~a 1 (i·)a verb, intransitive
body tremble with fear; feel very uncomfortable
Ebel' en' i-a. I'm terrified!
a- 2 a(i)·
ai-
subject prefix
you: second singular realis prefix
K' a-tab' a-mui? Have you forgotten again?
Morphology Becomes ai- before a vowel, or some monosyllabic roots.
aba 1 aᵐba possessive classifier
(food+) for me and him/her: form of the possessive classifier used for food, tools, customary possessions etc. (enaka *), with a 1 exclusive dual possessor (see keba )
Bai-ali buioe aba awoiu. We've picked our areca nuts (for us to chew).
aba 2 aᵐba possessive classifier
our (relative), of me and him/her: form of the possessive classifier used for kin terms (one *), with a 1 exclusive dual possessor (see keba )
et' aba our mother (the mother of my sibling and myself)
1 – many, a lot of; numerous
Ne ngogoro uña menuko abia, ka pe-romo p-ajau! There are many animals in the woods, be careful!
Abia tamwase! There are too many!
Ni-bo abia. I've cut many of them.
2 – all, every
kiapa abia na all of us here
derivative idi abia many people; everybody
moro abia adverb
day all every day, always
Moro abia pon, nga pon. The same would happen every day.
abiaini aᵐbiaini adjective
thick
Uie vilo pon abiaini. This leaf is thick.
Abiaini tamwase. It's too thick.
snake
Abilo pon i-ovei pe i-somoli mwaliko. This kind of snake can be harmful.
abilo peini revo noun
1s abo ne ene 2s abo ne eo 3s abo ne ini
Men' one i-tabau i-woi visibaele ini ne touro, abo i-ke. My son fell down and hurt his knee on the reef; he was bleeding.
Abo peini ma i-udu. His blood was dripping from his hand.
Abo na, (abo) ne ngele? Whose blood is this?
I-ko i-la abo ne kaipa i-ko i-romo abo i-ko pi-tavie we tae. He wants to draw your blood and examine it to see if you are sick.
2 – fig rare intimate feelings. Used in some expressions
Buro pon i-katau abo ne ene! This song suits my blood! (=I love it!)
abu 1 aᵐbu Tense Aspect Mood marker
1 – before hortative ‘all right’, ‘let's’
Abu ne-kila Puma! Let me try and ring the guys in Puma village!
Abu le-omo kape i-ka we tae? Let's see if she'll come or not.
2 – before imperative verb marks polite order: ‘please’
Abu bai-aiu ba-vio me ne-rom! Could you please stand up and let me have a look there?
Ab' u-leng' i-ka. Listen to me for a second.
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Cognate with the conative prefix bu-3 .
3 – used alone encouragement towards action: ‘come on’, ‘please’
O, abu, kaipa! Pe-ka p-atui botu 'none! Come on, you all! Come and check out my boat!
A verb, intransitive
1 – physical motion go down
Kape idi abia ponu na Aneve na, li-abu li-le li-vio n’ ole. Let everyone in the village go down and stand on the beach.
2 – fig subside, slow down
Pana iawo i-abu mijaka. The flames (of the fire) have died down a little.
O, tae, la-wañaka iada ka i-abu i-wene. That's all right, their dispute has gone down now.
3 – geocentric meaning go downwind travel north or west
Kape n-ab' ne-le Honiara. I'll travel west [lit. down] to Honiara.
antonym ~vene go south/east
B second verb, intransitive
1 – after intransitive verb (move+) down
I-sabu i-abu ne ero. He fell down in the river.
Kuo ponu i-atili i-abu i-le. The canoe slid all the way down (to the sea).
Ero i-pu i-abu i-vagasi revo. The river flows down to the sea.
2 – after transitive verb (take, move s.th.) down
Ka mobo kata kape la-ka ponu: li-elele kuo iada i-abu. The next day, as they were getting ready, they dragged their canoe down (on the sand).
Ni-tabulu voko i-abu i-le ne gilita. I rolled a rock down into the valley.
3 – geocentric meaning downwind, towards north or west
Ngiro Tangake i-aka i-abu i-kamai tev' iu ne. The Tangake wind blows down from the east.
~abu 3 (i·)aᵐbu verb, transitive
1 – hit, strike
Ka vitoko kape i-abu tanoma ini, ia i-abu i-kovi. He almost hit her face, luckily he missed her.
Vilisao i-abu toñaki pon. The ships were struck by a tornado.
Dapa kula li-abu revo, me le-labu namuko. The others slap the water, in order to (scare and) catch the fish.
2 – kill, slay, murder ‹s.o.›
Pon tadoe? Pon tepakola? Kape i-abu idi? Is he a devil, a giant? Does he kill people?
Nga po idi le-sune ngele kape i-te, pon kape l-abu. If they found somebody around, they would kill him.
3 – kill ‹animal›, hence hunt, fish+
Mobo kape le-lui nuduro me l-abu namuko. Tomorrow we'll carry the scareline to get some fish.
