to
History
Page!
(This is Appendix D in my Book)
Page as of May 3, 2000
(Updated on Jan. 24, 2011)
the 1937 book CONTES LAZES by Georges Dumezil, Director d'etudes a l'ecole des Hautes Etudes,
Universite de Paris, Institut d'Ethnologie, 191 Rue Saint-Jacques.
A plausible theory about the origins of the Lāz people is that they are descendants of the Greek colony in and around the city of Batumi (136,000 people, 1989), the capital of the Adzhar republic, an enclave within the Caucasian republic of Georgia. The city is located on the southeastern corner of the Black Sea. The name "Batumi" probably relates to the Greek word "bathos" meaning "deep" (for deep harbor). Batumi was used as a port at the time the ancient Greeks had colonies there. The city passed from Turkey to Russia in 1878 and became the capital of a separate region for the Adzhar people in 1921.
The origins of the names of many villages and towns along the eastern shores of the Turkish Black Sea, e.g., Arhavi, are debatable. Since they do not "sound" Turkish, they may be of Greek, Armenian, or some other origin. Mother remembers from her childhood that several villages in this coastal region had Greek names. For example, the town that is now known as Pazar (both "Sunday" and "market" in Turkish) was Atina then, which is Turkish for Athens; Ēayeli was known as Matawri. On the other hand, this evidence of Greek origins is contradicted by the fact that neither the Greeks nor the Lāz people, who populate these villages, understand the language spoken by the other.
Moreover, some isolated villages in this region speak a dialect the origin of which is not known even to the people who speak it. Mother heard it once and could not relate the language to Lāz, nor to the Armenian sounds she had heard from her Armenian friends in school. It is still possible that these people are the descendants of Armenians who populated the coastal areas to the west of Lāz villages, who gradually developed their own pidgin Armenian dialect.
For reasons that are not clear, the sizeable Greek population in Turkey is referred to as "Rum," or in plural form "Rumlar." This word does not have a recognizable root in Turkish. The equivalent Turkish word for the Greek people in Greece is "Yunanlż," which is not used in conjunction with the Rum population in Turkey. Mother says that the "Rum" reference was used also in her childhood and, she believes, during the days of the Ottoman Empire. We surmise the name is a derivative of "Roman" ("Romalż" in Turkish). Why people of Greek heritage would be referred to as "Romans" might be explained by the fact that these Greeks were in Constantinople, under the Eastern Roman Empire, when the Ottomans conquered the city in 1453.
Ethnic Make-up of Eastern Black Sea region of Turkey |
Linguistic Roots. In an email exchange I have had with Dr. Gregory D. S. Anderson, Director of Living Tongues Institute for Endangered Languages, a National Geographic Society Fellow, on Dec. 2-3, 2010 (to whom I had sent my essay on the Laz people and language), he stated as follows:
"The Laz language is a beautiful language and thank you for sharing this with us. I have studied the Georgian language and indeed the comparative linguistics of what is called the Kartvelian language family, that also includes in addition to Laz and Georgina, the Mingrelian and Svan languages as well. I believe the closest relative to Laz is Mingrelian (Megreli in Georgian).
As for Megreli and Laz, they are different enough to be considered separate languages by linguists but are administratively considered to be one language, called Zan or Chan, even if people acknowledge they are not mutually intelligible. Anecdotally they are like Spanish and Portuguese it seems to me. Obviously the the Laz of Turkey will have more Turkish words than Laz and Mingrelian which in turn will have more Georgian and Russian words.
There is in fact a large body of scientific linguistic literature on the topic of the origin and development of Laz in Kartvelian linguistics, with sources mainly in Russian, Georgian and German, though others as well, including English.
I do have a decent functional knowledge of Turkish and also Georgian so I think I could get my head around Laz a bit too and I have enough Turkish to understand a good portion of what is being said (or I used to, it has been 10 years since I have been to Turkey and I have been busy doing many other things). We don't need any more projects nor do we have the staff to attend to it realistically at present, but would if contacted by an official language program representing a Laz community."
Anatomy of a Lāz Clan. Our extended clan are the offsprings of the great uncles and aunts listed below on the left, though the "tribe" includes other clans too. (See Family Trees, * designates a woman.)
Esat-------> Mustafa -> Emine* 1920
.................... -> Münir 1926
.----------> Osman ---> Sadettin 1910
.................. ---> Bedriye*
.................. ---> Necmiye* 1918
Ali -------> Died at a young age. His wife
.............Ayže married Mahmut (next)
Mahmut ----> Vasżf ............. -> Cemil 1916
................................ -> Huriye* 1915
......... -> Rżza (1)........... -> Harbiye* 1917
..............(Wife2)........... -> Feriha* 1925
................................ -> Orhan
................................ -> Metin 1932-1980
......... => Safiye* (1886-1943) -> Zekiye* 1918 (MOTHER)
......... -> Hasan (No children)
Mehmet .. -> Bahri 1894
......... -> Ayže*
......... -> Naciye*
......... -> Sabri
......... -> Cavit 1913 (FATHER)
......... -> Cevat 1925 (from 2nd wife)
Zeliha* . -> Great-aunt Zeliha, who was older than Mehmet, was the most prolific
............ Celāyir woman. Her life illustrates how a clan multiples: she
............ married a man from the Yazżcż clan and had 5 daughters and 3 sons,
............ as follows.
1) Emine* married someone from Batumoglu and had 2 daughters (Hacer and Fatma) and 2 sons (Hami and Fahri). Hacer's daughter Hicriye was Mother's good friend. Fatma and husband Osman Bayraktar had 2 daughters (Neriman and Nebile) and son Saffet. Hami and wife Aliye (from Sariyer, Istanbul) had 3 daughters Esin, Nursin, and Özge, also a son Sevket. Fahri and wife Saadet had no children.
2) Lütfiye* married a man from Abacż clan. Lütfiye's daughter Saadet became Mahmut's son Rżza's second wife--after the first one died--and gave birth to daughter Feriha and sons Orhan and Metin. Lütfiye's son Hakkż Güven married Rżza's daughter Harbiye--Mother's favorite cousin--from his first wife Nafiye.
3) Hamide*, grandmother Safiye's friend and cousin, married Tevfik Özen from the Sohtaži clan and gave birth to daughter Zekiye and sons Muzaffer and Fehmi. Mother was named after this Zekiye and called Hamide hanżm "Cici Anne" (Cute Mother) as children do an older woman who is especially nice and close to them. ("Hanżm," like "Mrs., Ms., Miss." is a polite reference to a woman, like Zekiye hanżm--pronounced as "Zekiyanżm"--but using the woman's first name; it is "Cavit bey" for a man.)
4) Ayže married a man from Yücesoy clan and gave birth to son Fehmi, whose son Hasan married Mahmut's son Vasżf's son Cemil's daughter Bilgin, our childhood friend in Samsun.
5) Elmas (Diamond) married a man from Ēiēekēiošlu clan and had daughters Fatma and Žadiye, sons Sabri and Adil.
6) Son Rżza's daughter Emine is Mother's childhood friend. Emine's daughter Ümit married uncle Sabri's second son Kerami. Rżza had another daughter named Hidayet and sons Mehmet and Muzaffer.
7) Son Hamdi had two sons, Bedri and Žazettin (Žazi), and daughters Żfaket and Perihan.
