Conversations: Daily Life in Pojiao Rural Township

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（Play All）Conversations: Daily Life in Pojiao Rural Township

Tian Yuying, Xiang Peihua, Peng Cai'e & Tian Wucui, Pojiao Rural Township, Longshan County
recorded on 19 July 2002

In this text two of the women who had come to the township administrative offices for us to interview talk about two major burdens of daily life: collecting firewood and watering crops. Irrigated paddy fields comprise only a percentage of cultivated land.

01	A: ni², ni² lei¹huan¹lang¹, ni² lei¹huan¹lang¹ zu²-xi² ya² zao⁴ mang! B: lei¹xi³ zao⁴? lang²lang¹he⁴lie³ da⁴ze³ sou². A: You, this morning you, this morning you were out rather early! B: Early? I do this every morning.
02	A: lei¹huan¹lang¹ be² lei¹xi³ la¹ ri¹ o? B: lei⁴ ni² nga² jie³-di²-da² me, nga² lei⁴ ka³ ga⁴ zi² wo⁴ ya le, ong. A: What were you going to do this morning? B: If you hadn't called me today, I would have gone and fetched some firewood.
03	A: ai¹me¹ ni² lei⁴ hu³ dang¹guo¹-liao³. B: ai¹ lei⁴ dang¹guo¹, ni² lei⁴ li³-liao³ wa meng, jie²ri¹ma¹ me, kei²di¹ ya la²bie¹ ai¹di¹ le o, se²-nie³ gong¹zuo³ be² la²bie¹ ai¹di¹ (null)-duo³ hang. ang, ka³ me la² nie¹ hi⁴lie³ wo⁴ ya meng! A: Oh, so we've interrupted your work today. B: Not really. It doesn't matter. As farmers, we should be ready to help with anything, we should support your work. Firewood, I have to fetch it every day!
04	A: ai¹me¹ ni² zao⁴huan³ ga²-liao³ tai²? B: zao⁴huan³ meng ga²-liao³ le, ka³ wo⁴ die²-bo³-la¹ ming. A: zao⁴huan³ ga²-liao³. B: eng! A: So, haven't you had breakfast yet? B: I've had breakfast, and I was about to fetch firewood. A: So you've had breakfast. B: Hmm!
05	A: ye³ ga²-liao³ tai²? ye³? ai¹ ni² eng¹ge¹ lei⁴, ai¹me¹ lei⁴, lei⁴ ka³ you² wo⁴ ti³-dao² luo! B: ka³ wo⁴ ti³-dao² ge⁴-ta¹-duo³! ka³ me la² nie¹ hi⁴lie³ xie², cu¹ ye⁴ tie²-bo³ wu²-da² luo, ni² gong¹zuo³ zi¹ci³-duo³. A: gai² sa³ zi²-liao³. A: What about lunch? Well, you are here today, so you won't be able to collect firewood now! B: Not being able to fetch firewood doesn't bother me! We always have firewood at home, we don't need to be too careful how much we burn, I should help you with your work. A: Since you have already come.
06	ai¹me¹, ni² eng¹ge¹ gai² da⁴ze³ song¹kuo¹-lie³, lai¹ ri¹ le? lei¹xi³ la¹ ri¹ le? B: ri¹-bie¹ me guo² ga⁴ dong² ri¹ ang, ri¹-ta¹-bie¹ me ta⁴ ri¹-gu². tian³kang³ ka¹tao¹ zuan²-li¹lian¹di³ ang, gai² me lai¹xi³ gao¹ o. Well, when you get back home today, what are you planning to do? What are you going to do? B: If I have time I'll do a few things, if not, I'll leave it. I might take a turn round the fields, that kind of thing.
07	A: long³bai³ li²bu¹ ca² mang? B: li²bu¹ me miao³ jian¹-ga¹ca³, me²ze³-da² guo² ga³-si³-ji²-liao³. A: How is the rice this year? B: The rice seedlings are pinched and thin, there's been no rain, so they're completely parched.
08	A: ga³-si³-ji²-liao³! me² ya ze³-ta¹, gao¹-ci³ tai², bang²hua¹ tai². ai¹me¹ ni² eng ce³, li²bu¹ ce³ po¹-la¹ tai² le? B: ce³ la² nie¹ hi⁴lie³ po¹, lang³cei¹-cai³ me huan² po¹ mo³ si³ ai² dian¹ ta²ci¹ ye⁴ la. A: Withered up! When it doesn't rain, there's nothing you can do, nothing you can do. So, are you watering the rice? B: I water them day in day out, I water them every evening until after midnight.
09	A: me²su³. B: eng! you¹ si³hou³ huan² me²su³, lang³cei¹-cai³ eng, ma¹kuo³li¹ ma¹kuo³li¹ ga³, ge⁴ you² la²bie¹ ge⁴ la. si³ ai² dian¹zong¹ yi¹hou², nga² zeng¹di¹hua¹ la²bie¹ ge⁴ la, ngeng² si¹. A: Daybreak. B: Mm! Sometimes right till daybreak, in the evening on Makuoli, sometimes I'm a bit scared. After midnight, I'm really a bit afraid, really.
10	eng! A: la² hu³-lang² ai¹ si¹ ge⁴. ai¹lie¹ li³-ji²-liao³, ai¹lie¹... Hmm! A: Just on your own, that's scary. Now, we've finished talking ...

