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This lesson explains how to say "good-bye" in Nuer. The thought involved is centered around peace. The person who is leaving says to his host, " and now remain in peace", and the host says to him, "and now go in peace." The verb particle [ku̲] is used to indicate a cordial attitude. This particle is untranslatable literally, but has tremendous influence not to be overlooked.
Singular | |
The host says to his guest: | Jï̲̩n, ku̲ wä̲ kɛ mal You, just go with peace. |
The guest says: | Ɣɔ̲ɔ̲n, kä̲ jï̲̩n ku̲ duɔ̩th kɛ mal. Yes, and you just remain with peace. |
Plural | |
The host says to his guests: | Ɣɛn, kua wä̲ kɛ mul. You, just go with peace. |
The guests say to their hosts: | Kä̲ yɛn, kua duɔ̩th kɛ mal bä̲. and you, just remain with peace also. |
PHONETICS
SYNTAX
The verbs in this lesson are [wä̲] and [duɔ̩th]. They are in the 2nd Aspect form and therefore are not conjugated. The verb form is an imperative, with the verb particles [ku̲] singular and [kua] plural. This will be explained later.
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