ba1 ᵐba interjection
following a question worddiscourse particle, expressing the speaker's surprise or disbelief
| Na ngaten' ae ba?Hey what (the hell) is this?! |
ba2 ᵐba noun
1 – 1st exclusive Dual prefix, whether realis or irrealis: the two of us
| Keba ba-bwatui ba-ko ba-mata ini, ia metae.We tried to rock him (asleep), but no way! |
| Totokale na, keba ba-kila keba.reflexive constructionIn that photo, we are getting married. [lit. we are marrying ourselves/each other] |
bai- ᵐbaj- subject prefix
dual subject prefix for “Dislocutive”: 1st exclusive and 2nd person. Variant of ba- ③ before a vowel, or for certain monosyllabic verb stems
| Abu bai-aiu ba-vio me ne-rom!2Dual interpretationCould you please stand up and let me have a look there? |
| Bai-te ra ra ra, ba-lengi temaka pe i-ekili.1exc:Dual interpretationWe were at home, when we suddenly felt the place tremble. |
POc*ᵐbaReko
| mata balesprout of breadfruit tree |
| vese balebreadfruit seeds |
| uie balebreadfruit leaves |
| U-bi bale u-toe u-ajau tepwoe.You pick some breadfruit, cut it, and make dried-breadfruit with it. |
| lavatunu peini balebreadfruit pudding |
bali ᵐbali noun
Banie ᵐbanie
Aproper noun
Mythology
Banie: name of the main god of Vanikoro, in the island’s ancient religion
| Teliki Makumoso Banie i-waivo idi mwaliko ñe telepakau, ñe maluo.Our Great Lord Banie instructed people with the Law, with our way of life. |
| Banie, pon Teliki iaidi pe li-maluo, iaidi pe li-bu.Banie was the god of the Living, but also the god of the Dead. |
synonymTeliki Makumoso
Bplacename
Geo
2 – Banie: name of the main island of the Vanikoro group – opp. Teanu, the second island in size
| A-samame dapa iakia ne kulumoe iakapa Banie ka Teanu.You’ve been helpful to our people, in our islands of Banie and Teanu. (i.e. in Vanikoro). |
POc*ᵐbatu
Anatomy
1 – animal, humhead
| Basa ene i-meli.My head aches. |
| Taluaito ini basa beme, kape i-padi basa ini.The (heathen) priest had a bald head, which he would paint. |
2 – humhead, mind, as the seat of intelligence
| Basa eo i-epele.[your head is smart] You're smart. |
| Basa eo mumule![your head is stupid] You're a fool! |
| Basa tae![No head!] You mindless! |
| Dapa damala, basa dapa wako.White people are clever. [their head is good] |
basa2 ᵐbasa noun
mountain
| Basa iupa re po i-wen’ iu re, enga ini Popokia.That mountain of ours up over there is called Popokia. |
basa3 ᵐbasa noun
lineage, family line; clan; moiety
| Tili' one emele pe tieli et' one i-ve, kape ne-kila ini metae, pe keba basa iune.My female cousin, born of my mother's sister, I am not allowed to marry her, because we belong to the same moiety. |
| Telepakau akapa mwaliko i-bu damiliko iape ka basa peini ini, kape le-teli ini.In our tradition, when someone dies, he must be buried by his children and by his clan. |
~sava basa verb-object idiom
buy clanpay the ritual fee to enter a clan, through presents (savene, etc.) and food
| Mobo kape le-lui me le-sava basa.Tomorrow, there will be a ceremony of clan purchase. |
basadigo ᵐbasaⁿdiᵑgo noun
Geo
1 – mountain (?) of inhabited-landisland
| basakulumoe iote aplakaa little island |
| Li-ko noma, uña toñaki van li-ka, li-ka li-dai temaka i-katau uña basakulumoe.In the olden days, large ships would sail around the archipelago, going from island to island. |
contrasts withtemotu
2 – by extland, country
| Makone peini basakulumoe iupa na.It’s a dance from our country. |
synonymkulumoe
with or without preposition nemoment, time
| basavono kulasometimes |
| Ne basavono ponu, kulumoe Tetawo idi mamote li-te ene.At that time, the village of Tetawo was still inhabited. |
basavono pe
basavono po
subordinator
(at) the moment thatwhen, as
| basavono pe li-anu kavawhen we drink kava |
| Basavono pe mwaliko i-bu, le-iu ebele ini i-wene ne kie ini.Whenever someone dies, their body is buried in a grave. |
| Basavono po kape awoiu, dapa li-ovei.And when that was finished, people began to understand. |
