U-toe dekele namuko, ava ka wabasa mina.You cut off the fish's tail, side fins and head.
viabasa ini ka noma ini ka mata iniher hair, her face, her eyes
Uña teliki makumoso, ka uña teliki, ka dapa wopine peini kulumoe, ka dapa gete, ne-ko kape ne-viñi kiapa.O you supreme chiefs, you dignitaries, you leaders of our island; and you the youngsters too, I have something to tell you.
Ni-nabe jokoro lea iune ka kula.I measured the bamboo rod to be one fathom and a half.
Li-aneve lema mwoe, ka maro.They sweep inside the house, and outside too.
Nga ne bogo, le-romo i-katau vangana kanmoro iu, li-ovei li-ejau anoko iadapa.sailing shipsAt night, they would follow the shining stars, and thus recognise their itinerary.
Li-anu ero pana ka li-kanu, ka li-moloe ne kat.We drink tea, we chew areca nuts, and we play cards.
Chewing areca nuts ✧ li-kanu
Vanikoro is, with Tikopia, the world's easternmost place where the chewing of areca nuts is a traditional practice. People go in the forest to pick (~ali) areca nuts (buioe), and pinch (~kidi) betel leaves (puluko). The two elements are then mixed with lime (awo), and chewed together (~kanu) until feeling dizzy (see~avo).
Ka telepakau pe na, lek’ iaidi, idi pe li-romo idi tae. Kape le-wamu idi ñe idi.In our culture, cousins must not look at each other. They must hide from each other.
4 – espec. in irrealis subordinate clausesequiv. of a subjunctive
Toñaki pine pe kape le-ke le-lui ne ngamuli tae.It was not the kind of large ships that can go out into the ocean.
U-le pon etapu! Ña leka kape i-rom' eo!with apprehensive ñaDon't go there! Your cousin might see you!
Mat’ eo nara kape u-wasi ñe idi ’tapu.with apprehensive naraBe careful not to give (the secret) away.
Nganae pe kape le-la tae.They don't need to work. [lit. there isn't anything they have to ‘take’]
6 – in protasis and/or apodosisequiv. of a conditional
Ruene ponu, kape nga ngele nga i-bu, kape le-lengi aña ruene pe li-ko.It's a special door: whenever someone dies, you'll hear the sound of a door being opened.
Nga i-abu mata, kape bwara mata ini kilo ñei.counterfactualIf he had hit her eyes, she could have turned blind.
7 – equiv. of a habitual aspect
Pon tadoe? Pon tepakola? Kape i-abu idi?Is that a god? Is that a giant? Does he kill people?
Taluaito ini basa beme, kape i-padi basa ini: ne to ne, koro; ne lava tilu, kape bworo. Awoiu kape i-tabo koro pwo mijaka.The (heathen) priest had a bald head, which he would paint: white in the middle; black on each side; and then, white a bit again underneath.
8 – henceespec. with generic subject le- ③▻③equiv. of a generic present, used in instructions
basavono pe da-tilu kape la-kila dawhen there is a wedding [lit. when two people follow/marry each other]
Kape le-toe langasuo peini, ka nengele wamitaka.generic present with generic subject le- ③▻③You cut out the big (canoe) rail, and then the smaller pieces.
9 – indicates epistemic doubt or approximation
Ewe, kape nga ponu.predicative, future markedYes, that must be it.
Ebele kuo i-karem demene.Genuine canoes have an outrigger.
📘 Although this verb is criticised as a loanword, it is frequently heard in informal speech. The equivalent in the vernacular would involve an existential predicate, usually with ~wene for inanimates, and ~te ③ for animates.
2 – Experiential perfect: have done (V) already at least once
Kata ka ai-e?Have you ever eaten this?
Grammar
3 – with clause-final deicticInaugurative perfect: (do V) for the first time
Kata ka ni-e vivilo na!This is my first time eating Cyrtosperma taro.
Katae ka ni-rom ponta.That's when I saw her for the very first time.