4 – play ‹musical instrument› using hands
Li-abu ukalele ka gita. They play the ukulele and the guitar.
Ngele i-abu? Who's playing?
~abu 4 (i·)aᵐbu verb, transitive
wash ‹clothes+› with water, esp. vigorously
Kape n-abu lusa ene ne iaero. I'm gonna wash my shirt in the river.
~abui (i·)aᵐbui verb, transitive
take ‹s.th.› down
Pi-ka pi-abui ngatene upa pi-ko me p-ajau toñaki iote. We took our tools down (from the ship) and brought them to build another boat.
~abu ~te (i·)aᵐbu (i·)te serial verb, transitive
descend sit sit down
U-ka u-abu u-te ene! Come sit down here!
abwa aᵐbʷa noun
Collecting tree gum (li-loko abwa ).
1 – sap ‹of tree›: natural liquid coming out of a plant's trunk or stem
Li-toe bale, abwa i-pu i-ke. When you cut at a breadfruit, sap will come out.
Abwa dero i-ke mina oie basavono po li-toe, i-ka i-beiu ka li-kila li-ko “tepulu peini dero”. The sap of the kauri tree runs out of the trunk when you cut it; then it solidifies, and we call it tepulu , “kauri gum”.
2 – liquid characterized by its specific colour; hence colour
abwa nabene noun
tobacco colour red-brown colour
Li-kanu ra ra li-ra abwa nabene. As they chew betelnut, what they spit out is red.
abwa motono
abwa nga motono
adjective
colour (like) the deep sea deep blue
abwa nga toloto
nga toloto
adjective
colour like the lagoon turquoise blue
Dapa ka li-romo i-katau kiñe tamate , lusa ini, temaka ene pe moloe, ene po koro, ene po nga toloto, ene ka ene nga toloto – They would observe the grass skirts, the dancing gear; which part was red, which part was white, which part was blue, here and here…
abwa bale aᵐbʷa ᵐbale noun
breadfruit gum resin of the breadfruit tree (bale ), used as glue; hence glue
Dapa Niteni li-loko viavia mamdeuko pe moloe, li-la abwa bale li-lateli ne mengela vilo, li-ejau viko iadapa ñei. The people of Santa Cruz collect the red feathers of the Cardinal honeyeater, then use breadfruit sap to glue them to a piece of wood.
abwaro aᵐbʷaro noun
coconut coconut ‘milk’, obtained by squeezing coconut flesh
abwaro peini luro coconut milk
ada 1 aⁿda possessive classifier
Grammar
their (food+), of them two: form of the possessive classifier used for food, tools, customary possessions etc. (enaka *), with a 3 dual possessor (see da )
mama ada their taro pudding
buioe ada their areca nut (for them to chew)
ngaten' ada their food, their belongings
ada 2 aⁿda possessive classifier
Grammar
their (relative): form of the possessive classifier used for kin terms (one *), with a 3 dual possessor (see da )
et' ada their mother (of them two)
tili' ada their brother (of them two)
adapa 1 aⁿdapa possessive classifier
Grammar
their (food+): form of the possessive classifier used for food, tools, customary possessions etc. (enaka *), with a 3 plural possessor (see dapa )
avtebe me vongoro adapa their taro and almonds
Li-ejau none pine adapa ne kulumoe. They are preparing a huge meal for the villagers.
ngaten' adapa their food, their belongings
piene adapa Teanu the language of (the people of) Teanu
adapa 2 aⁿdapa possessive classifier
Grammar
their (relative): form of the possessive classifier used for kin terms (one *), with a 3 plural possessor (see dapa )
dapa tieli adapa their brothers / their friends
adawo aⁿdawo noun
gen cloud
adawo boroboro dark, rainy cloud
adie aⁿdie
A noun, relational
I-akale adie ini. He's scratching his back.
2 – rear part of ‹s.th.›
La-koie Teanu la-koie ne Adie Vono. They came on shore on Teanu via the rear side of the island.
3 – later phase of ‹s.th.›
adie tomoro wako afternoon
B adverb
rare afterwards, then
Adie, pi' iape ini i-ka, i-atevo iepiene peini noma. Then her grandfather came in and told her a story.
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More commonly preceded with a preposition ne .
1 – what?
A-vete a-ko ae? What did you say?
Na, piene adapa Teanu a-ko ae? How is this called in Teanu? [lit. this, in Teanu language, you say what?]
Na toñaki ae na? What sort of ship is this?
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Sometimes longer form nganae *, from ngaten' ae .
2 – between pauses hesitation marker used when looking for one's words, esp. before a noun
Enga ini iote li-ko, ae, Takole. It also had another name, (what is it?) Takole.
~ae 2 (i·)ae verb, transitive
1 – hollow out; remove stuff from ‹wood+›
Tano ponu, li-ae mijaka me kava i-pu i-katau. This kava bowl has been hollowed out a little, to allow kava to flow along.