8) Son Żlyas had three daughters, one of them Zekiye.
Thus, Father and Mother's mother are first cousins; Father and Mother are second cousins. Mehmet's offsprings and their children on Father's side and Mahmut's offsprings and their children on Mother's side are our immediate clan. It would seem that the family has not suffered from reduced fecundity or "inbreeding depression," despite the propensity of the Lāz people to marry Lāz.
The American branch of the clan--we are the only Lāz family in USA!
Sirman/Judy .. -> Belinda (2/20/1967)/David
.(Divorced)...... -> Jeremy Evans (4/15/1993)
Femsi/Gary ... -> Debra (1/7/1968)/Richard
.(Divorced)...... -> Sydney Femsi* (6/20/1998)
.............. -> -> Ryan (11/25/1999)
.............. -> Glen (2/5/1971)
Gülhis/Michael -> Cavit Michael (10/10/1978)
The Turks differentiate between an uncle on father's side, who is "amca," and one on mother's side: "dayż." This is also true for aunts: on father's side she is a "hala," on mother' side a "teyze." Children and some people still call or refer to men who are slightly older than them as "abi" (older brother), a woman as "abla" (older sister). If these men and women are much older, they are "amca" and "teyze."
Lāz Language. An interesting idiosyncrasy of the language is in that some Lāz words begin with silent "m" which is not at all spoken. There is also a swallowed "t" at the beginning of some words that is barely spoken. It is exactly the like "t" is English "tsar" which the linguists spell as "zär" or "tsär."
People in Istanbul, Ankara, and Izmir, where Turkish is spoken at its best, sometimes humorously imitate the way a Lāz speaks Turkish. (This is done harmlessly, for the Turkish people are polite.) One can always spot a Lāz this way. For example, the Lāz people pronounce the word "geliyorum" (I am coming) as "geleyrum," the word "bakżyorum" (I am looking) as "bakayrum." The accent is difficult to unlearn. Therefore, families who move out of Lāz villages, in pursuit of opportunities in large cities, intentionally give up the Lāz language, so that their children learn to speak correct Turkish. Public schools in Turkey, including the ones in Arhavi and other Lāz towns, teach all subjects in Turkish. The Lāz language will probably expire soon.
Lāz Sounds. Since the Lāz language is not written, I used the Turkish alphabet, and English examples, to reproduce the Lāz words as they sound. I do not have the linguistic background to attempt such a translation professionally. (Then again, after reviewing some linguistic works, I decided that only linguists can decipher them.) Some sounds are very difficult to capture. I tried to represent them as accurately I could, sometimes listening to and observing Mother and Father pronounce a word a dozen times to make sure that I captured the sound and mouth movements, as the Lāz language is spoken in Arhavi. (The Lāz dialect changes slightly from village to village.) The Lāz readily throw in Turkish words when there is no equivalent Lāz word for what they want to say, or they cannot remember the Lāz word, or the Turkish word is easier to say. Be as it may, the Lāz language must have been very complex and rich once.
1. Lāz words are pronounced at normal speed, without accentuating any particular syllable. Where some sounds, usually at the beginning of a word, are accented, I used "'" to separate that part from the rest of the word.
2. The "a" in many Lāz words is spoken softly as "lā" in "do re mi fa sol (la) si do." I represented the soft "a" by "ā," soft "u" by "ū," soft "i" by "ī," and soft "o" by "ō." For example:
u - is spoken as the hard "u" in "prune," - but shorter.
ū - ,, soft "u" in "plume," - but shorter.
3. The Turkish "Ž/ž" represents the "Sh" in Sharon.
4. I used "I" to represent Turkish "I/ż"--i without the dot--a sound like the "e" in "butter" (Turkish=batżr).
5. The "ē" represents the sound of "ch" in "chain" (Turkish=ēeyn) or the "t" in "future" or "feature," whereas "c," in both Turkish and Lāz, is spoken like "j" in July (Turkish=Culay). The "j" in Lāz and Turkish is pronounced as "je" in French.
6. Some Lāz words begin with the lips forming an "m," but pronouncing instead the next alphabet in the word, as in "(m)ēkudi" for bread. I marked such "m" by "(m)".
7. There seems to be a silent "t" sound at the beginning of some words, as in "(t)sineki" for socks. I showed this t as "(t)." It is exactly like the English "tsar," "tzar," or "czar."
8. The first syllable in some words ends with a guttural "g" (similar to "g" in "gun") and the next syllable continues immediately by a "k" (as in "kin"), for example, "me(g)kulū"--not meg.gulu or mek.kulu--for "you are coming." These sounds are represented by "(g)k."
9. The "(kh)" combination represents the hard "k" in "Khaled," which sounds like the "ch" in "chord." Words that contain the sounds for "k,h" separately are spelled as "kh," without the "()".
10. Some "k" sounds may be produced as well by "q." For example, "skua" (beautiful) may be also pronounced as "squa." In view of the differences in dialects spoken in villages, this type of differentiation should be inconsequential, even for linguists.
11. The "(gh)" combination is used to emulate a Lāz sound that is similar - perhaps slightly sharper and more guttural in Lāz - to the Turkish alphabet "Š/š" (soft G/g with an accent mark over it). The sound is produced back in the upper part of the mouth. For example, "neither" would be "niG.dIr" (nišdżr) in Turkish.
12. Some words, like "ē(kh)Indi" for nose, are difficult to speak, much more difficult to describe: it is the "ch" in check followed by "kh" in Khaled.
13. Some words begin with sounds of "t" and "s" together, though "t" and "z" also seem appropriate. These "ts/tz" combinations seem more pronounced than the "ts" in English "tsar," "tzar," or "czar."
14. The English "w" also appears from time to time, as in "twiyi domtvu" (it snowed).
Grammar. Plural Form. Some nouns are used in singular form, although I cannot say if this has always been the case. The dictionary at the end includes the plural form of the word, if it exists.
The plural form of nouns is achieved usually by "pe" extension after the word, as in "ontūle" (field) and "ontūlepe" (fields). If the word ends with "i" or "ī," it is converted to "e" before the "pe" is added; for example, "makvali" (egg) and "makvalepe." Other words follow a different rule. For example, (m)ca for tree becomes (m)calepe. Here, "l" is added after the word as a connective between the two vowels; "o(kh)orca" (woman) becomes "o(kh)orcalepe" (women). The fruit and bread remain singular, as also words like mouth, nose, stomach.
To, From, Of
Istanbul is "poli" in Lāz - which means "the city."
1) Polishe - adding "že" => to Istanbul
2) Polishen - adding "žen" => from Istanbul
3) Polishi - adding "ži" => of Istanbul, Istanbul's
Examples
1) Poliže bulū - I am going/driving (from here) to Istanbul
2) Poližen mobulū - I am coming from Istanbul (to here)
3) Nanaži dolōkunu - mother's dress
Noun Extension "s" with "NAREN" for "on the"
============================================
Example: The boy on the road
Lāz: boy = bere, road = gza, on the road = gzas naren => gzas naren bere
"Naren" (there) may be also used in response to "soren?" (where?)