Peng Nanjing & an 11 year old child, Pojiao Rural Township, Longshan County
recorded on 19 July 2002

In this text a young boy, who had just been blowing a suona trumpet to demonstrate traditional daliuzi entertainment for us, is encouraged to talk about his daily activities.

01	A: ni² pa¹ li³, ni² bi²zi¹ li³, pa¹ ta⁴ li³, ni²duo³ li³ a! ni², "nga² lei⁴ ge³ci²-la¹, wu² ka⁴-i-hu³, a²guo¹-die¹ wu² ka⁴-i-hu³". B: nga²duo³ li³ huo¹... A: a ni²duo³ li³. A: You are speaking Chinese; speak Tujia, don't speak Chinese, say something yourself! Say: "Today I am playing, I'm going to look after the cows, my friends and I are going to look after the cows." B: Shall I speak or ... A: Yes, say something yourself.
02	ni² jiu¹ hang² li³ mo³ da³-lie³, ni² jiu¹ ge²wai¹ li³-ta¹-duo³, ni² lai¹ ri¹-xie², lai⁴? B: ge³ci²-la¹. A: ni² kei² ge³ci²-la¹? B: nga² luan² ge³ci²-la¹. A: ni² luan² ge³ci² be² ni² be² huan² ge³ci² mo³ la⁴ zu²-di²-duo³ mang! Just speak like this, you don't need to say anything else. What are you going to do today? B: I'm playing.. A: Where are you playing? B: I'm just messing around A: You are always messing around, even if you are only playing, you need to do it with some purpose!
03	B: a²guo¹-die¹ da⁴ha³, da⁴ha³ wu² ka⁴-i-hu³, lai⁴ ge³ci²-la¹, la¹ba³ mie²-la¹, gai² jia¹lian¹ ga⁴ dong² ha³. lao³ci³ eng¹ge¹ ye⁴-liao³, wu² ka⁴-i-di²-hu³, ca² la! B: My friends and I, we're going to look after the cows. Today we are playing, blowing trumpets, banging these instruments. The sun is already high in the sky, so we must take the cow out to graze. Good!

-: - pron: you advt: this morning vi: to go out vsuff: [that which] vt: to compare vi: to be early part: (excl) -: - pron: what advm: every morning vt: to resemble vc: to be; yes advm: also cl: a while vt: to work, do part: (excl) advt: today pron: I, me vt: to shout, call vsuff: [come] vsuff: [not] part: (topic marker) n: firewood num: several, how many? cl: (for long thin things: roads, sticks, guns, bamboo, candles) vt: to carry on the back part: (excl) part: (new topic marker) part: (excl) conj: then n: work vt: to delay vsuff: [past+now] pron: that vt: to say part: (excl) part: (topic marker) n: farmer pron: what advd: some pron: that pron: you (pl) suff: ['s] n: work vt: (omitted verb) vsuff: [want] part: (excl) part: (excl) num: one cl: day num: [each one] n: breakfast vt: to eat, bite vi: to not have vt: to think of vsuff: [stative] vsuff: [continuous, repetitive] part: (topic marker) part: (excl) n: cooked rice, meal advl: there advm: again; both... vt: to get vsuff: [not+now] part: (excl) vt: to fear vsuff: [won't] vt: to have n: home vt: to arrive vt: to stick vt: to burn vt: to support pron: this n: words, matters vt: to change vi: to return vsuff: [past] pron: what vsuff: [have time to] pron: he cl: (for actions taking a short time to do) neg: don't vsuff: [now] n: raised field path n: on top vi: to turn vsuff: [a little] pron: what vt: to work, do advt: this year n: rice paddy vi: to be good n: seedling vi: to be sharp vsuff: [adjectiviser] vi: to rain vi: to become dry vsuff: [dead] vsuff: [end] n: sky vt: (to rain) vsuff: [that which] n: means n: water vt: to place, pasture, release, shoot advt: at night suff: [there/then] advm: always part: (-wise) num: ten num: two cl: o'clock num: [plus] part: (excl) vi: to dawn vt: to have n: time pn: (name of a place) n: on cl: o'clock advt: after expr: true words, truth vi: to be hard vc: to be cl: (for people) suff: [only] conj: then n: Chinese language pn: Tujia language pron: you yourself part: (excl) vi: to have fun n: cow vt: to guard vsuff: [irrealis] vsuff: [imminent] n: companion nsuff: [plural] pron: I myself conj: or conj: then advm: like this vt: to go down vsuff: [go] advm: especially vsuff: [come] advt: today pron: where vi: to be in disorder n: road advm: all, together n: trumpet vt: to blow n: tool, instrument vt: to hit n: to shine (of the sun)