Kata ka ni-ovei na pe vilo pon, pe li-e.I just discovered that this plant is edible.
Synt.This inaugurative meaning (‘… for the first time’) requires the clause-finally presence of a focal deictic (na ① ⓐ, na ta, pon ta) – equivalent to ‘now’ / ‘then’.
Kape le-tabo le-katau na kiapa ponu.Let's retrace our own steps again.
U-katau anoko u-vene u-le amjaka.Just follow the road a little further up.
Dapa iakapa noma li-ovei pe li-pwalau: li-katau kanimoro li-le ne basakulumoe kula.Our ancestors used to practice navigation: they would follow the stars, and reach new islands.
4 – figfollow intellectually ‹a changing referent›; refer to, adapt to, (do s.th.) according to
Noma li-katau ñe metele.calendarIn the old days, people would just refer themselves to [lit. follow] the moon.
mata i-katauphrase
s.o.eyes followobserve carefully ‹s.th.›
U-ka u-te u-romo. Mata i-katau tetawene na!Come sit here and look. Observe carefully [lit. let your eyes follow] these drawings!
5 – be suitable for, suit ‹s.o., s.th.›
Buro pon i-katau abo ne ene!humThis song suits my blood! (=I love it!)
Emele pon i-katau awa ene!humThis girl sure suits my desire! (=I dig her!)
Bsecond verb, transitive
1 – inanimate, 3sg subject(move, walk+) following ‹path, road+›, along ‹place›
I-kotu i-katau ero ponu i-ven' i-le.He ran along the river, all the way up.
Li-elele kuo i-katau revo.They dragged the boat [following the sea] along the coast.
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.
2 – figadapt o.'s actions+ to ‹s.o., s.th.›; hence (do) along, according to ‹s.th.›
Le-woi okoro awoiu le-(w)oburo i-katau.We pound bamboos (giving the rhythm), and then we sing along.
3 – +location(do s.th.) systematically, from ‹place› to ‹place›; (do) in every ‹place›
Uña toñaki van li-ka, li-ka li-dai temaka i-katau uña basakulumoe.Ships used to come and explore the area, going from one island to the other [lit. following islands].
I-e idi, i-e idi, i-katau kulumoe ra ra ra ra ra ra – kulumoe moli.(the Ogre) ate people, dozens of people, going from one village to another [lit. following villages], on and on and on, until all the villages were empty.
La-tabe mata ka la-lui la-do i-katau ngogoro.They collected tree shoots, and began to plant them everywhere in the forest [lit. following the forest].
4 – be sufficient in quantity; enough for ‹s.o., s.th.›
Li-bi vongoro we teliki iote, teliki iote, i-katau dapa awoiu.They collected almonds for each chief, one after the other, enough for [lit. following] them all.
2 – a narcotic drink made after this plant, and consumed by men on important occasions
Dapenuo li-le ne toplau, li-anu kava. Li-anu kava awoiu, ka li-vongo viri.Men would go in the men's clubhouse, and drink kava. Once they had drunk kava, they would eat.
Daviñevi wopine li-ovei pe li-anu kava.Adult women are allowed to drink kava.
Tano ponu, li-ae mijaka me kava i-pu i-katau.This kava bowl (tano) has been hollowed out a little, to allow kava to flow along.
📘 The consumption of kava is claimed to be customary on Vanikoro. However, the fact that this is a Polynesian loanword suggests this practise was introduced in relatively times. Still today it is only drunk on rare occasions; the traditional daily drug of Vanikoro is really the areca nut (buioe).
Preparing kava ✧ Li-ejau kava
Kava li-totoe, kara i-koie samame, li-wete me wamtaka, awoiu li-vili; ka li-anu.
You chop kava to small pieces, including the root; you grind it, mince it, squeeze it; then you drink it.
kavelekaveleinterrogative
1 – as adverbhow? in what way?
Ngaten’ na pe i-ka kavele?How did that thing end up here?