Another use of "NAREN": It is a common practice in Lāz - and Turkish - to refer to a person by habitat, if several person's share the same name. For example, if two people are talking about a mutual friend with the name Necmiye - a woman's name - they may refer to her as "the Necmiye who lives in Ankara" to isolate her from other Necmiyes they might know, if it is not clear to which Necmiye the conversation refers. In this case:
Ankaras naren Necmiye = the Necmiye in - or from - Ankara.
Izmiriž naren Necmiye = Necmiye from Izmir
Note that "s" added to Ankara, "ish" added to Izmir. However, the same may be said also without "naren." Anakaraži Necmire, Izmiriži Necmiye.
Pronouns. Note: "me" and "to me" are the same as "I."
Lāz..........English..........also.............also
ma.............I...............me..............to me
si.............you.............you.............to you
heya...........he/she/it.......him/her/it
ēkun...........we..............us
tkvan..........you.............you
hentepe........they............them............to them
ēkimi.................my...........ēkimižen..........from me
skani.................your.........skanižen
hemuži..........his/her/its........hemužen
ēkuni.................our..........ēkunižen..........from us
tkvani................your.........tkvanižen
hentepeži.............their........hemtepežen........etc.
mati..................me too
siti
hemukti...............he too
ēkundi
tkvanti
hentepekti............etc.
Note: Father pronounces "tkvani" as "t'kvani," whereas Mother says it more like "quani." That "k" and "v" together sound like "q" is not surprising; however, there is a barely spoken "t" at the beginning according to Father. Moreover, it is not clear if "ēkundi," etc. is spoken with "d" or "t," at the end as it swallowed; "d" seems correct.
ēkimi..........mine........ēkimiti...........mine too
skani......................skaniti
hemuži.........See Above...hemužiti
ēkuni......................ēkuniti
tkvani.....................tkvaniti
hentepeži......theirs......hentepežiti.......theirs too
mati..............(to) me too
siti...................you too
hemukti................See Above
ēkundi
tkvanti
hentepesti.............to them too
The "ko" lead to verbs is used as emphasis or to imply "now." (This is as much as I could decipher.)
ma mopti....or ma komopti......I came
si mohti....or si komohti......you came
moti...........mopti..or komopti.......I came too
siti...........mohti..or komohti.......you came too, or you come too
hemukti........mohtu
ēkundi.........moptit
tkvanti........mohtit
hentepeti......mohtes
"hag" (perhaps "hak") = here
ma...........hak bore............I am here
si...........hak re..............you are here
hemuk........hak ren
ēkun.........hak boret
tkvan........hak ret
hentepe......hak renan
hek = there; borti = was
mati.........hek borti.....................I....was....there too
siti.........hek korti or siti hekti.......you..were....."..
hemukti......hek kortu or hemukti hektu....he/she/it
ēkunti.......hek bortit....................we...were
tkvanti......hek kortit....................you..were
hentepekti...hek kortes....................they were
Note: "siti hek korti" asserts the fact that "you were there too," similar to the way the Germans use the word "doch" to emphasize a fact, like "you were there too, weren't you?" In contrast, "siti hekti" is a casual way of stating this fact. Parents believe the casual case exists only for "you" and "he/she/it."
"borti" = had been
ma...........hek borti..ko.............if I...had been there too
si...........hek korti..ko.............if you had been there too
hemuk........hek kortu..ko.......Note: this is like Turkish
ēkun.........hek bortit ko............."bende orada olsaydżm"
tkvan........hek kortit ko
hentepe......hek kortes ko
"bivana" = were
mati.............hek bivana.............if I...were there too
siti.............hek ivana..............if you were there too
hemukti..........hek ivazna.......Note: this is like Turkish
ēkundi...........hek bivatna............"bende orada olursam."
tkvanti..........hek ivatna
hentepekti.......hek ivates
Sirman ēkunde.......mohtu = Sirman came to us, or came to me
Sirman tkvande......mohtu = Sirman came to you (singular you)
Sirman ēkundeti.....mohtu = Sirman came to us..too
Sirman tkvandeti....mohtu = Sirman came to you too
ma.........micohes..........they called me
ēkun.......micohes..........they called us
mati.......micohes..........they called me too
tkvanti....micohes..........they called you too (plural/polite)
ma.............komi(gh)un......or..ma mi(gh)un.......I...have it
si.............kogi(gh)un.............gi(gh)un.......you have it
hemus..........ku(gh)un...............u(gh)un
ēkun...........komi(gh)una............mi(gh)unan
tkvan..........kogi(gh)unan...........gi(gh)unan
hentepes.......ku(gh)unan.............u(gh)unan......they have it
mati.....mi(gh)un..............I...have it too
ēkunti...mi(gh)unan............we..have it too
tkvan....gi(gh)unan............you have it too
Example: ma mi(gh)un = I have it, "it is in my possession"
kemiēopu.....emiēopu..........they purchased something for me
kegiēopu.....egiēopez.........they.........................you
kuēopu.......yuēopez..........etc.
keyuēopu.....emiēopez...Note: the "ma" (I), "si" (you),
etc. may be used or not.
kemiēopez....e(gh)iēopez......The leading "k" implies
keyuēopez....yuēopez..........either emphasis or "now."
ma...........emizdez......they took/purchased it from me
ēkun.........e(gh)izde....they took it from you
mati.........emizdez......they took from me too, or they took mine too
hemužti...ezdi.........you took it from him/her too,
.......................or you (singular) took his/hers too
ēkimi..........emizdez....they took mine
skani..........ezdu.......he/she took yours
ēkimi.........uēaren.........mine...is black
ēkuni.........uēaren.........ours...is black
ēkimiti.......uēaren.........mine...is black too
hentepžiti....uēaren.........theirs is black too
Examples using the words for "purchase" and "take."
ma.......epēopum......I...am.....purchasing
si.......eēopun.......you
hemus....eēopums......he/že/it
ēkun.....epēopumt.....we
tkvan....eēopunt......you
hentepes eēopunan.....they
Note again that "ma, si, hemus," etc. may be dropped.
epēopare.......I will......purchase
eēopare........you
eēopasen.......he/že/it
epēopaten......we
eēoparet.......You
eēopanoren.....they
epēopi.........I.........purchased.....ebzdi....took
eēopi..........you.....................ezdi
eēopu..........he/she/it...............ezdu
epēopit........we......................ebzdit
eēopit.........You.....................ezdit
eēopez.........they....................ezdes
emiēopes..........they purchased for...me
e(gh)iēopes.......they purchased for...you
yuēopes...........they.................him/her
emiēopes...............................us
e(gh)iēopes............................you
yuēopes................................them
emizdes...........they took from me
e(gh)izdes........they took from you
yuzdes............they took......him/her
emizdes..........................us
e(gh)izde........................you
yuzdes...........................them
mati.............emizdes........they took mine.....too
siti.............e(gh)izdes.....they took yours....too
hemužti..........yuzdes.........they took his/hers too
ēkuniti..........emizdes..................ours.....too
tkvaniti.........e(gh)izde................Yours....too
hentepežiti......yuzdes...................theirs...too
Conjugation of the verb "minon" (want)
(The "ma," "si..." pronouns are not shown.)
minon......I want..| mintu...I wanted | mintasen.....I will want
ginon......you.....| gintu............| gintasen.....you
unon...............| untu.............| untasen
minonan............| mintes...........| mintanoren
ginonan............| gintes...........| gintanoren
unonan.....they....| untes............| untanoren
minoni?...Do I...want?.....vaminoni?....Don't I...want?
ginoni?......you...........vaginoni?..........you
unoni?.....................vaunoni?
minonani?..................vaminonani?
ginonani?..................vaginonani?
unonani?...................vaunonani?
