Vladimir Zhobov
Rakovski
Commentary on the text:
When the investigator’s words are transcribed in brackets, it means they do not appear on the audio but are rather reconstructed to recreate the sense of the original conversation. These words appear in English translation only in Glossed View, in both English and Bulgarian in Line View, and in Bulgarian only in Cyrillic Line View
1 (a) [0:00] Back then, when I had finished school in ’fifty-three
| one sg n adj | time sg n | when rel | finish 1sg aor P | school sg n def | fifty | and | third sg f adj |
2 (a) [0:02] [or] fifty-four, we were very poor.
| fifty | and | fourth sg f adj | year sg f | 1pl impf cop | very adv | poor pl adj |
3 (a) [0:07] [When] we heard good money would be paid in the village of Resen near Tǔrnovo,
| hear 1pl aor P | much adv | money pl.t | fut | acc refl clt | give 3sg pres I | in | village sg n | Resen sg m place | Tŭrnovo sg n adj |
4 (a) [0:10] we set out [for there together] with my father and my sister. We went there
| depart 1pl aor P | with | father sg m | dat 1sg clt | with | sister sg f | dat 1sg clt | go 1pl aor P | there adv |
5 (a) [0:13] general labor work in the collective farm – to pick cotton,
| comp | work 1sg pres I | general sg f adj | work sg f | in | T.K.Z.S. sg n def | comp | gather 1pl pres I | cotton sg m |
6 (a) [0:19] to pick okra, to shuck corn, [etc.] The next day [there] came
| comp | gather 1pl pres I | okra sg f | comp | peel 1pl pres I | corncob pl m | on | second sg m def adj | day sg m | come 3sg aor P |
7 (a) [0:24] a man [who] appeared to have heard there were people from the village
| one sg m adj | person sg m | understand sg m L.part P | that conj | pres exist | people pl | from | village sg n |
8 (a) [0:28] General Nikolaevo village, near Plovdiv. So he came to see us,
| General Nikolaevo sg n place | Plovdiv sg n adj | and | come 3sg aor P | by | dat 1pl |
9 (a) [0:32] and began to interrogate me: where we’re from, what sort [of people] we are.
| begin 3sg aor P | comp | acc 1sg clt | interrogate 3sg pres I | from | where interr | 1pl pres cop clt | what.kind pl adj | 1pl pres cop clt |
10 (a) [0:35] We received him, entertained him, treated him to wine
| nom 1pl | acc m 3sg clt | receive 1pl aor I | entertain 1pl aor I | acc m 3sg clt | treat 1pl aor I | acc m 3sg clt | with | there adv | with | wine sg n |
11 (a) [0:39] such as we had. Two or three days went by [and then] he came again to see
| as rel | impf exist | pass 3pl aor P | two m | three | day ct m | again adv | come 3sg aor P | comp | look 3sg pres I |
12 (a) [0:43] what we are doing. We sat down at the table to eat
| what sg n interr | do 1pl pres I | sit.down 1pl aor P | at | table sg f def | there adv | comp | eat 1pl pres I | at | table sg f def |
13 (a) [0:49] and he said, “Listen, I don’t know how to say this [but] I thought
| and | nom m 3sg | say 3sg pres I | listen pl imv I | what sg n interr | fut | dat 2pl clt | say 1sg pres P | nom 1sg | think 1sg impf I |
14 (a) [0:54] that you Catholics were… I’ve heard about you, [I’ve heard] that you eat
| that conj | nom 2pl | Catholic pl m def | 2pl pres cop clt | hear sg m L.part I | 1sg pres aux clt | for | acc 2pl | that conj | eat 2pl pres I |
15 (a) [0:58] people alive, because [it’s known] you’ve been eating turtles there.”
| living pl adj | people pl | because conj | 2pl pres aux clt | eat pl L.part.impf I | there adv | turtle pl f def |
16 (a) [1:03] And we were astounded when he just upped and said such things about us.
| and | nom 1pl | acc refl clt | wonder 1pl aor P | when conj | take 3sg aor P | comp |
[...]
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narrate 3sg pres I | thus adv | for | dat 1pl |
17 (a) [1:06] We were amazed, and said “How can [you think] that we eat people alive?
| wonder 1pl aor P | acc refl clt | say 1pl pres I | how interr | can pres imprs | comp | eat 1pl pres I | living pl adj | people pl |
18 (a) [1:10] It’s been three or four days that you’ve been with us, and you’ve see
| disc | happen 3sg pres I | three | four | day ct m | 2sg pres cop clt | by | dat 1pl | notice 2sg pres I |
19 (a) [1:13] what we do, how we work, how we behave with folk.”
| what sg n interr | do 1pl pres I | how interr | work 1sg pres I | how interr | acc refl clt | behave 1pl pres I | with | people pl def |
20 (a) [1:17] And he said, “[Yes,] what they say [about you], well, it isn’t true.”
