-pa suffix
(?) POc*patfour
non-productive suffix indicating plural on some personal pronouns
kiapa 1 inclusive plural, ‘we’
kupa 1 exclusive plural, ‘we’
kaipa 2nd plural, ‘you’
dapa 3rd plural, ‘they’
~padi (i·)paⁿdi verb, transitive
paint ‹s.th.›
Blateno, oie vilo pe li-padi me kape le-woi ne to mane.The “blateno” is a wooden pole that is painted and erected in the middle of the village area.
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.
Paeu paeu placename
LvnPeu
TnmPueu
1the Paiu river
alero peini iaero Paiuthe mouth of the Paiu river
Geo
2Paeu or Paiu, a village on the southwest coast of Banie island, where the Paiu river meets the sea
La-ka votobo vono Paiu.They arrived precisely in front of Paiu.
paiuko pajuko noun
Fish
Convict SurgeonfishAcanthurus triostegus.
mouro paiukoa shoal of surgeonfish
Pakare pakare placename
Cf. (?) tepakare ‘double canoe’
Pakare, a village close to Lale, on the west coast of Banie island
Li-bu awoiu. Iune i-te tae. Kulumoe Pakare moli.mythEverybody died: nobody survived. The village of Pakare was emptied.
Pakare ponu kulumoe nanana, mamote li-te ene.Pakare is a village today, it's still inhabited.
Palapu palapu proper noun
Vaeakau-Taumakote Palapu
Naut
Northerly wind, blowing between Tokoloutu and Tokolau
Ngiro ka i-kamai tevie ne Palapu.The northerly wind Palapu finally began to blow.
Waiero i-vene ne vono i-katau ngiro Palapu.The waves went up to the dry land, following the north wind Palapu.
see lexical list atngiro
pana pana
Lvnpana, veirene
Tnmpanara
POc*panas
Aadjective
1s.th.hot, burning
Aeve pana!The sun's hot!
antonymmedigo
derivativeero panatea, coffee
2bodyfeel hot
Ebele ene pana.[my body is hot] I feel hot.
antonym~mamei
Bnoun
heat
Pana iawo i-abu mijaka.The heat of the fire goes down a little.
panavono [heat of weather] sweat
see lexical list atiawofire
~panade (i·)panaⁿde verb, transitive
split ‹s.th.›
li-panade longesplit firewood
Li-panade okoro awoiu li-si telemwoe peini mwoe.You split the bamboos, and then you make the wallings of your house.
Vilisao tilu lai-abu wa-ini ponu, toñaki ponu, la-bei la-panade tilu ne.The two tornados stroke the ship in one blow, splitting it in two halves.
see~mamabesplit (intr.)
panavono panafono pana vono noun
Tnmkaruane
pana ‘heat’ + vono ②▻⑤ ‘weather’
heat of weathersweat
Po mwaliko malaria i-vagasi, basa i-meli, ebele i-ekilikili, panavono i-ke.When somebody has malaria, they have a headache, they tremble, they sweat. [lit. sweat comes out]
poss. classifierne ① ⓑ▻①
~papa (i·)papa verb, transitive
POc*papa
carry ‹child+› on o.'s back (vs. ~tabe ‘carry on o.'s chest’)
Ini i-papa men' iap' pon la-ke.She took her baby on her back and out they went.
see lexical list at~labu
~pape (i·)pape verb, intransitive
whistle, esp. to call out to s.o.
see~iemit a cry
pe1 pe
Lvnpe
Tnmpe
Apreposition
1spatial meaningoriginating from ‹a place›
damala pe Franisthe foreigners from France
Ni-kila emele pe Tetevo.I married a woman from Utupua.
Da-tilu pe Teanu.predicateThey were from Teanu island.
Uña ngatene pon na pe vele?Where do those things come from?
seeminafrom, Ablative
2temporal meaningfrom ‹a certain time›
iepiene pe noma[story from the past] traditional story
3causal meaningdue to, because of ‹s.th., s.o.›
Li-le pe ngaten' ae?Why did they go? [lit. they went due to what thing?]
Tokoli i-dobuo pe tebo.The bridge is wet due to the rain.
