Post by Deleted on May 2, 2017 11:57:54 GMT -5
In "Lakota Myth" Elaine A. Jahner wrote that, "Walker appended a note to the manuscript that explains some of the particular interest of the text."
This legend of "The Stone Boy" was written in Lakota by Sword [...] and is of special interest because he usually wrote in the old form of the Siouan dialect as it was spoken by the Oglalas before it was of its modern form. He knew that few can translate or even interpret the old form of this language into English; and, for this reason, he attempted to write this legend in the modern form and MIXED THE FORMS [emphasis added] in such a manner as to exemplify the TRANSITION OF THE OLD INTO THE NEW FORM [emphasis added]. For instance, he has written the phrase hi na jin and the word hinazin to express the same concept. The phrase is of the old form, "hi" being a verb meaning "comes," "na" a conjunction meaning "and," and "zin" a verb meaning "stands." The word "hinazin" is of the new form, a verbal noun meaning "to come and stand." The phrase and the word express the SAME CONCEPT [emphasis added], and the difference between them would be of only academic interest were the phrase a FIXED FORM [emphasis added].
But it was only conventional and could be ALTERED AT WILL BY THE SPEAKER [emphasis added] by introducing into it various other words to MODIFY THE CONCEPT EXPRESSED [emphasis added] by the phrase as here given. The word hinazin is FIXED [emphasis added] and can be modified only by introducing into it other words.
Sword contended, and was confirmed by other old Oglalas that in the Lakota as it was spoken BEFORE CONTACT [emphasis added] with white people, there was no such word as hinazin and that this word was CONSTRUCTED [emphasis added] by white people [who wrote] hi na zin as if it were a word and then educated the younger Oglalas to accept the written INSTEAD OF [emphasis added] the spoken language. That few, if any, Oglalas under fifty years of age who have been so educated or who speak the old form of the language and that few if any can translate or interpret a formal speech made in the old form of Lakota.
-- James Riley Walker
books.google.com/books?id=LrM4QvpwnHoC&pg=PA48&lpg=PA48&dq=Elaine+A.+Jahner+lakota+myth+Walker+appended+a+note+to+the+manuscript&source=bl&ots=763ksmEFu4&sig=AYXpNN2is05gLaTYRXlx4AVLHz4&hl=en&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwi20KO-0NHTAhXkxFQKHc3eD-kQ6AEIJDAA#v=onepage&q=Elaine%20A.%20Jahner%20lakota%20myth%20Walker%20appended%20a%20note%20to%20the%20manuscript&f=false
This legend of "The Stone Boy" was written in Lakota by Sword [...] and is of special interest because he usually wrote in the old form of the Siouan dialect as it was spoken by the Oglalas before it was of its modern form. He knew that few can translate or even interpret the old form of this language into English; and, for this reason, he attempted to write this legend in the modern form and MIXED THE FORMS [emphasis added] in such a manner as to exemplify the TRANSITION OF THE OLD INTO THE NEW FORM [emphasis added]. For instance, he has written the phrase hi na jin and the word hinazin to express the same concept. The phrase is of the old form, "hi" being a verb meaning "comes," "na" a conjunction meaning "and," and "zin" a verb meaning "stands." The word "hinazin" is of the new form, a verbal noun meaning "to come and stand." The phrase and the word express the SAME CONCEPT [emphasis added], and the difference between them would be of only academic interest were the phrase a FIXED FORM [emphasis added].
But it was only conventional and could be ALTERED AT WILL BY THE SPEAKER [emphasis added] by introducing into it various other words to MODIFY THE CONCEPT EXPRESSED [emphasis added] by the phrase as here given. The word hinazin is FIXED [emphasis added] and can be modified only by introducing into it other words.
Sword contended, and was confirmed by other old Oglalas that in the Lakota as it was spoken BEFORE CONTACT [emphasis added] with white people, there was no such word as hinazin and that this word was CONSTRUCTED [emphasis added] by white people [who wrote] hi na zin as if it were a word and then educated the younger Oglalas to accept the written INSTEAD OF [emphasis added] the spoken language. That few, if any, Oglalas under fifty years of age who have been so educated or who speak the old form of the language and that few if any can translate or interpret a formal speech made in the old form of Lakota.
-- James Riley Walker
books.google.com/books?id=LrM4QvpwnHoC&pg=PA48&lpg=PA48&dq=Elaine+A.+Jahner+lakota+myth+Walker+appended+a+note+to+the+manuscript&source=bl&ots=763ksmEFu4&sig=AYXpNN2is05gLaTYRXlx4AVLHz4&hl=en&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwi20KO-0NHTAhXkxFQKHc3eD-kQ6AEIJDAA#v=onepage&q=Elaine%20A.%20Jahner%20lakota%20myth%20Walker%20appended%20a%20note%20to%20the%20manuscript&f=false