wa1 wa ua noun, relational
Lvnpwea
Tnmve
POc*puaq
plantfruit
wa widofruit of Barringtonia
Lekele i-nge wa vede.Flying-foxes chew fruits of pandanus.
see~wo ④bear fruit
wa vilo noun
genfruit of treefruit of indefinite or generic species
Li-bi wa vilo nga pon, nganae nga bale, vewo, iliro, teno… li-kamai.They went to pick various fruits, [things] like breadfruit, chestnuts, lychees…, and they brought them.
wa-2 prefix
POc*pa[ka]-
multiplicative prefix for numerals
tili → wa-tilifive → five times
wa-3 prefix
Cf. (?) wa ‘fruit’
non-productive prefix, used to derive a noun into another noun, somet. with augmentative meaning
basawabasahead → head
ero ①waierowater → river
ero ②waerobreast, milk → breast
awawasawathroat → throat
vilowavilowood, stick → timber
wa bale we Ginio wa ᵐbale we Ginio noun
wa ① + bale + we ② + Ginio
Flora
1Ginio's breadfruitAnkle rattle treePangium edule.
📘 The fruit name refers to an unknown character Ginio.
2ankle rattles used in dancing
Wa bale we Ginio, pi-pinoe ñei.We use ankle rattles to perform our dances.
wabasa waᵐbasa noun, relational
Lvnbasa
Tnmvanbase
Anatomy
head
wabasa namukofish head
synonymbasa
~wabe (i·)waᵐbe verb, transitive
fill up
U-wabe vijele enone ñe kerosin.Fill up my jerrycan with kerosene.
Dapa gete le-wabe, le-lui tev' dapa li-anu.The young men fill up (the cups) and give them to (the elders) for them to drink.
see~sabisipour
see~lipufull
~wabeiu (i·)waᵐbeju verb, transitive
support ‹s.th.› using props
I-vio ka li-wabeiu ñe moboro teva, me blateno i-vio, susuko, ne to.They used four rattan canes as props, so that the pole could stand firmly in the middle.
~wablei (i·)waᵐblei ~wabilei verb, transitive
tease ‹s.o.› with jokes
Ni-wablei eo.I was just teasing you.
Ngele i-wablei kupa?Who is teasing us?
see~sai ③laugh at
~wablei piene verb-object idiom
tease wordsjoke, make jokes; make fun
U-wablei piene 'tapu!Stop making fun (of them)!
Emele iote somu mina eo, u-ovei pe u-wablei piene semame ini.If a woman is remote from you (kinshipwise), you may joke with her.
waboro waᵐboro adjective
Cf. boro ② ‘black’
black
voko waboro noun
black stonek.o. black stone of volcanic origin (obsidian?). Once ground, it is used to polish objects
Li-la voko waboro li-ia aero ñei wablubu, ka li-ejau viko ñei.We use black stone to polish cone shells into a round shape. That's how we made traditional money.
wabulubu waᵐbuluᵐbu wablubu adjective
shaperound, spherical
I-romo voko tilu. Iote wabulubu, iote teporo.He saw two stones: one round, one flat.
dere wablubu [round tuna] bonito fish
kasule wa-wabulubu [round-fruit creeper] calabash
Li-la voko waboro li-ia aero ñei wablubu.resultative constructionWe use black stone to polish cone shells into a round shape.
contrasts withtepworoflat
waburo waᵐburo noun
Tnmwabura
wa ① ‘fruit’ + buro ① ‘tamanu’
Anatomy
tamanu fruitkneecap
waburo ne aelekneecap (of the leg)
seevisibaeleknee
wabwaero waᵐbʷaero noun
cup made out of a coconut shell
synonymteipu
waero waero noun, relational
Lvnpwea ure
Tnmnora
ero ② ‘breast; milk’
Anatomy
woman, mammalbreast
~waga (i·)waᵑga verb, transitive
distribute, hand out ‹food, presents+› to several people
Li-waga none pe kape le-te pe l-anu kava ne.They handed out food for those who were having kava.
Ni-ko me n-ajau kopi abia me le-waga i-dai kulumoe iakapa Banie.I want to print many copies, so I can distribute them across our whole Vanikoro territory.
