The national language of Vanuatu is called Bislama, and it's something like a pijin version of English. On my island, however, and throughout the Shepherds, they speak a different language--allegedly called Nawakura, although I only read that in a book. Nawakura bears no relationship to English, and so I thought it might be fun to share a little bit about the words I know in that language! (Mostly--note--I basically know nouns. Hah.)
To start off with, all nouns in language start with the prefix na-.
namalok--kava
nambatav--breadfruit
nakukam--cucumber
nambuang--taro
nambetet--sweet potato
navi--banana
nau--yam
nato--fowl
nabolok--cow
nakiri--dog
nabus--cat
korokololo--go swim (bathe)
kaen korokololo--YOU go swim
korokokinikan--go kakae (eat)
koroara--go sit down
korokoelo--go to the salt water (beach)
korokomalal--go to the garden
korokomatir--go sleep
mangorise--early morning
leat--mid morning to early afternoon
diravi--afternoon
mbong--night
meno--thank you
meno mbigiak--thank you very much
ia--yes
ee--no
mim--aunt
lolo--uncle
nana--sister
didi--brother
bob--father
nunu--mother
I know other words, but now that I've been in town for a while, I forget ... Like, I've forgotten the word for pig. (How is that possible? Pigs are a big, big deal. Also, the days when someone kills a pig for a feast are, without question, the best days of my life. There's nothing like roasted pig on top of manioc lap lap. It's amazing. Love it.)
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