REDUPLICATION IN THE NORFK LANGUAGE (Two) .... by Rachel Borg This week we continue our look at reduplication in the Norf’k language and in particular reduplication of words which are thought to be Tahitian origin. Sadly, many of these words are now rarely heard or used, and many are barely within living memory. Talatala – Lord Haeri chail, dem letl salan gwen’ talatala f’ koel orn Baunti’, pat samor klorth orn dem. Lord Harry child, the children will talatala (shiver) with cold on Bounty, put some more clothes on them. Maimai - Maimai es wathing dem oel salan yuus’ tal f’ korl em horg f’ kam iit. ‘Maimai’ is the word the old people used to use to call the pigs to come and eat. Pupu – Main yu nor bas yus pupu waelv. Be careful you don’t strain yourself and burst your pupu waelv (rear valve). ‘Pupu’ is Tahitian, ‘waelv’ is English ‘valve’. Pilipili - Dem thing s’ pilipili agaeda said em hyuumideti s’ get gen et. Those things have stuck together where the humidity has got into it. Ana’ana – Ai bin ap si Aant en shi nor daa ana’ana desdieh. I went up to see Aunt today and she is not that ana’ana (bright/well) today. Mitimiti – Nau dunt yu tuu gu medl en madl en mitimiti orn d’ wieh t’ cherch bembeya yorlye kechet. Now don’t you two go meddling and muddling and mitimiti (kiss and cuddle repeatedly) on the way to church in case you get into trouble. Matimati – Wan kau s’ kaaket said bohg iin aa drien en s’ matimati en ai died f’ sorhri faret. A cow has died where it was bogged in the drain and has matimati (stuck firm) and I feel sorry for it. (Also spelt ‘mutty-mutty’ Beryl Nobbs-Palmer gives two additional meanings; to lose your temper, and the dry or parched feeling from thirst which makes your mouth pucker). Eddie Hooker’s nickname ‘Mutt-mutt’ or ‘Mutty’ has also preserved the usage of this word. As a young child growing up on Norfolk he says ‘ai sor en musa died orn fyuu okiehshans en ai thort daas fut dem korl mii daa’ (I was sick and almost died on a few occasions and I think that’s why they called me that). They thought he would surely ‘mati’ (die). In Tahitian the word ‘mate’ means ‘death, injury, hurt or illness’. Tuhituhi – Ai laana yuu nau ai s’ tuhituhi ai kaa it wan netha skerik. (I believe this has been recorded for Pitcairn only) I tell you now I am tuhituhi (full to bursting with food) and can’t eat another skerrick. In Norf’k today ‘tuhi’ or ‘fetuhi’ is used singularly and means to curse or speak profanity (swear). Both come from Tahitian ‘tuhi’ or ‘tuhituhi’ (tuhituhi means to curse repeatedly, and also cloying, luscious, oversweet or to be clogged, to be tired, or wearied of anything). Wanawana – recorded on Pitcairn in a reduplicated form as a very big sea urchin, or a very spiny prickly item [Ross&Moverley]. Wana of course is still used singularly on Norfolk for the sea urchin). ‘Ef em wana stig yuu d’ baes thing es f’ mimi orn.’ If the sea urchin spine sticks into you the best thing to do is mimi (urinate) on it. Maetmaet - ‘Ai s’ uni maetmaet ii said, gwen want’ duuet guud bifor dem salan kam krors fram Sidni stohp lornga aklan’ I have only roughly and carelessly cleaned the house, it will need to be done well before the people come across from Sydney to stay with us. I am not certain of the origin of this word (and it may well be of English origin), but it is certainly reduplicated as it describes a very lackadaisical ‘here and there’ or ‘lick and a promise’ approach to a task. Lalilali – means soft-laughing and happy and was collected on Pitcairn but is no longer to my knowledge in regular use as a word on Norfolk but is still recalled by several older Islanders. Catherine May “Lullie” Quintal ‘kam fram apin’stik’ she was ‘Statt’ Quintal’s daughter and married ‘Gunsen’ and ‘Ikey Bob’ She was here during the war and is remembered as a very intelligent stylish, woman, perfumed up and with a lovely carriage. She was never cruel, crude or unkind. She was ‘lalilali’. ‘Sinthiya aut Bambuuras en Lioeni es byuutiful lalilali salan’. Cynthia who lives out at Bumboras and Leonie are beautiful lalilali (soft laughing and happy) people. The following three reduplications I do not believe are in everyday use in Norf’k anymore. The first two were recorded by Island chaplain Rev. R. F Brazier in 1916 and published in the Qld Historical Society Journal Vol 2 No.1:- Muunamuuna (Moonamoona) – means very sweet or good, as in food and probably come from Tahitian monamona which has the same meaning Kwait moonomoona dii wihi plan, huu d’ wan’ yorlye miek et. This wrapped green banana pilahi is very tasty, which one of you made it?’ Note: As a point of clarification ‘wihi plan’ generally referred to green bananas and coconut grated, wrapped in banana leaf and boiled, ‘wihi pilahi’ refers to any kind of pilahai (including ripe banana) which was prepared, wrapped in banana leaf and baked. ‘En lorngf’ dem griin plan s’ yolaret en bieket, kaa duu f’ dorg iit ef nor gat iin’ koknat!’ Manamana (Monamona) – means ‘very good’ and possibly comes from the positive connotations associated with Tahitian mana ‘power, might, influence, powerful, mighty, affluent’ or manaanaa ‘moveable or attainable’. Can anyone remember this word and give an example of how it might be used? Naminami – ill-scented or nasty scented, becoming high, especially of food. Lord Haeri Borgi, tek daa fish baket wielior, s’ labii in’ san nort s’ whosh et aut guud en s’ naminami, aitaliwaa daa blaek smael gwen’ bii es haad f’ get ridowet!. Lord Harry Borgy, take that fish bucket way over there, it has been left in the sun and hasn’t been washed out really well, and it now smells high, I’ll tell you what that black smell will be very hard to get rid of! We would be very interested to know if anyone has heard or remembers ‘nami’ or ‘naminami’ being used. Reduplication is heard less and less in the Norf’k language as it is increasingly influenced by today’s English. Those readers who are familiar with these Norf’k terms will know that many, but not all, of these words can be used in singular form as well as the reduplicated form. Next week, as previously mentioned, we will look at the reduplication of English words in the Norf’k language Please contact us for more information.
Posted on: Sun, 22 Jun 2014 06:53:02 +0000
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