Gwich'in New Testament: even colors are verbs

The Fairbanks NewsMiner notes the completion of the translation of the New Testament into the Gwich'in language:

The gold-lettered title of the plain-covered book reads “Vit’eegwijyahchy’aa: Vagwandak Nizii,” Gwich’in for, “God: His Good News.”

“Remember the words of our Lord are blessed to give and to receive,” said St. Matthew’s rector, the Rev. Scott Fisher, following the announcement Sunday that the translation of the New Testament to the Gwich’in Athabascan language is available.

The 11 a.m. service was a joyous occasion for the diverse congregation. There was an adult Baptism and more than a dozen parishioners were confirmed by Alaska Episcopal Bishop Mark Lattime.

Read more: Fairbanks Daily News-Miner - Healy couple translates New Testament to Gwich’in language.
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“Gwich’in is rated as one of the most difficult languages in the world, probably harder than Chinese,” Meggie said. “There are 24 vowels and 46 consonants and the majority of words are verbs; even colors are verbs.”

Posted by Ann Fontaine on May 24, 2011 7:30 AM | |
Comments (1)

"...the majority of words are verbs; even colors are verbs."

I'm no expert on indigenous American languages, but I thought this was true of most or all of the Athabaskan family, including Navajo, rather than being a particular oddity of Gwich'in. Does anyone know more?

Posted by Thomas Thurman [TypeKey Profile Page] | May 24, 2011 9:10 AM

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