Thanks, both of you! That was very helpful!

Jamie


--- In norse_course@yahoogroups.com, "Patricia"
<originalpatricia@...> wrote:

>
> Thanks LN that is precisely what I had in mind - except I rather

fancy that

> dwarves are as fond of a cheese and pickle sandwich as the "Tall

folk"

> are - with a mug of ale of course.
> That link is a good one
> Kveðja
> Patricia
>
> -------Original Message-------
>
> From: llama_nom
> Date: 19/10/2006 06:28:36
> To: norse_course@yahoogroups.com
> Subject: [norse_course] Re: I thought this would be an easy one,

but...

>
>
>
> > "Please, don't give cheese to dwarfs",
>
> If you're talking to just one person, my guess would be:
>
> Ek bið (þik), at þú gefir eigi ost dvergum.
> Bið ek (þik), ...
>
> Literally "I ask (you), that you give not cheese to dwarfs."

(Pronoun

> in brackets optional.) Here is is a page of search results showing
> similar examples in context. These are all from medieval texts
> although most are given here using Modern Icelandic spelling.
>
> http://www.lexis.hi.is/corpus/leit
> pl?lemma=&ofl=&leita=1&flokkar=Fornrit&m1=bi%F0&l1=Leita&lmax=1
>
> If you were talking to two or more people, you would use 'gefið'
> rather than 'gefir'. These are subjunctive forms of the verb. If
> talking to two people, replace 'þik' with 'ykkr', and replace 'þú'
> with 'it' or 'þit'. If talking to more than two people,

replace 'þik'

> with 'yðr', and replace 'þú' with 'ér' or 'þér', thus:
>
> DUAL, x2: Ek bið (ykkr), at (þ)it gefið eigi ost dvergum.
> PLURAL, >2: Ek bið (yðr), at (þ)ér gefið eigi ost dvergum.
>
> The forms 'it' and 'ér' are earlier. I'm not sure of the exact
> timing, but I think 'þit' and 'þér' took over by or during the 13th
> century.
>
> Another variation is:
>
> Þess bið ek, at...
> "For this is ask, that..."
>
> Ek bið þess, at...
> "I ask for this, that..."
>
> And another form of the negative particle 'eigi' is 'ekki'.
>
> Llama Nom
>
> --- In norse_course@yahoogroups.com, "Jamie" <wyrdplace@> wrote:
> >
> > ...I have been unable to track down the ON word for "please", as
> > in "Please, don't give cheese to dwarfs", etc. NOT as in, "Does

this

> > please you?"
> >
> > I've been searching through Zoega and did a word search on an

online

> > English translation of Njal's Saga, but I haven't been able to

find

> > it. Does anybody know what it is, just off the top of their

head? Or

> > would it be said differently in ON?
> >
> > Jamie
> >
>