9B.2 *-da* and *-ze*: "too", "even", and "as for…"
9B · Linking sentences — how one thing leads to the next · a plain-language guide to Assyrian (Sureth) grammar
Chapter 8 introduced -da and -ze as "too" tags: an enclitic is a tiny word that cannot stand alone and leans on the end of the word before it, like the 's in "it's". -da is from Turkish and -ze from Kurdish, and the two do almost exactly the same job. They actually do two jobs, and the second one shows up in every story.
Job 1: "too, also, even." The tag goes on the word it adds:
| Assyrian | English | from |
|---|---|---|
| at-da khush-tamma | you go over there too | A 1:31 |
| kenyane-ze k-avivalun | they used to have cattle too | B 2:10 |
| men-diyyi-da bush-shapirena | they are more beautiful even than me | A 39:14 |
| aha-ze betlayele | he goes to sleep too | A 39:3 |
Job 2: "and as for X…" On the first word of a sentence, the tag tells the listener we're switching to someone else now. English does this with "and", "but" or "meanwhile", or with stress:
| Assyrian | English | from |
|---|---|---|
| at tuy tama, ana-da kalen depnakh | you sit there, and I'll stand beside you | A 39:19 |
| gani surevenva, babi-da saveva | I myself was young, and my father was old | B 2:19 |
| yemmu-da mara: bezdayen la amset | but his mother says, "I'm afraid you won't be able to" | A 35:1 |
Speaking tip: ana-da "me too" and at-da "you too" cover a lot of conversation. To contrast two people ("you do this, I'll do that"), put -da on the second one.
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Both… and; neither… nor. Put the tag on each of two words. With a negative verb it means "neither… nor":
| Assyrian | English | from |
|---|---|---|
| zuyze-da gane-da akhnan le-bayyakh | we want neither their money nor them | A 6:15 |
| en-la, ka-diyyakh-ze p-katel, zaya-ze p-shakelle | if not, he will both kill you and take the foal | A 38:14 |
| kha-akhcha mendi ana len merta, len-da khzita nuyne | I have not said such a thing. Nor have I seen fish | A 36:14 |
ham-da joins two names, like English "and". Said twice it means "both … and":
| Assyrian | English | from |
|---|---|---|
| pekka ham-da akubra gverre | the frog and the mouse got married | A 52:4 |
| ham-da ganu bakhtu u-ham-da o-brunu bekhkhayeva gu-de chullukhta | both he and his wife, and also his son, lived in that hut | A 54:1 |
On a whole sentence it means "moreover":
| Assyrian | English | from |
|---|---|---|
| akhnan gvirekh. kha-dana-da bruna etlan | we are married. Moreover, we have a son | A 36:10 |
Little steps forward:
| Assyrian | English | from |
|---|---|---|
| kharta khachcha-da kamta kheshle | then he went a little further on | A 1:11 |
"Here they are!" On anne "these", the tag presents something:
| Assyrian | English | from |
|---|---|---|
| anne-da, shkul khul | here they are. Take and eat | A 36:9 |
"Even though." On a verb, the tag can concede a point. This is the "although" of section "If", in full:
| Assyrian | English | from |
|---|---|---|
| adi talki-da, at khu-li-yattet | even if they get lost now, you would indeed not know | A 39:32 |
| shula leva yave, kulle-ze keryaneva | they did not give them work, although they were all educated | A 41:15 |
la-da: "and if not". After an offer it means "otherwise":
| Assyrian | English | from |
|---|---|---|
| bayyitun, bayyitun. la-da, ana b-shoken t-azen | if you want it, fine. If not, I'll leave everything and go | A 55:7 |
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