I-bo kuo awoiu, i-ae lema. Once he had cut out the canoe, he began to hollow out its inner part.
2 – dig a hole in ‹ground›
Li-mabui li-ae tanoe, wako ka li-lateli teve. They quietly dug a hole in the ground, and put (the treasure) there.
3 – dig ‹hole› in s.th.
Li-ae kie. They're digging a grave.
4 – dig out, harvest ‹yam, hill taro›
Na uo kula kupa ka pi-ae. These are a few yams we just dug out.
Pe-le, p-ae none! P-ae jebute, me pe-tau me p-e! Go and dig out some food! Dig out some taros you can cook and eat!
see lexical list at ~bi1 harvest
aele aele
ale
noun, relational
POc *qaqe (?)
Anatomy
s.o. lower limb: leg, foot
Loubo iote i-ke vidiviko ne ale ene. A crab has bitten my toe.
~la aele phrasal verb
take legs take a number of steps
I-la aele wa-tuo. He took six steps.
Aele Teulungo aele teuluŋo proper noun
Mythology
pillow legs name of a Spirit (tamate ), with thick legs
The pigstry fence (aero peini pwoi ).
POc *qaRa
1 – fence, hedge
aero pe idi li-ejau i-dai mane the fence erected around the dancing area
2 – esp fence around pen, in a farm; hence pen
Aero iupa i-vio vitoko na. Our (pig) pen is very close.
4 – hence district, area, territory
aero iadapa Teanu the territory of the Teanu tribe
aero 2 aero noun
POc *kaRi
Sea
1 – gen seashell of any form
Le-le ne touro li-odo aero? Shall we go to the reef and look for some shells?
2 – esp bivalve shell, traditionally used as an instrument to grate (~lu ) coconut flesh or scrape the skin of tubers
aero we anive aero we anive noun
Li-ia aero. scrape cone shells to make cowries
Li-loko aero we anive, li-si kangele i-ke mina. They collect cone shells, and cut off the mollusc part.
1 – the sun
Li-tabe i-le i-wene ne aeve me kokoro. They bring it out to lie in the sun so it dries up.
2 – esp the sun in its daily course, as a reference for indicating the time of the day
Aeve ka i-vene labiou awoiu. The sun has long risen already.
Aeve ka i-le. [the sun has gone away] It is early afternoon.
Aeve ka i-tavali. [the sun has gone down] it is late afternoon.
3 – hence hours on the clock; o'clock
Aeve ka tivi na? — Aeve ka tili. [lit. How many suns? – The suns are already five.] What time is it now? – It's five o'clock.
Ne-ko ne-tabo ne-le ne kulumoe ne aeve i-etengi wa-tili. I'll return to the village at 5pm [when the sun strikes five times].
agilo aᵑgilo noun
pointed arrowhead (of an arrow, puro ), made of strong wood
Ni-le ni-sune puro agilo i-wene ene. As I was walking, I found an arrow with a pointed arrowhead.
Puro pon, li-bo agilo ene. That arrow was sharpened into an arrowhead.
~ago (i·)aᵑgo
A verb, transitive
1 – spear ‹fish+›
Ni-ago namuko i-kovi. I speared a fish but it escaped.
2 – shoot ‹s.o., s.th.› using bow (visone ) and arrow (puro )
La-le lai-ago telupe? Shall we go pigeon-hunting?
Basavono po le-ko li-ago idi, li-katei puro i-ke ka li-ago. When you want to shoot someone, you draw out an arrow and shoot.
B verb, oblique
strike (s.o., s.th.: ñe ) using a long object
U-la tepao u-ago ñe namuko pon. You spear the fish with a harpoon.
Besungale ini emele ero me ini biouro, i-ago ñe eo kape u-bu. Besungale is a woman with long breasts, with which she can strike you to death.
ai- ai· subject prefix
you: variant of a- (2sg Realis prefix) before a vowel or certain monosyllabic roots
Ai-ovei Cindy? Do you know Cindy?
Ka ai-ve? Have you given birth?
A noun, kinship
2 – classificatory father: any male member of the parental generation (F, FB, FZH…) except the maternal uncle (MB = gea )
B interjection
father! affectionate address term, used by an elderly person, to a young man who has children — including to his own son. Sometimes a child's name is mentioned
Awis pine, aia! Thanks a lot, my dear! [lit. father!]
Mobo wako, ai' ie Womtelo! Good morning, father of Womtelo!
~aiae (i·)aiae verb, intransitive
s.th. be difficult
Piene adapa i-wen' moli, i-aiae tae! Your language is easy, it's not difficult.
Li-vete piene ñi i-aiae, ia li-lengi wako. They speak it with difficulty, but they understand it well.
Ni-romo viko i-aiae teve ene. Money is an issue for me.
aidi 1 aiⁿdi possessive classifier
form of the possessive classifier used for food, tools, customary possessions etc. (enaka *), with an impersonal possessor (idi ‘people’)
Na tanoe aidi abia. This land belongs to everyone.
