This is the tenth lesson in the learning Friulian series using the book Lis predicjis dal muini by Josef Marchet. Follow the links in Friulian 1 to read the book and listen to the audio, available online courtesy of the Societât Filologjiche Furlane. The commentary below relates to the first half of the fifth paragraph of the Preambul, which begins with Vigji al fâs and ends with pevar e asêt.
COMMENTARY ON THE FRIULIAN
Preambul: paragraph 5, sentence 1.
Vocabulary: fâ il muini (to be a sacristan); sore nuie (for free); une scuse (excuse); cun chê scuse (with that excuse); sintîsi (to feel); prin (first, main, prime); une autoritât (authority); un paîs (village).
Al fâs (he does, he makes) is the masculine, third-person singular of the present indicative of fâ (to do, to make); the feminine equivalent is e fâs (she does, she makes). Study: al fâs il muredôr (he is a bricklayer); al fâs il plevan (he is a parish priest); al fâs il marangon (he is a carpenter); al fâs il soldât (he is a soldier); e fâs la mestre (she is a teacher). To rephrase these in first-person singular, use o fâs instead: o fâs il muredôr (I am a bricklayer). In some variants of Friulian, i fai is used instead of o fâs. We read that Vigji acts as sacristan for free: sore nuie. Si sint (he feels, she feels) is the third-person singular of the present indicative of sintîsi (to feel). In the central or standard variety of Friulian, al and e drop in the presence of si; some variants may retain them. We read that because Vigji does his work for free, he feels like the prime authority of the village.
Preambul: paragraph 5, sentence 2.
Vocabulary: la sere (evening); prin di (before); la fieste (feast day, holiday); lâ jù (to go down); il plevan (parish priest); cjapâ (to take); un ordin (order); pal indoman (for the next day); comandâ (to instruct); publicâ (to publish); in glesie (in the church); un orari (schedule); la messe (Mass); une funzion (service); un avîs (notice); cualchi altri avîs (a few other notices).
Both prin di and prime di are used in Friulian to mean before; either one can be used. Examples: prin de messe (before Mass); prin dal incuintri (before the meeting); prime des funzions (before the services); prime dai cambiaments (before the changes); prin di doman (before tomorrow). Al va jù dal plevan: he goes down to the parish priest; here di is used to convey the sense of location. Another example: o voi jù dal becjâr (I go down to the butcher). Often it is preceded by li (there), as in: o soi lât li dal dentist (I went to the dentist's). Whereas al comande means he instructs, i comande means he instructs him (or her); literally, he instructs unto him (or unto her). Be reminded that cualchi is followed by the singular: cualchi altri avîs (a few other notices); cualchi altre femine (a few other women); cualchi altri ordin (a few other orders). Remember also that some speakers say altri, altre, altris with the l, whereas others say them without, as atri, atre, atris. Know moreover that in certain variants, such as western ones, these are atri, atra, atris, for instance: cualchi atra femina (a few other women); i atris oms (the other men); li atris feminis (the other women).
Preambul: paragraph 5, sentence 3.
Vocabulary: di chê bande (while at it); profitâsi (to take advantage); tirâ (to pull, to draw); lunc (long); tirâle in lunc (to drag things out); strucjâ fûr (to pour out); dut ce che (everything that); bulî (to boil); il stomi (stomach); une opinion (opinion); une critiche (criticism); une sentence (verdict); sul cont di (regarding, about); une persone (person); un fat (event).
The present participle of infinitives ending in â takes the form ant; for instance: strucjant (pouring); publicant (publishing); fevelant (speaking); cjapant (taking); sierant (closing). Fûr means out, forth, so strucjant fûr means pouring out. Dut ce che means everything that; for instance: dut ce che al fâs (everything that he does); dut ce che o ài (everything that I have). In some variants of Friulian, such as western ones, ce is in fact said se. Whereas al bol means it boils, i bol means it boils unto him (or unto her); by adding tal stomi (in the stomach), where tal is the contraction of in and il, we obtain, from the text: dut ce che i bol tal stomi (everything that boils in his stomach; literally, everything that boils unto him in the stomach). Study the use in the text of i siei (masculine plural) and lis sôs (feminine plural) before the nouns opinions, coments, critichis, sentencis; both i siei and lis sôs here mean his. Sul cont des personis: about the people, with regard to the people. Sul cont dai fats: about the events, with regard to the events. Des is the contraction of di and lis, whereas dai is the contraction of di and i. The masculine plural fats is pronounced fas.
Preambul: paragraph 5, sentence 4.
Vocabulary: cussì (so, thus); vignî fûr (to come out); ogni (every); une volte (time, occasion); une predicje (sermon); il muini (sacristan); curt (short); sclet (frank); cuinçâ (to season); cuinçât (seasoned); il sâl (salt); il pevar (pepper); l'asêt (vinegar).
Ogni volte: every time. Cussì e ven fûr une predicje: so out comes a sermon. Une predicje dal muini: a sacristan's sermon, a sermon from the sacristan. Predicje is pronounced with stress on the first syllable. In the feminine singular are curte, sclete, cuinçade, which all agree in gender and number with predicje. We read that Vigji's sermons are seasoned with sâl e pevar e asêt (salt and pepper and vinegar), which is to say that they are very biting indeed. The s of asêt occurs between vowels, which means that it is voiced as in the first letter of the English word zeal, and not as in the first letter of the English word seal.
Go to the next Friulian lesson, where you will learn how to describe Vigji's plain-spoken language as being that which cuts and stings. You will also continue to learn more Friulian grammar.