basavono wako ᵐbasavono wako noun
good timespeace
| Meviro awoiu, ka li-te ne basavono wako.When the wars ended, they finally lived in peace. [lit. in good times] |
baudo ᵐbauⁿdo noun
Flora
k.o. leafy tree, unidentified
| Kape li-au ñe uie baudo.We will wrap (the food) with 'baudo' leaves. |
shipsail
| ~vesu bavede hoist the sail; hence sail |
| Li-bu bavedefurl the sail |
| Li-re bavederelease the sail |
| Dapa noma, li-ovei pe li-loko uie woubo pe le-vei bavede peini.People before used to weave sails out of pandanus leaves. |
be ᵐbe particle
2 – in addition, besides
| Metae kape ne-vete, susuko metae ka ni-tabo ni-mui be!I can't tell you, it wouldn't be accurate, and besides I've forgotten it all! |
Anatomy
1 – man, animalguts, bowels, intestine
| bea namukofish bowels |
| U-do ngava, awoiu u-ia bea mina.You scrape off the scales, and then gut it [lit. remove its guts]. |
| Li-bei ñe uie vilo kula.We cover (the food) with a few leaves. |
| Li-loko viñe basa dapa li-bei ñe voko, li-ko nga uo.They collected their skulls, and buried them under stones, like a cairn. |
3 – gensquash, crush, destroy ‹s.th.›
| U-bei i-metelu i-wene ne mataiko ponu!invocation to a godSquash (this ship) and let it sink in this very gulf! |
synonym~somoli
4 – figtrample on ‹law, ethics, taboo›, infringe
| Ka i-bei nuduro.[trample on a taboo] He has infringed the law. |
1 – periphrsquash matslie down, sleep
| Nanana kape le-bei bete vele?Where shall we sleep [lit. squash mats] tonight? |
| Kaipa pe-te, ene mou ne-bei bete ko.You guys stay here, I'll just go for a nap. |
Anthropology
2 – euph‘hold a vigil’: a funeral ceremony taking place in the house of a recently dead person
Squashing mats for the dead ✧ Li-bei bete
Nga mwaliko i-bu, dapa le-le le-iu ebele ini. N’ adie, dapa abia ne kulumoe kape le-bei bete bogo tili ne moe iape. Li-bei bete pon, li-atevo iepiene pe noma, li-oburo, li-vongo ka li-mokoiu; li-anu ero pana ka li-kanu, ka li-moloe ne kat… Awoiu, kape le-lu bete.
When a person dies, we first bury their body. Then people in the community will hold a vigil (‘squash mats’) for five days in that person's home. During these vigils, we tell each other stories, we sing songs, eat together, sleep; we drink tea, chew betel nut, play cards together… When the ceremony is over, it's time to fold the mats away (~lu bete*).
~beiu (i·)ᵐbeju verb, intransitive
Cf. beiuko ‘solid’
liquid+harden, solidify
| 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”. |
belemele ᵐbelemele noun
Food
‘almond shelf’: a lattice shelf made of woven bamboo, hanging high over the fireplace in the kitchen, used for storing canarium almonds (vongoro) while they dry
bele voro ᵐbele foro noun
skin of stingraytraditional sander, made of the rough skin of a stingray (voro ②)
| voro bele voro [sander stingray] k.o. stingray, whose skin is particularly suitable for sanding |
The stingray sander ✧ bele voro
Li-la voro pe bele ini jiejie, li-kai bele utedie ini, awoiu li-la li-teli ne aeve me kokoro. Awoiu li-dai ñe vilo li-asai botongo. Awoiu ka i-wene peini u-totoñe via kome, via wele, tekumete, nga pon.
‘If you catch one of those stingrays whose skin is rough and rugged, you tear the skin off its back, and put it to dry in the sun. Then, you wrap it around a stick, and tie it with a stitch. It can be used for sanding axe handles, paddles, wooden dishes, and so on.’
bald
| Dapa li-kila li-ko “Beme” pe ini beme.They call him “Baldhead” because he's bald. |
| Taluaito ini basa beme, kape i-padi basa ini.The (heathen) priest had a bald head, which he would paint. |
Besungale ᵐbesuŋale proper noun
Mythology
Besungale, a mythological creature described as an evil woman with long breasts
Besungale the female demon ✧ Besungale
Besungale ini emele ero me ini biouro, i-ago ñe eo kape u-bu. I-te ne ka togobe, ne utele boke, ne bonge.
Besungale is a woman with long breasts, with which she can strike you to death. She lives in the mangrove, or inside banyans, or in caves.