Noma li-lanasu idi ne kula none aidi, we viñe buioe aidi. In the olden days, black sorcery would make use of someone's leftover food, or of their leftover betel nut.
aidi 2 aiⁿdi possessive classifier
form of the possessive classifier used for kin terms (one *), with an impersonal possessor (idi ‘people’)
Et’ aidi li-odo uko ñe basa damiliko iadapa. The mothers are searching for lice in their children's hair.
Uk' aidi, li-labu motoro. In-laws are to be respected.
aipa 1 aipa possessive classifier
your (food+), of you and them: form of the possessive classifier used for food, tools, customary possessions etc. (enaka *), with a 2 plural possessor (see kaipa *)
Pi-valangia nganae aipa ponu? What are you guys carrying?
Ka vitoko kape le-mui piene aipa. They will soon forget your language.
aipa 2 aipa possessive classifier
your (relative): form of the possessive classifier used for kin terms (one *), with a 2 plural possessor (see kaipa *)
Pie aipa li-atevo i-ka? Did you hear them from your grandparents?
~aiu (i·)aiu verb, intransitive
1 – stand up, get up
Abu bai-aiu ba-vio me ne-rom! Could you please stand up and let me have a look there?
~aiu momobo verb, intransitive
get up in the morning wake up
Dapa li-aiu momobo li-vongo adapa. They woke up in the morning and took their breakfast.
2 – depart, leave a place, take leave
Idi abia ne kulumoe li-aiu li-le li-langatene ne sekele. All the villagers have left to go and work in their gardens.
P-aiu pe-wo pe-le ne ngogoro! Get up and run away to the bush!
Ngiro Palapu i-ka ka li-aiu li-ke li-pwalau i-le Iura. As soon as the northern wind began to blow, they left [Vanikoro] and set off to sail southwards.
~ajau (i·)aᶮɟau verb, transitive
do, make: variant of ~ejau *
rubbish, refuse, garbage
Ni-bo ajekele mina mevele 'none. I have collected rubbish from my front yard.
Kape le-loko ajekele le-iui ne revo. They're going to gather rubbish and throw it in the sea.
~aka 1 (i·)aka verb, intransitive
1 – wind blow strongly
Ngiro i-aka. The wind is (blowing) strong.
Nanana i-aka tamwase. Today (the wind) it’s blowing very hard.
Ngiro Tokolau i-aka i-ka tev' tawo ne. The Tokolau wind blows from the west.
2 – awa ‘neck, mind’be angry (at s.o., ñe )
Awa ene i-aka (ñe eo). [lit. my neck/mind is blowing hard (at you)] I am angry at you.
Awa eo i-aka ñe ene etapu! Don't be angry at me!
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The phrase awa ini i-aka ‘he's angry’ has given rise to a verb ~wañaka ‘be angry’.
~aka 2 (i·)aka verb, transitive
wash ‹s.o., s.th.› gently; rinse with water
Kape n-aka basa ene. I'm gonna wash my face.
I-la men' iape i-lui i-aka. She took her baby and washed her gently.
Ni-aka okoro ne ero. I washed the knife in the river.
contrasts with ~abu4 wash energetically
~akai (i·)akai verb, transitive
set ‹a trap›
Li-akai i-le ne meteliko, menuko i-ava i-ka… We set [a trap] up in the sky, and when a bird flies in…
~akale (i·)akale verb, transitive
POc *karut
scratch
I-akale adie ini. He's scratching his back.
akapa 1 akapa possessive classifier
our (food+), of you and us: form of the possessive classifier used for food, tools, customary possessions etc. (enaka *), with a 1st inclusive plural possessor (kiapa )
Dapa Tukupie li-koie li-te ne tanoe akapa Vanikoro ponu. Tikopians have settled on our land of Vanikoro.
piene akapa noun
our language the Teanu language
Uña damiliko li-mui pe li-wo ñe piene akapa. Children don't know how to count in Teanu.
akapa 2 akapa possessive classifier
our (relative), of you and us: form of the possessive classifier used for kin terms (one *), with a 1st inclusive plural possessor (kiapa )
Pi' akapa dapa li-atevo nga pon. That's what our ancestors used to say.
~akasi (i·)akasi verb, transitive
send ‹s.th., s.o.›
Awisi pine peini angede ovene ai-akasi i-ka. Many thanks for the email you sent to me.
~akawo (i·)akawo verb, transitive
1 – wear ‹s.th.› around o.'s neck
Noma, idi wopine li-akawo kolokolo me i-botongo dapa. In ancient times, great men used to wear ‘kolokolo’ breast plates as a protection.
2 – hang ‹s.th.› on o.'s back or shoulder, using straps
Ni-akawo temamene. I'm carrying my rucksack.