The answer may be "ko" (yes) or "wa" (no)
Numbers
.1 - ar ............... 11 - vito'ar = vitvar
.2 - jur .............. 20 - eēi
.3 - sum .............. 21 - eēi'doar ........ = "do" means "and"
.4 - otkho ............ 30 - eēi'dovit ....... = 20 and 10
.5 - khut ............. 31 - eēi'dovitoar
.6 - ashi ............. 40 - jureēi .......... = "j" as in French
.7 - shkit ............ 41 - jureēi'doar ..... = 40 and 1
.8 - orvo ............. 50 - jureēi'dovit .... = 2 times 20 and 10
.9 - (m)ēkhoro ........ 51 - jureēi'dovitoar . = 2*20 and 10 and 1
10 - vit .............. 60 - sumeēi .......... = 3 times 20
....................... 61 - sumeēi'doar
70...... sumeēi'dovit ..71 - sumeēi'dovitoar
80.......otkho'eēi
90.......otkho'eēidovit
100......oshi
200......jur'oshi
1000.....shilya
2000.....jur'shilya
Days of Week
Monday.........tutamj(gh)a........or something like this
Tuesday........tikinamj(gh)a..............,,
Friday.........paraske
Saturday.......sabatoni
Verbs. Lāz verbs are usually expressed in imperative form. A "u" or "mu" is added at the end to convert the verb to infinitive form. For example, "kvati" (cut) and "kvatu" (to cut). Verbs sometimes assume "co," "do," "me," and "ge" leads to mean something slightly different, perhaps a more polite way of saying something. For example "mohti" (come) may be used also as "komohti." Verb conjugations are shown at the end of this section, though a few examples are also presented here.
gi(gh)uni?.....Do you have it?
..................Response "ko" or "ho" (yes) or "va" (no).
kogi(gh)uni?...Do you have it? (more emphasis)
..................Response "ko" confirms "yes" or "va" (no).
vagi(gh)uni?...Don't you have it?
..................Response "ko" (yes) or "va" confirms "no."
bo(tz)ke.......I...am..looking..........bziyom....I see
o(tz)ke........you are looking..........bziyore...you see
o(tz)kes................................bziyos
bo(tz)ket...............................bziyompt
o(tz)ket................................bziyomt
o(tz)kenan.....they are looking.........bziyonan..they see
A few Lāz words have seemingly evolved to address variables specific to the environment. For example, hazelnuts are an important produce in Arhavi. After the nuts are harvested from trees, the act of harvesting the few remaining nuts on the upper branches is called "omlesu," which is "bilmesu" for "I did this act." The initial process by which the owner judges the number of baskets the nuts will fill is called "(p)sadi" (appraisal?).
Selected verbs
be - to be...............................iven
beat - e.g., I hit the child.............geēu
.don't beat,hit...........................motgeēam
became angry.............................dižumu
.did not become angry.....................vaižumu
.don't get angry..........................mot ižume
.nothing to get angry about = ožimuži mutuvaren
blow - with mouth........................ubari
burn.....................................dogzi
buy - I will buy.........................epēopare
caress - caressed........................gesu
.stroked - with hand (Turkish "okžadż") = ghe gesu
chew.....................................lā(gh)uni
close, shut..............................okodvi
.open.....................................gonski
comb.....................................its'honi
come.....................................mohti
.go......................................idi
.let's go................................bigzalāt
cook.....................................vi
cover - e.g., your hair..................oytvi
cover - e.g., yourself in bed............momitvi
cough....................................hvali
cry......................................ibgari
.don't cry, doesn't cry...................motibgar
.I cried.................................bibgari
.he/she cried............................ibgaru
cut......................................kvati
die......................................o(gh)uru
..he/she died.............................do(gh)uru
..did he/she die?.........................do(gh)uruyu?
..no he/she did not die...................va(gh)uru
doing....................................ikoms
do you want?.............................ginoni?
drank....................................žu
.drink....................................žvi
.I drank water...........................tskayi pžvi
draw.....................................gari
dress to look attractive (Turkish "süslen") = imskimi
eat......................................ēkomi
.meal....................................gyayi
.things to eat, food.....................oēkomoni
.things to drink, beverage...............ožumoni
eavesdrop, listen - I listened, snooped = mebuyuci
enter.....amahti....(note the similarity to "mohti")
.(come) enter inside, come in.............dolōhe amahti
fell.....................................melū
.he/she/it will drop, fall................melasen
fight....................................okagi
.I fought.................................okapkidi
fly......................................ipithgi
.flying...................................put(gh)oms
frightened...............................ožkuynu
gather...................................korobi
gave birth...............................doyinu
give me..................................momēi
.he/she will give it to you...............mekēasen
.he/she won't give it to me...............vamomēams
.I will give (it) to you..................mekēare
.I won't give (it) you....................vamekēam
go there!................................hekid
grew.....................................dirdu
.grew old - men............................dibaru
.grew old - women..........................dikēinu
he/she slipped...........................elemistu
help him/her.............................nužveli
he/she hit...............................geēu
hold.....................................ketēi
hugged...................................dolōmakidu
hurts - e.g., my back....................matskunen
.hurt - feelings. This is equivalent to
........Turkish :"gücendim" or "darżldżm" = gegondu
.you hurt my feelings....................gegigondi
......."my" and "you" are built-in.
I am bored
.......more like Turkish "canżm sżkżldż"..= memakaēu
.......(It is literally "the thing that
.......makes me alive inside - my life -
.......is pressed or squeezed." There is
.......no English word for Turkish "can"
.......it is "(m)žuyi" in Lāz.
I filled.................................obobži
I am hungry..............................mamžkoynu
.are you hungry?.........................gamžkoynuyi?
begged...................................bahves(tz)i
.he/she begged me.........................mahves(tz)u
I forgot.................................gopēkondi
I heard..................................bogni
I know...................................miēkin
.I know something.........................munthani miēkin
.what do you know?........................mu giēkin?
I love...................................porum
I love you...............................si porum
I miss you................................gomanēeli
I peeked, observed, peeped...............mebu(kh)ožari
I remembered.............................gomažinu
I went together..........................elebakati
I whispered to him/her...................elepurēi
I will (open the window and air myself......(now)) = i(gh)i bibaram
I (opened the window and aired myself (yesterday)) = i(gh)i bibari
I will (open the window and air myself (tomorrow)) = i(gh)i bibarare
I won't tell.............................vapzopon
I won't tell you.........................va gi(tz)sume
it works, functions......................žums
kiss - verb..............................gahvelū
laugh....................................i(dz)itsi
.why are you laughing?....................muženi i(dz)isam?
let's sing...............................bibirat
let's swim...............................bimēviyat
listen...................................iyuci
.listen to me.............................miyuci
.listen to him/her........................uyuci
.I eavesdropped, snooped, listened........mebiyuci
.let's listen.............................biyuēat
look.....................................otskedi
measure..................................mejuru
mill - like:to mill flour................bukhvi
.I took wheat to the mill to have flour = okhvapam
.......Turkish "deširmende öšüttürdüm."
