marshallese language

7/30/2019 MARSHALLESE language.

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PEACE CORPS

MARSHALL

ISLANDSMARSHALLESE

LANGUAGETRAINING

MANUALBy

Richard CookP.C.V. Tutu, Arno, R.M.I.8

1992


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SECTION ONE :MJURO


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SECTION TWO :THE TRAINING

SITE


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SECTION THREE :CLASSROOM

LANGUAGE


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SECTION FOUR :TRAVEL ...


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SECTION FIVE :GRAMMAR


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SECTION SIX :TEXTS


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SECTIONSEVEN :

SONGS


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SECTIONEIGHT :

TRANSLATIONS(ENGLISH TO MARSHALLESE)


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PEACE CORPS MARSHALL ISLANDSMARSHALLESE LANGUAGE

TRAINING MANUAL

TABLE OF CONTENTSNOTES TO THE TEACHER P . 5

TOPICS [Competencies] P . 8

THE "STANDARD" ALPHABET P . 9

SECTION ONE : MJURO

COMMONPLACE PHRASES : SOCIAL LANGUAGE

i.)GREETINGS P . 1 1

ii.)THANKS AND YOU'RE WELCOME P . 1 1

iii.)EXCUSE ME P . 1 1

iv.)FAREWELLS P . 1 2

v.)IN THE RESTAURANT P . 1 2

vi.)IN A BUS OR TAXI P . 1 2

vii.)INTRODUCTIONS P . 1 2

viii)PLEASANTRIES P . 1 3

ix.)DESTINATION AND ORIGIN P . 1 3

DIALOGUE ONE and DRILLS P . 1 4

DIALOGUE TWO and DRILLS P . 1 5ILOWAAN TAXI AK BAJ

DIALOGUE THREE P . 1 5ILOWAAN MN M


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DIALOGUE FOUR : REVIEW andDRILLS P . 1 6

SECTION TWO : THE TRAINING SITEDIALOGUE FIVE and DRILLS P . 1 7

TRAINEE EO EJ TO JN BOOM-BOOM EO ILO JE

DIALOGUE SIX and DRILLS P . 1 8AN MWEO

DIALOGUE SEVEN and DRILLS P . 1 9AWA IN M

DIALOGUE EIGHT and DRILLS P . 2 0LIKIN M

DIALOGUE NINE P . 2 1ILU IIALIN JE

NUMBERS P . 2 2

i.)CARDINAL NUMBERSii.)ORDINAL NUMBERS

iii.)DRILLS

TIME-TELLING and DRILLS P . 2 3

DIALOGUE TEN and DRILLS P . 2 4

PHRASES TO ASK FOR CLARIFICATION P . 2 5

SECTION THREE : THE CLASSROOM

i.)THE FIRST DAY OF SCHOOL P . 2 7

ii.)BEGINNING and ENDING THE CLASS P . 2 9

iii.)CLASSROOM RULES P . 3 1

iv.)READING ALOUD P . 3 2


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v.)LANGUAGE LEARNING and DRILLS P . 3 4

vi.)SINGING P . 3 6

vii.)WRITING ON THE BLACKBOARD P . 3 7

viii.)SEATWORK P . 3 8

ix.)MATH P . 4 0

x.)ENCOURAGMENT AND PRAISE P . 4 1

xi.)HOMEWORK, TESTS, GRADES P . 4 2

xii.)DISCIPLINE AND COMMUNICATION WITH PARENTS P . 4 5

SECTION FOUR :TRAVEL ...

i.)USING THE RADIO P . 4 8

ii.)A.M.I. P . 4 9

iii.)TIMA IM JATA Supply Ship/and/Charter P . 5 0

SECTION FIVE : GRAMMAR

TENSE AND MOOD P . 5 5

PERSONAL PRONOUNS: P . 5 6i.)SUBJECT PREFIX WITH TIME SUFFIXii.)EMPHATIC FORMS

iii.)OBJECT FORMSPLURAL PERSONAL PRONOUNSWITH NUMERATIVES P . 5 7

POSSESSIVE CLASSIFIERS P . 5 8


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POSSESSIVE CLASSIFIERSWITH NUMERATIVES :ILLUSTRATING THE 4 STEM-TYPES P . 5 9