Li-akawo tabuluburi ne adie idi, puro i-vio ene. You hang a quiver on your shoulder, with arrows inside.
akia 1 akia possessive classifier
our (food+), of you and me: form of the possessive classifier used for food, tools, customary possessions etc. (enaka *), with a 1st inclusive dual possessor (kia )
namolo iakia ka none akia ka ero me kia our clothes, our food, our water
akia 2 akia possessive classifier
our (relative), of you and me: form of the possessive classifier used for kin terms (one *), with a 1st inclusive dual possessor (kia )
et’ akia our mother (of you and me)
~ako (i·)ako verb, intransitive
1 – hair blond
Noma, viabas' ene i-ako. I used to have blond hair.
2 – plant become yellowish as a result of growing
3 – esp banana be ripe and sweet
vidiviko ne ale ene my toes [lit. fingers of my foot]
2 – fig bottom part ‹of s.th.›
al’ ero
[the foot of a river] river mouth
al’ ero alero
alero
noun
river foot river mouth, down where a river reaches the sea
alero peini iaero Paiu the mouth of the Paiou river
~ali 1 (i·)ali verb, transitive
pick ‹areca nuts, buioe › by climbing on the tree
Lai-au jebute, la-kidi puluko ada, lai-ali buioe ada, la-kamai ponu. They went to harvest some taros, pinch off some betel leaves, pick some areca nuts, and came back.
~ali 2 (i·)ali verb, transitive
Kape u-ali pele po a-labu ponu? Will you be casting that net you're holding?
Alvaki alfaki placename
name of an area on the island of Utupua (Tetevo ), where the Nembao language is spoken
amela 1 amela possessive classifier
your (food+), of you two: form of the possessive classifier used for food, tools, customary possessions etc. (enaka *), with a 2 dual possessor (see kela *)
Buioe amela, kela bai-odo ngapwae? Your areca nuts (for you to chew), how will you find it?
amela 2 amela possessive classifier
your (relative), of you two: form of the possessive classifier used for kin terms (one *), with a 2 dual possessor (see kela *)
A adjective
1 – in small quantity; few
Li-ejau aña none mijaka. We cook a little (bit of) food.
none aidi mijaka food for just a few people
Ero na mijaka: votobo pe ni-anu tae. There's too little water, it's not enough for me to drink.
2 – rare short, small: k.o. diminutive
N-atevo iepiene amjaka peini Laperus. I'll tell a short story about Lapérouse.
B adverb
comm a little bit
U-katau anoko u-vene u-le amjaka. Just follow the road a little further up.
Ni-ovei mijaka ponu. I only know that little bit.
Kap' ne-langatene mijaka. I'm going to work a little.
I-te i-labiou mijaka. He's been here for quite long.
Amo amo noun
Sir, Mr.: abbreviation of amoso ‘old man’
amoso amoso noun
POc *matuqa
old man: a respectful term
Ai-ovei Amoso Lavalu? Do you know Mr Lavalu?
amuko amuko noun
Techniques
2 – crushed seaweed, traditionally used as a protective varnish and insect repellent on wood
Li-bi vilo li-la ñe amuko. They carved some wood and applied seaweed varnish to it.
ane ane noun
Sea
sea urchin, of various sorts
anesi anesi
anes
noun, relational
Anatomy
animal+ flesh, meat
anes kulevelu chicken meat
Aneve 1 aneve placename
name of an ancient village in Teanu island
Da-tilu pe Teanu. Kulumoe iada Aneve. They were from Teanu island; their village was Aneve.
~aneve 2 (i·)aneve verb, transitive
sweep ‹place, s.th.› with a broom
Li-aneve lema mwoe, ka maro. They sweep inside the house, and outside too.
anive anive noun
Ni-rom anive iote pine ni-sai ñe kuo 'none ne. I saw a large dugong, I thought it was (as big as) my canoe.
aero we anive noun
Sea
shellfish for dugong small cowrie shell used as traditional money in some areas of Melanesia – though not in Vanikoro Conus musicus ceylanensis.
1 – road, path on land
Vilo iote pine i-sabu ne anoko. There's a large tree fallen across the road.
A-ka a-kae? – Ni-katau anoko ni-ka. How did you come? – I just followed the road. (I walked)
U-katau anoko u-vene u-le amjaka. Just follow the road a little further up.
2 – abstr path, route, itinerary
Nga ne bogo, le-romo i-katau vangana kanmoro iu, li-ovei li-ejau anoko iadapa. At night, they would follow the shining stars, and thus recognise their itinerary.
~anu (i·)anu verb, transitive
drink
Awa ini i-ko i-anu laro. He'd like to drink a fresh coconut.
Li-anu kava awoiu ka li-vongo viri. We first drink kava, and then have dinner.
