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Dictionaries ofofof Papua New Guinea Volume 9. Compiled by James and Anne Henderson ROSSEL LANGUAGE Milne Bay Province Rossel to English English to Rossel Summer Institute of Linguistics Ukarumpa E.H.P., Papua New Guinea This publication was made possible by a grant from the USWO Literacy Fund Published 1987 revised edition 1999 Printed by the S.I.L. Printing Department Ukarumpa, E.H.P., Papua New Guinea ISBN 9980-0-2212-4 English Preface This is a dictionary of the language spoken by the 5000 people of Rossel Island in the Milne Bay Province of Papua New Guinea. The first section of the book lists Rossel words and expressions with their English translations, and the second part of the book has the same material, but with the English translations first and the Rossel words after them. We are very grateful to the people of the Jinjo area of Rossel Island, who involved us in their activities and taught us their language. We want to thank especially Gregory Mebe, Isidore Yidika and John Lamonga for their help in preparing this dictionary. Without their long hours of patient work this book could not have been written. This publication is intended for use by the Rossel people themselves. For linguists interested in the grammar of the Rossel language, another version of the dictionary is available from the authors in computer printout form, which also includes codes that indicate the grammatical classes to which the verb roots belong. A note is in order concerning the roots of Rossel verbs. Verbs listed with meanings ending in "-ing" are continuous roots, while others are punctiliar. Some punctiliar verbs have different roots, depending on the tense of the action. Those marked with "[wunê]" are the roots used for remote past actions, while the unmarked roots are used in the other tenses. For example, mumu "seeing" is the root used with continuous actions, módu "see [wunê] / saw [wunê]" is the root used with remote past actions and m:uu "see" is the root used in other tenses. A few verbs have a "strong" root which is the same as the normal punctiliar root, but which is not marked with any verb ending as remote past. These verb roots are marked with [ma, wunê] to show that the same root is used for remote past as the other tenses, but without marking the remote with ngê or wo as a "weak" verb root would be marked. 3 Problems also arise with marking who owns something. In the western dialect, "your thing" is marked with nyi before the thing, but in the eastern dialect, the thing's name is changed so its first sound becomes a nasal continuant. The eastern dialect is written in the examples in this book, and to help speakers of the western dialect, the first letter of the possessed word is underlined. For example: Thing's name Western Eastern kee nyi kee ngee d: nyi d: n: taa nyi taa naa p:aa nyi p:aa m:aa kpm nyi kpm ngmm dpodo nyi dpodo nmodo tp:ee nyi tp:ee nm:ee km:oo nyi km:oo ngm:oo Rossel – English p. 5 English – Rossel p. 108 4 a ch:aa A - a a - my angênté? - how? A kêê d chopwo, taa ngê. I angêntoo? - how big? cut my hand with my bush knife. anté? - when? a - towards someone Anté tuwo loo? When did he A nuw:e. Bring it to me. go? ala - this anyi? - where? ala ntoo as big as this anyi d angêw:êê - forever Ala lukwe? What's this? (very apê - either, or close) - he said ala y:i Also: al:ii . apii? - agreed? (Isn't that so? - here Don't you agree?) ala ngwo - now apu - he says alanté - like this apuu! - don't do that! Amdondi - man's name até - straight away, immediately amêma - on the way here Mdoo u kwo n yu, até yi amê pee - on this side loo. I told him the news, then he a nêni Also: a nani . went straight away. - mine awêde - today angêndy: - how long? angênê? - where? Ch - ch cha - couple, man and wife Ka nté ka chaa té. They're chaa - reef cooking food in a ground oven. chaa kwodo outside the reef chaa See: chap . chaa - showing off - tear something, split something Namê chaa. Stop showing off. Nangê chaa. Don't tear it. chaa pyu a show-off ch:aa - lime stick, lime spatula nté ka chaa - cooking with hot stones Yélî dnye kópu dé 5 ch:aa che Ch:aa, mbwo tpapê u tpile. chapê - tree type A lime stick is used when Chapê nênê tuu chewing betel nut. mb:aamb:aa. Chapê flowers - poisonous