Pig Latin/Lessons/2: Greetings

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Vocabulary[edit | edit source]

Ah, this is an exciting moment, don't you think? These will be the first words and phrases to roll off your tongue in this unfortunately misunderstood language! But you, dear student-- you understand it!

  1. Elohayu: Hello
  2. Hayu: Hi (Shortened from Elohayu)
  3. Udbīgayu: Goodbye
  4. Gayu: Bye (From Udbīgayu)
  5. Orningmōyā udgum: Good morning
  6. Aftrnōnōyā udgum: Good afternoon
  7. Ēvenēngōyā udgum: Good evening
  8. Rendfay: Friend
  9. Ko-ōurkray: Co-worker
  10. Āmrādkay: Comrade
  11. Y ēlfayā? How are you?
  12. Āma: I am
  13. Āra: You are
  14. Ŝē isa: She is
  15. Hē isa: He is
  16. Ťa isa: They are (singular)
  17. Ťa isas: They are (plural)
  18. Ōutay yisa yupāy? What's up?
  19. Uťēngnay: Nothing
  20. Ťe ēlēngsay: The ceiling
  21. Īnfāy: Fine
  22. Ādbāy: Bad
  23. Ōuelāy ēnufāy: Well enough
  24. Lesbayu ēō: Bless you
  25. Rāndmuťrgay dīeyi ustjāy: Grandmother just died

Main Concept[edit | edit source]

The NAPL folk-people aren't too stuck up when it comes to politeness-- for most, a "hī" is just as good as a "elohay." But, of course, for the rare stuck-up one, you do need to know the formal and informal forms. They translate very well into English-- in the vocabulary list, you should see some direct translations into English. For example, "udbīgay" is as formal as "goodbye," and "bī" is just as formal as "bye." Be conscious of these distinctions, but don't sweat them too much.

On a related note, it is rather striking how well these translate into English-- "ōuelay ēnufay" translates literally into "well enough!" Funnily enough, "ōuelay" (and any other vocabulary word) can be used for the same double-meanings as in English. For example, "ōuelay" can refer to a well (water-hole) or someone doing well. These striking similarities make me wonder-- was modern English based upon New Anglo Pig Latin, at some point in the linguistic tree?

Well, nevermind about that. This is a text-book, after all-- I'm supposed to educate you on the facts, not fill your head with my (perhaps mistaken, but probably not!) speculations. How about this for a fact, then:

All nouns end in -ay, all adjectives end in -ey, and all verbs... well, don't worry your little head over verbs just yet, we'll cover those next lesson. :-)

Until then, I suppose. Do the exercises, be studious! You can do it-- udgey uklay! (good luck)

Exercises[edit | edit source]

Responses[edit | edit source]

Respond to the following:

  1. Elohay! Yāra yāōhāy?
  2. Rendfay, āra īnfāy!
  3. Udgāy afrnōnay, āmrādkay.
  4. Āma ōuelāy ēnufāy. Ēō?
  5. *Cough cough*

Don't scroll down any more until you respond to the above!

Answers I[edit | edit source]

  1. Anything between "īnfāy" and "ādbāy" is valid enough.
  2. You can say anything that makes sense-- I said "Ām."
  3. It'd probably be best to say "Elohay!" or "Udgāy aftrnōnay!" back.
  4. OK, there is only one answer for this one: "Lesbayu ēō."

NAPL to English[edit | edit source]

Translate the following into English:
Ben: Ōutay yisa yupāy, rendfay?
Stasē: Ťe ēlēngsay-- ēō?
Ben: Mīy rāndmuťrgay ustjāy dīeyi.
Stasē: O, āra ādbāy.
Ben: Yesāy...
Stasē: Lesbayu ēō, rendfay. Lesbayu ēō.

Don't scroll down any more until you translate the above!

Answers II[edit | edit source]

Ben: What's up, friend?
Stacy: The ceiling-- you?
Ben: My grandmother just died.
Stacy: Oh, you are bad.
Ben: Yes...
Stacy: Bless you, friend. Bless you.