A-rom' ini ai-ovei a-ko ini pe Japan, pe mata ini.You can see straight away that she's Japanese, due to her eyes.
Dapa kula li-wablei piene, ia li-tobo ñe, pe dapa ie mwaliko po awa dapa i-su.funeral ceremoniesSome people may make jokes, as long as they restrain themselves, with respect to the family who are in mourning.
Bcoordinator
1causal linkerbecause
Kape jebute i-karau na metae, pe ero tae.Taro can't grow here, because there's no water.
A-kai lusa ene na pe i-kae?Why did you tear my shirt? [lit. because why?, ~kae]
Ebel' ini me, pe a-venei network na.It's a great thing that [lit. because] you set up this network.
Pe ive?Why?
Discourse
2henceclause-initialindeed. Discourse particle linking two pragmatically redundant clauses; often not translated
Ne-tau namuko enaka ne-kae? Pe iawo i-bu.How will I be able to cook my fish? [indeed] our fire died out!
Ia enon' iot' tae! Pe enone na iune na.But I don't have another (knife). [indeed] this is my only one.
pe2 pe subordinator
Lvnpe
Tnmpe
Cf. (?) pe ①
1relativiser: that, which, who
Awis pine peini ngatene pe a-la ponu.Thank you for your efforts. [lit. for those things you did]
basavono pe li-anu kavaduring kava-drinking moments [lit. (at the) moment that we drink kava]
ne bogo pe la-kila daon their wedding day [lit. the day that they married]
synonympo
2esprelativiser, commonly used in lexical compounds involving verbs
udo pe i-ako [banana that is ripe] ripe banana
muko pe i-ke idi [fly that bites people] mosquito
jokoro pe li-vi[bamboo that people blow] Pan pipe
moe pe li-apinu ene[house we cook inside] kitchen
die mwaliko pe i-buthe bones of a dead body [of a person that died]
3used in predicates“be someone who”: construction turning an action predicate into a habitual characteristic
Vao, we pe li-womanga?Is it wild, or tame? [wild, or that we feed?]
Ini pe i-med' idi.He's someone who fools people. / He's a conman.
Ini pe i-lanasu idi.He (is someone who) can bewitch people.
4sometcomplementizer after certain verbs, esp. with modal meaning (can; cannot; be good; be bad; be suitable+)
Da viñevi wopine li-ovei pe li-anu kava.Adult women can drink kava.
I-mui pe i-mo.He cannot speak.
Emel' enone i-mete ini pe i-rom dokta.My wife is too shy to see the doctor.
Votobo pe le-sava tiluit's better / it's enough to buy two.
Tamwaliko pe i-vio ne kulumoe iono ñoko.It would be a shame if (this plant) only grew in your village.
A-mene pe u-e none ponu?Aren't you tired of eating that food?
Ni-garei eo pe u-le re!I forbid you from going there!
5rarein protasiswhen, as
Pe li-anu kava, ebele idi motoro.When you drink kava, you feel your body is heavy.
pe-3 subject prefix
Lvnpe-
Tnmtu-
irrealis subject prefix for “Dislocutive” plural: 1st exclusive or 2nd person
contrasts withpi- ①
1irrealis, 1st exclusive plural subject (see kupa): I and they
Pi-wete otovo pi-ko pe-songai moe.We are making the roofing to repair our house.
2irrealis, 2nd plural subject (see kaipa): you all
Pe-labu pi-ejau, pe-somoli etapu!Handle it carefully, don't damage it!
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!
~pei1 (i·)pei ~pe verb, reflexive
Lvn~pwadi, ~mwadi
Tnm~pae
1sni-p' ene2sa-p' eo3si-pe ini
1rejoice ‹o.s.›: be happy, merry, satisfied
Ni-lengi ni-p' ene tamwase.I was very happy to hear (the news).
Ni-p' ene tamwase ñe men' iamela.[lit. I'm delighted about…] Congratulations on your baby!
Kiapa ka li-pei kiapa, pe menuko iakapa dapa Frans.We are all delighted, because the French are our friends.
li-pe idi phrase
we rejoice ourselves…happy…! Used in greetings and wishes
Li-pe idi pe moro pe li-ve eo ene!Happy birthday! [lit. Let's rejoice about the day when you were born!]