Li-anu ero pana ka li-kanu, ka li-moloe ne kat. We drink tea, we chew areca nuts, and we play cards.
viñe anuele
turtle shell (often cut into various ornaments)
angede aŋeⁿde noun, relational
1 – footprint, tracks left by ‹man, animal› on the ground
angede vao tracks of wild pig
angede kulevelu tracks of chicken
2 – relic, remains, vestiges of ‹s.th.›; traces left by ‹s.o.›, esp. in the landscape
angede Upeire tracks of heron → writing traces left (in the landscape) by Upeire the mythical ogress
angede ovene aŋeⁿde ovene noun
1 – fig tracks of heron writing, letters of alphabet
2 – written message, letter, email
Minga kape le-sune angede ovene po Laperus i-si ponu. One day someone will find the message which was written by Lapérouse.
Awisi pine peini angede ovene ai-akasi i-ka. Many thanks for the email you sent to me.
1 – piece, bit of ‹food+›
aña mana luro a bit of rice
Li-ejau aña none mijaka. We cook a little (bit of) food.
2 – taste of ‹s.th.›
Aña wako tadoe! [Taste is terribly good] This is absolutely delicious!
None ne aña tamwaleko. [this food, taste is bad] This food doesn't taste good.
3 – noise of ‹s.th.›
aña ruene pe li-ko the noise of a door being slammed
Li-viane tepapa me aña ini. They jump on the (dancing) boards for the sound it makes.
4 – fig only in negative sentence strength, energy of ‹s.o.›
Nga aña ene tae, ni-le ni-wene, awoiu ni-lengi wako. Whenever I feel tired, I take a nap, then I feel better.
~añabu (i·)aɲaᵐbu verb, transitive
rain+ make ‹s.th., s.o.› wet
Tebo i-añabu ene. I got soaked by the rain.
añanga aɲaŋa noun, relational
añaña aɲaɲa noun, relational
small bits of ‹s.th.›
Li-mali iawo semame añaña longe. We light a fire with small bits of firewood.
Morphology Reduplication of aña , with pluralising and diminutive effect.
non-relational child, young person
E, apali! U-ka ko! Hey, child! Come here!
Basavono pon ene mamote apali. At that time, I was still a child.
pl dameliko
apalimata apalimata noun, relational
relative of ‹s.o.›, member of o.'s close family
Eo apalimata ene. You're my relative.
Apalimata Stanley tilu kape la-ka la-romo ini. Two of Stanley's relatives will come visit him.
Synt. Although it refers to kinship, this relational noun does not encode its possessor using the kin classifier (one , ie2 ), but with a direct possessor, like body parts.
ape ape possessive classifier
his, her (food+): form of the possessive classifier used for food, tools, customary possessions etc. (enaka *), with a 3 singular possessor (see ini )
namuko ape his/her fish (to eat)
Taluaito i-su uro ape. The sorcerer lit his (magic) charcoal.
Ene ni-mui piene ape. I don't know her language.
apilaka apilaka aplaɣa
aplaka
adjective
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Only with singular nouns. Plural form is suppletive wamtaka .
1 – small in size, little
okoro aplaka a small knife
toñaki apilaka a small boat
basakulumoe iote aplaka a little island
Oie ini aplaka. [her size is small] She is slim.
2 – small in age, young
men' iaba aplaka our small baby
emele aplaka [lit. a small woman] a young girl
Mwasu iote apilaka the younger Mwasu
~apilo (i·)apilo verb, transitive
make, create ‹s.th.›
Li-apilo vekai wamtaka. They made small puddings.
Dapa noma vana li-apilo tenuro. People in the past used to make coconut-string ropes.
Li-apilo toñaki. They built a ship.
~apilo sekele phrasal verb
make garden prepare ‹garden› for cultivation, cultivate
Li-apilo sekele i-le li-teli avtebe. They prepared their gardens, and then planted their taros.
~apini (i·)apini verb, transitive
kill ‹s.o.›, destroy ‹a group of people›
Vilisao i-lubi kuo ka i-apini idi. The tornado spun the ship and killed everybody.
~apinu (i·)apinu verb, intransitive
cook, prepare dinner
Noma, li-apinu ne mwoe. In the old days, cooking was done inside the house.
moe pe li-apinu ene kitchen [lit. house where one cooks]
apono apono noun
hurricane, cyclone
Apono i-somoli otovo peini mwoe iupa. The hurricane damaged the roof of our house.
aremo aremo noun
The rainbow (aremo )
~arevo (i·)arevo verb, transitive
break into pieces, shatter, destroy ‹s.th.›
Vilisao i-ka i-arevo toñaki pon kula tilu na. The tornado split the ship into two halves.
Li-arevo uo. They have destroyed the cairn.
~asai (i·)asai verb, transitive
1 – sew ‹clothes+›
li-asai lusa idi sew a shirt
2 – medic. stitch up ‹wound›
Ni-woi basa ene li-asai. I banged by head, and it was stitched up.
Uña asodo dapa li-avo ne bonge. Bats hang in caves.
POc *qata soul, spirit
soul, spirit of ‹s.o.› insofar as it can be separated from the body
Ata ini kape i-le ne Popokia. His soul will travel to Popokia.