Li-koie ne moe, ka labiou tae, dapa ka tabo li-ke li-ka.They went inside, and just a moment later, again they came out.
Ia emele iote, ini i-te, ka i-ke i-le tae.There was a woman who only stayed [at home], who never came out.
Mata ini i-ke, i-ke i-ke ponu, i-romo Toplau.[lit. his look went out] He looked outside, looked on and on, till he finally caught sight of the Men's house.
Men' iape kape i-te ne toplau, ra basavono po kape ai' iape i-wasu emele i-min' ini ka i-ke mina toplau pon.leave an institutionThe son will live in the Men's house until [the moment when] his father arranges a wife for him: then he will leave that house.
5 – geocentric coordinatesgo from inland towards the sea; go downhill
Kata kape le-mini ngapiene, li-koie li-au bute. Wako li-ke li-lui i-wene.As they were getting ready for the festival, they went to their garden and harvested some taro. Then they came back down to the village [lit. came out] with the taro.
Li-koie takoie ne touro ponu, dapa wopine kula li-ke li-le.While they were walking up towards the shore, some of the [island's] chiefs walked down [lit. out] towards them.
we, i.e. we and you: personal pronoun for 1st person inclusive plural
kiapa abia naall of us here
Le-wamu kiapa ñe ini!reflexiveLet's hide away from him!
Awis pine pe li-wapio kiapa li-vet' piene.Thank you for having gathered together to talk.
Awa kiapa i-su, uña et' akapa ka uña ai' akapa dapa samame uña tili' akapa dapa kula ka li-re kiapa ne lovia vono iote po kiapa li-te ene na.mourningWe are all sad, because our mothers, our fathers, our siblings – several have left us, in this world where we live.
~kidi(i·)kiⁿdiverb, transitive
POc*kinit
1 – pinch
2 – esppick ‹betel leaves, puluko› by pinching their stems
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.
yellowed pandanusvariety of pandanus leaves with leaves of a pale yellow colour
kie2kienoun, relational
1 – hole of ‹s.th.› dug in the ground
Li-ae kie tepapa i-dadai awoiu ponu, li-iu tepapa ene.They dug holes for the dancing boards all around (the village area), and then they buried the boards in them.
Li-si teveliko ne kulumoe, me le-kila idi le-ka le-mako.Someone in the village is blowing the conch, calling out to people to come and dance.
2 – invoke ‹deity›, with a prayer or curse
Li-la viko li-lateli, li-ka li-kila tadoe pon li-ko “Visipure! U-abu ne adawo!”Once they had put the sacred money down, they began to invoke their gods: “Fisipure! Come down from your clouds!”
3 – call, get ‹s.o.› on the phone or the teleradio
Abu ne-kila Puma!teleradioLet me try and ring the guys in Puma.
📘 Vanikoro has no phone. Communication between villages, or with other islands, is done by teleradio.
4 – followed by ~ko ② ⓑcall ‹s.th., s.o.› with such and such a name
Dapa li-kila li-ko “Beme” pe ini beme.They call him “Baldhead” because he's bald.
Li-kila temaka pon li-ko “Moe ma Tadoe”.That place is called “Devils' Lair”.
1 – alonesay ‹s.th.›, declare. Introduces direct reported speech
A-ko ae?What did you say?
Ka i-ko: “Eo pon, ive? Ka ai-ve?” Ini i-ko “Mm.” – “Ka menu vele?” I-ko “Menu tae!” I-ko “Tae, i-kae?”dialogueHe said “How's things? Have you given birth?” She said “Yes.” – “But where is the baby?” She said “There is no baby!” He said “What do you mean, there's no baby?”
Mwaliko kape i-woi ne teviri peini kuo ponu, awoiu kap’ i-ko “Ia! Takoli! Ia ia, takoli ! ia ia!”future tenseThe boy will strike the canoe's hull, and then he'll go “Hey ho! Push! Hey ho! Push!”
derivativenga li-koformula used when looking for one's words
they sayso they say…: formula found in narratives, as the narrator reminds the audience that the story originates in hearsay or oral tradition
Li-ko noma, uña toñaki van li-ka…It is said that in the olden times, ships used to come here!