Li-pe idi Krismas ka li-pe idi ñe ebieve motoe.Merry Christmas, and best wishes for the New year.
2be fond (of, ñe), like
Ba-pei keba ñe moe iaba.We're quite happy with / fond of our house.
Ni-pei ene ñ’ eo.[I'm glad about you] I like you.
A-p' eo ñei?Do you like it?
~pei2 (i·)pei verb, oblique transitive
be jealous, envious (of s.o., ñe); sulk
U-pei ñe ene etapu!Don't sulk at me!
peini peini
Lvnpeine, peini, peni
Tnmpini(ni)
Apreposition
Cf. pe ① ⓐ ‘from’
Grammar
between two nounsof. Linker encoding various semantic relations between two nouns
contrasts withie ③of (possession)
1(X) from (Y), associated with
velebie peini otovosago starch
abilo peini revo[snake of the sea] seasnake
dapa wopine peini kulumoethe high chiefs of the island
synonympe ①from
2(X) characterised by (Y)
sekele peini jebutetaro garden
Mwaliko peini vilo![a man of plants] a plant connoisseur
3(X) about (Y)
piene peini Laperusthe story of Lapérouse
miusium peini uña toñakia museum for ships
synonymtevie teve
4rare+ clauseof, about (doing)
piene peini li-katei kuo[the story of we draw canoes] the story about pulling canoes
peini me subordinator
of thatso that
Li-katei bavede i-vene ne iuro, peini me le-vesu i-ke i-le.They hoisted the sail up the mast, so they could sail away.
Bpossessive classifier
Grammar
anaphoricof it, its, their – used with inanimates
Ka pi-ovei buro peini.We know the song (about it).
Temaka na, iepiene peini i-wene.This place has stories attached to it.
Buka ono po, tone peini tivi?Your notebook, how much was its price?
Diro, li-avi otovo; awoiu li-la iadiro peini, li-bo diro.You collect sago leaves; take out their midribs, and sharpen them into darts.
Cpredicative
pertain to; be suitable for
None na, peini melevele pine.This food is good in case of a major famine.
peko peko noun
Flora
k.o. tree with unedible, small round fruit clustered together; probably:Ficus aspera.
pele pele noun
Lvnmenele
Tnmbenala
POc*kup(w)enafishing net
fishing net, tradit. made with rope from coconut fibres (tenuro*)
mata pelemesh of a fishnet
li-re pele / li-ali pelepractise netfishing, cast the net
Pele iono i-tatawoe ne temaka ene, ka ere.Your fishnet is damaged here, and there.
Li-si pele peini anuele.They made a net for hunting turtles.
penanga penaŋa interrogative
when? in the past
contrasts withmingawhen, in the future
penuo penuo noun
men: irregular plural of mwalikote ‘man, male’
MorphologyAlmost always preceded by plural clitic da=.
main entrydapenuo
pepane pepane locative
yesterday
Pepane kupa pi-moloe nga pon ra ra bogo!Yesterday we played like that all day long!
contrasts withnananatoday
pepane iote locative
the other yesterdaythe day before yesterday; two days ago
Ene ni-le Popokia ka ni-tabo ni-ka Honiara pepane iote.I travelled to Vanikoro, and came back to Honiara two days ago.
synonymwoiote
pi-1 pi- subject prefix
Lvnnupe-
Tnmtei-, ti-
realis subject prefix for “Dislocutive” plural: 1st exclusive and 2nd person
contrasts withpe- ③
1realis, 1st exclusive plural subject (see kupa): I and they
Pi-ka pi-abui ngatene upa pi-ko me p-ajau toñaki iote.We took our tools down (from the ship) so as to build another boat.
2realis, 2nd plural subject (see kaipa): you all
Ni-vodo ni-ko eo ka uña damiliko iono pi-te wako.I hope that you and your children are well.
pi’2 noun, kinship
variant of pie ‘grandfather’, elided before vowel
pi’ onemy grandfather
main entrypie
~pidi (i·)piⁿdi verb, transitive
1strike ‹s.th.› with longish, supple object (opp. ~abu ③, strike with thick or round object)
Li-pidi jokoro.They're playing the bamboo drum (using sticks).
