Kapingamarangi English

n. fence, wall of a house

Source: Lieber & Dikepa 1974,

n. white and purple flower plant

Speaker: Howartson Heinrich

n. white biblical dove

Speaker: Howartson Heinrich

n. bluefin trevally

Scientific name: Caranx melampygus,
Speaker: Howartson Heinrich

father-in-law

Speaker: Howartson Heinrich

maternal grandfather

Speaker: Howartson Heinrich

n. octopi in general

Speaker: Howartson Heinrich

basket

Speaker: Howartson Heinrich

vt. embrace

Source: Lieber & Dikepa 1974,

vt. hew

Source: Lieber & Dikepa 1974,

a coconut whose meat is dry without having been opened

Source: Lieber & Dikepa 1974,

kill

n. eldest child

Source: Lieber & Dikepa 1974,

n. teacher

Source: Lieber & Dikepa 1974,

n. box

Source: Lieber & Dikepa 1974,

vi. to worry about

Source: Lieber & Dikepa 1974,

adj. never flies (e.g. a kite)

Source: Lieber & Dikepa 1974,

vi. to misunderstand, not able to understand

Source: Lieber & Dikepa 1974,

adj. constantly having to urinate

Source: Lieber & Dikepa 1974,

adj. unceasingly, always

Source: Lieber & Dikepa 1974,

adj. forgetful, absent-minded

Source: Lieber & Dikepa 1974,

trawling

n. moorish idol

Scientific name: Zanclus cornutus

bosom/breast

Speaker: Hawortson Heinrich

n. sand spit

Source: Lieber & Dikepa 1974,

tired

Speaker: Howartson Heinrich

laugh

vi. bathe

Source: Lieber & Dikepa 1974,

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

sand

Source: Lieber & Dikepa 1974,

phrase we roast a fish

phrase we eat together for dinner

place having many depressions (e.g., corrugated surface)

Source: Lieber & Dikepa 1974,

disgusting place

Source: Lieber & Dikepa 1974,

n. cloud

Speaker: Howartson Heinrich

bunch of drinking coconuts

Source: Lieber & Dikepa 1974,

v. be somewhat fast

Speaker: Howartson Heinrich

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

Source: Lieber & Dikepa 1974,

vi. to limp

Source: Lieber & Dikepa 1974,

chest

Speaker: Hawortson Heinrich

think

vt. cause to repeatedly have free time

vt. drive a school of fish

vt. use sparingly

vi. be similar

make the veins of the neck stick out (as when angry)

Source: Lieber & Dikepa 1974,

vt. to add more coconut meat

Source: Lieber & Dikepa 1974,

vt. to show

Source: Lieber & Dikepa 1974,

vt. amaze

vt. rock back and forth

vi. pout

vt. try to make (something) stand up

vt. try to formulate

vt. to approach circumspectly; gingerly

Source: Lieber & Dikepa 1974,

v. be very fast

Speaker: Howartson Heinrich

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

Source: Lieber & Dikepa 1974,

to Mash

Source: Lieber & Dikepa 1974,

vt. move with the extremeties spread out

Manta ray

Source: Lieber & Dikepa 1974,

find

Speaker: Howartson Heinrich

n. lionfish in general; red lionfish

Scientific name: Pterois volitans,
Speaker: Howartson Heinrich

n. evening

Speaker: Howartson Heinrich

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,

near

n. blacktip reef shark

Scientific name: Carcharhinus melanopterus,
Speaker: Howartson Heinrich

bark (dog)

Speaker: Howartson Heinrich

vt. spreading the news, gossip

Source: Lieber & Dikepa 1974,

Stick used for pushing the boat out

n. olive-scribbled wrasse

Source: Lieber & Dikepa 1974,

n. thorn branch

n. tree

Speaker: Howartson Heinrich

vi. heat up

plywood

n. shouting wood used for making houses on Kapinga atoll

v. talk

vi. shake one’s head

sigh

fast

Speaker: Howartson Heinrich

tallest

vt. pick with a breadfruit picker

have fever

Speaker: Hawortson 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. mother

Speaker: Howartson Heinrich

insect

Speaker: Howartson Heinrich

phrase a double hook

an islet of Kapinga Atoll (uninhabited)

Source: Buck 1950, Speaker: Howartson Heinrich

vi. urinate

n. tin roofing

Source: Lieber & Dikepa 1974,

n. tin roof

n. longnosed emperor

Scientific name: Lethrinus olivaceus

v. mutter

Source: Lieber & Dikepa 1974,

sit down

n. gold-lined sea bream

Scientific name: Gnathodentex aurolineatus,
Speaker: Howartson Heinrich

v. to pound

low tide

Source: Lieber & Dikepa 1974,

n. three pointed fishing spear

priest

Speaker: Howartson Heinrich

noise of knocking

n. mollusk sp.

Scientific name: Nerita picea,
Source: Lieber & Dikepa 1974,

shouting