Nukuoro English

noun the incompletely burned earth oven fuel remaining when the oven is uncovered

Source: Vern & Soulik 1973, p. 5

tonight

Source: Vern & Soulik 1973, p. 5

noun bird sp., fairy tern (Gygis alba)

Source: Vern & Soulik 1973, p. 7

noun driftwood sp. (resembles bagua)

Source: Vern & Soulik 1973, p. 8

good evening

Speaker: Johnny Rudolph

adjective awake

Speaker: Johnny Rudolph

noun iron (a piece of)

Source: Vern & Soulik 1973, p. 9

noun log on which the pandanus leaf is smashed

Speaker: Mina Lekka

verb press

Speaker: Mina Lekka

verb kick

Speaker: Mina Lekka

noun boar

Speaker: Johnny Rudolph

noun husband

Speaker: Kurt Erwin

noun a category of flowers that has five petals and a fragrant odor

Speaker: Johnny Rudolph

noun cage; fence

Speaker: Mina Lekka

noun banana tree fibers (for making cloth)

Source: Vern & Soulik 1973, p. 28

noun type of shell (Triton’s trumpet)

Speaker: Johnny Rudolph

verb begin

noun axe

Speaker: Mina Lekka

noun dollar bill

Speaker: Mina Lekka

noun brother, sister, sibling, cousin

Speaker: Johnny Rudolph

noun the cooking house

Speaker: Johnny Rudolph

which

Speaker: Mina Lekka

those ones (plural)

noun mother (formal)

Source: Vern & Soulik 1973, p. 59

noun adze with a small blade for light chipping

Source: Vern & Soulik 1973, p. 60

outbreak of war

Source: Vern & Soulik 1973, p. 70

half of a clam shell

Source: Vern & Soulik 1973, p. 71

a sound indicating surprise

Source: Vern & Soulik 1973, p. 76

noun baby

Speaker: Kurt Erwin

noun itch

Speaker: Mina Lekka

noun cheek

Speaker: Kurt Erwin

sakau drink

Source: Johnny Rudolph

roof thatch rafters (of pandanus slats)

Source: Vern & Soulik 1973, p. 85

adjective young

Speaker: Johnny Rudolph

reef heron - grey phase

Source: Vern & Soulik 1973, p. 87

noun basket

Example: Photo by Emily Drummond, 06/10/15

Speaker: Mina Lekka

adjective dark

Speaker: Johnny Rudolph

noun Indian mulberry, cheese fruit (seeds)

Example: Photo by Emily Drummond, 2015

Speaker: Mina Lekka

noun taro spade

Source: Vern & Soulik 1973, p. 93

chin

Speaker: Kurt Erwin

cushion starfish

Source: Vern & Soulik 1973, p. 103

verb prepared, be

Speaker: Mina Lekka

verb cause to have skin disease

Source: Vern & Soulik 1973, p. 143

verb cause to drink alcoholic beverages

Source: Vern & Soulik 1973, p. 150

verb allow birds to nest, or prepare a place for their nesting

Source: Vern & Soulik 1973, p. 155

verb die (euphemistic); take a break

Source: Mina Lekka

verb hide (something) from

Source: Vern & Soulik 1973, p. 188

fortunate result

Source: Vern & Soulik 1973, p. 119

adjective poor

Speaker: Johnny Rudolph

verb borrow

transfiguration of ghosts or spirits into human form

Source: Vern & Soulik 1973, p. 232

verb have

Speaker: Mina Lekka

noun anus

Speaker: Maynard Henry

noun necklace, wreath, crown

Speaker: Johnny Rudolph

noun the sound of tapping

Source: Vern & Soulik 1973, p. 235

placenta

Source: Vern & Soulik 1973, p. 237

adjective correct; right

Speaker: Johnny Rudolph

adjective sad

Speaker: Mina Lekka

noun full moon

noun coconut (for drinking)

Source: Caroll, Vern and Tobias Soulik. 1973

where

Speaker: Mina Lekka

noun mole, freckle

Speaker: Johnny Rudolph

noun (fire)wood

Speaker: Maynard Henry

a canoe used to transport food to a feast

Source: Vern & Soulik 1973, p. 257

adjective becoming leu (ripe)

Source: Vern & Soulik 1973, p. 259

adjective dexterous; quick

Speaker: Mina Lekka

oil

Source: Vern & Soulik 1973, p. 265

pronoun my (for dual, inalienable noun)

number ten

verb be unfastened; be untied; bloomed

Speaker: Mina Lekka

noun embers

adjective fast; early

Speaker: Mina Lekka

bald

lizard fish

Source: Vern & Soulik 1973, p. 284

noun fish (generic term; children’s speech only)

Source: Vern & Soulik 1973, p. 285

noun tree

Speaker: Mina Lekka

more and more; diminshing rainfall

Source: Vern & Soulik 1973, p. 288

shoes, slippers

Source: Vern & Soulik 1973, p. 292

noun male genital organ

Source: Vern & Soulik 1973, p. 292

the way in which a current flows

Source: Vern & Soulik 1973, p. 293

noun pain

Speaker: Mina Lekka

adjective cooked

Speaker: Johnny Rudolph

noun islet

Speaker: Mina Lekka

noun shoot from a sprouting coconut

noun black bird species (eats fish)

gunwales (at the top of the canoe)

Source: Vern & Soulik 1973, p. 312

adjective having many eyes (of the taro corm)

Speaker: Mina Lekka

noun street; road

verb trap

Speaker: Mina Lekka

verb grate, make into small pieces

verb to grow fast or well anywhere (e.g., as a weed)

Speaker: Mina Lekka

noun salt

Speaker: Maynard Henry

verb find

Speaker: Mina Lekka

miscarriage

Source: Vern & Soulik 1973, p. 333

uncouth person

Source: Vern & Soulik 1973, p. 72

noun waist

Speaker: Mina Lekka

adjective white

Speaker: Mina Lekka

turn inside out

Source: Vern & Soulik 1973, p. 342

Milky Way

Source: Vern & Soulik 1973, p. 346

dye

Source: Vern & Soulik 1973, p. 347