Nukuoro English

noun a type of coral which grows on the lagoon bottom

Source: Vern & Soulik 1973, p. 4

noun door

Speaker: Mina Lekka

pronoun our (plural, inclusive; for plural, alienable noun)

Speaker: Johnny Rudolph

noun bird sp., fairy tern (Gygis alba)

Source: Vern & Soulik 1973, p. 7

good evening

Speaker: Johnny Rudolph

noun dead body

Speaker: Kurt Erwin

flat

Speaker: Mina Lekka

noun log on which the pandanus leaf is smashed

Speaker: Mina Lekka

noun fish sp.

Source: Vern & Soulik 1973, p. 20

noun state of anxiety (psychological condition)

Source: Vern & Soulik 1973, p. 22

noun sow

Speaker: Johnny Rudolph

noun sibling (mostly children’s talk)

Source: Vern & Soulik 1973, p. 33

noun sweat

Speaker: Maynard Henry

noun third stage of a green coconut

Speaker: Johnny Rudolph

how

Speaker: Mina Lekka

noun the manner in which one looks at one’s reflection or appearance

Source: Vern & Soulik 1973, p. 59

pronoun your (plural; for singular noun)

Speaker: Johnny Rudolph

noun butt

hide and seek (game)

Source: Vern & Soulik 1973, p. 71

noun apodous sea cucumber

Source: Vern & Soulik 1973, p. 70

have diarrhea

noun breast

noun dry brown husk from the branches of the coconut palm

Speaker: Johnny Rudolph

mucus

Speaker: Maynard Henry

adjective dirty

Speaker: Johnny Rudolph

noun bat

Speaker: Maynard Henry

verb act like or emulate Europeans

Source: Vern & Soulik 1973, p. 103

a style of construction (consistently followed)

Source: Vern & Soulik 1973, p. 136

take special care of, cherish

Source: Vern & Soulik 1973, p. 189

verb do slowly, delay

Source: Vern & Soulik 1973, p. 190

adjective mean; inconsiderate

low wages, low-priced

Source: Vern & Soulik 1973, p. 199

a sky covered with rain clouds

Source: Vern & Soulik 1973, p. 221

verb masturbate

Source: Vern & Soulik 1973, p. 231

to cause an infant to feed at the breast

Source: Vern & Soulik 1973, p. 225

verb wash someone

Speaker: Johnny Rudolph

a noise like that of burning pandanus (loud crackling)

Source: Vern & Soulik 1973, p. 231

noun toilet

Source: Johnny Rudolph

noun chest (body part)

noun eyelash(es)

Speaker: Johnny Rudolph

fill to the brim

Source: Vern & Soulik 1973, p. 243

noun hair (not on the head); fur

Speaker: Johnny Rudolph

sorcery (made with chants)

Source: Vern & Soulik 1973, p. 248

noun rib

Source: Vern & Soulik 1973, p. 251

noun collar bone

Source: Vern & Soulik 1973, p. 251

adjective porous

Source: Vern & Soulik 1973, p. 97

adjective plenty; a lot, many

Speaker: Ruth Rudolph

adjective wide

Speaker: Johnny Rudolph

inclined to throw one’s legs over those sleeping nearby (when sleeping)

Source: Vern & Soulik 1973, p. 256

a type of basket

Speaker: Ruth Rudolph

hundreds and hundreds

Speaker: Ruth Rudolph

a canoe used to transport food to a feast

Source: Vern & Soulik 1973, p. 257

noun wrap skirt; sarong

noun wrap skirt; sarong

Speaker: Ruth Rudolph

noun pinky finger

adjective angry

Speaker: Ruth Rudolph

a love potion (applied to the clothes or body)

Source: Vern & Soulik 1973, p. 265

a type of medicine made from coconut oil and centipedes

Source: Vern & Soulik 1973, p. 265

trembling

Source: Vern & Soulik 1973, p. 266

noun toenail

noun ten dollar bill

Speaker: Mina Lekka

adjective cowardly (concerning others or supernaturals)

Speaker: Mina Lekka

half-cooked

Source: Vern & Soulik 1973, p. 276

adjective happy

Speaker: Johnny Rudolph

adjective stretchable

Speaker: Mina Lekka

lizard fish

Source: Vern & Soulik 1973, p. 284

noun fish sp.: goatfish

Source: Vern & Soulik 1973, p. 284

verb becoming more and more calm (of weather)

Source: Vern & Soulik 1973, p. 284

adjective cold (referring to temperature of something)

Source: Mina Lekka

noun rainy season

Source: Johnny Rudolph

a cold underwater current

Source: Vern & Soulik 1973, p. 295

to carry things repeatedly / in multiple trips from one place to another

Speaker: Mina Lekka

a canoe rigged for galele fishing

Source: Vern & Soulik 1973, p. 298

noun airplane

verb easily mounu

Source: Vern & Soulik 1973, p. 299

adjective slow moving (while working), slow acting, slow thinking

Speaker: Mina Lekka

verb whisper

Speaker: Mina Lekka

lie (tell a falsehood)

Source: Vern & Soulik 1973, p. 312

coagulation of blood

Source: Vern & Soulik 1973, p. 306

adjective long since finished, done or gone; long since, a long time ago

Speaker: Mina Lekka

verb to wander around continually (from past time to the present)

Source: Vern & Soulik 1973, p. 319

verb to be continually walked upon

Source: Vern & Soulik 1973, p. 319

bleed

Source: Vern & Soulik 1973, p. 321

verb walk

Speaker: Mina Lekka

adjective slippery

Speaker: Mina Lekka

verb to walk off-balance

Source: Vern & Soulik 1973, p. 323

a fine jet of water

Source: Vern & Soulik 1973, p. 328

striped (with thin lines)

Source: Vern & Soulik 1973, p. 330

become wet

Source: Vern & Soulik 1973, p. 335

noun maternal uncle

noun maternal grandfather

noun ball woven from coconut palm, used for sport

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

noun capillary

verb like (someone or something), feel affection for

Speaker: Mina Lekka

nurse (at the breast)

Source: Vern & Soulik 1973, p. 343

adjective small (for a vast plural noun; used with dengaa)

dirty or obscene language; foulmouthed, swear

Source: Vern & Soulik 1973, p. 347

a dirty song

Source: Vern & Soulik 1973, p. 347

verb to clear land (or a path, etc.) of weeds and underbrush

Speaker: Mina Lekka

noun wrinkle (fabric)