Kapingamarangi English

adj. brilliant (used only with the color red)

Source: Lieber & Dikepa 1974,

earing

Source: Lieber & Dikepa 1974,

n. blue sky

Source: Lieber & Dikepa 1974,

defecate (shit)

Speaker: Howartson Heinrich

grown soft

Source: Lieber & Dikepa 1974,

n. basket made with coconut leaves with carrying handle

Source: Lieber & Dikepa 1974,

n. prepared food; raw soft breadfruit mixed with water

Source: Lieber & Dikepa 1974,

n. mollusk sp.

Scientific name: Atactodea sp.,
Source: Lieber & Dikepa 1974,

n. octopi in general

Speaker: Howartson Heinrich

vi. octopus

Source: Lieber & Dikepa 1974,

Shiver

tooth brush

Source: Lieber & Dikepa 1974,

n. hard working man, especially a fisherman

Source: Lieber & Dikepa 1974,

vt. wrestle

Source: Lieber & Dikepa 1974,

adj. never enough

Source: Lieber & Dikepa 1974,

adj. continuous

Source: Lieber & Dikepa 1974,

adj. to grow poorly, unable to grow

Source: Lieber & Dikepa 1974,

adj. forgetful, absent-minded

Source: Lieber & Dikepa 1974,

adj. knotty (wood), having many bumps (of a tree)

Source: Lieber & Dikepa 1974,

n. scissors

Source: Lieber & Dikepa 1974,

n. mother

Source: Lieber & Dikepa 1974,

natural mother

Source: Lieber & Dikepa 1974,

vt. kindle (fire)

Source: Lieber & Dikepa 1974,

poorly balanced

Source: Lieber & Dikepa 1974,

n. ladder

Source: Lieber & Dikepa 1974,

wash hair

wash someone

n. green sea turtle

Example: Photo by prilfish July 20, 2011 via Flickr License: CC BY 2.0

Scientific name: Chelonia mydas,
Speaker: Howartson Heinrich

fish innards

Source: Lieber & Dikepa 1974,

sand

Source: Lieber & Dikepa 1974,

phrase we eat together for dinner

n. grass

Speaker: Howartson Heinrich

n. plant

Example: Photo by Forest and Kim Starr February 12, 2001 via Flickr License: CC BY 2.0

Scientific name: Fimbristylis cymosa,
Source: Lieber & Dikepa 1974,

v. be somewhat fast

Speaker: Howartson Heinrich

adj. filthy, disgusted (with smelly objects like feces)

Source: Lieber & Dikepa 1974,

chest

Speaker: Hawortson Heinrich

snore

set on fire

first light of the moon or sun

Source: Lieber & Dikepa 1974,

vt. distort

vt. add more coconut meat

vt. to add more coconut meat

Source: Lieber & Dikepa 1974,

vt. to squint

Source: Lieber & Dikepa 1974,

vt. accumulate goods

vt. to purposely sink or submerge (and leave submerged for some time)

Source: Lieber & Dikepa 1974,

ai. swelling periodically

Source: Lieber & Dikepa 1974,

vt. screaming periodically

Source: Lieber & Dikepa 1974,

vt. always keeping someone company

Source: Lieber & Dikepa 1974,

vt. always lying (someone) on a pillow

Source: Lieber & Dikepa 1974,

vt. tidy, to keep clean

Source: Lieber & Dikepa 1974,

vt. to stagger under a weight or when very sleepy

Source: Lieber & Dikepa 1974,

v. be very fast

Speaker: Howartson Heinrich

at. to put coconut cream into (e.g., food)

Source: Lieber & Dikepa 1974,

fish:white marlin

Source: Lieber & Dikepa 1974,

n. manta ray

Scientific name: Manta alfredi,
Speaker: Howartson Heinrich

carving/scraping noise

n. lionfish in general; red lionfish

Scientific name: Pterois volitans,
Speaker: Howartson Heinrich

adj. skinny

vi. look around

shark’s first dorsal fin

Speaker: Howartson Heinrich

near

n. blacktip reef shark

Scientific name: Carcharhinus melanopterus,
Speaker: Howartson Heinrich

n. hair not on the head

both

Speaker: Howartson Heinrich

beard

n. kidney

Source: Lieber & Dikepa 1974,

vt. carrying

Source: Lieber & Dikepa 1974,

vt. spreading the news, gossip

Source: Lieber & Dikepa 1974,

n. sponge

Stick used for pushing the boat out

n. sea green wrasse; dragon wrasse

Scientific name: Novaculichthys macrolepidotus; Novaculichthys taeniourus,
Speaker: Howartson Heinrich

roasted

n. shouting wood used for making houses on Kapinga atoll

Run

vi. shake one’s head

name of coral head in Kapinga lagoon

Speaker: Howartson Heinrich

n. six-blotch hind

Scientific name: Cephalopholis sexmaculata,
Speaker: Howartson Heinrich

n. hurricane lantern

Source: Lieber & Dikepa 1974,

dull

Speaker: Howartson Heinrich

n. mother

Speaker: Howartson Heinrich

n. bird

Example: Photo by tropical.pete September 28, 2007 via Flickr License: CC BY-SA 2.0

Source: Lieber & Dikepa 1974,

an islet of Kapinga Atoll (uninhabited)

Source: Buck 1950, Speaker: Howartson Heinrich

vi. urinate

n. a fiber of coconut husk

Source: Lieber & Dikepa 1974,

n. zero

Source: Lieber & Dikepa 1974,

n. eyeball

Source: Lieber & Dikepa 1974,

vomit

n. three pointed fishing spear

priest

Speaker: Howartson Heinrich

n. guardian

n. hungry whine

n. branching coral

Speaker: Howartson Heinrich

n. double lined mackerel

Scientific name: Grammatorcynos bilineatus,
Speaker: Howartson Heinrich

Box

Skirt

vi. happy, be

Source: Lieber & Dikepa 1974,

sister-in-law

Speaker: Howartson Heinrich

elder sister

Speaker: Howartson Heinrich

n. post supporting a house

floating