| and | say 3sg pres I | this pl adj | which sg n rel adj | acc refl clt | talk 3sg pres I | mean 3sg pres I | neg | 3sg pres cop clt | truth sg f |
21 (a) [1:21] The next day he came again, and found us out there in the field
| to | next sg m def adj | day sg m | again adv | come 3sg aor P | encounter 3sg aor P | acc 1pl clt | at | block sg m def | there adv |
22 (a) [1:24] where we were picking cotton. I was the smallest, but I [was the one who] picked
| that conj | gather 1pl pres I | cotton sg m | nom 1sg | 1sg impf cop | most | little sg f def adj | but | gather 1sg impf I |
23 (a) [1:27] the most kilos [of cotton]. He said, “Well look at you, you’re as tiny
| most | much adv | kilogram pl m | say 3sg pres I | adrs | nom 2sg | what.kind sg f adj | 2sg pres cop clt | little sg f adj |
24 (a) [1:31] as a peanut and yet you pick the most kilos [of cotton].
| as | small.peanut sg n | disc | but | most | much adv | kilogram pl m | gather 2sg pres I |
25 (a) [1:34] How old are you?” And I upped and said to him that
| to | how.many interr | 2sg pres cop clt | year pl f | nom 1sg | take 1sg aor P | comp | dat m 3sg clt | say 1sg pres I | that conj |
26 (a) [1:37] there were eight of us children, mother and father, very poor and with no property,
| eight | child pl n | 1pl pres cop clt | to | mother sg f | and | to | father acc sg m | poverty sg f | poverty sg f |
27 (a) [1:41] and that times [like these] drove us to come all the way here to work.
| bring 3sg aor P | acc 1sg clt | time sg f def | even adv | here adv | comp | come 1pl pres P | comp | work 1sg pres I |
28 (a) [1:45] We found a safe haven here, good people, and we work here now.
| find 1pl aor P | shelter sg n | here adv | good pl adj | people pl | work 1sg pres I | here adv | now adv |
29 (a) [1:51] We’re thinking that in the future we [might] come again this way
| think 1pl pres I | for | ahead adv | again adv | comp | thus adv | again adv | comp | come 1pl pres P |
30 (a) [1:54] if they invite me, if they like me. And he said,
| if conj | acc 1sg clt | summon 3pl pres P | disc | if conj | acc 1sg clt | like 3pl pres P | nom m 3sg | say 3sg pres I |
31 (a) [1:58] “Oh yes people like you, because you work, you work really hard.”
| excl | like 3pl pres I | acc 2pl clt | people pl def | because conj | work 2pl pres I | labor 2pl pres I | acc refl clt |
32 (VZh) [Can you count to ten please?]
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33 (a) [2:04] One, two, three, four, five, six, seven, eight, nine, ten. O.K.
| one sg n adj | two n | three | four | five | six | seven | eight | nine | ten | good adv |
34 (VZh) [Tell me about your life.]
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35 (a) [2:14] I was born in nineteen thirty-eight
| nom 1sg | 1sg pres cop clt | bear sg f P.part P | thousand sg f | nine.hundred | and | thirty | and | eighth sg f adj | year sg f |
36 (a) [2:19] into a poor family. We were eight children: I was the seventh
| in | poor sg n adj | family sg n | eight | child pl n | 1pl pres cop clt | nom 1sg | 1sg pres cop clt | seventh sg f def |
37 (a) [2:24] I married a poor boy in [nineteen] fifty-nine.
| marry 1sg aor P | acc refl clt | for | one sg n adj | poor sg n adj | boy sg n | fifty | and | ninth sg f def adj | year sg f |
38 (a) [2:29] [When] I met him he only had a father, his mother had died.
| find 1sg aor P | acc m 3sg clt | only adv | with | father sg m | dat m 3sg clt | mother sg f | dat m 3sg clt | die sg f L.part P |
39 (a) [2:33] [He lived] with three sisters-in-law and one brother-in-law [who] was married
| with | three | sister.in.law pl f | and | one sg m adj | brother.in.law sg m | brother.in.law sg m def | dat 1sg clt | 3sg impf cop | marry sg m P.part P |
40 (a) [2:39] to my sister, [and] I to his brother. [So] we ended up as [both] two sisters,
| for | my sg f adj | sister sg f | nom 1sg | for | his sg m def adj | brother sg m | become 1pl aor P | two f | sister pl f |
41 (a) [2:43] [and] two sisters-in-law. We got on well, we lived together three or four years.
| two f | sister.in.law pl f | understand 1pl impf I | acc refl clt | live 1pl impf I | together adv | three | four | year pl f |
42 (a) [2:50] In the fifth year each of us went our own way.
| in | fifth sg f def | year sg f | each sg m adj | acc refl clt | find 3sg aor P | one's.own sg m def adj | way sg m |
43 (a) [2:54] My sister bought herself a plot of land and built a house,
| sister sg f | dat 1sg clt | dat refl clt | buy 3sg aor P | yard sg m | make 3sg pres P | dat refl clt | house sg f |
44 (a) [2:57] [but] we stayed in the old homestead with my father-in-law.
| nom 1pl | dat refl clt | remain 1pl aor P | in | old sg m def adj | yard sg m | with | father.in.law sg m def |
45 (a) [3:00] We found husbands for my sisters-in-law; they each set up their own households.,
| marry 1pl aor P | sister.in.law pl f def | settle.down 3pl aor P | acc refl clt | and | nom 3pl |
46 (a) [3:05] We lived well. I have two sons.
| well adv | live 1pl pres I | have 1sg pres I | dat refl clt | two m an.num | son ct m |