.......Note: "okhvapam" implies this entire process of
.............producing flour from wheat or corn.)
miss - I miss, long for..................gomanēelu
observe - I observed, watched, peeked....mebu(kh)ožari
open.....................................gonzs'kvi
omen - I had an omen, forewarning = gemalū
plant....................................dorgi
play - verb..............................isteyi
let's play...............................bisteyat
press - verb.............................göbazki put......................................dodvi
read.....................................ikit(gh)i
run......................................darēi
.let's run................................dobarēat
.don't run................................mot'darēe
say......................................korez(gh)i
see - to see.............................odziyu
.I saw....................................bziyi
sell - I will sell.......................gamapēare
sit - general............................do(kh)edi
.let's sit................................dobhedat
.sit - on a horse, chair..................gehedi
.sit beside me............................elemahedi
sleep, go to bed.........................inciyi
.slept beside him/her.....................elānciyu
smell....................................ižuri
speak....................................ipamiti
.let's speak..............................bipamitat
.don't speak..............................mop'ipamitam
.......("mop" means don't or not)
.to whisper--implies to someone sitting
.............next to person...............elemi'purēunu
.to speak softly--implies to someone next
..................to person...............elemitku
.to say bad things about a person.........gelaēhu
take.....................................ezdi
take care of it, preserve................guskuyi
tailor a dress...........................ēi
tell - tell me...........................mitsvi
.I'll tell you............................gitsvare
.I won't tell you.........................va gitsume
throw....................................otkoc(gh)i
wait.....................................(m)ēvi
want.....................................minon
.I wanted.................................bakvandi
.I don't want.............................vaminon
.when you want............................gintaži
wash hands...............................iboni
.wash hands, (to) to take bath............obonu
.wash dishes..............................an(gh)i'ē(kh)i
.wash clothes.............................na(kh)vi
water flowing - overflowing..............diben
wear.....................................moidvi
write....................................ēari
.let's write..............................pēarat
yell - speak in a loud voice.............(m)ghori
Expressions
a month later....................................ar tuta žkule
call him/her.....................................uco(gh)i
child is crying..................................bere ibgarz
close your eyes..................................tolepe okodvi
.open your eyes...................................tolepe gongski
comb your hair...................................toma its'honi
cook a meal......................................gyayi vi
cover your hair - e.g., with a scarf.............ti oytvi
dear - also see "(m)žuyi" under
........I am bored" below........................(m)žuyi (p)žinare
........This may be also "my life," endearment.
doing - the ritual of namaz (Muslim prayer)......namazi ikoms
don't yell - don't speak in a loud voice.........mot(m)ghom
he/she hugged me.................................alis dol"makidu
...Note: this says "put his/her arms around my neck,"
.........Turkish "boynuma sarżldż"), rather than
........."hugged." In Turkish, as in Lāz, "kucakladż"
.........(hugged) is different. The former is more
.........intimate and "warmer."
he/she went, left................................i(gh)zalū
how many?........................................nakoren?
I will be........................................bivare
light a fire.....................................daēhuyi dogzi
moreover.........................................edo
my back hurts....................................kapulā matskunen
this way = Turkish "böyle".......................hažo
that way = Turkish žöyle"........................hežo
wash your hand...................................(kh)e iboni
wear - e.g., shoes...............................modvalū moidvi
how are you?.....................................muēore?
.............response: I am well, OK..............kaybore
.............don't feel well, feel ill............zabunibore
what are you doing?..............................mu ikom?
.............response: nothing....................mutuvar
what are you going to do?........................muvare?
.........response: I don't know...................va miēkin
...................let me think about it..........bidužuna
...................don't think....................motidižunam
when you want....................................gintaži
why?.............................................muženi
why not? - also "what happens now?"
...........Turkish "ne olur/olacak?".............muyven
..responses: that's why
.............Turkish "onun iēin"..................hemuženi
.............this is why
.............Turkish "bunun iēin".................hamuženi
..nothing, or nothing will happen
..Turkish "biržey olmaz" = mutu va iven........mutuvaiven
you are talking nonsense--Turkish "afkur".........lāli
..Note: lāli is used informally, indeed almost
........always humorously on occasions when,
........for example, Person A tells something
........funny about Person B to Persons C.
........Person B may dismiss the whole thing
........with "lāli."
Nana, mis mebo zi(ts)i dortun
......equivalent to Turkish "Annecim, kime güldümde
......bažżma bu geldi" (Dear mother, to whom did I
......laugh that fate brought me this." It is used as
......a mild rebuke or humorously as something like
......"what I have to put up with?" or "what have
......I done to deserve this?"
o(kh)itinu o(kh)itinu do okohvu
......equivalent to Turkish "kurcaladż kurcaladż ve
......bozdu" (he/she tinkered and tinkered with it
......and made a mess.)
Selected Vocabulary
air........................................taroni
anchovies-size fish........................kapēha
............very popular in Lāz dishes
anything - something.......................mutu
apple......................................užkuyi..(no plural for fruit)
ash........................................(m)tuta
aunt - formal or older woman...............dadi
baby, doll.................................babatsa....plural:babatsape
back - e.g., my back hurts.................kapulā
bad - like weather.........................pati
basket - carried on back...................tkina
basket - long, narrow......................gudeli
.........This kind is used to collect fruit
.........from trees, narrow so that it does
.........not become tangled in the branches.
bee........................................butguci
beans......................................lobiya
bear - animal..............................(m)tuti
....................tuta = the Moon
beautiful..................................squa
bird.......................................kInēi......plural:kInēepe
blood......................................ditz(gh)yi
black......................................uēa
boat.......................................felūka.....plural:felūkape
bone.......................................ili........plural:ilepe
boy........................................bichi......plural:biēepe
bride - as bride..........no(gh)amisa.................plural:no(gh)misape
bride - as relationship = nusa........................plural:nusape
bridge.....................................(gh)inci...plural:(gh)incape
brother....................................cuma.......plural:cumape
cabbage....................................lū
cat........................................katu.......plural:katupe
chair......................................orzu.......plural:orzupe
cherry-like tarty fruit....................(m)zko
cherry.....................................bulī
cheese.....................................kvali
chick......................................(t)zipili..plural:(t)zipillepe
chicken....................................kotume.....plural:kotumepe
child......................................bere.......plural:berepe
cold - adj.................................ini
corn fresh.................................ēolō
.corn.......................................lazuti
.corn read..................................lazutiži (m)ēkudi
..........this says ži = from (lazuti=corn)
cow........................................puci.......plural:pucepe
cow droppings..............................lāzma
cow - young................................geni.......plural:genepe
creek......................................(gh)ali
cucumber...................................žuka
day........................................d(gh)a.....plural:d(gh)ape
dish and pot...............................an(gh)i....plural:angepe
dog........................................co(gh)ori..plural:co(gh)orepe
donkey.....................................guruni
.......used more often as an adjective to
.......describe a stupid person or a
.......stupid act - also see "stupid" below.