tree smell good. ch:aa - leading people chapê - tree type Chi ch:aa. Take the lead. We'll - bagi necklace follow. Chaapwaa - village name - multiplying chaa pyu - seagull Tp ch:aa pee dê u kwo dê ch - felled trees, garden rubbish pwii kn. He's foaming at the ch: Also: dny: . mouth. - yoke chaachaa - multiplying, - stick for choking a pig becoming many chch - respecting someone, Chaachaanuwo - village name observing (a law), worshipping chaa kgha - praising someone Pi kn y:oo lémi a chch cha lê - you came (to-day) tumo. People respect the big ch:am - important woman, lady men. Mw:k a lémi ch:ama. - swimming Ladies and Gentlemen! chngo See: ch:em . Chaambê - village name - load something inside a ch:amê - distinguish things container [wunê] - separate things Nee k:oo n chngo. I put it U kakêmê a ka ch:amê ngi. - in the canoe. Explain it to me. chngo - eat complementary ch:anê - evoke pity, evoke mercy foods together U kwo nm ch:anê dniye. Km:ii wédi nyi chngo dé. He had pity on us or felt sorry Eat coconut and sago together. for us. chpu ngi - respect him chap Also: chap . ch yi - prohibition, taboo mark - splitting something che - edible fungus km:ii chap making copra Che, yi p p:uu a kwo. yedê chap splitting vines Nté. Che is an edible fungus kn: chap - beginning (an that grows on tree trunks. activity), starting (an activity) che - digging (a post hole) 6 Nt:uu kópu dyuu u puku dmi ché chépi ché See: ch:em . chedêchedê chedêchedê - - load something inside a destroy something completely, container wipe something out Nee k:oo dê ché ngmê. They Ndê ngê nd, chedêchedê put it in the canoe. chedê ngê. The fire burned it. - dig It was completely destroyed. ché - tendency to move - spend some days Anka nt:uu ngê nkéli u ché )o pyile y:i nm chedê wunê tpee ngê. The anchor ngê. We spent three days there. holds the ship from moving. - pour out, waste U ché daapêdê tpo. There A koo nangê chedê. Don't was no stopping him. use up all my lime or Don't spill ch:ee Also: ch:êê . my lime. - complementary food chedê - beside, by, near Mbwêmê u ch:ee k:aa n:aa Ndoo chedê yey. Sit by the kuwo. I'm going to eat some fire. taro with my pork. - hull side, not outrigger side ch:ee - cook Nee chedê pee anyi kepe. - borrow (something), ask Y:aa pee doo u nt. You permission, give permission paddle a canoe on the side away A ka dp ch:ee ngi. You'll from the outrigger. have to ask my permission. chedêchedê y:amy:am - - condemn someone to death steering safely between the ch:eech:ee - cooking reefs, guiding someone in life N:aa nté ch:eech:ee. I'm Chedê yuwo - village name going to cook the food. ch:em - loading something inside - asking permission a container Nama a ch:eech:ee. Don't Nee k:oo n:aa ch:em. I'll put bother asking permission. it in the canoe. ched:a - become finished Cheme - village name Lm k:ii ngê wa ched:a. It'll ché p: pee - second in be finished very soon. command, helper chedê - finish something chépi See: chap . - split it Yélî dnye kópu dé 7 chepwe chipé chepwe See: chopwo . K dmd a tp:ee u y:eem - cut it in two p:uu. Knm ch:ii ngê. That ch:êê Also: ch:ee . girl is engaged to my son. - complementary food ch:ii - grate something Mbwêmê u ch:êê k:aa n:aa Km:ii wanyinê ch:ii? Ka. kuwo. I'm going to eat some Nnê ch:iich:ii. Will you grate taro with my pork. a coconut? O.K. I'll grate it. Chêdamgaa - man's name ch:ii - beat someone in a chêêl - flood water, muddy water competition, defeat someone chêêl - belittle someone's ch:iich:ii - grating something resources, bypass someone as km:ii ch:iich:ii coconut- inadequate grating chênê - nephew (a man's sister's ch:iich:ii Also: t:iit:ii . son) - grating coconut ch:ên - hand of bananas Kpee, km:ii ch:iich:ii u ch:êên - shallow water in the tpile. lagoon, sand-bank chik - tree type (very hard wood) ch:êên - be cooked km:ii nmyii u chik - husking Nté dê ch:êên. The food is stick for coconuts cooked. chili dimi - raising something chêêp - stone Liyé u chili m:uu dini. Raise chêêp kaa - stone platform for the sail a bit more. sitting on - honouring someone, praising chêêp kpiyé - rock, boulder someone chii - bush, rain forest A chili kidimên:aa dimi. - snare for catching bush hens Stop praising me up. - presence chimi - clam type, that grows U chii daa kwo. There's no inside the coral sign of him.