Growing Up Text
Spoken by Serikpa Gnadja Emile on June 6, 2015
Translated by Sylvain Bodji
ɡɔlɔ2.3
palm.tree
le2
be
tɛkɛlɪ4.4.1
small
tɛkɛlɪ4.4.1
small
tɛkɛlɪ4.4.1
small
ne4
and
ɔ3
3SG.NOM
ji=a2.2
come.IPFV=PST
tapɪ2.2
maturity
boli3.1
from
jijime3.3.3
childhood
Palm trees are small and they become mature from childhood.
Les palmiers sont petits et ils deviennent matures depuis leur enfance.
ɡbasa2.2
how
ɡbasana2.2.2
how
jo4
child
le2
be
tɛkɛlɪ4.4.1
small
Just like a child is small.
Tout comme un enfant est petit.
wa3
3PL.NOM
ɡalɛ=a1.3.2
give.birth.IPFV=PST
jo4
child
ne2
REL
wa3
3PL.NOM
dio3.1
cut.IPFV
dajɛ2.2
umbilical.cord
When they deliver a child, they cut the umbilical cord,
Quand on accouche un enfant, on coupe le cordon ombilical,
ne4
and
ɔ3
3SG.NOM
ɓʊlʊ3.3
crawl.IPFV
ne4
and
ɔ3
3SG.NOM
ɡbulu3.3
crawl.IPFV
lane2.2
REL
and then it starts to crawl and crawl,
et puis il commence à ramper et à ramper,
ne4
and
wa3
3PL.NOM
nɔŋwɛ=a3.3.2
walk.IPFV=PST
wa3
3PL.NOM
nɔŋwɛ=a3.3.2
walk.IPFV=PST
wa3
3PL.NOM
nɔŋwɛ=a3.3.2
walk.IPFV=PST
And it walks and walks and walks,
Et il marche et il marche et il marche,
ne4
and
ɔ3
3SG.NOM
jɛra2.2
reach.IPFV
danɔkɔ2.3.3
somewhere
ne4
and
ɔ3
3SG.NOM
lɔpɛ3.1
speak.IPFV
nanɛ4.4
well
ɔ3
3SG.NOM
jɛra2.2
reach.IPFV
danɔkɔ2.3.3
somewhere
ne4
and
ɔ3
3SG.NOM
lɔpɛ3.1
speak.IPFV
nanɛ4.4
well
And it reaches a time when it speaks well,
Et il vient un moment où il parle bien,
topone2.2.3
now
ɟanɛ31.2
TOP
wa3
3PL.NOM
lɔpɛ2.1
speak.IPFV
ka2
FOC
ɟɛ2
now
ɡamara1.1.1
white.man.GEN
ɡbɔ=a2.2
speech=DEF
Nowadays, those kids speak French,
Aujourd'hui, ces enfants parlent français,
a-dɔkɔ2.3.1
1PL.POSS.INAL-village.GEN
ɡbɔ2
speech
la2
ASSOC
siso2.3
soon
lanɛja3.2.2
after
along with our village language soon after French.
avec notre langue de village, peu après le français.
ɔ3
3SG.NOM
jɛra2.2
reach.IPFV
da2
place
nɔkɔ2.2
some
a-to-wa2.3.3
1PL.POSS.INAL-father-PL
dakɔ2.3
past
mɛ3
in
It reaches a point, our fathers in the past,
Il atteint un point, nos pères dans le passé,
ne4
and
wa3
3PL.NOM
cio3.1
teach.IPFV
kpakpa2.3
still
ɡbɔ=a2.2
language=DEF
They still teach the language,
Ils enseignent toujours la langue,
a-dɔkɔ-ɡbɔ2.3.3.1
1PL.POSS.INAL-village-language
ma13
that.one
our village language
notre langue de village
ne4
and
ɔ3
3SG.NOM
lɔpɛ3.1
speak.IPFV
nanɛ4.4
well
ne4
and
ɔ3
3SG.NOM
le-li2.2
be-APPL
ɲɔkpa-ɓə3.1.2
person-adult
and the child speaks it well and becomes an adult
et l'enfant la parle bien et il devient un adulte
ɛ3
3SG.NOM
a-to-wa2.3.3
1PL.POSS.INAL-father-PL
pa2
tell.PFV
nunə3.2
story
ko3
PART
ɡba1
that
And our ancestors told a story that,
Et nos ancêtres ont raconté une histoire où
ɡɔlɔ2.3
palm
le2
be
tɛkɛlɪ4.4.1
small
tɛkɛlɪ4.4.1
small
ne4
and
ɔ3
3SG.NOM
ji2
come.IPFV
tapɪ2.2
mature
bɔlɪ3.1
from
jijime3.3.3
childhood
A palm tree was small and became mature from childhood.
Un palmier était petit et est devenu mature depuis son enfance.
ne4
and
a2
1PL.NOM
no=se2.4
say.IPFV=EMPH
ɡba1
that
a2
1PL.NOM
pa2
tell.IPFV
tapɪka2.2.2
maturity
tapɪka2.2.2
maturity
And we say that it's maturity, it's maturity
Et on dit que c'est la maturité, c'est la maturité.
ɡɔlɔ2.3
palm
le2
be
tɛkɛlɪ4.4.1
small
tɛkɛlɪ4.4.1
small
ne4
and
ɔ3
3SG.NOM
ji2
come.IPFV
tapɪ2.2
mature
boli3.1
from
jijime3.3.3
childhood
A palm tree was small and became mature from childhood.
Un palmier était petit et est devenu mature depuis son enfance.
ɲɔkpɔ3.1
person
ɔ3
3SG.NOM
le2
be
jo4
child
ne2
REL
ɔ3
3SG.NOM
le-li2.2
be-APPL
ɡalɪa2.3.1
old
A person, it was a child, then it becomes old.
Tout le monde est un enfant avant de devenir vieux.
ne4
and
e2
2SG.NOM
ɡuɡu3.3
think.IPFV
ɡba1
that
ɟiɟi3.3
tomorrow
ɟa2
time
e2
2SG.NOM
ji3
FUT
ɡalɪa2.3.1
old
le-li3.2
be-APPL
And it makes you think about the fact that tomorrow you will become old
Et ça te fait songer au fait que demain tu deviendras vieux.
ɛja3.3
and
sa3
how
a2
1PL.NOM
pa2
tell.IPFV
lane2.2
REL
That is how we tell the story, how we tell the story.
Voilà comment nous racontons l'histoire, comment nous racontons l'histoire.