Welsh to Upper Sorbian: actual pairs, formal listeners and future arrivals
Welsh chi leaves the number of listeners open
Canolfan Peniarth explains Welsh chi as a plural form that can also address one person formally. The official Foundation guide uses chi in its verbal paradigms, so a visibly plural-looking Welsh pattern is not sufficient to identify how many people an invitation concerns.
Upper Sorbian Universal Dependencies distinguishes singular, dual, and plural, with number agreement on nouns, pronouns, adjectives, and verbs. An original Welsh invitation addressed to two colleagues therefore requires a different target number interpretation from one addressed to a larger team. Neither should be inferred solely from the occurrence of chi. If the Welsh message names both colleagues, that establishes a real pair; if it addresses one visitor respectfully, interpreting it as a pair would invent another addressee.
This distinction also affects what remains understood in a later sentence. A Welsh message can first name two people and then continue with a plural reference. The Upper Sorbian translation should preserve the pair where the target construction requires dual agreement, rather than expanding it to an unspecified group merely because the source stops repeating the names.
A promised arrival can have a present-looking target form
Dof i in the Welsh Foundation guide commits the speaker to a future coming; the guide gives a different initial form for the corresponding question. The Upper Sorbian example přińdu domoj likewise concerns a future arrival, although its verb is present-shaped and perfective. The ongoing-motion example du domoj has a different interpretation. Neither the Welsh initial change nor the target’s present-shaped morphology can be interpreted independently of its construction.
A Welsh promise to come later should therefore not be marked wrong simply because the corresponding Upper Sorbian verb resembles a present form in a paradigm. Its lexical aspect and construction matter. Conversely, selecting an ordinary ongoing-motion interpretation could move an intended future arrival into the present. In an original arrangement to meet a pair of colleagues tomorrow, retain the planned timing and participant number independently. Choosing the right dual form would not compensate for reporting an arrival as already under way.
The target documentation also lists a distinct future of an imperfective motion verb. This is another reason to translate the Welsh event rather than substitute one universal future ending. The source’s intended coming, going, or continuing activity must determine the relevant target verb.
Two nearby grammatical changes can convey different information
The Welsh future paradigms distinguish positive, negative, and question forms. Upper Sorbian documentation separately identifies bound negative nje- in relevant predicates and distinguishes lexical aspect from grammatical number.
For an original Welsh exchange, compare two visitors promising to come with those same visitors saying they will not come. The people remain a pair; only the assertion’s polarity changes. A target word that changes during that correction should not automatically be interpreted as a new group or a different time. Likewise, converting the Welsh promise into a question would ask for information instead of giving it. Read the target participant agreement, negative marking, and event interpretation as separate contributions to the complete statement.
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