Glossary entry

Persian (Farsi) term or phrase:

دارم گور خودمو می‌کّنم!

English translation:

I\'m digging my own grave

Added to glossary by SeiTT
Jun 18, 2011 12:00
12 yrs ago
Persian (Farsi) term

دارم گور خودمو می‌کّنم!

Persian (Farsi) to English Art/Literary Poetry & Literature Colloquial Narrative
Greetings,

I think that the sentence “دارم گور خودمو می‌کّنم!” expresses the linguistic point I wish to investigate reasonably well.

As you will have noticed, there is a tashdid on می‌کّنم. Why would someone pronounce می‌کّنم with a tashdid (as I am told people do)? I.e. 'mikkanam' for 'mikanam'. I've certainly seen nothing like it in any kind of Persian grammar or textbook.

Is it for stress? In that case, the translation of the above sentence will have to take that into account, won't it? Or is it perhaps just a very minor stress?

Best wishes, and many thanks,

Simon
Proposed translations (English)
5 +6 I'm digging my own grave

Discussion

Shaily Zolfagari Jun 18, 2011:
Also whe you try to put emphasis on something you tashdid or stress it. I can think of another example off the top of my head here... ميككشمت... Not meaning that i would kill you just threatening jokingly. It has a naughty and playful conotation this way!
Shaily Zolfagari Jun 18, 2011:
Phonology Actually it is a simple phonological faux pas! Cant have two stops consecutively specially since one is uvular and one is nasal. It is difficult for the sound to travel from the back of ur maxilofacial organs to ur nose so quickly. It is something we call دشخوان in farsi....
Ahmad Hosseinzadeh Jun 18, 2011:
A problem in fluent pronunciation The formal pronunciation is for sure /mi:kænæm/; but I think because /kæ/ is followed by /næ/, we face a problem pronouncing them fluently, so we need a pause and here a semi-tashdid is created so the real pronunciation will be /mi:kkænæm/ or even /mi:kænnæm/.

Proposed translations

+6
5 mins
Selected

I'm digging my own grave

I am not sure about the pronunciation; we say both "mikanam" and "mikkanam", I think that's just for the sake of pronunciation itself as we have two "a" vowel sounds.

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Note added at 11 mins (2011-06-18 12:11:53 GMT)
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Another guess: the distance between place of articulation of "k" and "n" sound! The former is velar and the latter is alveolar! maybe that's the case!
Peer comment(s):

agree Younes Mostafaei
14 mins
Thanks Dear Younes!
agree Edward Plaisance Jr : I never really noticed this "tashdid" until now...since "tashdid" is really an Arabic feature (and never formed the way "mikkanam" is), my guess is that it is a natural emphasis that has evolved...but then what about "mikonam"? does it occur there?
3 hrs
Thanks so much! I think is it not a "tashdid" but a very short pause to change the place of articulation and tjis does not occur in "mikonam"!
agree Ahmad Kabiri
3 hrs
agree Ahmad Hosseinzadeh : Have we borrowed it from Eng or it's vice versa?
6 hrs
agree Shaily Zolfagari : Agree
8 hrs
agree Sara NamvarKohan
12 hrs
Something went wrong...
4 KudoZ points awarded for this answer. Comment: "Many thanks, excellent."
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