Li-pidi revo.They're splashing the surface of the sea (e.g. to frighten the fish)
I-pidi kuo ne tongolukilo.He whipped the canoe with the magic leaves.
2lash, whip ‹s.o.›
U-pidi ini etapu!Don't whip him!
Ini i-pidi men' iape ñe iebe.He flogged his child with a besom.
pie pie noun, kinship
Lvnnengene
Tnmeika
1spi’ one2spie3spi’ iape
Kin
1grandfather; any male from the grandparent generation (FF, MF, MMB…)
pi' iapehis/her grandfather
Pie.He's your grandfather.
contrasts withepugrandmother
Kin
2grandson; any male from the grandchild generation (SS, DS+)
contrasts withepugranddaughter
3namesake, person bearing the same name as o.s.
Pie ! A-ko u-ka vele ?Hey, my namesake! Where are you going?
piene piene noun
Lvnmwamwane
Tnmpuiene
~puie ‘talk’ + -ne ④
1speech, words
vese piene → vesepienebits of speech → words
ebele piene true words → truth
~vete piene say words → talk, speak
~wablei piene tease words → joke
Da la-laiaini piene.They traded information.
U-wasu piene 'none.[fix my words] Please correct my mistakes.
2language
piene adapa Teanuthe Teanu language
piene adapa Tetawo the Tanema language
piene akapaour language (usually meaning that of Teanu)
Ene ni-mui piene ape.I don't know her language.
Ni-la piene ono.I’m recording your language.
piene damala[Westerners' language] Pijin
piene adapa wopine [language of elders] formal register, poetic style
poss. classifierenaka
3story
Li-atevo piene peini toñaki ie Laperus pe tamwaleko.Let's tell the story of how Lapérouse's ship was destroyed.
Ponu kava pon, piene peini kuledi nga pon.And so, the story of kava is just a short one like that.
L-ajau piene pe li-tomoli ñe tanoe.pejorativeThey made up a story to deceive people about land ownership.
seeiepienemyth, folktale
4rumour, news
Ni-lengi pieni peini dapa.I've heard the news about them.
5topic, idea
Ne-ko ne-viñ' eo ñe piene motoro.I'd like to tell you about an important issue.
Ponu piene tamwaliko pe noma; ka awoiu.sorceryThat's a bad thing of the past; it's over now.
synonymawa▻⑤idea, thought
piene adapa wopine piene aⁿdapa wopine piene aidi wopine noun
1speech of the ancestors / the eldersformal speech, considered elegant and stylish
Basavono kula, uña teliki li-vete piene ñei piene adapa wopine.Sometimes, dignitaries tend to speak in formal style [lit. in the language of elders].
2sometfigurative speech, metaphor, parable
3esppoetic language, used in songs (buro)
piko piko noun
Sea
Nerita shellNeritidae spp.
piliki piliki noun
Birds
Grey FantailRhipidura fuliginosa.
pine pine adjective
Lvnpwene
Tnmbwau, ubwau
1in sizebig, large
toñaki pinea large ship
monon' enaka iote pinea huge wooden trunk of mine
Otovo kotekote, utele pine.Spiny sago trees have large bases.
Pi-romo uie i-maili pine.after predicateYou can see how the leaves have grown big.
derivativesa pine[big belly] pregnant
antonymapilakasmall
2in quantityabundant, significant
Li-ejau none pine adapa ne kulumoe.They are preparing a huge meal for the villagers.
Kuo demene, li-la ngatene ñi pine tamwase.Outrigger canoes are too much work. [working at them is too big]
derivative~vongo pinehave a feast
seeabianumerous
3in qualitygreat, major
Mama ini pine.He has a loud voice.
Nganae pine tae ponu, ne-ko n-ovei eo a-te vele?Just a small question [lit. not a major thing]: I wanted to know where you live.
Awis pine![big thanks] Thank you very much!
4s.o.great, major; socially significant
Sande, moro pine, pe li-langatene tae, pe li-tamava.Sunday is an important day – one when we don't work, and pray.
