The CBB

Why is a raven like a writing desk?

Yélian

Miyde deʻay bit cet tivelsupar?
[ˈma̯iːdə ˈdeʔɐs bɨ̆‿kət ˈtiːvəlˌsupɐd̟]
why raven COP.3SG.ANIM like writing desk
Why is a raven like a writing desk?

Swahili:

Kwa nini kunguru ni kama dawati?
INST what raven(9ANIM) COP like writing.desk(5)
Why is a raven like a writing desk?

Rozwi

rhušunwu Mγadtō ye ayebeu blidveiktō hœ?
dark.blue majesty be<PRS.SG>3SG ADV writing.table.INST INTERR.ADV
How is the Lazuli Majesty (Quiscalus caerulea) like a desk?


A common crow-sized member of the Corby family, which are descendants of the humble grackle.
https://s-media-cache-ak0.pinimg.com/23 ... 4ee799.jpg


Not to be confused with the much rarer Crook (Corone harpactica ) Tirga's large predatory crow
http://www.justphotos.ca/galleries/anim ... 130714.jpg

Mandarin (attempt)

乌鸦为什么像写字台？
Wūyā wèishénme xiàng xiězìtái?
[u˥ja˥ weɪ̯˥˩ʂə˧˥mə ɕɪ̯aŋ˥˩ ɕɪ̯ɛ˨˩t͡sɹ̩˥˩tʰaɪ̯˧˥]
raven why be_like writing_desk
Why is a raven like a writing desk?

Caelian

Halypyec ma divmabyam zapgovtyoren byäis?
[haʎˈpʲɛç ma difmaˈbʲam zapgɔftʲɔˈrɛn bʲæɪ̯ʃ]
raven.NOM INDEF.FEM.NOM reason.LOC writing_desk.EQU COP.3SG>3SG
Why is a raven like a writing desk?

New words for this challenge:

griuskant (without script here)

zhilb ijvazhia kaut az vy ?
/'ʒilb 'idʒvaʒia 'kaut az 'vY/
crow advance-attribution-A-V table is which

in Whenuaakereo:
https://drive.google.com/file/d/1AP2SY9 ... sp=sharing
(black bird perhaps seen as writing table)

Atili: Wohobayeÿduna muzu bibidra wotayaÿke?
/ˌwo.χoˌba.jeɹˈdu.nʌ ˈmu.ʒu biˈbid.ʁʌ ˌwo.tʌ↘︎ˈjaːɹꜛ.kɛ/
"How are ravens similar to desks?"
lit. "The birdblackers how the desks are similar?"

Epos: Tshem ekòk ya òyapak?
[tʃem ˈekɔk ja ˈɔjapak]
INT INDEF.M-raven be_like INDEF.N-writing_desk
Why is a raven like a writing desk?

European Romance
Car es uns còrbs com un escriptori?
[ˈkaɾ.es.ysˈkɔrs.kum.yn.es.kriˈtu.ri]
why COP.3SG.PRS INDF.M-NOM raven-NOM like INDF.M desk
Why is a raven like a writing desk?

European Romance is a standardized Old Occitan, used as an auxlang in a 22nd century European Union from a speculative fiction project I'm working on. With the decline of the US and UK as global powers, English begins to be seen as an anachronism in the EU, to be replaced with a more relevant lingua franca. Old Occitan, fairly archaic, well-nigh politically neutral, and strongly literary, as well as occupying a central point in the Romance dialect continuum, ended up the top candidate after much debate. The phonological transcription above demonstrates the koiné-ized phonology used as a standard by the 2160s.

Classical Chinese
烏，何如書桌？
Uo¹, ghe¹ nyuo³ᵇ syuo³ᵇ trok²?
/ʔo ‖ ɣæ ⁿdʑy ɕy ʈaʴk/
corvid ‖ how resemble writing table
Why is a raven like a writing desk?

The "romanization" above is an abstract representation devised by David Prager Branner of the Qièyùn rime table system. The phonemic transcription is based on W. South Coblin's reconstruction of mid-Táng era Cháng'ānese (as described in his Compendium of Phonetics in Northwest Chinese).

edit: minor phrasing issues, a letter

Rireinutire

kurokoye ku visorahe yoñi yakayo:
/ˈkuɹoˌkoje ku ˈvisoˌɹɑhe ˈjoŋi ˈjɑkɑjo/
kurokoye ku visorahe yoñi yakayo ||
raven.NOM like write-desk.NOM why.Q be-PRS-Q ||
Why is a raven like a writing desk?

Translation challenge 57/100