~wai1 (i·)wai verb, intransitive
paddle, row, go on a canoe
U-wai u-mabui!Paddle slowly!
see lexical list atkuocanoe, boat
~wai2 (i·)wai
Averb, intransitive
earthquake, shake
Ni-lengi tanoe pe i-wai.I felt the ground shake.
synonym~ekilitremble
Bverb, transitive
s.o., s.th.shake ‹s.th.›
U-wai ebele u-ka pon etapu!Don't shake your body like that!
Li-wai elela vongoro pon.We shake the branch of the almond tree (to knock the nuts down).
Nobwogo miko i-la i-wai moe ne.Last night an earthquake shook the houses here.
waiero wajero noun
(?) wa- + ero ① ‘water’
Sea
wave, surf of the sea
Waiero li-bo voko i-wapio.The waves have piled up the stones together.
seerevosea
waiero peini vono noun
wave on landtidal wave, tsunami
Mwoe iape, waiero peini vono i-somoli tae pe i-botongo ñe tepapa.mythHis house was not destroyed by the tidal wave, because he had protected it with planks.
waini waini adverb
once
Ne metele iune, toñaki i-ka waini.The ship comes once every month.
moro wainione day…
~waivo (i·)waivo verb, transitive
1secundative syntaxinstruct ‹s.o.› (about s.th., ñe); show, teach s.o. (how to, pe ②▻③ + clause)
Ene li-waivo ene ne “National University” ne Solomon islands.I did my studies [lit. They instructed me…] at the National University in the Solomon islands.
Uña teliki samame dapa wopine li-waivo uña dapa gete ñe telepakau akapa.The chiefs and the elders teach youngsters about our culture.
Teliki Makumoso Banie i-waivo idi mwaliko ñe telepakau, ñe maluo.The Elder God Banie instructed humans with culture and life.
I-waivo idi pe li-vo mwoe.He taught people how to build houses.
see~wasishow
2rareindirective syntaxteach ‹s.th.› (to s.o., ñe)
Kap' u-le France kap' u-waivo piene upa ñe dapa.In France, you'll instruct people in our language.
~wakale (i·)wakale verb, transitive
Tnm~ngakalo
scratch ‹s.th.›
U-wakale bele etapu!Don't scratch your skin!
wako wako
Lvnvakane
Tnmapika
Aadjective
good
1good, pleasant, beautiful
Aña wako tadoe!This is incredibly delicious!
Li-romo ngiro wako.They found the wind to be fine.
Ni-romo makone iaipa wako po pi-pinoe.[I see your dances (to be) good] I'm really enjoying those dances you've been performing.
antonymtamwalikobad
2useful; of proper conception or quality
Tongolukilo ponu wako peini basa idi i-meli.This medicinal plant is useful against headaches.
3morally good, of good character; easy-going
Ini i-vete piene wako se idi abia.She talks easily to everybody.
see~wene molieasy
4appropriate, suitable
Idi abia tae wako.It's better if there aren't too many people.
5hencewith perfect ka ②be enough; be over, be done
Ka wako. Ka ni-mokoiu k' wako.It's fine now, I've finished my nap.
seevotobosufficient
seeawoiufinished
6s.o.in a good state, healthy
Oie ini ka wako.She has nicely put on weight. [her size is healthy now]
7hencedynamic readingbecome healthy, heal
Motomoro iono kape wako.Your wound will heal.
Discourse
8in greetings, following a time noun(wishing you a) good…
Momobo wako!Good morning!
Bwogo wako!Good night ~ Good bye!
seeli-pe idihappy…!
Bpostverb
1properly, well
Ka i-vilu, ia mamote i-vete piene wako tae.She can walk already, but she doesn't speak well yet.
Ni-vodo ni-ko eo ka uña damiliko iono pi-te wako.I hope that you and your children are well.
synonym~ejau ⓑ
2well, with pleasure
Ai-e mana luro wako?Do you like eating rice?
Cinterjection
1alright! Expression of approval
I-ko “Wako.”He said “It's okay.”
