I haven’t talked much about the Breton language yet, but it’s a very cool language. I enjoy learning the way it works, and discovering its occasional quirks. Here’s one quirk that we learned about recently. I’ll post it as a grammar challenge for you all today, and then I’ll go back and add in the explanation on the weekend. That’ll give you time to read and ponder the mystery. Feel free to post a guess, if you like. Here goes.
What does the following sentence mean? How would you translate it into English? (Do not dispair–there’s vocab help just below.)
Tangi zo pinvidik e vab.
Assuming that you don’t already know how to translate this particular type of sentence, have a go at it.
(Needless to say, if you happen to be already familiar with this particular quirk of the Breton language, please don’t post an answer. Email me, if you’d like.)
First of all, ‘Tangi’ is a man’s name.
The other words in this sentence mean:
zo = form of the verb ‘to be’ (COP, for the linguists out there)
pinvidik = rich
e = his
vab (i.e. mab) = son
Your turn now…. Kalon vat ! (Good luck!)
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Answer:
Tangi zo pinvidik e vab.
Tangi’s son is rich.
Did you get it right? I know at least some of you did, so congratulations!
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