Iepiene pine.It's an important myth.
mwaliko pine great man, chief, leader
synonymmotoroheavy, major
5s.o.grown up, adult; old
En' na dameliko tae, ene na ka mwaliko pine.I'm not a child, I'm a grown person!
emele pine tamwasea very old woman
irregular pluralwopine
synonymveliaold
6dynamic readings.o.grow up, be raised
La-womanga men' iada ra ra pine.They fed their child until he grew up.
Li-ve ini Vonovono, ia ini pine Honiara.She was born in the Reef Islands, but she grew up in Honiara.
synonym~maili
synonym~karau
~pinoe (i·)pinoe verb, intransitive
Tnm~pimo
dance, esp. perform a ritual or traditional dance (opp. ~mako, ‘perform any dance’)
Wa bale we Ginio, pi-pinoe ñei.We use ankle rattles to perform our dances.
Li-wate tepapa, li-viane tepapa ponu; ka li-pinoe pon ta ka li-mako.They were hitting the boards, stomping on the boards: such was their dance.
piote pjote adjective
whole
Ni-e kulevelu tilu piote.I ate two whole chickens.
wik iune pioteone full week
po po
A
Cf. ponu ‘that’
Grammar
sometshorter form of ponu ‘that’, always clause-medial
Buka ono po, tone peini tivi?That notebook of yours, how much did it cost?
Ka mwaliko po i-ko “Wako.”recognitional useThe man said “Alright.”
Tepapa i-dai ka ne mane po, li-vo aero i-dai.clause topicalizer (ponu ⓐ▻⑤)The stomping boards were laid out all around the dancing area; then they erected a fence around them.
main entryponu
Bsubordinator
Grammar
1freqrelativiser
mwaliko po i-buthe man who died
Basa iupa re po i-wen’ iu rethat mountain of ours that is up over there
ne moro po kape le-le le-katei kuo enethe day when they were going to drag the canoe
Minga kape le-sune angede ovene po Laperus i-si ponu.One day someone will find the message that was written by Lapérouse.
synonympe ②
basavono po noun
+ clausethe moment thatwhen, whenever
Basavono po li-ve dameliko, nga emele kape li-abu dapa.relative with noun basavonoWhen female children were born, they would be killed.
Basavono po li-bu, kape le-tomoe mina Lovia Vono na, le-le ne Lovia Vono iote.When we die, we leave this World, and migrate to the Other World.
main entrybasavono pe
2when, whenever
Noma, po apali i-maili i-ven' i-ka, i-te tev' ai' iape me et' iape.In the old days, when a child grew up, he would stay with his parents.
U-tau awoiu po moioe, u-ovei pe u-e.Once you've cooked it and it's done, you can eat it.
poi poi noun
POc*ᵐboRok
pig
main entrypwoi
pon pon
that
main entryponu
~pono (i·)pono
Lvn~pei
Tnm~pao
Averb, intransitive
sour, bitter, unpleasant to taste
Owopana li-e i-pono.Wild kava has a sour taste.
antonymaña wako
Bverb, transitive
1taste bitter or unpleasant to ‹s.o.›
2espfishpoison ‹s.o.›, make ‹s.o.› sick
Nga namuko i-pono eo, kape sa eo i-meli.If a fish poisons you, your stomach will ache.
pon ta poⁿda ponta ponda poda
1clause-final, following demonstrativefocal deictic, addressee-centered: that one, like you're saying or doing
Makumoso na? – Makumoso pon ta.Is this your firstborn (child)? – Correct! That's my firstborn.
Pon ta! Susuko pon.That’s it! That's correct.
Awa eo i-viaene ñe ponda.Now that’s the reason why you love her.
I-ko me kap’ emel’ iape pon ta.He wanted her to become his wife. [wanted that his wife would be that one]
contrasts withna ta
2following demonstrative with temporal valuefocus marker for time: then (and not any other time)
Ka awoiu pon ta.closing formulaSo that's how my story ends.