Li-watebo ñei li-wamabu da, da ai’ iape me ete iape da la-ko: “O, wako!”They asked the question, put out their request, and both parents said “It's alright.”
derivative~ko wakosay yes, accept
Discourse
2foll. by hortative sentencealright, so…! Interjection used to introduce a new action
Wako le-le le-katei!canoeAlright, let's drag it now!
synonymio
Dcoordinator
Discourse
1in tail-head linkage constructionsonce (action V) was finished, then…
U-vongo wako l-ab’ la-le.Once you've eaten, we'll go.
Pon i-la visone iape i-ka i-ngago. I-ngago wako, i-la puro kula i-vio ne waluko.He took his bow, and strung it. Once he had strung it, he took hold of a few arrows, and attached them to his waist.
2henceat the beginning of a clausethen; and
Li-mabui li-ae tanoe, wako ka li-lateli teve.They quietly dug a hole in the ground, and put (the treasure) there.
Li-wete mama ada; wako li-wapono.They pounded their (cooked) pudding, and proceeded to reheat it.
synonymawoiu ⓒ
synonymawoiu pon
synonymponu ⓑ
waluko waluko
Tnmvalue
Anoun, relational
side of ‹s.th.›
Anatomy
1legside of the waist, hip
waluko aelehip
seeutelethigh
Flora
2treebole, trunk, located between the base (utele) and the branches (elela)
waluko lurotrunk of a coconut tree
waluko ote [sago bole] k.o. drum
synonymoie▻①
Geo
3riverside, bank
Li-le li-te tetavene pon, ne waluko ero.They went to stay uphill over there, along the river.
synonymtevieside
Bnoun
Anatomy
side of the waist, hip
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.
waluko ote waluko ote noun
waluko ‘trunk’ + ote ‘sago’
Music
sago trunka membranophone drum made of a sago tree; not native from Vanikoro, but found in islands further West
waluluo waluluo noun, relational
Tnmalulua
bird+egg
Kulevelu ka i-ve waluluo tete.The fowl has laid three eggs.
~wamabu (i·)wamaᵐbu
Averb, intransitive
oblique constructionask permission (from s.o., teve)
Li-le li-wamabu teve ai’ iape me ete iape.They went to ask (permission) from her parents.
synonym~wateboask ‹a question›
see~ko wakoaccept
Bverb, transitive
transitive constructionask ‹s.o.› for permission, request
Li-wamabu uña teliki iakapa ne Vanikoro ka dapa teliki li-ko wako.They asked the chiefs on Vanikoro, and the chiefs accepted.
wamione wamione noun
Tnmwamimiane
Anatomy
bladder
wamione ie pwoipig bladder
wamtaka wamtaka wamitaka adjective
Lvnmekeñoko, mikiñoko
Tnmpilibine, vilibenge
plural senses.th.small – for a plurality of referents (opp. apilaka, ‘small: Singular’)
uña dameliko wamtakasmall children
Li-apilo vekai wamtaka, biouro iape nga ne!They made small puddings, but still they were as long as this!
Kape le-toe langasuo peini, ka nengele wamitaka.canoeYou cut out the big rail, and then the smaller pieces.
Kava li-totoe, li-wete me wamtaka.causative me ② ⓐYou dice up the kava, you grind it into small bits.
Savene, uña kiñe po li-vei ñi wamtaka tamwase.savene’ matsSavene mats have their fibers woven very delicately.
~wamu (i·)wamu
Averb, transitive
hide ‹s.th.› (from s.o., mina)
Ka a-wamu labaro 'none vele?Where did you hide my shoes?
~wamu piene verb-object idiom
hide speechtalk using cryptic words, in order to keep o.'s speech hard to understand for the casual hearer
Le-wamu piene mina dapa.Let's keep our discussion secret from them.
Bverb, reflexive
s.o.hide ‹oneself›, hide (from, mina ~ ñe)
Le-wamu kiapa ñe ini!Let's hide away from him!
Li-le li-wamu dapa ne pwa moe.They went to hide [lit. hide themselves] under a house.
see~sosofind shelter
~wañaka (i·)waɲaka verb, intransitive
Contraction of awa▻② + ini + ~aka ①▻③
be angry, upset (at s.o., ñe; for s.th., ñe)
U-wañaka ñ’ en’ ’tapu!Don't be angry at me!
