[INDOLOGY] language identification (Adam Bowles)

[C.A. Formigatti]

Dear Dr Bowles,

At least a part of the last quote is in Italian, but written with a 
funny English orthography:

‘_Sat tu sicurah da non lasharay andarah, guescha bect-cha, liberal dubo 
toto suferanza.

Sei tu sicura di non lasciare andare questa vecchia, liberala da tutta 
[la] sofferenza

The translation 'Death to you; death by terrible torture' etc. doesn't 
correspond to the Italian, which means 'Are you sure you want to release 
this old woman, free her from [the] suffering' or something in this 
direction (the last part is a little bit strange).

I hope I've been able to help you!

Camillo Formigatti


On 2014-02-11 10:15, indology-request at list.indology.info wrote:
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> Today's Topics:
> 
>    1. language identification (Adam Bowles)
>    2. Whish Collection! (Dr. Debabrata Chakrabarti)
>    3. Re: language identification (Valerie J Roebuck)
>    4. Wendy Doniger's book to be withdrawn in India by Penguin
>       India (Dominik Wujastyk)
> 
> 
> Dear Colleagues,
> 
> A colleague who is not a member of this list has requested assistance
> with the following query:
> 
>> I'm editing for a fairly soon publication a play (William Archer's
>> _The Green Goddess_) which has simple short bits of dialogue in a
>> foreign language, unidentified. The play is a melodrama set in a
>> remote place in the north-western Himalayas, north of and so outside
>> of the then British-ruled areas (the play's writing date is 1920). I
>> have the TS prompt book used by JCW for their Australian production
>> in 1924, but of course though that gives bits of dialogue in this
>> language, and provide translations into English, the script doesn't
>> identify what language they are using. It is not Hindustani, that is
>> made clear, though that is also used here and there.
>> 
>> Here are a few samples from the TS along with the translations:
> 
>> ‘_Unkeitha hu_!’ (They are alive!); ‘_Hub sa jumphti odt, hu
>> keitha_!’ (Two of them are alive, at least); ‘_Un nukkha jan
>> ru_!’ (They are not killed); ‘_Guth, baith un pai hai dosha!_’
>> (Back, they may have the Evil Eye).
>> 
>> The Priest’s explanation is given: ‘_Kha hai Adythum_’ (This
>> is her temple). ‘_Au ka jahah kaman sa gulbia_’ (She beckoned
>> your ship out of the sky). ‘_Kha main tha hunthal Maharaj ka_’
>> (The land is ruled by our Raja). ‘_Go hai nuxman_’ (That is the
>> palace there). ‘_Ha khaja un ka hasthi_’ (I have sent for him).
>> ‘_Kumajo heinga dha_’ (He will be here soon).
>> 
>> Traherne is introduced ‘blindfold’ and the High (Chief) Priest
>> curses Traherne: ‘_Sat tu sicurah da non lasharay andarah, guescha
>> bect-cha, liberal dubo toto suferanza. Kay sat ychi; kay sat
>> ychi_’ (Death to you; death by terrible torture. You pollute our
>> sacred temple. The Great Roc found you. It brought you here. Death,
>> suffering, the curse of the Green Goddess be on you).
>> 
>> I rather suspect the 'liberal dubo toto suferanza' phrase: it sounds
>> like a kind of esperanto pidgin slipped in for audience
>> comprehension. But I believe the rest to be a genuine local
>> language. Pahari?
>> 
>> any help in this would be most appreciated and of course
>> acknowledged in its site of publication: the Manchester UP journal
>> _Nineteenth Century Film and Theatre._
> 
> If anyone has any insight to offer, please email Professor Veronica
> Kelly at v.kelly at uq.edu.au. Any assistance would be greatly
> appreciated.
> 
> Best
> Adam Bowles
> 
> The University of Queensland
> 

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