GENERAL POSSESSIVE CLASSIFIER

WITH NUMERATIVES P . 6 0

DEMONSTRATIVES P . 6 1

DEMONSTRATIVES :ILLUSTRATIVE EXAMPLES P . 6 2

PERSONAL DEMONSTRATIVES P . 6 3

HOUSE DEMONSTRATIVES P . 6 3

LOCATIVE DEMONSTRATIVES P . 6 4

SENTENCE DEMONSTRATIVES P . 6 4

USING SPOKEN MARSHALLESE P . 6 5

SECTION SIX : TEXTS

i.)PSALM 23 P . 6 7

ii.)"The Marshall Islands Journal" P . 6 9

SECTION SEVEN : SONGS

i.)THE MARSHALLESE NATIONAL ANTHEM P . 7 7

ii.)"ELAP IOKWE" P . 7 8

SECTION EIGHT : TRANSLATIONSi.)THE PRINCESS WHO NEVER LAUGHED (Grimm) P . 7 9

ii.)The Fox and the Goat (Aesop) P . 8 5


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MARSHALLESE LANGUAGE TRAINING BOOKLETNOTES TO THE TEACHER

The materials constituting the present work were written toteach Peace Corps Volunteers those aspects of the MarshalleseLanguage relevant to their teaching assignments in outer-island

schools. While this material was designed specifically with regard toteachers of grades 1-3 (R.M.I. 9, June 1992), it should also proveuseful to those working with older students and to those inadministrative positions.

The standard spelling as defined by the Marshallese-EnglishDi ct io na ry (M. E .D. ) of Bender et al. has been used throughout thiswork. The importance of all students and teachers using the samespelling system cannot be overemphasized, as this will eliminatemuch confusion and hasten the learning process. Since the literalmeaning of all words has been given in the sublinear grammatical

notes at every occurrence throughout the present work, the studentsshould initially have no need to resort to the M.E.D. Therefore, theM.E.D. may be withheld until a later stage of the language training.At the time that it is introduced the students should be instructed toread the M.E.D.'s introduction, particularly section 2c. (page xv) andsection 7 (page xxix) , where the neutral dialect spelling system usedfor "double consonant words", and other difficult aspects of thedictionary's use are explained.

While Spoken Marshallese (Bender, University of Hawaii, 1969)has been the definitive work on Marshallese grammar and syntax

since its publication, many readers have found it difficult, to say theleast. Bender's subsequent work on the M.E .D. has in fact renderedpresent editions of Spoken Marshallese obsolete. Until a new editionis published, however, it is best not to totally neglect S.M. as hasbeen done in past language trainings, for the work even as it standsis far too valuable a resource.

The principal difficulty in the use of S.M. involves the fact thatall the dialogue materials are written twice, in two adjacent columns.In the left hand column a traditional spelling system is used (whichis, however, different from that used in the M.E.D. ) , and on the right

the phonemic system of transcription is used to more consistentlydepict the actual pronunciation of Marshallese. The use of both thesesystems would not be quite so bewildering if the M.E.D. did notintroduce yet a third spelling system on top of these. Although thedifferences between the traditional spellings in S . M . and thereformed standard spelling of the M.E.D. are not large, they do


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however present much confusion to a beginning student ofMarshallese.

The best way to eliminate this confusion, as was mentionedabove, would be a new edition of S.M. which would use only thereformed standard spelling of the M . E . D . The next best solution

involves two things: making the students aware of the link betweenS.M. and the M.E.D. , this being the phonemic spelling system which isessentially the same in both; and secondly, enumerating thedifferences between all three systems. Both of these things may bedone using the explanatory notes which have been placed after thegrammatical tables at the end of this work. The teacher mayintroduce these notes at such time as the students begin to use S.M.

