Wand Tuan wand puate: Yumbo yumbo buagi raqe wund

452 Pages·2005·1.35 MB·English

Wand Tuan Wand Puate
Kamasau Language Dictionary
Wand Tuan
Wand Tuan Wand Puate:
Yumbo Yumbo Buagi Raqe Wund
As tok bilong Tok Ples Wand Tuan
Kamasau Practical Tri-glot Dictionary
Compiled by Arden & Joy Sanders
Edited by Simon Amu & Ignas Amu
Artwork by Augustine Womosa
Checked by a committee of Wand Tuan speakers
Kamasau Language
Wand Tuan
400 copies
This publication was made possible by a
grant from SIL
Published 1996
Printed by the SIL Printing Department
Ukarumpa, E.H.P., Papua New Guinea
ISBN 9980-0-1673-6
Illustrations:
Most of the artwork was done by Augustine Womosa, Tring, East Sepik Province.
Bird pictures without the initials “AW”, however, are photocopied from the colour plates of Birds
of New Guinea (1986) by permission of Dale A. Zimmerman and the Princeton University Press.
Contents
CONTENTS..........................................................................................................................................
PREFACE.............................................................................................................................................
GUIDE TO THE DICTIONARY.......................................................................................................
GRAMMAR..........................................................................................................................................
DICTIONARY OF WAND TUAN....................................................................................................
A a........................................................................................................................................................
B b........................................................................................................................................................
Ch ch....................................................................................................................................................
D d........................................................................................................................................................
E e.........................................................................................................................................................
G g........................................................................................................................................................
Gh gh....................................................................................................................................................
I i..........................................................................................................................................................
J j..........................................................................................................................................................
K k........................................................................................................................................................
M m......................................................................................................................................................
Mb mb..................................................................................................................................................
N n........................................................................................................................................................
Nd nd....................................................................................................................................................
Ng ng....................................................................................................................................................
Nj nj......................................................................................................................................................
Ny ny....................................................................................................................................................
O o........................................................................................................................................................
P p.........................................................................................................................................................
Q q........................................................................................................................................................
R r.........................................................................................................................................................
S s.........................................................................................................................................................
T t.........................................................................................................................................................
U u........................................................................................................................................................
V v........................................................................................................................................................
W w......................................................................................................................................................
Y y........................................................................................................................................................
INDICES...............................................................................................................................................
English to Kamasau (segi) Index.........................................................................................................
Tok Pisin to Segi Index.......................................................................................................................
Ghini to Segi Index..............................................................................................................................
Hagi to Segi Index...............................................................................................................................
Soigi to Segi Index...............................................................................................................................
Scientific Words..................................................................................................................................
Preface
This tri-glot dictionary includes primary entries in the Kamasau Language (Wand Tuan) along
with Tok Pisin and English meanings. This language is used by approximately 700 speakers who
live in the East Sepik Province, Papua New Guinea. Another 100 live in the towns of Lae, Madang
and Mount Hagen.
Tok i go pas
Dispela diksunari em i bilong tok ples Kamasau. Dispela tok ples i gat klostu long 700 manmeri.
Ol i stap long East Sepik Province. Sapos yu ritim wanpela hap tok long tok ples Kamasau, yu ken
lukim tu as bilong en long Tok Inglis na long Tok Pisin. O sapos yu laik, yu ken i go long narapela
hap long beksiat long buk na painim hap tok long Tok Pisin na long Tok Inglis, na em i givim
dispela hap tok long tok ples Kamasau.
Wand ye wuwo kin
Wand Tuan Wand Puate kin buk wen ni Wand Tuan pe kin. Buk wen nde pe yumbo buagi ni
nyamb rise. Nu wand puch ire Wand Tuan pe gudoq pudi nu puate oghine nei guab segi, tedi nu
buk wen nde pe meri nduw tuqui. Di wand buagi Wand Tuan pe kin ni puate te Tok Pisin di Inglis
pe anene rise. Wand ninge aye wen nde ane rise ye te nu ghav runduw di nu wand puate nei ghamb
kin tuqui.
Guide to the Dictionary

Each entry may include the following items:
1. A key word appears in bold type. The verbs are listed under the third person masculine
singular form, for example, nandi, ‘he comes’. For family terms like moyu, ‘(my) mother’,
related terms are also included, for example, kumo ‘his mother’ and numo ‘your mother.’
Some words have a different spelling in square brackets, [ ], following the key word. This
shows the way the word is pronounced. This is included where “i” and “ngg” occur. The letter
“i” in Wand Tuan represents but the sound “i” and the sound “i”. The letter sequence “ng”
stands for “ng”, as in singing, and also for “ngg”, as in finger. Some entries include a capital
letter at the end of the word in the pronunciation guide. This shows that the vowel is spoken
very softly, without using the vocal chords, for example, chair [charI]. In some Ghini entries,
the letter ‘t’ represents a ‘t’ said with the tongue on the teeth instead of on the roof of the
mouth. These are represented by [th]. For a further explanation of the sounds and the alphabet
of the Kamasau Language see number 11 in section, “Pronunciation Guide”.