~betei (i·)ᵐbetei verb, intransitive
clam madeleclose, shut itself
| Madele i-betei.The giant clam has shut itself. |
Harvesting food ✧ Li-labu none
| ~bi ① | pick ‹fruit, nuts+› w. hand |
| ~toe ② ⓐ▻② | harvest ‹bananas› by chopping |
| ~ae ②▻④ | harvest ‹yam, Alocasia taro› by digging |
| ~au ①▻② | harvest ‹cassava, Colocasia taro› by plucking |
| ~wete▻⑤ | harvest ‹swamp taro› using stick |
pick ‹fruit› from its tree, using hand
| Li-bi balepick breadfruit |
| Li-bi balawepick a pineapple |
| Li-bi vongorocollect Canarium almonds |
| U-le u-bi avie, me u-kamai, me le-sai ñe kava.Go pick some Malay apples, and bring them so we can eat out the taste of kava. |
Bilbeure ᵐbilᵐbeure proper noun
Mythology
Bilbeure, a snake-like deity
📘 This ancient god is associated with the Lovono area.
(?) POc*barapu
Aadjective
1 – s.th.long
| Biouro tadoe!It's terribly long! |
| kasule wa-biourocompoundlong-fruit bean |
| Poi ponu, ije ka i-ke biouro ka i-velei i-vene.This pig has had its teeth grow long, and bend upwards. |
antonymkuledi
Cpostverb
with verb ~le ‘go’at length, in detail
| Kape ni-atevo i-le biouro metae.I won’t be able to speak at great length. |
| Ka ni-lengi i-le biouro tae.I didn’t hear (that story) in detail. |
Anatomy
shoulder
| I-tabe apali ne bisa, ñe namolo.She's carrying her child on her shoulder, using a cloth. |
blateno ᵐblateno
bulateno
noun
Anthropology
2 – ritual pole. During ngapiene celebrations, dancers stomp on wooden boards (~wate tepapa) which are laid out in a circle around a high wooden pole (blateno). From that pole hang large amounts of fruit. At the end of the celebration season, the pole is brought down and the fruit are distributed to the participants.
| Blateno, oie vilo pe li-padi me kape le-woi ne to mane, me tepapa i-dai.The “blateno” is a wooden pole that is painted and erected in the middle of the village area, where it is surrounded by stomping boards. |
collect, gather, heap up ‹s.th.›
| Waiero li-bo voko i-wapio.The waves have piled up the stones together. |
| Ni-bo ajekele mina mevele 'none.I have collected rubbish from my front yard. |
| Ni-bo beniawo ni-le ni-laioi.I collected the ashes and threw them away. |
carve ‹wood›, to give it a specific shape or sharpen it
| Li-bo kuo.make [carve] a canoe |
| Li-bo digo.cut out house beams |
| Li-toe bokoe li-bo.They're trimming a tree fern and shaping it (into a statue). |
| Tepapa, li-toe kara nebe li-bo nga kulaña metele.To make a stomping board, you cut a root of rosewood tree, and carve it in the shape of a semi-circle. |
boe ᵐboe
bwoe
noun
(?) POc*bakewa
POc*ᵐbaᵑga(ŋ)
| kara bokebanyan roots |
| Besungale i-te ne ka togobe, ne utele boke, ne bonge.mythologyBesungale lives in the mangrove, or inside banyans, or in caves. |
cave, in a rock or cliff, typically on the coast
| Uña asodo dapa li-avo ne bonge.Bats hang in caves. |
| Li-pinoe li-dai ra ra awoiu, li-tabo li-le ne bonge ma dapa.dancing SpiritsThey dance on and on, until they return to their cave home. |
poss. classifierma ② ⓑ
above
| Telau i-avo boso iawo.The food basket is hanging above the fire. |
| Ka ai’ akapa i-tabe ma ini boso eo.blessingOur Father has waved his hands above you. |
botongo1 postverb
rareafter verb(do s.th.) so as to cover, close, protect+
| Li-dai ñe vilo li-asai botongo.We wrap it around a stick and tie it with a stitch [lit. stitch cover]. |
Averb, transitive
s.o.interpose (s.th., oneself) between A and B, so as to prevent A (typically an agentive participant in motion) from reaching B (typically a static target)
Synt.The grammatical object is sometimes A (yielding meanings such as ‘stop, prevent’), sometimes B (yielding meanings such as ‘protect, take care’).