I-wañaka ñe tanoe, we ae?I think he's upset about land issues, or what?
~wapio (i·)wapio
Lvn~so, ~vesu
Averb, transitive
1heap up, pile up ‹s.th.› in large amounts
Li-le li-toe longe ne ngogoro ka li-tabe li-kamai li-wapio i-vio ne moe.They went to chop firewood in the bush, then brought it back and piled it up in the house.
Waiero i-bo voko i-wapio.The waves have piled up the stones together.
Li-wapio viko li-lui kape le-puie li-kilasi tadoe adapa.ritualThey piled up shellmoney, and began invoking their gods.
2gather ‹people› in one place
Bverb, reflexive
reflexive constructiongather, meet, hold a meeting
Awis pine pe li-wapio kiapa li-vet' piene.Thank you for having gathered together to talk.
synonym~votei pienehold a meeting
~wapono (i·)wapono verb, transitive
reheat ‹food that has been previously cooked›
Li-wete mama ada; wako li-wapono.They pounded their (cooked) pudding, and proceeded to reheat it.
wasawa wasawa noun, relational
Lvnwarene
Tnmvasare
awa
Anatomy
throat
Wasawa i-meli.My throat aches.
synonymawa
~wasi (i·)wasi verb, transitive
1reveal ‹secret, knowledge+› to s.o. (ñe)
Kape u-wasi uña ngaten’ na po pi-wasi ñ’ eo na.You will reveal all those ideas that we just revealed to you.
Mat’ eo nara kape u-wasi ñe idi ’tapu.Be careful not to give (the secret) away.
Kape ne-lui me ne-wasi ñe dapa enone, Teanu.I will reveal (these dances) to my people on Teanu.
2different syntaxinform ‹s.o.› of s.th. (ñe), tell ‹s.o.› about s.th.
Ni-ko ne-wasi kaipa ñe Toplau mwa gete na.I wanted to tell you guys about the Men's Initiation house.
see~waivoinstruct, teach
~wasu (i·)wasu verb, transitive
1make ‹things› come back in order: tidy, straighten, fix ‹s.th.›
Ne-wasu ngaten' enaka i-vio.I'll tidy up my stuff.
2correct ‹mistakes›
U-wasu piene 'none.[fix my words] Please correct my mistakes.
3sort out ‹issues›, settle ‹conflict›
4arrange, organise ‹s.th.›
U-wasu kuo re u-min' ene.Please could you arrange for me a trip on that boat?
5slgfix ‹a girl›: arrange a romantic relationship with ‹a girl› on behalf of s.o.; betroth ‹a girl› to a boy
U-le u-wasu emele re u-min' ene![Go fix that girl for me] Please go and connect me with that girl!
Men' iape kape i-te ne toplau, ra basavono po kape ai' iape i-wasu emele i-min' ini.The son will live in the Men's house until the day when his father arranges a wife for him.
~wate1 (i·)wate verb, transitive
hit ‹s.th.› with a loud noise, bang on ‹s.th.›, using o.'s hands or feet
~wate tepapa ~viane tepapa verb-object idiom
Anthropology
bang on boardsstomp on the dancing boards (see tepapa): perform the main dance at the ngapiene festival
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.
see~pinoeperform traditional dance
~wate2 (i·)wate verb, transitive
point at ‹s.th., s.o.›, indicate
~watebo (i·)wateᵐbo verb, transitive
Tnm~wataba
1request ‹s.th.› (from s.o., ñe / teve), enquire about
Bwara le-ko le-watebo iepiene teve uña dapa wopine.We should rather enquire about those traditional stories from the elders.
2oblique constructionask a question (from s.o., ñe)
I-watebo ñe et' iape.He asked her mother.