Katae ka ni-e pon ta!That was my first time ever eating this!
ponu ponu pon
Lvnpae
Tnmpa, pade
A
1that, close to or associated with you: 2nd-degree demonstrative, anchored on the addressee
ne utele vewo pine ponuby that big chestnut tree over there
U-le pon etapu!Don't go there! (where you're about to go)
Kape u-ali pele po a-labu ponu?Will you be casting that net you're holding?
nga pon like that, like you're doing
U-wai ebele u-ka pon etapu!Don't shake your body like that!
Awis pine peini ngatene pe a-la ponu.Thank you for your efforts. [lit. for those things you did]
2that, mentioned by you or in our dialogue. Points to an easily retrievable referent
Pon kaiawo tae, ova revo.That's not smoke, that's steam.
Basavono pon ene mamote apali.At that time [you're talking about], I was still a child.
Okoro 'naka pon i-wene vele?So where's that knife of mine (we're talking about)?
Ponu nganae pine ponu? Pon tadoe? Pon tepakola?What's that giant creature? Is that a god? Is that a giant?
Li-kila temaka pon li-ko “Moe ma Tadoe”.That place is called “Devils' Lair”.
Grammar
3hencedefinite determiner, referring either to discourse or to shared knowledge
Ini i-papa men' iap' pon la-ke.She took her baby on her back and out they went.
Emele pon i-mene i-te i-etengi.in narrativeThe girl refused, and then she sat crying.
Mwasu ponu, ini mwaliko pe i-metei dapa ne ini tae.with proper nameThat Mwasu was a person who felt no shame with his relatives.
Grammar
4hencenoun-phrase topicalizer
N-atevo iepiene amjaka peini Laperus. Iepiene pon na, ni-lengi tev' et' one.foll. by demonstrative na ① ⓐI'll tell a short story about Lapérouse. This story, I heard it from my mother.
Uña ngatene pon na pe vele?All those things, where do they come from?
Toñaki ie Laperus ponu, ae, tepakare. Lovia tilu, ne?Lapérouse's ship, you know, it was a catamaran. With two sections, you see?
Voko iote pon li-re ne elene Lege ponu.There was once a large stone down there, in the clearing known as Lengge.
Dero ponu, vilo pe emele i-ve.mythThe kauri is a tree that was first born out of a woman.
Discourse
5clause topicalizer: marks a clause as backgrounded, before introducing a foregrounded main clause; hence ‘since X…, Y’, or ‘as X…, Y’, or ‘X…, then Y’
Ka i-mamei ponu ka i-maliawo ka i-wene teve.As she was feeling cold, she lit a fire and lied down beside it.
Ka vitoko pe la-koie ponu la-lengi dapa.As they were about to land, they heard some voices.
Voko i-te ponu ra ka i-vagasi nanana.The stone has been there until this day.
awoiu pon phrase
awoiu ‘finish, then’ + ponu
Discourse
freqonce it was overthen, after that
Li-ae kie tepapa i-dadai awoiu pon, 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-vesu iuro; awoiu pon li-avi otovo. Li-kamai li-wete; li-wete awoiu pon li-ejau telemoe. I-su awoiu ponu ponu, i-vete “Wako”.tail-head linkageThey erected the post; after that, they went to pick sago leaves. Brought them, began sewing them; once they had sewn them, they made the roof. Once it was over, he said “Alright!”
Bcoordinator
Discourse
then, so
Pon i-la visone iape i-ka i-ngago.So he took his bow, and strung it.
Pon bavede i-vio pon ka la-ka.And so they sailed, heading this way.
Cinterjection
Discourse
that's it; right!
Amoso Lavalu, ai-ovei ? Amoso Lavalu. Pon. Wako pon.Mr Lavalu, do you know him? Mr Lavalu. Yeah, that's right.
Ka ni-mui pe ni-vete temotu ponu, enga ini “Veluko”. Pon.Oh, I forgot to say, that small islet was called “Feluko”. Alright.
synonymio
synonymwako ⓒ
pongo1 poŋo noun, relational
upper part of ‹s.th.›: top, tip
U-katau anoko u-vene u-le amjaka, u-vagasi pongo gilita.Follow the path upwards a little bit, and you'll reach the top of the hill.
Tepuke ponu, moe aplaka pon, ne pongo kuo pon.The ‘tepuke’ ship has a small cabin, on top of the ship.