door.......................................nekna......plural:naknape
down (ways) - the street, hill.............stalni
dream - noun...............................izmoce
dress, outfit..............................dolō'kunu plural:dolō'kunape
dumb, stupid...............................a(gh)nose
.smart, sensible............................noseyi
.common sense, smartness, cleverness........nosi
ear........................................uci
earth, dirt................................leta
egg........................................makvali....plural:makvalepe
eye........................................(m)tolī....plural:(m)tolepe
fast, rapidly..............................tamo
.slow.......................................kapineyi
fasting - as in Ramadan....................seyi
..........Turkish "oruē"
fence......................................boz(gh)ori plural:boz(gh)orepe
fern(s)....................................limkhana
field......................................ontūle.....plural:ontulepe
fig........................................lū(gh)i
finger.....................................kiti.......plural:kitepe
fire.......................................daē'(kh)uyi
fire place.................................(kh)eladi
fish.......................................(t)ēk'(h)omi
fist.......................................(m)ci(gh)i
flounder-like fish.........................siyaki
.........Turkish "kalkan balżk" ("shield fish")
flour......................................kveyi
food, meal.................................gyayi
foot.......................................kuc(kh)e...plural:kuc(kh)epe
frog.......................................(m)jabu
full.......................................opža
girl.......................................bozo.......plural:bozope
good.......................................kayi
grandfather................................papuli.....plural:papulepe
grandmother................................didnana....plural:didnanape
grape......................................urzeni
grass......................................tipi
groom......................................sica.......plural:sicape
hair.......................................toma
hate.......................................inkrahiži
hazelnut...................................tkhi
hazelnut grove.............................tkhiye puna => "ye" is object
head.......................................ti
hand.......................................(kh)e......plural:(kh)epe
.he/she stroked............................(kh)e gesu
heart......................................guyi
.....I felt it (in my heart),
.....had a premonition of..................guyi gemalū
here - it is here..........................hak........Turkish "burasż"
here - at here.............................hakren.....Turkish "burada"
here - to here.............................hakole.....Turkish "buraya"
here - from here...........................hakolen....Turkish "buradan"
hole.......................................(gh)orma
horse...................................(t)s(kh)eni...plural:(t)s(kh)enepe
hot........................................tusta
house......................................ohoyi......plural:ohoyope
inside......- also to inside...............dolōhe
.outside....- to outside...................gale
.upstairs...- also to upstairs.............jin
.downstairs - also down....................tude
key........................................kolā
.close, shut, lock - verb...................genkoli
.open (the door)............................gonzki
knife......................................(kh)ami....plural:(kh)amepe
Lāzish - as in Turkish.....................lazuyi
letter/sheet/page/paper....................kartalī....plural:kartalepe
light - noun...............................te
.dim........................................(m)zkupi
little.....................................m(zs)ika
long.......................................gunze
lumber/board/garden gate...................tikžayī plural:tikžayepe
male.......................................komoli.....plural:komolepe
man........................................koēi.......plural:koēepe
market.....................................no(gh)a
meal, food.................................gyayi......plural:gayepe
meat.......................................horsi
milk.......................................(m)ja......"j" as in French "je"
mill.......................................karmate
money..................................geē(h)areyi....plural:geē(h)arepe
moon.......................................tuta
mother.....................................nana.......plural:nanepe
mother-in-law..............................damtiye
mouth, face................................nuku
much, a lot................................dido
name.......................................(m)coho....plural:(m)cohope
neck.......................................ali
.my neck....................................alis
new........................................a(gh)ne
new year...................................(ts)ana(gh)ani
night......................................seyi
no - not, negation.........................va
noon.......................................on(dg)yi
nose.......................................ē'hindi
old, worn out..............................(m)cuveži
patient....................................zabuni
.he/she become ill..........................dizabunu
.feeling well, healed.......................dikayu
pear.......................................(m)s(kh)ulī
pear (very ripe)...........................ēiēku
to pick fruit..............................(tz)ili
..pole with bag to pick fruit; used to
..snap off fruit from high branches.......o(tz)ilaže
pig, swine, pork...........................(m)(gh)eci plural:(m)(gh)epe
plum.......................................omuri
.black plum................................uēa omuri..(no "white plum")
potato.....................................kartofi
pot and dish...............................an(gh)i....plural:angepe
quick......................................kapineyi
rain.......................................ēima
.it is raining..............................ēima ēims
red........................................(m)ēita
relatives, piers...........................eksalepe
rhododendron...............................(m)žkeyi
rice pudding...............................sutlū
ring - like wedding........................ma(tz)kindi
road.......................................(g)za......plural:(g)zalepe
rope.......................................toki
rooster....................................mamuli.....plural:mamulepe
round......................................mugvalā
sea........................................zu(gh)a
seed - in fruit............................pipilā.....plural:pipilāpe
seed - to plant............................tasi.......plural:tasepe
shoe.......................................modvalū....plural:modvalepe
short......................................mkulź
sister.....................................da.........plural:dalepe
slow.......................................tamo
small......................................ēuta
smell - noun...............................žura
snow.......................................twi
..it is snowing.............................twiyi tvums
..it snowed.................................twiyi tvu
socks......................................(ts)ineki
so so......................................hežo hažo
spoon......................................kuzi.......plural:kuzepe
star.......................................muruts(kh)i
.air........................................taroni
.sky, heaven................................sta
stiching needle............................lemži
.........string.............................nokepe
stick......................................keti
stomach....................................korba
stone......................................kva........plural:kvalepe
sun........................................(m)jora
sweet - noun,adj...........................lossa
that way - to there........................hekolź
tear - noun................................britseyi
there......................................naren
there - it is there........................hek........Turkish "orasż"
there - in, at there.......................hekren.....Turkish "orada"
there - from there.........................hekolźn....Turkish "oradan"
there - to there...........................hekolź.....Turkish "oraya"
this way - to here.........................hakolź
throat.....................................hur(kh)i
today......................................ham(gh)a
.tomorrow...................................ēumaniže
.next day...................................gen(dg)ani
.yesterday..................................(gh)oma
.next year..................................(t)sanaže
tongue, language...........................nena.......plural:nenape
tooth......................................kibiyi.....plural:kibiyepe
torn, old - e.g., dress....................biri(ts)eyi
tree.......................................(m)ca......plural:(m)calepe
tub - small................................stukali
Turkish....................................turkuli
uncle......................................cumadi.....plural:cumadepe
up (ways) - street, hill...................jileni
vegetable garden.............getasule......place to plant seeds
water......................................(t)s'kayi
water pitcher - usually metal..............kukuma.....plural:kukumape
wave.......................................viya
weather....................................taroni
..bad weather...............................taroni patiren
well.......................................kayi
wheet bread................................kuvali
where?.....................................soren?
white......................................kēe
.black......................................uēa
.it is black................................uēaren
wind.......................................i(gh)i
.the wind is blowing........................i(gh)i ibars
woman......................................o(kh)orca..plural:o(kh)orcalepe
wood.......................................dižka
.wood - burning............................nožkeyi
.wood - ember..............................mahve
yap........................................lāli
....in response to loose talk, "lāli"
....says you are yapping
year.......................................(ts)ana
Verb Cases, Conjugation
Imperative
idi...........go!.....bidi......I went
mohti.........come..............imperative form
comohti.......come here (now)
mohta minon - I want "to come"
Note: The words for "come" and "go" in Lāz language have variations based upon the direction of coming or going. So "go/come" may be expressed as follows:
.................Uphill...........Downhill.........Same Level
you singular.....elāhti...........gelāhti..........mekahti/ mokahti
You plural.......elāhtit..........gelāhtan.........mekahtan/mokahtan
1) Present and Present Progressive
Turkish..........Lāz..............English
geliyorum........mobulū...........I am coming
geliyorsun.......mulū.............you are coming
geliyor..........mulūn............he/she is coming
geliyoruz........mobulūt..........we are coming
geliyorsunuz.....mulūt............You (all) are coming
geliyorlar.......mulūnan..........they are coming
Uphill......Downhill.....same Level..................(I am coming, etc.)
