Robis di no crodi: L’astronaute Greg Linteris al è lât intal spazi cu la bandiere furlane [1]

PART 1. The astronaut Gregory Linteris and the Friulian flag (l’astronaute Gregory Linteris e la bandiere furlane).

T 0.00-1.00

Un... doi... cincuantevot... cent e vincjedoi... Oh, vêso mai notât? In cualsisei puest tal mont che tu ledis, un furlan tu lu cjatis simpri; e spes chel furlan nol dismentee di puartâsi daûr la bandiere de Patrie, e nancje di fâsi une biele foto cun jê. Ma al è un furlan che, cu la bandiere, al à fat tant di plui. Le à poiade su la piche de piramide di Gjiza? Risposta errata! Te cupule dal Taj Mahal? Falât! Sul Everest? No! O sai che no mi crodarês, ma un furlan le à puartade adiriture intal spazi. Eh sì. Un uomo, una leggenda... O fevelìn di Gregory Thomas Linteris. Il prin astronaute furlan.

One... two... fifty-eight... one hundred and twenty-two... Oh, have you ever noticed? Wherever you go in the world. you’ll always find a Friulian; and often that Friulian neither forgets to bring along the flag of the Patrie, nor to take a nice of himself photo with it. But there’s a Friulian who, with the flag, did so much more. Did he put it on the tip of the pyramid of Giza? Wrong answer! On the dome of the Taj Mahal? Incorrect! On Everest? No! I know you won’t believe me, but a Friulian has even taken it into space. Oh yeah. A man, a legend... We are talking about Gregory Thomas Linteris. The first Friulian astronaut.

Un astronaute: an astronaut. In the plural: i astronautis. Examples: the astronauts went to space (i astronautis a son lâts intal spazi); the astronauts explored the cosmos (i astronautis a àn esplorât il cosmi).

Cualsisei = cualsisedi (any, whichever, whatever); both forms are commonly used. Che tu ledis: that you may go; present subjunctive, second-person singular. In cualsisei puest tal mont che tu ledis: wherever you go in the world (literally, in whatever place in the world that you may go). More examples: at any moment (in cualsisedi moment); for whatever reason (par cualsisei reson); whatever he says, I don’t believe him one bit (cualsisei robe ch’al disi, no i crôt piç).

Dismenteâ: to forget. Examples: he drinks to forget (al bêf par dismenteâ); to forget one’s keys (dismenteâ lis clâfs); to forget one’s family (dismenteâ la famee); to forget one’s passport (dismenteâ il passepuart). We can also use: dismenteâsi di. Examples: to forget one’s keys (dismenteâsi des clâfs); to forget one’s family (dismenteâsi de famee); to forget one’s passport (dismenteâsi dal passepuart).

Puartâsi daûr: to bring along (literally, to bring behind oneself). Example: don’t forget that you have to bring along all these documents (no sta dismenteâ che tu âs di puartâti daûr ducj chescj documents).

No mi crodarês: you will not believe me, second-person plural. To say it in second-person singular, we use: no tu mi crodarâs.

The speaker uses some Italian: (i) for wrong answer, she says: risposta errata, which in Friulian is: rispueste falade; (ii) una leggenda, to qualify a man as exceptional; but in Friulian he would instead be mythical: un mît. Chel om al è un mît: that man is a legend.

La fumate dal Signôr, ce robe ise?

We have learnt (o vin imparât) in these last few days (in chescj ultins dîs) that the Friulian word fumate (che la peraule furlane fumate) in English means (par inglês e vûl dî): fog. For instance (par esempli), we can say (o podìn dî) that heavy fog limits visibility (che la fumate penze e limite la visibilitât).

Let’s look at the photo below (cjalìn la foto chi sot). Due to the heavy fog (par cause de fumate penze), visibility is not good (la visibilitât no je buine):

But the word fumate (ma la peraule fumate) also indicates anger (e indiche ancje la rabie). For instance (par esempli), we can speak of the wrath of the Lord (o podìn fevelâ de fumate dal Signôr). We just have to look at the image below (nus baste cjalâ la imagjin chi sot) to understand why (par capî parcè) we can use the word fumate (che o podìn doprâ la peraule fumate) to speak also of anger (par fevelâ ancje de rabie):

We can use this word (o podìn doprâ cheste peraule) in everyday language (tal lengaç di ogni dì). Let’s do an example (fasìn un esempli): today’s latest news makes my blood boil (lis ultimis gnovis di vuê mi fasin vignî sù la fumate). Fâ vignî sù: to make to come up, to cause to rise.

Madone di Avost, la fieste celebrade ai 15 di Avost in dute Italie

Yesterday (îr), in Italy (in Italie), a holiday was celebrated (e je stade celebrade une fieste). In the Italian language (in lenghe taliane), this holiday is known as Ferragosto (cheste fieste e je cognossude come Ferragosto), but in Friulian it is called (ma par furlan si clamile): la Madone di Avost, whose name in English would be translated as (non che par inglês al vignarès voltât come): the Madonna of August. This holiday (cheste fieste), celebrated on the fifteenth of August (celebrade ai cuindis di Avost), coincides with the Assumption (e coincît cu la Assunzion) of the Blessed Virgin Mary (de Beade Virgjine Marie), which is to say (ven a stâi), the Madonna’s ascent into heaven (la elevazion in cîl de Madone).

La Assunzion di Marie si celebre ai cuindis di Avost:

The period surrounding the day of the Madone di Avost (il periodi sot de zornade de Madone di Avost) is a holiday time (al è un timp di vacance). We use the name of this holiday (o doprìn il non di cheste fieste) to speak not only of the fifteenth of the month (par fevelâ no dome dai cuindis dal mês), but also of the entire holiday period which includes that day (ma ancje di dut il timp di vacance che al cjape dentri chel dì). For example (par esempli), we can say (o podìn dî): the Madone di Avost fell this year on a Friday (la Madone di Avost e je colade chest an di vinars), or even (o ancje): for the Madone di Avost we went to the mountains for four days (par Madone di Avost o vin stât in mont cuatri dîs). Careful (atenzion): (i) o sin stâts = we were, we have been; (ii) o vin stât = we went, we have gone; (iii) o vin stât = o sin lâts. Let’s do another example (fasìn un altri esempli): For the Madone di Avost long weekend (pal puint de Madone di Avost), I went to Tumieç (o soi lât a Tumieç / o ài stât a Tumieç).

Even if citizens suspend their work activities (ancje se i citadins a sospindin lis lôr ativitâts lavoritivis) to go on holiday (par lâ in vacance), few are the robbers who will do the same (a son pôcs i laris che a fasaran chel tant)! There could even be (pò ancje dâsi che e sedi) a whole host of robberies (dute une schirie di robariis) during the day of the fifteenth of August (dilunc de zornade dai cuindis dal Avost). The owners are away from home (i parons a son fûr cjase) and will discover the robbery (e a scuvierzaran la robarie) only when they come back from holidays (dome cuant che a tornaran indaûr des feriis).

Here is the expression used (ve chi la espression doprade) around this holiday (sot di cheste fieste) to wish good things to come to someone (par augurâi a cualchidun che i vegni dal ben): Buine Madone di Avost, which is to say (ven a stâi): Happy Madone di Avost.