Big nambas language lessons from Malekula
2009 January 6
In December, we were at Leviamp, Malekula (Vanuatu) for a youth camp. Here are a few phrases that I “learned” while there from the Big Nambas language. I have used French phonetic values so that “i pass” is pronounced “EE pass”.
BTW, there are about 105 different languages in Vanuatu – not dialects. Vanuatu is the most linguistically diverse country per capita in the world.
- I pass metavaren = Good morning
- I pass kenarev = Good evening
- I pass lirate – Good night
- Si pass – Thank you
- (S)i pass i stundow = Thank you very much
- Dava kof [swim] al nauwé [river or water] = I will go bathe (swim) in the river.
- Temen nauwé = Give me a cup of water.
- Pa tu kana nauwé temeni = Give me a cup of water and I will drink it.
- Drin namère (rolled r’s) = I’m hungry.
- Drin taRA’ta = I want to eat some food.
- Amline éya i pass = “Chief high” is good. (God is good.)
- Atua i pass = God is good.