elebulū.....gelebulū.....me(g)kebulū../.mokabulū.....I
elūlū.......gelūlū.......me(g)kulū..../ mokulū.......you
elūlūn......gelilūn......me(g)kulūn.../ mokulūn......he/she
elebulūt....gelebulūt....me(g)kebulūt / mokobulūt....we
elūlūt......gelūlūt......me(g)kulūt.../ mokulūt......You
elūlūnan....gelilūnan....me(g)kulūnan / mokulūnan....they
a) "VA:" Negation: terse or decisive
va mobulū................I am not coming
va mulū
va mulūn
va mobulūt
va mulūt
va mulūnan...............they are not coming
b) Question?
Turkish.....................Lāz................English
geliyormuyum?
geliyormusun?...............mohtareyi..........are you coming, or
geliyormu?..................mohtaseni..........will you come?
geliyormuyuz?
geliyormusunuz?.............mohtareti
geliyorlarmż?...............mohtanoreni
*) "VA:" Negative Question
N/A (am..I......not coming?)......va molūyi?
.....are you....not coming?.......va molūni?
.....is he/she not coming?
N/A (are we.....not coming?)......va molūti?
.....are you....not coming?.......va molūnani?
.....are they...not coming?
c) Polite Negation
va momalen..................I am not able to come
va mogalen....................or I won't be able to come
va malen
va momalenan
va momagalenan
va malenan
d) "ko:" Polite Question
ko momaleni?................am I going to be able to come?
ko megaleni?................are you
ko maleni?
ko momaleni?
ko momagalenani?
ko malenani?................are they going to be able to come?
e) Implied "If"
ko moptana..................if I......am coming
ko mohtana..................if you....are coming
ko mohtasna.................if he/she is coming
ko meptana..................if we.....are coming
ko mohtanna.................if you....are coming
ko mehtanna.................if they...are coming
f) Polite Implied "If"
ko momalena.................if I am able to come
ko mogalena
ko molena
ko momalezna
ko mogalezna
ko molenena
g) Examples of Complex Forms
kapineyi divana mobulū = If you hurry, I am coming
.........divana is he/she case of bivare - I will be/do
vamulūtna tamo bivare = If you are not coming, I won't hurry
.........Note: "tamo" states "I will be slow" rather than "I won't hurry."
..............."va" and "ko" are not used together; "va" dominates.
vamogalenena tamo bivare.....if you are not able to come
mogalenena kapineyi bivare...if you are able to come, I will hurry
2) Future Tense
example: I will come (from there to here) now, etc.
Turkish....................Lāz
gelecešim..........moptare..../ meptare
geleceksin.........mohtare..../ mehtare
gelecek............mohtasen.../ mehtasen
gelecešiz..........moptaten.../ meptaret
geleceksiniz.......mohtaret.../ mehtaret
gelecekler.........mohtanoren / mehtanoren
Uphill.............Downhill.........Same Level
elāptare...........geleptare........mekaptare..../ mokaptare
elāhtare...........gelehtare........mekahtare..../ mokaptare
elāhtasen..........gelehtasen.......mekahtasen.../ mokahtasen
elāptaten..........gelāptaten.......mekaptaten.../ mokaptaten
elāhtaret..........gelāhtaten.......mekahtaret.../ mokahtaten
elāhtanoren........gelāhtanoren.....mekahtanoren / mokahtanoren
a) Firm Negation
va mobulū (today) => va moptare (future) = I will not come
va mulū..................................= you will not come
va mulūn
va mobulūt
va mulūt
va mulūnan...............................= they will not come
b) Question
Turkish............Lāz...............English
gelecekmiyim?......moptareyi.........will I come?
gelecekmisin?......mohtareyi.........will you come?
gelecekmi?.........mohtaseni
gelecekmiyiz?......moptareti.........will we come?
gelecekmisiniz?....mohtareti
geleceklermi?......mohtarenani?
*) Negative Question
va moptareyi?.............will I not come?
va mehtareyi?.............will you not come?
va mehtaseni?.............will he/she not come?
va moptareti?
va mohtareti?
va mohtanoreni?
c) Polite Negation
va momalen...............I will not be able to come
va megalen
va malen
va momalenan
va megalenan
va malenan
d) Polite Question
ko momaleni?.......will I be able to come / am I going to be able to come?
ko megaleni?.......same as Present Progressive)
ko maleni?
ko momaleni?
ko momagalenani?
ko malenani?.......are they going to be able to come?
e) Implied "If"
meptarena..........if I will come, or if I'll come, or if I can come
mohtarena
mohtasena
meptaretna
mehtanetna
mehtanona
f) Polite Implied "If"
ko momalena......if I will be able to come, or if I am able to come
ko mogalena......(Same as (f) under Present Progressive.)
ko molena
ko momalezna
ko mogalezna
ko molenena......if they are able to come
3) Progressive Present/Future Tense
meptare...........I'll come (now or later)
mehtare
mehtasen
meptaten
mehtaten
metanoren
a) Firm Negation
vamobulū..........I won't come (terse form: for sure!)
vamulū
vamulūn
vamobulūt
vamulūt
vamulūnan
b) Implied Question
Turkish...............Lāz..........English
gelirmiyim.........meptareyi.......if I'll come
gelirmisin.........mohtareyi
gelirmi............mohtaseni
gelirmiyiz.........meptateni
gelirmisiniz.......mohtareti
gelirlermi.........mohtanoreni.....if they'll come
c) Polite Negation
va momalen.........I will not be able to come, or I cannot come
va megalen.........same as future tense above in (2c)
va malen
va momalenan
va megalenan
va malenan
d) Implied If: Future
komoptana..........if I do come
komohtana
komohtasna
komoptatna
komohtanat
komohtanan
*) Implied If: Present
moptati...............if I come
mohtati...............Note: This case can be complex. For example
mohtatu....................."It would be so nice if you could
mohatit.....................come," or "I wish you would come"
mohtatit....................translates to "mohtatitna (kh)ayi (nice)
mohtates....................ivetu," or "mohtatitna mu (how/what)
............................ivetu," where "ivetu" = would be
e) Polite Implied If
komobulūna............if I can come, I will
.........................or implied: I will come, if I can
komolūna
komohtasna
komeptatna
komehtatne
komehtanna
f) Very Polite Implied If
komomaleni............if I am able to come, also "may I come?"
komogaleni.......Note:"komomalāseni vamiēkin" = "I do not
komaleni..............know if I'll be able to come."
komemaleni............However, "mati moptayi?" asks
komegalenani.........."may I also come?"
komelaneni............or "can I come too?"