Li-watebo ñei li-wamabu da, da ai’ iape me ete iape da la-ko: “O, wako!”They asked the question, put their request, and both parents said “It's alright.”
synonym~wamabuask ‹permission›
see~laiainianswer
watogobe watoᵑgoᵐbe noun
Architecture
tie-beam, horizontal piece of timber
watogobe peini tokolitie-beams supporting a raised floor structure
synonymwavilo
waviliro waviliro noun
POc*[qa]paliRAcanthurus
Fish
Lined surgeonfishAcanthurus lineatus.
wavilo wafilo noun
Architecture
piece of timber
wavilo peini tokolitie-beams supporting a raised floor structure
📘 Serves as the plural form of vilo.
synonymwatogobe
wavoro waforo noun
wa- ③ + voro ‘Hibiscus’
Flora
the burao plant, esp. insofar as parts of it are used for various functionsHibiscus tiliaceus.
📘 Its bark provides long strips that are made into kiñe tamate, the dancing costume worn together with tamate masks.
we1 we coordinator
Lvnwe
Tnmwe
or
Emele, we mwalkote?Is it a girl, or a boy?
Vao, we pe li-womanga?Is it wild, or tame?
Na toñaki we tepuke?Is it a European ship, or a Polynesian sailing canoe?
viñe teipu tete we tevathree or four cups
Mata ini i-ledi, we i-kae?Was he hungry or something?
we2 we possessive classifier
Lvna
Tnmwe, ana
Grammar
form of the possessive classifier used for food, tools, customary possessions etc. (enaka*), with a noun possessor
contrasts withie ②
see lexical list atenaka
1(food) for ‹s.o.›
none we poifood for the pig
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.
bavolo we Tangalo [lit. snapper for the god Tangalo] k.o. snapper
udo we tadoe [lit. bananas for Spirits] k.o. unedible banana
aero we anive [lit. shell for dugongs] amber
kasule we menuko [lit. vine for birds] k.o. creeper
ilo we uvilo [lit. Terminalia for rats] k.o. unedible fruit tree
2(tool) of ‹s.o.›
duduko we damalathe spyglass of the foreigners
wa bale we ⓖinio [lit. breadfruit used by Ginio] dancing rattles
3(language, customary knowledge+) of ‹s.o.›
uro we tongolukilosorcery held by the witch
webwe weᵐbʷe noun
Tnmvasewora
Fauna
1troca shellTrochus spp.
Toñaki iadapa i-ka i-sava webwe.Their ship used to come and buy troca shells (from the islanders).
Troca armbands: webwe.
Anthropology
2metonarmband worn by men during chiefly ceremonies, traditionally made of troca shell
Anthropology
3hencearmband worn by men during chiefly ceremonies or dances, and derived from a sago palm
Webwe i-vene i-wen' ne ma dapa; loko i-vio ne ma dapa; vilitoe i-vio ne viabasa dapa.dancersThey had armbands on their arms, scented leaves on their armbands; and white flowers in their hair.
Sago-leaf armbandswebwe
Webwe, li-le ne ngogoro li-la ba ote li-kamai; awoiu li-kai. Awoiu li-la kiñe tete peini ba ote ponu, awoiu ka li-vei webwe ñei. Li-vei awoiu, li-koene ne ma idi. Li-ovei pe li-la loko i-vio ene.
‘To make armbands, you go to the bush, find some sago palms (ba ote), and strip them into narrow bands. Then you take three of those bands, and weave them together into an armband. When it's finished, you can wear them on your arms. You can also stick loko leaves onto them.’
wele wele noun
Lvnwile
Tnmule
A canoe paddle (wele) from Vanikoro.
POc*pose
paddle, carved in wood
In’ na i-waivo idi pe li-bo vilo, kuo ngatene nga pon, wele, ngaten’ abia pon na…He's the one who taught us how to create things with wood, how to cut canoes, how to make paddles, all those things…
see lexical list atkuocanoe, boat
welero welero noun
Lvnulure
Birds
WhimbrelNumenius phaeopus.
~wene (i·)wene
Lvn~enu
Tnm~eno
POc*qenop
Averb, intransitive
1s.o.lie down, be lying
Ka i-mamei ponu ka i-maliawo ka i-wene teve.As she was feeling cold, she lit a fire and lay down beside it.
Van' ni-wene ni-botongo nara kape le-punuo ñi.I sleep on (my money) so nobody can steal it.
Nga mwaliko i-bu, le-iu ebele ini i-wene ne kie ini.When somebody dies, their body is buried [and lies] in a grave.
see~mokoiusleep
2s.th.be located somewhere, in whatever position
basa re po i-wen' iu rethe mountain that's lying over there
Okoro 'naka pon i-wene vele?So where's my knife?
Uña ngaten' enaka i-wene tev' iu re.My stuff (bags+) is up over there.
Kie dapa i-wene Paiu.Their graves are in Paiou.
📘 Animate subjects take ~te ③.
3gens.th.exist, be there
Bwoe baro nga na i-wene ne pwa motono.Hammerhead sharks like this live in the deep ocean.
Iuro i-wene.(this kind of canoe) it has a mast.
4hencecombined with possessed NPforms possessive predicates similar to Eng. ‘have’
Monon' enaka iote pine i-wene.[one big box of mine is there…] I've got a huge wooden trunk.
Temaka na, iepiene peini i-wene.This place has stories attached to it.
Bsecond verb, intransitive
1resultative serialisations.th.be located somewhere after having be displaced. Usually not translated
U-re i-wene!Leave that alone. [lit. you drop it, it lies]
La-wamu ne bonge iote i-wene pon.They hid (the treasure) in a cave. [lit. they hid it in a cave it's ‘lying’ there]
Ni-mui temamene 'none i-wene ne moe.I left behind my bag in the house.
2actiongo ahead, go on
derivativei-wene i-wene
i-wene i-wene construction
it stays it stayson and on, continuously; for a long time
Li-waivo ene i-wene i-wene.I keep learning every day.
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.
seera ① ⓐon and on, until
~wene moli (i·)wene moli ~wen’ moli verb, intransitive
~wene ‘lie’ + moli ‘unconstrained’
be-there unconstrainedbe easy (to s.o., teve)
Piene adapa i-wen’ moli, i-aiae tae!Their language is easy, it's not difficult.
Ni-lengi i-wen' moli.It's very easy to understand.
Matapiene pon, i-wene moli teve dapa.That life was so easy for them.
Nganae le-ko l-ajau, i-wene moli teve dapa.Whatever they wanted to do, was easy to them.
antonym~aiae
~wene teve (i·)wene teve ~wen’ teve construction
~wene ‘lie’ + teve ‘with’
be-there withbelong to ‹s.o.›. Forms possessive predicates equivalent to Eng. ‘have’
Sitoa i-wene tev' ai' one.[a store existed with my father] My father had a business.
Nganae awa dapa i-viaene, na, i-wen' teve dapa.ParadiseWhatever they want, they have it. [lit. it's there with them]
Dapa noma, uro we tongolukilo peini ngaten’ motoro i-wen’ tev’ dapa.Our ancestors used [lit. had with them] magic soot and magic leaves for important matters.
synonym~vio teve
~wete (i·)wete verb, transitive
Lvn~vele
Tnm~wo
violently push a long, hard object into ‹s.o., s.th.›: pierce, spear, stab, pound+
synonym~woi
see~tobo ⓑpoke, pierce
1spear ‹fish+›
li-wete namukogo fishing using a spear
synonym~ago
2shoot ‹s.o., s.th.› with arrow
Pe li-wete telupe, u-avi visone ka u-iui diro i-le i-wete ini.When you hunt [lit. shoot] pigeons, you bend your bow, and let the arrow fly and hit it.
3pound ‹s.o., s.th.› with the end of a long stick, or any similar implement
Vilisao i-abu i-abu i-wete toñaki ie Laperus pon i-metelu.The tornado came all the way down and pounded Lapérouse's ship, which sank immediately.
4drive ‹digging stick, ekuo› into the ground, to soften it when planting tubers
ekuo pe li-wete ñe tanoea digging stick [stick used to spear the ground]
Techniques
5in gardeningdig out ‹swamp taro, vivilo› by driving a digging stick into the ground; hence harvest
Vivilo li-wete ñe ekuo, li-wete li-kamai.Swamp taros, we dig them out with the digging stick, and take them home.