The materials in this manual fall roughly into five sections,each section corresponding to a stage of the language training. Thef irst section introduces those phrases the trainee may find

necessary or useful during the initial stay in Mjuro. The focus inthis first stage of the language training is on the pronunciation ofthese phrases and on learning to hear the sounds of Marshallese.This is to be accomplished through practice with native teachers.The first four dialogues make use of the same vocabulary as that ofthe beginning phrase list, and the language teachers will need todecide how much of this material may be covered based upon theamount of class time available.

The second stage of the language training seeks to ease thetrainee into the training site. Dialogues 5-10 in the second section

address conditions that the trainee may encounter with the hostfamily. It is crucial that at least a beginning be made in introducingthese materials prior to the transition to the training site.

In the third stage of the language training there are twoobjectives. One objective is the introduction of the phrases for theclassroom contained in the third section of the present work.These phrases should be introduced prior to, and used i n thepractice teaching. The other objective is the introduction of thevocabulary for the two competencies "Nature" and "TraditionalCrafts". To illustrate vocabulary for these two competencies,

dialogues and drills will be found in S.M. A list of dialogue topics isgiven in S.M. in the index on pages 435-6. The choice of topics willdepend upon which traditional crafts are available for demonstrationat the training site. The teachers may provide lists of vocabulary forthese competencies as they see fit. While the ten dialogues, variousdrills and phrases included in the present work constitute amplematerial for the first few weeks of training, the decision as to when


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to introduce S.M. must be made based upon the students' variousinterests and aptitudes.

In the fourth stage of the language training the use of S . M .continues and the phrases in the fourth section of this work are tobe introduced. The M.E .D. may also be introduced at this time, as

well as the grammatical materials included in the fifth section ofthis manual which were developed to fill the gap between S.M. andthe M.E.D. With the conclusion of this stage, the trainee should beprepared to make further progress in Marshallese through self studyas a volunteer in his/her job assignment.


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TOPICS TO BE COVERED IN THE COURSE OF THE LANGUAGE TRAINING1.SOCIAL LANGUAGE: Our initial focus will be on a few commonplaceeveryday phrases. As the result of this earliest part of the trainingthe trainee will gain exposure to the following:

a.) common greetings and pleasantries

b.) phrases for introducing oneself or anotherc.) phrases for directing the taxi or bus driverd.) the sounds and pronunciation of Marshallesee.) the "standard" Marshallese alphabetf.) numbers and time telling

2.RELATIONS WITH THE HOST FAMILY: Next we will focus upon afew simple phrases relating to the trainee's personal needs in thehost family situation. As the result of this second phase of thetraining the trainee will gain exposure to the following:

a.) phrases to locate persons, places and things

b.) phrases to convey personal needs and preferencesc.) phrases to learn the time of an eventd.) phrases to make or respond to polite requestse.) phrases to ask for clarification

3.LANGUAGE IN THE CLASSROOM: Here the focus will be uponphrases useful to the teacher of young children. Trainees to whomthis topic is applicable will be exposed to phrases relating to:

a.) directing the classb.) encouraging and praising the studentsc.) discipline and communication with parents

4.TRADITIONAL CRAFTS: The trainee will learn vocabulary relatingto traditional Marshallese crafts:a.) we a v i ngb.) cookingc.) f ishingd.) copra production . . .

5.NATURE: The trainee will learn vocabulary relative to:a.) i s l a nd / se a / skyb.) place, animal and plant namesc.) tides and weather

6.TRAVEL: The trainee will learn phrases for:a.) asking directionsb.) making travel arrangementsc.) sending and receiving mail

7.STUDYING MARSHALLESE: Our objective in this phase of thetraining will be to provide the trainee with the tools for furtherstudy of Marshallese in his/her permanent assignment.

RSC 6.92


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THE STANDARD MARSHALLESE ALPHABET

A rough sketch of the sounds of the standard alphabetfollows below.

a a, as in English "fa ther" and "sta r" a, as in Eng. "last"b b and p are sounds which Marshallese students of

English find difficult to distinguishd no English equivalent, but the sound is a little like the

d r in English "dri nk", however the d is light and the ris trilled.

e ay, as in "d ay", or sometimes a shorter e, as in "h en "i between the ee in "seen " and the i in "s in "

j somewhere near the s in "pleasu r e "k k is a mix between the k in "kind" and the g in "go od "l like the first l in"li t t le", a very light l,

(tongue touches teeth)

l a heavier l, as in "lost" or "ball"m m, as in "man"m in the neighborhood of the m+w, as in "com e wi th"

( l ips rounded)

n n, as in "ne e d ", (tongue tip touches the upper teeth)n no English equivalent,

(tongue tip touches the roof of the mouth) somewhere near the ng in the word "E n g l ish"o o, short, as in "show "o o, long, as in "dog" between the i in "k in "and the e in "k en "p the distinction between b and p is a fine pointr r, as in "rest", but heavier, more trilledt t, somewhere between English d and t: "ha d to"u oo, as in "coo l"

u, as in "cu rl"w w, as in "way", or oo, as in "coo l"y y, as in "yes"

Please note: the sound of a co nso na nt with a subscript (l , m , n )is"heavier" than that of its unsubscripted counterpart ( l , m , n ) . When v o w e l sare doubled, the sound of the single letter is reinforced.


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PROPER PRONUNCIATION CANNOT BE LEARNED FROM THE WRITTEN WORDALONE! THOUGH MARSHALLESE IS WRITTEN FOR THE MOST PART IN THEALPHABET WITH WHICH YOU ARE FAMILIAR, DO NOT MAKE THE MISTAKE OFGIVING MARSHALLESE LETTERS ENGLISH SOUNDS. LISTEN CAREFULLY TO YOURTEACHERS, AND ASK OTHER NATIVE SPEAKERS TO HELP YOU PRONOUNCE THEWORDS AND PHRASES BELOW.


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COMMONPLACE EVERYDAY MARSHALLESE PHRASES

SOCIAL LANGUAGE

.i)GREETINGS

IOKWE!= HELLO! , Aloha!love

Iokwe eok.= Hello you. [more emphatic] love/you

Iokwe iokwe!= Hello hello! [even more emphatic] love/love

Morning!= Good morning! [from English]

Oh, morning-morning! [a really jolly good morning]

.ii)THANKS AND YOU'RE WELCOME

Kommool.= Thank you.you-are thanked

Kommool tata!= Thank you very much!you-are thanked/to the utmost

Kwlukkuun emmool.= Thank you ever so much.you-really/are thanked

Kn jouj.= You're welcome.wi th /k indness

Jouj.= You're welcome.[shorter form of Kn jouj]

Jouj tata!= You're welcome very much!k indness /u tmos t

.iii)EXCUSE ME

Jolok bd.= Excuse me.throw-away/error[ short for jolok a bd:throw out my error]

Ejolok.= You're excused.It-is thrown-away.


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.iv)FAREWELLS

Bar yokwe!= Goodbye!again/love

Bar lo eok!= See you later!again /see /you

Kjparok am mour!= Take care of yourself!take care of/your/life

.v)IN THE RESTAURANT

Kwnaaj m ta?= What are you going to eat?you-wi l l /ea t /what

Letok m k juon hamburger im juon Coke.= Give me a h.b.give-to here/please/a/hamburger/and/a/Coke. and a Cokeplease.

.vi)IN A BUS OR TAXI

Bjrak ijene m k.= Stop here please.stand still/there(near you)/please

or simply say Ijene mk.= Here please.

Bjrak ilo Kibjon.= Stop at Gibson's.stand still/at/name of largest Majuro department store

Jete onn?= How much? [to find price of goods or money owed]how many/it's price

Bus around town: Rooul lalem jn.= Twenty-five cents.twenty/ f ive /cents

Taxi around town: Jiloul jn.= Thirty cents.

t h i r t y / c e n t s

.vii)INTRODUCTIONS

Etam?= What's your name?name-your


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Eta in Amata Kabua.= My name is Amata Kabua.name-my/is/name of the President of the R.M.I.

Etan?= What's her name?name-her, him, or it

Etan in Kiki Minor.= Her name is Keekee Minor.name-her/is/name of P.C. Country Director.

.viii)PLEASANTRIES

Emman ke am mour?= How's life? How's it going?i t - good /? /your / l i f e

Ej et am mour?= How's life?it-is/do what/your/life

A simple response to the above two questions is:

Emman!= Good!i t -good

.ix)DESTINATION AND ORIGIN

Kwj etal an ia?= Where are you going?You-are/go/to/where

Ij etal an Aellaplap.= I am going to Ailinglaplap.I-am/go/to/name of an atoll in the Rlik (western) chain.

Kwj itok jn ia?= Where are you coming from?you-are /come/f rom/where

Ij itok jn M n Robert.= I'm coming from R.R.E..I-am/come/from/house-of/first name of Mr. Reimers, owner of a large store in Uliga

Kwj jokwe ia?= Where are you living ?you-are /dwel l /where

Ij jokwe ilo Ajidik Hotel.= I'm living at the Ajidrik.I-am/dwell/at,in/famous Majuro establishment

Kwj kiki ia?= Where are you sleeping ?you-a re / s l eep /where

Ij kiki ilo Ajidik Hotel.= I'm sleeping at the Ajidrik.I-am/sleep/at, in/famous Majuro establishment


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DIALOGUE ONE

A . I o k w e ! A.Hello!love

B.Iokwe eok! B.Hello to you!love/you[to one person,object form]

A.Eta in ______, ak kwe? A.My name is___, what aboutyou?name-my/is/_/but/you[to one person,emphatic]

B.Eta in ______. B.My name is___.n a m e - m y / i s / _

A.Emman ke am mour? A.Is life good?it-good/?/your[to one person]/life

B.Emman! Ak kwe? B.It's good! What about yours?it-good/but/you[to one person,emphatic]

A.Ebar emman! A.Mine's good too.it-again(it is also)/good

B.Emmantata! Bar Yokwe! B.Good!!! Good-bye!i t -good-utmost(best) /again(more)/ love

A.Bar lo eok. A.See you later.again/see/you[to one person,object form]

CIRCULAR DRILLS

One student starts with Q. , asking a student seated nearby, who willin turn answer with A. , and then use Q., asking another studentseated nearby, and so on . . ..

Q. Eta in _____, ak kwe? A. Eta in _____.

Q. Em man ke am mour? A. Em m an.

NOTE: Vocabulary and Grammar: In the first few lessons the emphasis will be soleyupon mastering the sounds and basic meaning of some simple phrases. You will learn moregeneral things about grammar and syntax as the lessons progress. The small print underthe Marshallese sentences is intended, however, to satisfy any curiosity you might have asto the literal meanings of the particular Marshallese words, which meanings are separatedby "/" in the text. Some basic grammatical comments are made in "[ ]".


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DIALOGUE TWOILOWAAN TAXI AK BAJ

inside-of it/taxi/or/bus

A. Yokwe.B. Yokwe yok. Kwj etal an ia?

A. Kab bjrak ilo Gibjon.= Just stop at Gibson's.ju st /s top/ at ,i n/ la rges t Maju ro Depa rtment stor e

B. Emman.A. Jete onn?= How much? [to find price of goods or money owed]how many/it's price

B. Jiloul jn. (taxi, or: ) Rooullalem jn. (bus)t h i r t y / c e n t s twenty-five cents

A. Kommool.B. Kn jouj.

DRILLSBjrak ilo _____. R.R.E.,Kitco,A.B.C.,M.I.H.S.,Ajidik Hotel,Kibjon ...

Q.) Jete onn? A.)_____jn.

DIALOGUE THREEILOWAAN MN M

inside-of it/house of/eat

A. Yokwe.

B. Yokwe.A. Letok mk juon hamburger im juon Coke.=Give me a h.b.give-to here(to me)/please/a/hamburger/and/a/Coke. and a C. please.

B. Im bar ta?= And what else?and/again(more)/what

A. Emj. Kommool.= That's it. Thanks.it-is finished/you-are thanked

B. Kn jouj. Ak kwe.

C. Juon jajimi im juon aebj ippn aij.= One s. and an icewater.one / sa sh imi/ and /one /wa te r /wi th / i ce

B. Emj ke?= Is that it?[Is it done?]it-done/?[question particle]

C. Emj. Kommool.B. Jouj. DRILL: Letok m k juon__im juon__.


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DIALOGUE FOUR(REVIEW)

A. Iokwe eok!B. Yokwe yuk!

A. Ej et am mour?= How's life?it-is/do what/your/life

B. Emman. Ak kwe?A. Ebar emman.B. Kwj itok jn ia?= Where are you coming from?you-are /come/f rom/where

A. Ij itok jn Robert Reimers.= I'm coming from R.R.E..I-am/come/from/name of a large store in Uliga

B. Kwj etal an ia?= Where are you going?You-are/go/to/where

A. Ij etal an Je, Aellaplap.= I am going to Je, Ailinglaplap.I-am/go/to/name of an island/name of an atoll in the Rlik (western) chain.

B. In et?= To do what?to/ do what

A. In katak kajin M aj el .= To study Marshallese.to/study(learn)/tongue of/Marshallese

B. Kwe Peace Corps ke?= Are you a Peace Corps?you[to one person,emphatic]/P.C./?[question particle]

A. Aet, a Peace Corps.= Yes, I'm with Peace Corps alright.yes/that's me[I,me, emphatic form]/P.C.

B. Emman! Kjparok am mour!= Good!Take care!it-good/take care of/your/life

A. Bar yokwe!= Good-bye!DRILLS

Kwj itok jn ia?Ij itok jn _____. R.R.E.,Kitco,A.B.C.,M.I.H.S.,Ajidik Hotel,Kibjon ...Kwj etal an ia?Ij etal an _____. R.R.E.,Kitco,A.B.C.,M.I.H.S. ,Ajidik Hotel ,Kibjon . . .Q. Ej et am mour? A. Em m an. Ak kwe?


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DIALOGUE FIVETRAINEE EO EJ TO JN BOOM-BOOM EO ILO JE

t rainee/the/is/disembark/from/boat/ the/ in/ island name

A. Iokwe!

B. Yokwe yok yokwe yok!A. Etam?= What's your name?name-your

B. Eta in Amata.= My name is Amata.name-my/ is /Amata

A. Ewi Mama im Papa?= Where are my host-parents?where /mothe r / and / f a the r

B. Etan Mama im Papa?= What are your host-parents' names?

name-of /mother /and/ fa ther

A. Etaer in Loeak.= Their name is Loeak.name- the i r / i s /Loeak

B. Mama eo im Papa eo.= Here's your Mama and here's your Papa.mother/here is/and/father/here is

A. Kommool! Yokwe komro!= Thanks! Hello you two!you- are thanked/love/you two[you, speaking to two people]

C. O! Yokwe! Yokwe!= Oh! Hello! Hello!

DRILLSEta in _____ . Iokwe y o k .[you,to one person]Etam kom [you,to an indefinite number]Etan kom ro [you,to a pair of people]Etaer

NOTE: Vocabulary and Grammar: As you may have noticed in this lesson, possess ionin a certain class of nouns in Kajin M aje l is indicated by the addition of a possessivesuffix to the word. These nouns which make use of a possessive suffix are termed

"inalienable nouns" because they name objects which are of such value to the possessorthat they are unlikely ever to be separated from him. Examples are words for body parts,or in the case of the above dialogue, the word for "name". The most important possessivesuffixes to learn at the beginning indicate that the name is mine, yours[to one person], his,hers,its, or theirs. In the case of etaer, the meaning is either "their name[if people have acommon name]" or "their names". You may inquire as to the names of a group of people orthings (all with different names) just by saying "Etaer?". More about this later . . . inGrammar Section 5, Possessive Classifiers.


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DIALOGUE SIXAN MWEO

to/house the

A.Jemoot.= Let's go.we (should )-be gone[short for jen moot= let's be gone]

B.an ia?= Where to?to /where

A.an mween imed.= H o m e .to/house-that/house-our[our,including person(s) spoken to]

B.Ewi mweo imed?= Where is our house?where/house-the/house-our[our,including person(s) spoken to]

A.Epd ijuweo.= It's way over there.

it-stays/way over there[in sight, but distant]

B.O! Emman!= Oh good!A.Ekwe, itok.= Well then, come on.Well then/come

DRILLSQ. Ewi m weo im ed . A. Epd ije.

mn bwidej eo="the out-house" here by mehouse of/earth,dirt,shit/the

i j i nmn tutu eo="the bath-house" here between ushouse of/bathing/the

i j e n eaebj lal eo="the well" there by youwater /ground/ the

i jenaebjjimen eo="the catchment" there near neither of uswater /cement / the

i j okekb eo="the dipper" over theredipper(for well or catchment)/the

i j j u w e o

mn jikuul eo="the school house" way over there in sighthouse of/school/the

NOTE: Vocabulary and Grammar: Introduced above are:ije,ijin ... called "locativedemostratives", as they serve to show the location of things in space; secondly two of thesedemostratives appear as m w e e n , m w e o when suffixed to the word for house; t h i r d l yi m e d is the "possessive classifier" for houses to which is suffixed the personalp o s s e s s i v e . The complete paradigm for these words is given in the charts atthe end of this manual.


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DIALOGUE SEVENAWA IN M

t ime/of /ea t ing

M. Iien m kii. Jouj im delo t o k . =

Time to eat. Please come inside.t ime/ea t /now

V. Jej m ta?= What are we eating?we-are /ea t /what

M. Enno ke m im ek ippam?= Do you like breadfruit and fish?i t - t a s t ey (ed ib l e ) / ? /b read f ru i t / and / f i sh /wi th -you

V. Enno!= Tasty!M. Jouj im jijet im m kii.= Please sit and eat now.

be kind/and/si t /and/eat/now

V. Jej amwin ia?= Where can I wash my hands?We-are/wash hands/where

M. Am win eok ilo bakj en nabj.= Wash in that bucket thereoutside.wash hands/you[object form]/in/bucket/that[near neither of us]/outside

DRILLSQ. Kokna an m ta?

you- wi sh / e a t / whati d a a kd r i n k /

A. I k n aan m _____ im ______.i d a a k

FOODS: ek,m,raij,pilawa,bob,corned-beef,jalele . . .f i sh /b read f ru i t / r i ce /b read /pandanus / c .b . /mea t

DRINKS: ni,ti bwil,aebj,dnin wt. . .coconut juice/hot tea/water/rainwater

Q. Ewr ke _____ ?= Is there any _____ ?it has/?

A. Aet. Ewr _____.= Yes. There is _____.yes/it has

A. Jaab. Ejelok _____.= No. There is no _____.no/none


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DIALOGUE EIGHTLIKIN M

a f t e r / ea t

M. Emj ke am m ?= Are you done eating?

it-done/?/your[one person's]/eat

V. Emj a m.= I'm done eating.i t - done /my/ea t

M. Kwmat ke?= Are you full?you- fu l l / ?

V. Ilukkuun mat!= I'm really full!I - r e a l l y / f u l l

M. Bar lewj jidik? M wt!= Can I give you more? Keepeating!more/give-to you/little/ e at /c on ti nu e

V. Jolok bd, ak emaat a maro.= