Kapingamarangi English

n. white and purple flower plant

Speaker: Howartson Heinrich

blood clot

Source: Lieber & Dikepa 1974,

n. white-edged lyretail; yellow-edged lyretail

Scientific name: Aetobatus narinari; Variola louti,
Speaker: Howartson Heinrich

defecate (shit)

Speaker: Howartson Heinrich

vi. defecate

Source: Lieber & Dikepa 1974,

fish species

Source: Lieber & Dikepa 1974,

n. mollusk sp.

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

n. octopi in general

Speaker: Howartson Heinrich

bulging or hilly

Source: Lieber & Dikepa 1974,

vt. pull; drag

Source: Lieber & Dikepa 1974,

vt. pray

Source: Lieber & Dikepa 1974,

n. eldest child

Source: Lieber & Dikepa 1974,

adj. never enough

Source: Lieber & Dikepa 1974,

adj. unable to stand (e.g. in high tide)

Source: Lieber & Dikepa 1974,

adj. to grow poorly, unable to grow

Source: Lieber & Dikepa 1974,

which

Speaker: Howartson Heinrich

trawling

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

Source: Lieber & Dikepa 1974,

n. moorish idol

Scientific name: Zanclus cornutus

poorly balanced

Source: Lieber & Dikepa 1974,

tired

Speaker: Howartson Heinrich

n. ladder, stairway

Source: Lieber & Dikepa 1974,

laugh

n. intestines

copra dried in the wind

Source: Lieber & Dikepa 1974,

v. wash self

wash hair

white sand

Source: Lieber & Dikepa 1974,

n. soil

Source: Lieber & Dikepa 1974,

disk-like sand particle

Source: Lieber & Dikepa 1974,

n. mud

reef flat

Source: Lieber & Dikepa 1974,

v. be somewhat fast

Speaker: Howartson Heinrich

n. rocks for pounding

vt. cause to sink, accidentally or temporarily

Source: Lieber & Dikepa 1974,

vi. stumble

vi. be similar

vt. add more coconut meat

vt. rock back and forth

vt. to try to formulate (e.g., an idea or plan)

Source: Lieber & Dikepa 1974,

vt. scream periodically

vi. be quiet

at. to tangle up

Source: Lieber & Dikepa 1974,

vt. form a crowd

vt. to stagger under a weight or when very sleepy

Source: Lieber & Dikepa 1974,

vt. to approach circumspectly; gingerly

Source: Lieber & Dikepa 1974,

v. be very fast

Speaker: Howartson Heinrich

to accumulate school of fish by feeding them, to attract by baiting

Source: Lieber & Dikepa 1974,

vt. move with the extremeties spread out

an islet of Kapinga Atoll (uninhabited)

Source: Buck 1950, Speaker: Howartson Heinrich

n. evening

Speaker: Howartson Heinrich

phrase good evening

n. appendage; fin

Source: Lieber & Dikepa 1974,

n. fish fin

n. flower of the Clerodendrum inerme

Example: Photo by Lauren Gutierrez February 4, 2012 via Flickr License: CC BY-ND 2.0

Scientific name: Clerodendrum inerme,
Source: Lieber & Dikepa 1974,

very near

n. armpit hair

n. sponge

n. mirror

swimming

Stick used for pushing the boat out

n. sea green wrasse; dragon wrasse

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

n. thorn branch

vi. heat up

v. speak

vi. shake one’s head

Meek in spirit

Source: Lieber & Dikepa 1974,

n. perfume

Source: Lieber & Dikepa 1974,

n. red warrior ant

Speaker: Howartson Heinrich

v. shake

n. club used for beating fish

Source: Lieber & Dikepa 1974,

n. six-blotch hind

Scientific name: Cephalopholis sexmaculata,
Speaker: Howartson Heinrich

n. short jawed bonefish

Scientific name: Albula glossodonta,
Speaker: Howartson Heinrich

n. starfish

Example: Photo by NOAA Photo Library September 24, 2010 via Flickr License: CC BY 2.0

Scientific name: Asteroidea sp.,
Speaker: Howartson Heinrich

n. open area around the house

Source: Lieber & Dikepa 1974,

worm

Speaker: Howartson Heinrich

insect

Speaker: Howartson Heinrich

once upon a time, first time

phrase a double hook

an islet of Kapinga Atoll (uninhabited)

Source: Buck 1950, Speaker: Howartson Heinrich

eat

Speaker: Howartson Heinrich

n. chin

Source: Lieber & Dikepa 1974,

To chew or masticate

Source: Lieber & Dikepa 1974,

v. crumple

sit down

n. maternal grandmother

Speaker: Howartson Heinrich

scraping soda can on table noise

noise of multiple claps

n. a three pronged fishing spear

famine

Source: Lieber & Dikepa 1974,

Skirt

happy

Speaker: Howartson Heinrich

personal name of a Kapinga man who lived in the first half of the 20th century.

Source: Buck 1950, Speaker: Howartson Heinrich

an islet of Kapinga Atoll (one of only two that is inhabited)

Source: Buck 1950, Speaker: Howartson Heinrich

n. place name: heavily populated central islet

Source: Lieber & Dikepa 1974,

youngest sister

Speaker: Howartson Heinrich

n. long line for bottom fishing

Source: Lieber & Dikepa 1974,

burned

Speaker: Howartson Heinrich

noun bark

Speaker: Howartson Heinrich

shouting