TechnAlocasia taros (vioe) are harvested by digging (Cf. ~ae ②); whereas Colocasia taros (jebute) are harvested by pulling (Cf. ~au ①).
see lexical list at~bi ①harvest
6in cookingpound ‹taros, almonds+› in a bowl, using a long and heavy pestle
I-tau jebute moioe ponu, i-loko i-ka i-le ne monone ka i-wete. I-wete awoiu ka i-ejau mama ada.Once the taro was cooked, she put it in a mortar and began to pound it. When she finished pounding it, she made the pudding.
Li-wete jebute li-wete vongoro awoiu pon, li-ejau mama.We mash taros, we crush almonds, and thus make the pudding.
~wete mama verb-object idiom
pound puddingprepare the mama pudding, by pounding cooked taros and Canarium almonds in a bowl (monone) with a pestle
Li-wete mama adapa.They prepared the pudding.
📘 This dish is prepared for important social occasions.
7grind ‹kava+› using a longish coral stone or a pestle
Li-wete kava awoiu ka li-vili.After grinding the kava, we squeeze it.
8pin ‹clothes, leaves+› using a needle or a small pointed stick
see~asaisew
~wete otovo verb-object idiom
Lvn~se walue
Tnm~so vaove
Techniques
pin sagoprepare the roofing of a house, by pinning together sago leaves
Li-wete otovo awoiu pon li-ejau telemoe.Once the thatch is finished, we make the house walls.
Otovo iupa ka tamwaliko, pi-tabo pi-wete kula motoe.Our roofing has been damaged, we are making [lit. pinning] a new one.
wido wiⁿdo noun
Lvniuda
POc*putun
Flora
Fish-poison treeBarringtonia asiatica.
wik wik noun
Engweek
week
I-la wik iune!It takes a whole week!
~wo1 (i·)wo verb, intransitive
run away, escape (from, mina)
P-aiu pe-wo pe-le ne ngogoro!Get up and run away to the bush!
Ba-wo etapu!Don't run away!
~wo2 (i·)wo verb, transitive
Lvn~vio
Tnm~wo
carry ‹basket, net+› on o.'s back, hanging from a strap put around forehead
Ni-wo topola 'none ne die 'ne.I'm carrying my bag on my back (hanging on my forehead).
📘 This way of carrying is typically used when coming back home from the gardens, whether to carry firewood or harvested food.
see lexical list at~labu
~wo3 (i·)wo verb, transitive
1count
2list, enumerate ‹several things›, mention one by one
Dapa li-wo enga dapa i-ka.They told out their names, one after the other.
La-tabo la-teli utele i-le la-wo enga temaka.Alright, let's start listing the placenames again.
3henceread
Ka a-wo awoiu?Have you read it?
~wo4 (i·)wo verb, intransitive
POc*puaq
plantbear fruit
Udo ono pe a-vo ka i-wo.The banana trees which you planted have already borne their fruits.
Vewo, basavono na mamote i-wo tae.The chestnuts haven't borne fruit yet.
seewa ①fruit
~woi (i·)woi verb, transitive
Tnm~eto
1stick ‹long object: knife+› into s.th.; thrust, drive in
Li-woi okoro ñe utedie ini.They stuck a knife in his back.
see~tobo ⓑpoke, pierce
2plant ‹manioc+› into the ground
Li-woi elela manioka.They planted a stock of manioc.
see~wowo ③plant tuber
3put up, erect ‹post+› by sticking it in ground
Blateno ponu li-woi ne mane.They have put up the ritual posts on the dancing area.
Dapa li-woi nuduro ne touro.They put up taboo signs (nuduro) on the seashore.
synonym~vo ②
4bang ‹body part› with a shock
Men' one i-tabau i-woi visibaele ini ne touro.My son fell down and hurt his knee on the reef.
Ni-woi basa ene li-asai.I banged by head, and it was stitched up.
5bang ‹heavy object› with a noise
~woi okoro pound bamboos on the ground, to make music
synonym~wete
~woi okoro (i·)woi okoro verb-object idiom
Music
pound bamboospound heavy bamboos vertically and repeatedly onto the ground, to mark bass rhythms while singing
Kape ba-woi okoro, bai-oburo ne mane.We shall pound the bamboos and sing songs, in the dancing area.