Nga u-le, ata tadoe kap' i-ejau bas' eo mumule. If you go there, the (evil) spirit of Ghosts can make your head go crazy.
atavono atavono noun
Fauna
land spirit (?) k.o. black lizard
ate ate postverb
for good, forever
Ka li-te ka li-te ate. They stayed there, and stayed forever.
~atevo (i·)atevo verb, transitive
I-atevo iepiene ni-la mama ini. I recorded his voice as he told the story.
Li-atevo iepiene pe noma ka li-oburo. We tell old stories and we sing songs.
Pi' akapa dapa li-atevo nga pon. That's the story our ancestors used to tell.
2 – talk about ‹s.th., s.o.›, mention
Vana li-atevo eo ka li-ko bwara moro waini kape u-tabo u-vagasi dapa. They often talk about you, and they hope that one day you will visit them again.
~atili (i·)atili verb, intransitive
slide along a surface
Kuo pine ponu i-atili i-abu i-le. The huge canoe was sliding down (on the rollers).
~ativi (i·)ativi verb, reflexive
reflexive construction woman gird ‹o.s.› with (ñe ) a skirt, or a loincloth (namolo ) around o.'s hips
Da viñevi li-ativi dapa ñe tekume. The women girt themselves with a 'tekume' cloth.
atone atone noun
toilet in the forest
Ne-ko ne-le ne atone. Let me go to the bush-toilet.
A verb, transitive
1 – make effort upon ‹s.th.›, have a go at ‹s.th. difficult›
Pe-ka p-atui botu 'none! Come and have a go at (lifting) my boat!
2 – + Subord. pe try unsuccessfully, hence fail, not manage to do s.th.
Ni-atui pe ni-mokoiu. I had a hard time finding sleep.
Li-atui pe li-ka. They didn't manage to come.
B verb, intransitive
try hard, make intense efforts
U-atui etapu! Don't make too much effort!
I-atui i-atui: tae! i-tabo i-le. He tried on and on, with no success, and went back.
~au 1 (i·)au verb, transitive
1 – pluck out ‹s.th.› by pulling it out
li-au via kulevelu pluck children feathers
2 – esp remove ‹water taro+› by plucking it out; hence harvest
Li-au basa kava iune. They pulled out a head of kava.
Pi-romo uie i-maili pine, ka pi-au. When its leaves have grown big, it's time to harvest them.
Vono i-sodo li-le li-au jebute. In the morning they went to harvest some (water) taros.
see lexical list at ~bi1 harvest
~au 2 (i·)au verb, transitive
wrap ‹s.th.› with a leaf or equivalent
Kape li-au ñe uie baudo. We will wrap (the food) with baudo leaves.
U-au ñe pepa. Wrap it in paper.
Fauna
hermitcrab, a small crustacean that lodges inside inside shells Pagurus spp.
ava 1 ava noun, relational
POc *kapak
1 – bird+ wings
Ava ini ukiliro. Its wings are colourful.
ava saba noun
frigate wings name of a traditional geometrical design (tetawene ), whose shape is reminiscent of open wings
2 – fish side fins
U-toe dekele namuko, ava ka wabasa mina. You cut off the fish's tail, side fins and head.
~ava 2 ava verb, intransitive
POc *kapak
Menuko ka i-ava. The bird has flown away.
2 – hence s.o. travel by plane
Ai-ava iu ñe vakaboro? Did you fly with a plane?
ave ave noun
bea ave noun
spider's excretion spider silk; spider web
~avi (i·)avi verb, transitive
pick ‹s.th.›, pick up, espec. by pinching it between o.'s fingers, or holding it with tongs
I-avi voko iote po wabulubu. He picked up a stone that was round.
Awoiu pon li-avi otovo. Then they picked sago leaves (from the trees).
Li-avi visiboko ñe aviro. You remove the oven stones with the tongs.
avie avie noun
POc *kapika
aviro aviro noun
tongs, esp. long wooden tongs used to manipulate the hot stones of the oven (awene ) while cooking
Li-avi visiboko ñe aviro. You remove the oven stones with the tongs.
~avo 1 (i·)avo verb, intransitive
1 – be hanging
Uña asodo dapa li-avo ne bonge. Bats hang in caves.
2 – be located above
Telau i-avo boso iawo. The food basket is hanging above the fire.
3 – head head is hanging in the air feel dizzy
Basa ene i-avo. I’m feeling dizzy.
Naut
4 – boat+ float, stay afloat (vs. sink)
Toñaki ka i-avo ka i-tab' i-le. The ship remained afloat, and began its way back.
5 – hence be anchored somewhere
Toñaki ka i-avo tetake re. The ship is moored over there.
~avo 2 (i·)avo verb, transitive
Techniques
1 – split ‹wood› using an axe (kome )
Li-avo tepapa ka li-apilo toñaki. They made planks (by splitting wood) to build a ship.