Li-ko Banie nao, ini i-waivo ñe idi.And so the god Banie – or so they say – provided his teachings to humans.
Li-ko Tamate ponu: mwaliko iote da emel’ iape.opening of narrative[lit. “They say” the Tamate…] Here is the story of the Tamate spirits. Once upon a time, there was a man and a woman.
Na, piene adapa Teanu a-ko ae?[this, the language of Teanu, you say what?] How do you say this in Teanu?
toñaki pe kiapa li-ko ‘tepakare tilu’that sort of ship is called ‘catamaran’
Tadoe iadapa pon, enga ini – dapa Lovono li-ko ‘Visipure’; ka dapa Teanu li-ko ‘Vilisao’.The god in question was called – in the Lovono language, (they say) ‘Fisipure’; in Teanu, ‘Filisao’.
1 – serialized after a verb of speechintroduces direct reported speech
Ka i-viñ’ emel’ iape i-ko: “U-wai i-ka!”He told his wife (saying) “Paddle this way!”
Ka i-waivo ñe dapa i-ko: “Wako, kape le-si nga ne.”He explained to them (saying) “Alright, here is how you can write.”
Buro pe li-mede i-ka pon li-ko: “…”The song they were singing went like this: “…”
Synt.Equivalent of a Quotative particle. Usually not translated in English.
2 – somet(go) like this: gestural quotative, introducing a gesture or a face expression
Aero i-dadai i-ko “—”. Aero, aero pine!The fence was going around, it went like this: “—” [Gesture]. It was a giant fence!
3 – serialized after a verb of speechintroduces indirect reported speech. Functions as an obligatory complementizer ‘(say+) that’
Ne buka ponu, uie kwate tamana iune, li-vete li-ko piene ponu li-la teve dapa Tukupie.In the book, page thirty one, they say (that) the story was recorded from the Tikopians.
Ka ni-lengi li-ko ka nga iune i-te nga ponu tae.different subject of ‘hear’ and ‘say’I never heard that [lit. they say] anyone stayed there.
Ka ni-lengi ni-ko dapa kula li-te tae.same subject of ‘hear’ and ‘say’: agreementI never heard that [lit. never I-heard I-say] there was anyone else there.
I-ko i-romo abo ne kaipa i-ko pi-tavie we tae.He wants to examine your blood to see if you are sick.
4 – serialized after a verb of perception or thoughtintroduces the content of thought. Functions as an obligatory complementizer, Eng. ‘(think, know, want+) that’
I-romo i-ko menu tae.She saw (that) there was no baby.
Basavono ponu li-ovei li-ko toñaki kape i-ka i-la dapa ponu.At that moment, they knew that the ship was going to come and rescue them.
Ene ni-mui ni-ko kape n-ajau nganae kape wako.I don't know what to do.
Ni-vodo ni-ko eo ka uña damiliko iono pi-te wako.emailI hope (that) you and your children are well.
Kupa, awa kupa i-viane pi-ko u-ro toñaki ponu.serialized to awa ~viane ‘we want’We really want you to look at that ship over there.
U-ko ruene me ne-ke!Open the door so I can go out.
Ruene ponu, kape nga ngele nga i-bu, kape le-lengi aña ruene pe li-ko.tale of the magical doorIt's a special door: whenever someone dies, you'll hear the sound of a door being opened.
Ka li-ko ruene, ka li-tabo li-bono.They open the door, and then shut it back.
Li-koie ne moe mata dapa i-ke.They were inside their houses, looking out.
3 – s.th.be inside ‹s.th.›; be part of ‹s.th.›, be included
Ka savenei-koie.in a boxThere was also a valuable mat inside.
Kava li-totoe, kara i-koie samame.You chop kava to small pieces, including the roots.