1 – block, shut ‹s.th.›
| U-botongo ero etapu, u-sali!Stop blocking the water (with your hands), let it go! |
| Jokoro pon, tevie i-ko, tevie li-botongo.On bamboo drums, one side is open, the other side is shut. |
| Li-botongo ene me ne-le.They're preventing me from going there. |
| U-botongo ini nara kape i-koie ne moe.Make sure he doesn't come inside the house. |
3 – object non-sgseparate ‹people› from each other
| Ka ni-aiu ni-vio ni-botongo da.two men fightingSo I rose and separated them. |
4 – impede access to ‹s.th.›
| Vilisao i-botongo se mataiko ponu.The tornado was blocking the passage. |
5 – serialised after posture Vbe in a position that blocks access to ‹s.th.›, whether deliberately or not, to impede access to ‹s.o., s.th.›; hence (sit+) on ‹s.th.›; (sit+) besides or with ‹s.o., s.th.› as a way to protect
| Bara ba-te ba-botongo okoro ponu.I'm afraid you may be sitting on my knife. |
| Van' ni-wene ni-botongo nara kape le-punuo ñi.[I lie I block it] I sleep on (my money) so nobody can steal it. |
| I-te i-botongo menu.She’s sitting with the baby (to look after him). |
6 – protect ‹s.o., s.th.› from a potential danger
| Mwoe iape, waiero peini vono i-somoli tae pe i-botongo ñe tepapa.His house was not destroyed by the tidal wave, because he had protected it with planks. |
| Noma, idi wopine li-akawo kolokolo me i-botongo dapa.warfare implementIn ancient times, great men used to wear ‘kolokolo’ breast plates as a protection. |
| Dapa li-woi nuduro ne touro, me i-botongo temaka (ñe/mina idi).They put up taboo signs on the seashore, to protect the area (from poachers). |
die, pass away
| Ka i-bu.He's dead. |
| Ai' one ka i-bu, ebieve tua ka i-da.My father died eight years ago. |
| Telepakau akapa mwaliko i-bu damiliko iape ka basa peini ini, kape le-teli ini.In our tradition, when someone dies, he must be buried by his children and by his clan. |
~bu2 (i·)ᵐbu verb, transitive
1 – fold or roll ‹s.th. flexible: cloth, leaf+›
| Ni-bu bete ene me ne-lui.I've rolled my mat to take it away. |
| U-bu namolo iono.Fold your clothes away. |
synonym~lu ②
bu-3 ᵐbu- prefix
Cf. abu ①
conative prefix, presenting action as tentative
📘 Combines especially with verbs in order sentences.
buia luro ᵐbujaluro noun
sprout ball formed inside a germinated coconutCocos nucifera.
see lexical list atluro
buka ᵐbuka noun
Engbook
1 – book
| I-si buka iote ñe uña iepiene peini kulumoe iakapa.He wrote a book with several stories from our country. |
| Piene mijaka ene ponu, ene li-la i-ke ne uie buka ponu.This little story was taken out of [the pages of] this book. |
poss. classifierenaka▻⑦
~bulengi (i·)ᵐbuleŋi verb, transitive
try to hear; listen, pay attention to
| Mou me le-le le-bulengi.Let's try first to hear (what it is about). |
buluko ᵐbuluko noun
POc*ᵐbulut
Music
song
| utele burobeginning of a song |
| Buro i-viane dapa ka li-le.As they walked, they were suddenly moved by a (beautiful) song. |
buro bula noun, relational
song of?song about ‹s.th., s.o.›; song designed for ‹s.th.›
| buro bula Teuluthe song of the South wind |
| buro bula tamatesong for the Spirit Masks |
1 – particle introducing conjecture and doubt: perhaps, probably ; I believe, I guess
| Ini bwara biouro i-da eo.She’s probably taller than you. |
| Ne english bwara li-vete nga ne.I guess it's called that way in English. |
| Ka li-mui dapa kula na bwara ka li-bu ne revo, dapa kula bwara li-wowo li-koie ne kulumoe.Lapérouse’s wreckNobody really knows, but I guess some (sailors) must have died in the sea, while some others must have swum. |
serial patterntry
| Keba ba-bwatui ba-ko ba-mata ini, ia metae.We tried to rock him (asleep), but no way! |
| Pe-bwatui pi-oburo buro iote!Try and sing a song, y'all! |
synonym~atui
POc*ᵐboŋi
Anoun
1 – night: period of darkness in the day cycle
| Matiki ⓑwogo the Evening Star |
| Ne tomoro nga na tae: bwogo!It was not during the day like this: it was night! |
2 – day, when counting them
| Ngapiene ka i-sali pon ta – bwogo tili.So the festival started, [and lasted] five days. |
1 – black
| ovene boroblack heron |
| Vilisao tilu: iote bworo, iote koro.Suddenly there were two tornados: one was dark, one was white. |
synonymbworobworo