2 – husk ‹coconuts›
ekuo pe li-avo luro a stick used to husk coconuts
avtebe afteᵐbe noun
Words for taro ✧ avtebe, jebute, vioe…
Li-apilo sekele i-le li-teli avtebe. Once they had prepared the gardens, they planted taros.
Awa ene i-meli. I have a sore throat.
2 – the seat of feelings, the ‘heart’. Grammatical subject of certain predicates referring to feelings
Awa ene i-su. [my throat is blocked, ~su2B3 ] I am sorry.
Awa ene i-aka. [my throat blows, ~aka12 ] I am angry.
Awa ene motoro ñe piene pe a-viñ' ene. [my throat/mind is heavy…] I give a lot of consideration to your words.
3 – esp +object NP, or object clause the seat of will and desire
Awa ene ni-ko ne-sava teve teliki. I want to buy it from the chief.
Awa eo i-viane? – Tae, ni-mene! Do you want it? – No, I don't.
4 – hence will, desire
Awa eo i-viaene pwo nga iu. Thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven.
Emele pon i-katau awa ene! This girl sure suits my desire!
5 – ideas, thoughts
Ka ni-la awa eo. I understand what you mean.
Awa ini engaiote. [her neck/mind is different] She doesn't have the same point of view.
Awa ini abia. He has lots of ideas.
awa ~ko awa (i·)ko construction
1 – my neck/mind says think, believe
Awa ene i-ko “Kape wako.” I thought to myself: “It's going to be alright.”
2 – freq optionally foll. by me2 and/or kape want (that)
Awa ene ni-ko kape le-l’ l-aneve Toplau. I want them to go clean up the men's house.
Awa ene ne-ko me le-la awis pine iakapa le-lamini tili’ akapa Dr Alex. I would like us to extend our big thanks to our friend Dr Alex.
Synt. The subject of ~ko is the person who wants, i.e. the possessor of awa . The subject awa is sometimes left implicit: the meaning ‘want’ is then expressed by ~ko alone.
awa ~viane awa (i·)vjane
awa ~viaene
construction
my neck/mind hits like, appreciate
Awa ene i-viaene tamwase! I absolutely love it!
2 – desire, want (that, ~ko2B4 )
Ewe, nga awa eo i-viane. Alright, if you want.
Awa kupa i-viane pi-ko u-le u-romo tadoe akapa. We'd like you to go and meet our god.
traditional stone oven
Li-mali iawo ne lema awene, semame añaña longe. We light a fire inside the stone oven, using small bits of firewood.
Emel' iote i-le i-wowo revo i-ka i-sabisi se awene. A woman went to draw saltwater, and brought it back to pour it above the oven.
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A pit is dug in the ground of the kitchen, filled with cooking stones (visiboko ). Once the fire (iawo ) has heated these stones, the food (none ) is placed on them so as to be cooked (~apinu ) or baked (~vai ).
awis awis
A interjection
Awisi pine peini angede ovene ai-akasi i-ka. Many thanks for the email you wrote to me.
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Usually reinforced with pine ‘big’, or pine tamwase ‘very big’.
2 – esp formula for closing a story, or taking leave
Awisi, aia! K’ awoiu. Wako. Thanks, my friend. That’s the end (of the story). Alright.
Awis pine tamwase. Many thanks (for your attention).
B noun
rare thanks; gratitude
Ne-ko ne-la awis pine iakapa ne-mini tili’ akapa pe i-si diksoneri akapa. I’d like to extend our deep gratitude to our brother, for the dictionary he has written.
awo awo noun
lime, used when chewing areca nut (buioe ), in combination with betel leaves (puluko )
A predicative
1 – s.th. end, finish, be over
Mobo ngapiene awoiu. Tomorrow, the festival will be over.
Ka awoiu pon ta. (the story) it's over.
Ra awoiu. It went on and on, until it finished.
Li-langatene i-le i-le i-le, ebieve iote awoiu. They worked on and on, for a whole month. [lit. and a month finished]
2 – fig s.o. be finished, be doomed
Na kape dapa iakapa awoiu na ta! Now our people will be doomed!
B Tense Aspect Mood marker
Grammar
after a verb Complete aspect
Dapa li-koie ne lema kuo awoiu nao. They had finished climbing on board.
Li-iu tepapa i-dai awoiu, blateno ka li-toe li-kamai. Once they had buried the planks in circle, they brought in the ritual pole.
C coordinator
between two clauses; or beginning a new clause afterwards, then
La-wamu i-wene pon, awoiu da ka la-tab' la-ka. So they hid it somewhere, and then they came back.
D quantifier
linked with plural pronoun all, everybody
Li-womanga dapa awoiu. They fed them all.
Kiapa abia ponu na bwara awoiu ne sekele, nanana. All of us here, we were all in our gardens, earlier today.
Kupa ka pi-le awoiu ne temotu tilu pon tae. We did not all go to the two small islands. (i.e. Some stayed on the mainland)