Here are several short texts in Ngengenoef. All are translations from English texts, unless otherwise noted. The Ngengenoef translation and the English source are shown side-by-side, and a morpheme-by-morpheme gloss of the Ngengenoef follows. The following symbols and abbreviations are used in the glosses:
- Morpheme boundary = Clitic boundary . Boundary between multiple words that correspond to one morpheme in the other language X1, X2 Separate parts of a single morpheme 1, 2, 3 Person Di Direct DP Declarative Particle Du Dual E Evidential Ex Exclusive F Future Im Imperative Imd Immediate Impf Imperfective
In Inclusive Irr Irrealis N Negative Obl Oblique P Plural Pf Perfective Po Polite Pr Present Pst Past R Reduplication Reg Regal RP Remote Past S Singular Sub Subjunctive
A fable by Aesop.
Móefa’f Ngōpeme
Po’f oaiōpeme fanga fane qe móefa no oaiairqo’f niŕpóer engi mrma paopo. Po’ao mr oaemon kinai pafī oŕ. Qoar pao ngokoā makofoīn móefa qe nīke morn qoar pao ngokoā epr̄ ermon ningoqòa. Mengo qoar o’f ngaqa paopon “Ngòaf’opan ikoae ngopoarnoko nōfa, oŕ òang ermon qō, inini nao mon o mika nīkoai nōfa no pamoeni, n’orn nao’fopan pamarngi nofa, oŕ nao’fopan oaekenga ōpe, mōngam mrpr āke nef. Fairqo’r merfeng’opan mrpr āke ekoeon oamāpeqe no ekoeon noane. No fiai qe niononame kerm’if òang ermon qō.” Po’f ngopoan móefa om om po’f mrfoaoŕ mepoē oamāpeqe no ekoeon noane mangoa. Inini oŕ po’f oaefamong koarm fanga moeni po’ao marqiormeqoaoa no oaepoaomēo mengrnao’fopan koamao nrfr qe.
The Lion In Love
A lion once fell in love with a beautiful maiden and proposed marriage to her parents. The old people did not know what to say. They did not like to give their daughter to the lion, yet they did not wish to enrage the King of Beasts. At last the father said: "We feel highly honored by your majesty’s proposal, but you see our daughter is a tender young thing, and we fear that in the vehemence of your affection you might possibly do her some injury. Might I venture to suggest that your majesty should have your claws removed, and your teeth extracted, then we would gladly consider your proposal again." The lion was so much in love that he had his claws trimmed and his big teeth taken out. But when he came again to the parents of the young girl they simply laughed in his face, and bade him do his worst.
‘The Lion that fell in love’
‘A lion once fell in love with a beautiful woman, and proposed engagement to her mother and father.’
‘They didn’t know what to say. They didn’t want to give their daughter to the lion’
‘but they didn’t want to anger the king of animals.’
‘At last the father said’
‘“You’ve truly honored us with the king’s offer’
‘“but see our daughter is tender and young, and we fear’
‘that with the intensity of your love you might harm her’
‘Might I suggest that your majesty should have your claws removed, and your teeth extracted,’
‘then we would gladly consider the king’s proposal again.”’
‘The lion was so much in love that he had his claws trimmed and his big teeth taken out.’
‘But when he came again to the parents of the young girl’
‘they laughed in his face and challenged him do his worst.’