Exercise: Making Sentences

Let’s make sentences… Now that we have learned how to end sentences (-la) and how to connect verbs (-ta), let’s use the vocabulary from the story to make some sentences. Remember to find definitions of these words, use the gloss from Lesson 1 and Lesson 2, or look them up in the Timucua dictionary:

hibalive
hibabilived
qisadirt
honofood
ayetree
asile*leaf
eyoother
eche/aenter
anoperson
mosoto do
yale*guard
caqithis
istico*bad
lapurequest
*Some of these words have multiple meanings, but the definition provided is the one used in the story.

Making sentences

Remember Timucua’s SOV word order.
Review how -la and -ta help end and link sentences.
Recall that not all Timucua sentences have an explicit subject.

First, let’s translate: can you translate these Timucua sentences into English?

  • Caqi niama hibabila
  • Viro asile hebila
  • Qisa laputa hebila
  • Ano eyo echela

Answers: This (the) woman lived, A man ate a leaf, [he/she/one] asks for dirt and ate it, Another person enters.

Second, can you write the following sentences in Timucua?

  • The strong woman lived.
  • This rich man ate.
  • One woman entered.
  • A man entered and ate food.

Answers: Caqi nia yayima hibabila, Caqi viro hachitalacama hebila, Nia yanqua echebila, Viro echeta hono hebila.

What other sentences can you make? What patterns do you see?