~pongo2 (i·)poŋo verb, transitive
wake ‹s.o.› up
U-pongo etapu!Don't wake him up!
Buro pe li-pongo ebele idi ñei.It's a song meant to wake up the dancers' bodies.
see~aiuget up
Popokia popokia placename
Geo
1Mt Popokia, the second highest mountain of Banie island (after Mt Banie), with 776m
Basa iupa re po i-wen’ iu re, enga ini Popokia.That mountain of ours up over there is called Popokia.
Ka Popokia ponu, li-ko kulumoe tilu. Ka toplau pe i-wene ene toplau tilu.myth of Mt PopokiaThey say that Mt Popokia has two villages. And that there are two ritual houses there.
AnthropologyThe mythology locates on Mt Popokia the abode of the dead.
Mythology
2the abode of the Dead; hence the afterlife
Ata ini kape i-le ne Popokia.abode of the DeadHis soul will travel to Popokia / to Paradise.
seelovia vono(other) world
Geo
3sometalternate name for Vanikoro as a whole
Ene ni-le Popokia ka ni-tabo ni-ka Honiara pepane iote.I travelled to Vanikoro, and came back to Honiara two days ago.
Hist.Some speakers wish to replace the name Vanikoro, of Polynesian origin, with the native name Popokia.
~pu1 (i·)pu verb, intransitive
liquidflow, run
Ero i-pu i-abu i-vagasi revo.The river flows down to the sea.
Tengiro i-pu i-abu.His tears were running down.
~pu ~sali serial verb, intransitive
~pu ① ‘flow, run’ + ~sali ‘drop, finish’
event, timeflow and droppass, go by for a while; run till the end, finish
I-leng' i-ko mobo ngapiene kape ka i-pu i-sali.She heard that the next morning, the festival would finish.
Idi pe li-te ne toplau pe i-wene i-wene, ebieve kape i-pu i-sali.Some (boys) live in the Men's house for a lo—ng time, sometimes for years. [lit. years will run by]
~pu2 (i·)pu
Averb, intransitive
burst, blow up, explode
Bomb i-pu ne kulumoe.A bomb exploded in the city.
Bverb, transitive
watersplash, spatter ‹s.o., s.th.›
Revo i-pu viabasa ene.The sea has spattered my hair.
synonym~tigiri
~puie (i·)puie verb, intransitive
Lvn~a(p)une
Tnm~puia
talk
Na ngele ba i-puie na?Who's that talking to me?
Li-puie li-kilasi tadoe adapa.They were addressing their god(s).
derivativepiene
synonym~vete piene
puluko puluko noun
POc*[pu]pulu
Flora
1betel: k.o. leafy vine (Piperaceae)Piper betle.
uie puluko [betel leaves] k.o. fish
2hencebetel leaves, picked (~kidi) in numbers, and chewed (~kanu) in combination with Areca nuts (buioe) and lime (awo)
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.
poss. classifierenaka
see infobox at~kanu
Puma puma placename
Geo
Puma, the main village of Teanu island
Abu ne-kila Puma!teleradioLet me try and ring the guys in Puma.
📘 The village has been wrongly spelled “Buma” in the past, giving rise to an erroneous name for the Teanu language.
pumene pumene noun
Architecture
ridgepole
seebusumoe
see lexical list atnengele moeelements of a house
pumene aplaka noun
Architecture
small ridgepolelight purlin, placed above rafters, where the ridge flashing (busumoe) sits
puna puna noun
archs.o.disturbance, noise (?). Only in expression ~te puna … tae ‘keep quiet’
~te puna … tae construction
reflexive constructionyou stay your [noise] is lackingstay quiet, keep quiet
U-te puna eo tae!You keep quiet!
Ba-te puna kela tae!You (two), keep quiet!
Pe-te puna kaipa tae!You (all), keep quiet!
antonymviñaviñanoisy
~punuo (i·)punuo
Lvn~apenoa
Tnm~sibwano
POc*panako
Averb, oblique transitive
1steal, snap (s.th., ñe)
Eo a-punuo ñe okor' 'naka?Did you steal my knife?
seeunuothief
2kidnap (s.o., ñe)
Noma vana uña toñaki van li-ka li-punuo ñe idi li-lui.In the olden days, ships used to come and kidnap people to carry them away.