4 – figs.th.be pleasurable to ‹s.o.›, suit ‹s.o.› greatly
Makone na i-koie ne ebele ene!This dance really gets under my skin! [lit. it gets in my body]
5 – geocentric coordinatesgo inland, e.g. walk from the shore towards a village, or from a village towards the middle of the island
Kape le-le le-koie ne ngogoro ponu.They all walk inland towards the forest.
U-koie tetakoie, Pakare: u-bi avie.from a small peninsula off VanikoroWhy don't you go inland (on Banie the main island), on Pakare; go pick some apples.
6 – espfrom the villagego inland to work in o.'s food garden
Kata kape le-mini ngapiene, li-koie li-au bute. Wako li-ke li-lui i-wene.As they were getting ready for the festival, they went to their garden [lit. they went in] and harvested some taro. Then they came back down to the village [lit. they came out] with the taro.
7 – from the seareach an island: e.g. swim towards the shore; land, dock a boat
Basavono pe toñaki tamwaliko, dapa kula li-koie ere se vono Lege re.When their ship got destroyed, some managed to reach the island [swimming], towards Lengge over there.
Kape la-koie, dapa na kap’ li-abu kia!on a canoeIf we land there, the islanders will kill us!
8 – from far awaytravel to an island; hence settle in, immigrate
La-vesu bavede i-le. I-le, la-koie Tetevo.They hoisted the sail and travelled; travelled towards (the island of) Utupua.
Dapa Tukupie li-koie li-te ne tanoe akapa Vanikoro ponu.The Tikopians have (immigrated and) settled on our land here on Vanikoro.
9 – s.th.wash ashore
Dapa ne da ka li-bu awoiu. Vana ka li-tavea li-koie li-sai i-katau temaka ponu.All their relatives died instantly. Their [bodies] were floating, washing ashore one after the other, all along the beach.
Ka revo i-koie ka le-gulei kuo pon le-lui.As the sea water swole inland, they towed their canoe in.
Bsecond verb, intransitive
1 – after intransitive verb(move+) in, inside
I-le i-koie ne moe ma tadoe pon.He walked into the temple of the Spirits.
U-ka mata eo i-koie u-romo ngaten’ ae ne lema na, ne moe na.Come have a look inside! [lit. Come and your eyes enter] Look at what's inside this house!
2 – after transitive verb(take, move s.th.) in, inside
Tabuluburi, ini tonge iote pine pe li-loko puro i-koie ene.A quiver is a long container where arrows are stacked in.
3 – (go, take+) inland
Ka i-la i-koie ne kopa ponu i-lateli ne elene aplaka tev’ iu re.LapérouseHe took that copper sheet inland, and buried it in the clearing up over there.
4 – (go, take+) ashore
Ka li-lebie li-koie.They waded back ashore.
Dapa kula na bwara ka li-bu ne revo, dapa kula bwara li-wowo li-koie ne kulumoe, li-te ne kulumoe pon.Lapérouse wreckI believe some died at sea, but others managed to swim ashore, and stay on the island.
5 – (go, take+) towards the island
Dapa ne temotu tilu pon li-la kuo li-ko me le-wai i-koie tetakoie: metae!The people on the two islets took to their canoes, hoping to paddle towards the (main) island – to no avail.
Tepakare tilu, i-ka i-koie. I-koie i-ka Paiu pon.The two catamarans were sailing towards the island [lit. were coming in], towards the village of Paiu.
~koioi(i·)kojoiverb, transitive
causative of ~koie ‘enter’: cause ‹s.o., s.th.› to go in, introduce
1 – cause ‹s.th.› to go in, hence insert, put in, pack
U-koioi etapu!Don't put it in!
2 – cause ‹s.o.› to go in, hence bring in, lead ‹s.o.› in
Ai' iape kape i-la men' iape i-koioi ne Toplau.The father would introduce his son into the Men's House.
3 – geocentric coordinatescause ‹s.th.› to go inland: take ‹s.th.› from the sea towards the shore, or from the shore towards the village
Dapa kula li-katei noma nuduro tilu ponu, li-koioi tetakoie, i-le i-vene ne moko taniboro.Some people pull the two ends of the scareline towards the shore, to a dry zone.