4) Past Tense
Turkish..........Lāz..............English
geldim...........mopti............I came - implies now!
geldin...........mohti
geldi............mohtu
geldik...........moptit
geldiniz.........mohtit
geldiler.........mohtes
Uphill...........Downhill.........Same Level elāpti...........gelāpti..........mekapti../ comopti....I
elāhti...........gelāhti..........mekahti../ comohti....you
elāhtu...........gelāhtu..........mekahtu../ comohtu....he
elāptit..........gelāptit.........mekaptit / comoptit...we
elāhtit..........gelāhtit.........mekahtit / comohtit...you
elāhtes..........gelāhtes.........mekahtes / comohtes...they
a) Negation
vamopti..........I did not come
vamohti
vamehtu
vameptit
vamehtit
vamehtes
b) Question
moptiyi?.........did I come?
mohtiyi?
mohtuyu?
meptiti?
mehtiti?
mehtesi?
*) Negative Question
va momalūyi?.....did I not come?
va megalūyi?
va malūyi?
va momalezi?
va megalezi?
va malezi?.......did they not come
c) Polite Negation
va momalū........I could not come
va mogalū
va malū
va memalez
va megalez
va malez
d) Polite Question
komomaluyi?......was I able to come?
komogaluyi?......were you able to come
komaluyi?
komemalezi?
komegalezi?......were you (all) able to come
komalezi?
e) Implied "If"
komoptina........if I came
komohtina........dialect:komehtina is also correct
komohtuna................"o" and "e" are interchangeable
komoptitna
komohtitna
komohtesna
*) Another (Past Perfect) Form of If
Turkish................Lāz................English
gelseydim..............moptati If I had/were-to come
gelseydin..............mohtati
gelseydi...............mohtatu
gelseydik..............moptatit
gelseydiniz............mohtatit
gelseydiler............mohtates
Example komaletuko mulūtu......if he could have come, he would have
f) Polite Implied "If" (rare)
momalātu...............if I was/were able to come
mogalātu...............if you were able to to come
molātu.................if he were able to come
momalātez
mogalātez
molātez
5) Past Progressive
mobulūti...............I.........was coming
mulūti.................you.......were coming
mulūtu.................he/she/it was. coming
mobulūtit..............we........were coming
mulūtit................you.......were coming
mulūtez................they......were coming
a) Negation: terse or decisive
va mobulūti............I was not coming
va mulūti
va mulūtu
va mobulūtit
va mulūtit
va mulūtez.............they were not coming
b) Question?
mobulūtiyi?............was I coming?
mulūtiyi?..............were you coming?
mulūtuyi?
mobulūtuti?
mulūtuti?
mulūtesi?
*) Negative Question
va mobulūtiyi?.........was. I not coming?
va mulūtiyi?...........were you not coming?
va mulūtuyi?...........were he/she not coming?
va mobulūtuti?
va mulūtuti?
va mulūtesi?
c) Polite Negation (rare or not used)
va momaletu............I was not going to be able to come
va mogaletu
va maletu
va momaletez
va mogaletez
va maletez
d) Polite Question (rare or not used)
komomaletuyi?..........was I....going to be able to come?
komogaletuyi?
komaletuyu?
komomaletesi?
komogaletesi?
komaletesi?............were they going to be able to come?
e) Implied If (rare or not used)
Note: This may be also used as a Conjunctive case
moptati................if I......was/were coming
mohtati................if you........were coming
mohtatu................if he/she was/were coming
moptatit
mohtatit
mohtates...............if they.......were coming
f) Polite Implied If
...Note: This may be also used as a Conjunctive case
komomaletuna...........if I was/were able to come
....................or if I could come
komogaletuna
komaletuna.............if he was/were able to come
komomaletezna
komogaletezna
komaletezna
6) Other Forms
mohtuna................if he/she is here
vamohtuna..............if he/she is not here
va mohte doren.........(I am told) he/she did not come-not here
komaletu doren.........(I am told) he/she is able to come
vamaletu doren.........(I am told) he/she is not able to come
mohtesen doren.........(I was told) he/she will come
komalasen doren........(I was told) he/she will be able to come
va komalasen doren.....(I was told) he/she will not be able to
mohtasen doren.........(I am told) he is coming = is on his way
malasen doren..........(I am told) he/she is able to come
mulutu.................he/she was coming = was on his/her way
mohtu..................he/she had come = had attended
va mohtu...............he/she had not come
mohtuyu?...............had he/she come? ("y" is a connective)
va mohtuyu?............had he/she not come?
va maletuyi?...........had he/she not been able to come?
va mohtu doren.........(I was told) he/she did come
mohtuna................if he/she came = if he/she is here
mohtatuna..............if he/she had come = I wish he would come
komalātuna.............if he/she were able to come, or
.......................(I wish) he/she could/"were able to" come
mulūtu.................he/she was going/planning to come
va mulūtu..............he/she was not going/planning to come
va maletu..............he/she was not going to be able to come
mohtana mohti..........if you are going to come, then do
maletuna mulūtu........if he could have come, he would have
va mulutuyi?...........were you not coming?
va momaten.............I may not come
va momaletu............I could have chosen not to come
7) Implied MUST/HAVE TO
Example - used with "lazimiyen," derived from Turkish "lāzżm,"
..........which is borrowed from Arabic "lazim:" must/have to
na moptare lazimiyen.........I....must come = I have to come, or
..................................it is required that I come
na mohtare....,,.............you.......
na mohtatu....,,
na moptaten...,,
na mohtaten...,,
na mohtates...,,.............they
moptati kaytu....it would have been nice if I....came/had come
mohtati...,,................................you......
mohtatu...,,
moptatit..,,
mohtatit..,,
mohtates..,,................................they
moptati...untes.........they wanted..me......to come
mohtati....,,........................you
mohtatu....,,........................him/her
moptatit...,,........................us
mohtatit...,,........................you
mohtates...,,........................them
a) Negation
na va moptati..untes......they did NOT want me to come
na va mohtati...,,.............like above...(na = had, did)
b) Question
komoptayi?................is it alright if I come?
komuluyi?
komohtasi?
komoptali?
komuluti?
komohtani?................can they come?
c) Implied If/Condition
na moptatiko divetu..........it would have been alright if I had come
na moptatiko divetu doren....(I was told) it would have been alright
................................if I came/had come."
................................More common usage: "it would have been
................................alright if I had come," as if
................................contemplated in retrospect
na mohtatiko divetu doren...................................you....,,
na mohtatuko................................................he/she ,,
na moptatitko...............................................we.....,,
na mohtatitko...............................................you....,,
na mohtatesko...............................................they...,,
Note: na = had, did..........divetu = be..........doren = would have
......ko = this seemingly "strengthens" a verb
d) Negation and Condition
ma va moptati divetu doren
.....................it would have been alright if I...had not come
ma va mohtati divetu doren.........................you had not come
ma va mohtatu divetu doren
ma va moptatit divetu doren
ma va mohtatit divetu doren
ma va mohtates divetu doren........................they had not come
8) Other Examples
oēopu...................to take, to purchase, to obtain
keyēopatuna divetu......it would be OK if it is purchased, taken, obtained
kogamicu................it was purchased, taken, obtained
gebgondi................I....was mildly hurt/angered/annoyed/embarrassed
gegondi
gegondu
gebgondit
gegondit
gegondes................they were
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