Hist.Term used especially when referring to the time of Blackbirding, involving the forceful recruiting of manpower from Vanikoro and other islands.
Bsecond verb, intransitive
(do) stealthily, illegally
Dapa Tukupie li-ka li-punuo.The Tikopians have come (and colonised) here illegally.
puro puro noun
Bone and arrow (visone me puro)
arrow, dart, formerly used in warfare
Puro, li-bo vilo korone, li-ejau i-vio ne viapwene.To make an arrow, you sharpen a piece of strong wood, and insert it into a reed shaft.
Tabuluburi, tonge iote pine pe li-loko puro i-koie ene.A quiver is a long basket were you can insert your arrows.
TechnA puro arrow consisted of three parts: a reed shaft (viapwene); an arrowhead (agilo) made of hard wood (vilo korone); and a symbolic tip made of human bone (die idi).
synonymdiro
see lexical list atvisonebow
pusi pusi noun
Lvnpusi
Engpussy
Fauna
cat
Pusi i-etengi.The cat is meowing.
pwa pʷa
Lvnpwa
Tnmpao
Anoun, relational
space located below ‹s.th.›, bottom, underneath
pwa tokoli empty space under a house
pwa motono deeper ocean
pwa motono noun
bottom of the seadeep sea, deeper ocean
Bwoe baro nga na i-wene ne pwa motono.Hammerhead sharks like this live in the deep ocean.
derivativemoro peini pwa motonok.o. fish
Bprepositionne pwa
under
Okoro 'naka i-wene ne pwa bete ene.My knife is under my bed.
Li-le li-wamu dapa ne pwa moe.They went to hide under a house.
U-ko ruene me ne-ke ne-te ne pwa ruene ponu!Open that (trap) door so I can hide underneath!
seele ①underneath
pwaka pʷaka noun
Sea
Slipper lobsterPanulirus spp.
~pwalau (i·)pʷalau verb, intransitive
POc*palau(r)go to sea, make a sea voyage
Naut
voyage by sea, esp. on long distances
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.
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.
see~vesu bavedesail
see lexical list atkuo
pwama pʷama noun, relational
1side
pwama eneby my side
seetevieside
Geo
2shore, bank
pwama iaero noun
shore of riverriver bank
ne pwama iaeroon the river bank
Li-te ne pwama iaero re ka li-ko me kape li-apilo toñaki.They stayed on the river bank, with the plan to build a ship.
pwama ole noun
shore of sandbeach
ne pwama oleon the beach
Monone po ene ni-vete, ene tawora ne, ne utele vewo pine pe i-vio ne, pwama ole ponu.That chest I was talking about was located down there, by the large chestnut tree standing over there, on the beach.
pwa tokoli pʷatokoli noun
Architecture
empty space under the raised floor platform (tokoli) of a stilt house
pwelele pʷelele adjective
Lvnpwalele
Tnmmabura
1soft, tender
Li-wete ra ra pwelele.We pound it till it's soft.
antonymbeiuko
antonymkorone
2hairlong and supple
Viabasa emele damala ponu pwelele.That white woman has soft hair.
pwene pʷene noun
spear, harpoon
synonymtepao
pwo pwo puo locative
Lvnlenu
Tnmese
down, below
Li-mali iawo ne lema awene pwo.You light a fire down in the oven.
Moe iaba pwo; iote iu, ie mwaliko iote.storey houseOur flat is located below; as for the one above, it belongs to someone else.
Awa eo i-viaene pwo nga iu.prayerThy will be done on earth as it is in heaven.
antonymiu
pwoi pʷoi poi noun
Lvnpwoi
Tnmpwoi
POc*ᵐboRok
Fauna
pigSus scrofa.
anes poipork meat
vesengele pwoipig's snout
Ije pwoi i-ke i-dadai.The pig tusk has grown out into a full circle.
Poi pe li-womanga ne kulumoe, vao i-moloe ne ngogoro.Domesticated pigs are fed in the village, but wild pigs wander about in the forest.
contrasts withvao ⓑwild pig