~koioi waieroverb-object idiom
bring the waves inlandsurf the waves, for recreation
La-koioi waiero?Shall we go surf?
4 – id.cause ‹s.o.› to go inland, esp. welcome ‹travellers› on the beach and lead them inland
Ka li-loko dapa li-koioi. Li-koioi li-su buluko ka li-koie li-vagasi ta-koie.(The islanders) welcomed them inland. They lit torchlights and led them in, until they reached (the village) inland.
Li-loko vongoro i-vene ne belemele li-sabisi li-maliawo boso. Pon ra kokoro.You stack the almonds upon the lattice, light fire underneath, so they dry up.
Li-tabe i-le i-wene ne aeve me kokoro.They bring it out to lie in the sun so it dries up.
Komoudo, va li-vai kokoro me peini melevele.resultativeClam shells are commonly dried in the fire, and preserved in case of a famine.
1 – + Irrealis clause, same subjectwant, intend to; be about to
Li-te ne pwama iaero re ka li-ko me kape li-apilo toñaki.They stayed by the river, with the plan to build a ship.
Laperus ini i-te ka mata ini i-ke ne revo i-ko me kape i-odo se toñaki kape i-tabo i-ka.Lapérouse was staring out to the ocean, [lit. in order to search] searching whether the ship was coming back.
Grammar
2 – + Irrealis clause, different subjectwant s.o. to do s.th.
Ene awa ene ni-ko me kape l-apilo sekele.I want them to work at their gardens.
I-ko “E, eo u-ka!” I-ko me kap’ emel’ iape pon ta.noun predicateHe said “Come here!” He wanted her to become his wife.
Ka i-la i-koie ne kopa ponu i-lateli ne elene aplaka tev’ iu re.LapérouseHe took that copper sheet inland, and buried it in the clearing up over there.
Li-bei ñe uie bamele ka uie vilo kula.They cover [the oven] with philodendron, and other leaves.
Dapa iakapa noma li-ovei pe li-pwalau: li-katau kanimoro li-le ne basakulumoe kula.Our ancestors used to practice navigation: they would follow the stars, and reach other islands.
MorphologyConstitutes the plural counterpart of iote ‘[Singular] other, different’.
Na uo kula kupa ka pi-ae.following a nounThese are a few yams we just dug out.
Program kula idi li-la moli.Some software programs are free.
Kula ka i-ka se vono Lale, Ngama, Vono.used absolutelySome (people) had moved to the areas of Lale, Ngama and Vono.
I-ngago wako, i-la puro kula i-vio ne waluko.Once he'd strung [his bow], he tied a few arrows around his hip.
kula… kulaconstruction
some… somethe ones… the others
Kula pe li-vio ne teviri li-ioi; ka kula i-vio i-katei ne teviumu.dragging a canoe on landThose who are standing by the stern, they will push; the others stand at the prow, and pull.
Dapa kula ka li-bu ne revo, dapa kula li-wowo li-koie ne kulumoe.following pronoun dapaSome of them died in the sea, some others swam till they reached the island.
kula2kula
Anoun
half
Ni-nabe jokoro lea iune ka kula.I measured the bamboo to be one fathom and a half.
Vilisao i-arevo toñaki pon, kula tilu na.The tornado broke up the ship into two halves.
Ni-nabe jokoro lea iune ka kula.I measured the bamboo to be one fathom and a half.
kulaña metelenoun
half moonsemi-circle
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.
3 – “canoe tree”: k.o. tree (unidentified), traditionally chosen for making canoes – hence its name
Dapa noma vana li-bo kuo ne ngogoro, kape le-toe oie kuo. Li-bo oie kuo pe li-ko wako pe le-bo kiane, ka iote, mimione.When our ancestors went to cut a canoe in the bush, they would chop down a “canoe tree”. They chose that tree because it can be carved fast, and because its wood is light.
