water; three at a time. If none of them take your part, then I
shall devour you." So they went toward the lagoon when they noticed
an old ox. The hid themselves while he approached. When the old ox
got there the burro said, "My good ox, I wish you would decide some
thing for me. This lizard wishes to devour me although I freed him from
under a rock. There he was on the point of death and yet, (for my kind
ness), he wishes to kill ne." Then {he lizard spoke, "A good deed is to
be repaid with a bad one." Thereupon the old ox said, " You speak the
truth indeed." Then the old ox went away. MIXE TEXTS 45
Ta' yad^pi'x ma' 'is ndtigoi'd"- xaa la gar H xo*, xa
Then said the the two you still alligator,
xa' defènsor* mdugoi-â" tcutx. ma''ts-л'й xu-uta'bô tcutx,
the two witnesses you still need. need, These
PÏ v.ya nya-â'gïb . xaba'na tc mnï'mctu'tïp',
two if not I shall kill you . There they were they defend you,
byex'i* f nef a buro* fa'na- V.Ó minx tu"ugii ■mwaix
when came horse old. Then the burro said to
" ombre* ya\* tuugu tunhnaix xa улиагх, â'tïn maix,
" him do me the horse, old chap a favour (and) make a
lagartïxï* ndey.lara-sïon.* 'yoâbû ctu'fid^ambVts ets its
statement. v This alligator wishes to eat me and I
xa'p' ti'nya'plïd%e'm tsa batv.ii"p\. buxudi tu-ijiba'"a
freed him there stone from under. If not I had done it
net1 lagârtixo* " mbuěn* yô'\nï. xa yadd%oi'tx, " died (he would have). " Then alligator good the said,
ш1'-"- tu' ňgii oixai'x mutě hoi-ixtv-ufiutc. -, tu"ug apg
is repaid. ' horse a good (deed) with bad
' ' tûyûdu ' 'm 'tngà "pc ' ' tanyarfiwa '- net yadxoix xa xwai'ïx*,
" the tnith you speak " Then answered the horse (and) went
y.ilyû. nčtínaix xa xa mdûgaixântcutc lagartixt, tU Ug
Then said the the one you still need awav. alligator,
defěnsor ".
a witness. "
tay iburě* va.'n.'tV'tc tafi'cpa'tc
Soon small rabbit. Then the burro they noticed
ct You still have two more witnesses. If these Afterthatthe lizard said,
two bear you out, i shall not kill you." As they were standing there an
old horse approached them. Then the burro said to the horse, "Old fe
llow, do me a favor and give me your opinion (on this subject).- This
lizard wishes to eat me although I freed him from under a rock. Had I
not done it then he would have died." Then the lizard said, "My dear
horse, (is it not true that) a good deed is to be repaid by a bad one?"
Thereupon the horse answered, "You speak the truth indeed,'' a