2. Parts of speech are included in very small, raised type for teachers and students. Abbreviations
for parts of speech are:
adj adjective, describes a noun
adv adverb, describes an action
conj conjunction, shows the relationship between two parts of a sentence: and, but, if
dem demonstrative, specifies which thing: this, that
n noun, names a person place or thing
num number
part particle, a small word with grammatical importance
pro pronoun, takes the place of a noun: he, it
v verb, action word
vi intransitive verb, does not need an object
vt transitive verb, needs an object

3. The meaning of the key word is given in English. Some entries include a comment to make
the meaning clearer. Collins Cobuild Essential English Dictionary was the key source in
deciding on the English definitions. If a word has several English meanings, these are
numbered and listed separately. If another Wand Tuan word is a synonym, or close in
vi
meaning to the entry word, the entry also indicates this. For example, chuqapi no it
shrivels (See also mese namb, qo rip).
4. The meaning in Tok Pisin is included in most entries, following a semi-colon after the English
definition. If not included, it was due to difficult in determining an equivalent expression. This
was especially true for types of plants and animals. The Tok Pisin definitions were suggested
by a committee of Wand Tuan speakers, and reflect Tok Pisin as used by members of the
Kamasau community. Tok Pisin spellings given in The Jacaranda Dictionary and Grammar
of Melanesian Pidgin were followed as much as possible.
5. Dialect information is included after the entry word when the other dialect differs from the
Segi dialect. “Gh:” stands for the Ghini dialect, spoken in Ibab, Wandomi, and Wobu villages.
“H:” stands for the Hagi dialect, spoken in Kenyari village. “So:” stands for the Soigi dialect,
spoken in Kamasau and Murai villages. The entry words are in the Segi dialect, spoken in
Tring and Wau villages. For example,
n
suwo bamboo, type that can be eaten; liklik mambu bilong kaikai
Gh: tuwo; H: huwo; So: singaw [singaw].
When the expression in one of the other three dialects is the same as that used in the Segi
dialect, information for that dialect is not listed separately.
6. Examples are given to demonstrate different areas of meaning. First the Kamasau phrase or
sentence is given in italic type, then the meaning in English using regular type. For example:
Ni ngaim Maikel abo wundig. She rebuked her husband Michael.
7. Idioms and derived expressions are listed in bold type. If there are dialect variants of an idiom,
the variants are labelled by dialect as described in number 5 above, and written in italic type.
For example, under buany, “sugarcane,” is the following entry:
buany tuase: it has a lot of very sweet liquid; waitpela suga
H: buany tuha; So: maqaw
8. “KT” indicates a Key Biblical Term which has been used in translating the New Testament,
and gives the English meaning of the Key Term. These Key Terms are given in all capital
letters, for example,
KT- WAND PUAQ NINDIG: He forgives him.
9. This dictionary includes pictures to illustrate cultural items, to help identify types of birds and
other animals, and to add interest. Augustine Womosa, a Kamasau-language speaker, did most
of the artwork. The label “AW” occurs next to the bird pictures that he drew. Most of the bird
pictures came from Birds of New Guinea by Bruce Beehler, Thane Pratt, and Dale
Zimmerman. Entries illustrated by pictures taken from that book include a notation of a colour
plate number and a bird number on the cited colour plate. For example, the notation (PL39#3)
in the entry wapi ambedurengyi indicates colour plate number 39, bird number 3, the
Lowland Peltops. Scientific names do not appear in the main entries, but, where known, they
are in the "Index to Scientific Names." Some of the bird pictures were touched up, because the
drawing of some of the birds overlapped on the colour plates, and because contrast suffered by
photocopying into black and white. The interested reader should consult the original book.
These birds were not identified by an ornithologist, but by speakers of the language looking at
the pictures in the colour plates. Their identification was confirmed by reading the
descriptions of habits and ranges of the birds. They could not identify some birds with
certainty. These may represent new species that have not yet been classified.
10. At the end of the dictionary several indices are included in the following order:
English to Kamasau (Segi dialect);
Tok Pisin to Kamasau (Segi dialect);
Ghini to Segi;
Hagi to Segi;
Soigi to Segi;
Scientific Names.
If you know the English or Tok Pisin expression, you can look up that word in the “English to
Kamasau” or “Tok Pisin to Kamasau” index and find the Kamasau (Segi dialect) equivalent.
If you know the word in the Ghini, Hagi, or Soigi dialect, you can look up that word in the
appropriate index to find the Segi word.
11. Pronunciation Guide to the Kamasau Language Alphabet. Small, raised numbers in the
following chart refer to notes given after the chart.
Letter Kamasau word English meaning Examples with this sound in:
Tok Pisin English
a tami “string bag” papa also
b bobo “aunt” banana banana
ch char “jungle” //not found// church
d dabo “bush” daunbilo down
e ede “shelf, bed” bet bed
f //loans only// faiv five
g wuge “sago” givim give
gh 1 ghati snake //not found// //not found//
h 2 hami “string bag” haus house
i iny “hair, fur” liklik feet
i 3 kime “nose” //not found// //not found//
j jebe “shelf” Jun June
k ko “I go” kam king
l //loans only// longpela long
m moyu “my mother” mama mother
mb imbiski “louse/lice” mambu bamboo
n nandi “he come” nau now
nd ndig ruso “it gets stuck” Mande Monday
sinde “torch”
ng 4 nginy “sun” singsing sing
gang “old person”
ng 5 mange “limb” pinga finger
nying “grass skirt” //not found// sink
nj njoqu “black palm” //not found// orange
ny 6 nyoq “egg” //not found// //not found//
o obo “crotan” nogat no
p 7 pu “pig” //not found// //not found//
q 8 quayi “man” //not found// //not found//
puqo “breadfruit”
paq “we eat”
r 9 ruso “they go” ran //not found//
s sare “vine” sik sick
t tami “string bag” tupela two
u nu “you (one) nupela noose, new
v 10 veri “enemy” //none// //none//
w wuye “water” wara water
y yari “sago swamp” yupela you
1 This sound is a fricative ‘g’. The sound is made with the back of the tongue. Air comes
out as in saying the letter ‘h’.
2 This sound is found only in the Hagi dialect.
3 Both ‘i’ and ‘i’ are written as ‘i’ in many books, but the Primers and some books used the ‘i’ as
well. The ‘i’ is a mid-central vowel half-way between ‘i’ and ‘u’, pronounced while smiling.
4 This is a nasal sound made at the back of the throat, a velar nasal.
5 This nasasl sound is also made at the back of the throat, but it has a harder sound. It is called a
prenasalised velar stop.
6 This is the same alveopalatal nasal sound found in Spanish, piñata.
7 This sound is a fricative ‘p’ which is like a ‘p’ but the air comes out while the lips are close
together, instead of stopping as in the English ‘p’.
8 ‘Q’ represents glottal stop. To make this sound the glottis at the back of the throat closes very
briefly. This sound is usually dropped in the Ghini dialect. Every English word which begins with
a vowel starts with a glottal stop, but it is not written because it always occurs.
9 This is a flapped ‘r’ made with the tip of the tongue. It is sometimes spoken as an ‘l’.
10 This sound is a fricative ‘b’. It is between the English ‘v’ and ‘w’. The lips are held together
almost like in the ‘b’, but the air comes out as the sound is being made.
Grammar
The Kamasau Language, or Wand Tuan as speakers of the language call it, is part of the
Marienberg Language Family in the Torricelli Phylum. Wand Tuan shares some features with
other Torricelli Phylum languages, including how the reality of a statement is expressed. If a
speaker is certain an event will take place, the particle ye is used to show that. For example:
Nge ko ye. I will certainly go.
Nge kaq ye. I will eat it.
If the speaker is uncertain about an event, he will use the particle bri. For example:
Ni no bri? Will he perhaps go?
Ni bri no? Is he the one who will go?
Wand Tuan can also show certainty by using the particle bu, both in questions in which a “yes”
answer is expected and in reason-result statements. For example:
Nu wuny mbe bu kuo? Are you really going to the garden?
Nge mir gad pre bu muq nge mir kuregh segi.
I already ate, so now I am not hungry.
The verbs do not show tense, the time when an event occurs. Rather, Wand Tuan shows tense
using time words. For example:
Nge prangi ko ye. I will go tomorrow.
Kambe ko segi. I did not go yesterday.
Muq ko yamb. I am about to go now.
Speakers of Wand Tuan show repeated or continuous action by repeating the verb, for example,
Ni muq nandi nandi. He is coming now.
Ni buk nuqond nuqond nas. He is reading a book.
Ni mir wase wuwo wuwo yequ . She is cooking food.
The parts of speech, with their abbreviations are listed in the Guide to the Dictionary (page 6
above). The following brief description gives more details.
Adjectives are words that describe a noun. They usually follow the noun they describe:
wuti yumbui the big man
wute quan many men.
If two adjectives describe the same noun, one is usually used in a relative clause, using kin:
nyombui yumbui quem kin the big dog that is white
Adverbs are words that modify or describe a verb or adjective. Nganye is an adjective meaning
‘true,’ but when it modifies another adjective it means ‘truly’ or ‘very,’ as in, wuye yumbui