Alsatian

Text 1: Bird Story

This story is based on a wordless picture book:
Mercer Mayer. 1974. Two Moral Tales. New York: Four Winds Press.


 1 Esch des a schen-er Hut!, saad de Seppele
 3.S-PRS-is this a beautiful-ACC hat, 3S-PRS-says the Sepp-DIM
 this is a  beautiful hat, says little Sepp
 Der passt mer gans genau
 this one 3.S-PRS-fits-  DAT.S-to me all exactly
 it fits me perfectly
  3   Ha! Ha! Ha! Du seh'sch so bled us!, saad sin-er Frend d' Krab
Ha! Ha! Ha! 2.S-you 2.S.PRS-look so stupid SEP VERB PART-out, 3S.PRS-says NOM.M.S-his friend the crow
Ha! Ha! Ha! you look so stupid! says his friend the crow
 4  D'Sepp-ele werf-t de Hut weg und geh-t ham. Dene hav i loos, den-kt d'Krab
 the Sepp-DIM-little 3.S.PRS-throws the hat SVP-away and 3.S.PRS-goes home. This one 1.S.PRS-have I loose,
 3.S.PRS-thinks the crow
 Little Sepp throws the hat away and goes home. I am rid of this one, thinks the crow.
5 Jetzt esch der Hut mine, dene kan isch gut brusche.
 now 3.S.PRS-is NOM.S.M-the  hat mine, this one 1.S.PRS-can I good INF-use
 Now the hat is mine. I can make good use of it.
6 Der esch grad richti for min Necht. -Aver, de Sepp-ele kum-t weder .
 this one 3.S.PRS-is just right for N.S-my nest. But the Sepp DIM-little 3.S.PRS-comes again   
 It is just right for my nest. But little Sepp comes back.
7 Er saad, naan der esch mine, nem-t d'Hut und setz-t de uf.
 he 3.S.PRS-says, no this one 3.S.PRS-is mine, 3.S.PRS-takes the hat and 3.S.PRS-put it on
 He says, no it is mine, takes the hat and put it on.
8 Was grivel-t mi den doo? maan-t er. Cui! Cui! Cui! mach-t a klein-s Vejele uf sin-em Kopf!
 what 3.S.PRS-tickles me so here? 3.S.PRS-thinks he. Cui! Cui! Cui! 3.S.PRS-does a NOM.N.S-little bird on  
 DAT.M.S-his head
 What tickles me here,? he thinks. Cui! Cui! Cui! says a little bird on his head!

© Language Documentation Center, University of Hawai'i at Manoa 2005