7/30/2019 Ainu Lesson 3-Verbs Past

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Lesson 3: The Past Tense "subject ~verbed"

Lesson 3 original page (April 16, 2006)(my comments are in blue)

Title

The Past Tense "subject ~ verbed"

Model sentences:

1. Numan ruyanpe as. Yesterday, rain fell.

2. Ukuran kamuyhum as. Thunder sounded last night.

Vocabulary

as: to blow [the wind], to fall [rain, snow...], to occur [many natural phenomena]

hoskanuman: the day before yesterday

isam: not

kamuyhum: thunder(*kamuy = god, hum = sound)

komam: fallen leaves

numan: yesterday

rera: windrimse: dancing, to dance

ruy: [to be] strong, violent

ruyanpe: rain (*in some dialects rain is also "aputo")

ukuran: evening, last night

About The Words

In the first example sentence "as" is translated as "fell." However, if you were to say "tanto ruyanpe

as," this would be translated as "today rain falls." In Japanese[and in English] you wouldn't say

"yesterday, rain falls" but instead "yesterday, rain fell" in the past tense. But in Ainu, the

verb as doesn't have to change depending on whether you are talking about the present or the past.

Unlike the Japanese [and English!] "fell" "came" or "ate," Ainu verbs do not change in the past tense(same as Chinese, etc).

As is used again in the second example sentence. As was pointed out in Lesson 2, it can be used

for when something like the thunder "sounds" or "can be heard."

Caution re. Pronunciation

[The first point is all about how to pronounce a final "m." If you speak English this should not be a

7/30/2019 Ainu Lesson 3-Verbs Past

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problem.]

Numan is pronounced NU-man in many areas. However, in the dominant dialect it is usually nu-

MAN.

Also, please mind the accent on ruyanpe, ukuran and kamuyhum. Make sure the initial syllable is

low, and NOTpronounced as RU-yanpe, U-kuran, KA-muyhum.

Exercises

Use the vocabulary provided to translate these sentences into Ainu.

1. Yesterday, the wind was strong. ( ______ ) ( ______ ) ( ______ ).

numan: yesterday

rera: wind

ruy: [to be] strong, violent

2. The day before yesterday, snow fell. ( ______ ) ( ______ ) ( ______ ).

as: to fall [snow], ....etc

upas: snow

hoskanuman: the day before yesterday

Samani and the Ainu People ~ the Climate and Natural Features of Samani

The main industry is fishing and other marine products: molluscs, sole, kajika (a freshwater fish),

salmon, cod, and others. (Also rice and strawberries are cultivated and livestock is raised in the

nearby mountains.) In the summer people gather kelp. Kelp laid out to dry on the beach is a

common summer scene.

Even records from the Edo period mention the Ainu people drying kelp along the shore. The way

Ainu used these natural resources has, of course, made a great impact. For example, konbushito (a

dumpling wrapped in kelp) and yamau (a cold soup with seaweed and other things cooked in kelp

broth), and other traditional Ainu dishes are a special feature of the eastern Hidaka area.

Lesson 2 Practice Exercise Answers

1. Tanto mean

2. Tanpa upas poro [The STV site lists the answer as "tanto upas poro," but that would be "There

was much snow today." Go me for not noticing this the first time around.]