from Metsik lingvistika by Valdur Mikita
The most recent chapter focused on the problems of trying to fit folklore into the categories developed by Hellenistic/Greek tradition and what aspects of culture are left out by focusing on song, dance, proverbs, literature, etc. Oral tradition holds some of the richest aspects of culture, especially for cultures that do not have a long history of writing, but is also more individual, more difficult to make generalizations about and is the part most likely to be lost.
- hägu, -, -, ø haze, mist
lähtuma, -da, -n to emanate from, to dwell
kahandama, -da, -n to detract, to detract from
lasuma, -da, -n to be incumbent upon
memoraat, -di, -ti, -ti memorate (oral narrative relating to personal experience with the supernatural)
nihe, nihke, nihet, ø drift, shift
paikupidavus, -e, -t, -se validity
põhjapanev, -a, -at, ø of great importance
tahk, tahu, takhu, tahku facet, pane
tavand, -i, -it, ø rite, ritual, ceremony
äraspidi inside out, backwards
üldistama, -da, -n to generalize, to extrapolate
In the part I read today, Salme doesn't want to marry Sun because the sun burns too brightly and destroys crops, she doesn't want to marry Moon because he is too inconsistent, so she marries Star. At her wedding, Sun proposes to Linda but she doesn't want to marry him because he burns to brightly etc., doesn't want to marry Moon because he is too inconsistent, doesn't want to marry Wind (too savage) or Water (too treacherous) or the son of the king of Kungla (in-laws are mean) either, but will marry Kalev. So now they are both getting married, Salme to Star and Linda to Kalev. They dance traditional dances. I know this story already, the first part (Salme's wooing and wedding preparations) is also told in this song. More alliterative nonce compounds from the book:
- sõnasõba, sõnasõba, word-shawl
rõõmurüngas, ilokink, happiness-cliff
põuapalgel, põvvapalgõl, drought-cheeked
tuulistäkk, tuulõtäkk, wind-stallion
kodukana, kodokana, home-hen
This has gotten better since my last post. It is a little more fast-paced now and with varied topics and I'm enjoying reading it more now. The author delves into Argentinian-Peruvian history and Juan Pascual Pringles's Peruvian campaign during the war for independence, an encounter the author had with a gang of teenagers in Peru who stole his wallet, his 6-year-old son going missing for six hours in Utah, accidentally eating a can of dog food on his first day in the United States, and other 'adventures' (both modern and historical).