📘 Bamboos are especially played that way in a musical genre called buro bula okoro ‘songs for bamboos’. A handful of musicians are lined up in the centre of the village area (mane); as they pound the bamboos, they sing songs, to the sound of which the dancers dance around them.
woiote wojote locative
Lvnwaleka
Cf. iote ‘other; Indefinite’
1the day before yesterday
synonympepane iote
2the other day: any day in the past that can be accessed by memory
Woiote, keba Faithful ba-ioi teuko…The other day, I went fishing with Faithful…
~wokobe (i·)wokoᵐbe verb, transitive
welcome ‹traveller› upon their arrival, typic. on the beach
Teliki iadapa li-abu li-ka, li-wokobe da po la-sai kuo.The chiefs came down and welcomed them as they landed their canoe (on the beach).
woku woku noun
Birds
Red-bellied Fruit DovePtilinopus greyii.
woloko woloko noun
Flora
Red Ginger, k.o. plant with bright red flowers (Zingiberaceae)Alpinia purpurata.
wolowolo wolowolo noun
Motawolowoloacross; a cross
Christianity
a Christian cross
Li-vesu wolowoloerect a cross
Ngiro i-aka ponu ra ka i-vokoiu wolowolo pon, i-vokoiu ka i-tabau.The hurricane blew so hard that it destroyed the cross, and brought it down.
~womanga (i·)womaŋa verb, transitive
Lvn~wamanga
Tnm~wamanga
POc*maŋanfeed
give food to, feed ‹man, animal›
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.
pe li-womanga phrase
animal(one) which is fedtame, domestic
Vao, we pe li-womanga?Is (this animal) wild, or tame?
antonymvao
womoe womoe noun
Architecture
purlin: horizontal beam in the roof structure, situated half way up, between the stringpiece and the ridge beam (pumene)
📘 There are normally two such purlins on each side of the roof.
see lexical list atnengele moeelements of a house
wonone wonone noun
rarekinds of food: plural of none ‘food’
wonone pe li-ethe various types of food
wonge woŋe noun
Fish
boxfishOstraciidae spp.
wopine wopine adjective
Lvnevala
Tnmubwau
Pl. of pine
1plural senses.th.big, large (and numerous)
Ka ba wopine ponu!Look at those huge (taro) stalks!
ule uie wopine k.o. vine with large leaves
contrasts withpinebig: Singular
2s.o.older, adult (and numerous)
Dapa po li-kila emele, dapa wopine.Those who are married, the adults.
Daviñevi wopine li-ovei pe li-anu kava.Adult women are allowed to drink kava.
3implicitly masculines.o.great, of high rank (and numerous)
derivativedapa wopinegreat men, chiefs
woubo wouᵐbo noun
Tnmwouba
Flora
k.o. pandanusPandanus tectorius.
Dapa noma, li-ovei pe li-loko uie woubo pe le-vei bavede peini.People before used to weave sails out of pandanus leaves.
synonymkie
seevede
wowo1 wowo noun, relational
Lvnteme
top of ‹tree+›
wowo ierothe top of the Casuarina tree
~wowo2 (i·)wowo verb, intransitive
swim
Dapa kula ka li-bu ne revo, dapa kula li-wowo li-koie ne kulumoe.Some of them died in the sea, some others swam till they reached the island.
Li-wowo ñe viko iadapa.They swam with their treasures.
contrasts with~lebiebathe
~wowo3 (i·)wowo verb, transitive
Lvn~ngoa
Tnm~oa
plant ‹tuber, esp. yam› in the ground
li-wowo uoyam planting
None pon, ini ñepe pe i-ta, pe li-wowo tae.This kind of yam grows on its own, it is not planted.
see~teli
~wowo4 (i·)wowo verb, transitive
1draw ‹water, salt water› in a bamboo (jokoro)
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.
2bail out ‹water› from a boat
Ni-wowo revo i-ke mina lema kuo.I'm bailing out the (sea) water from inside the canoe.
woworo woworo noun
Flora
k.o. lawyer-cane or rattanCalamus sp.
seemoboro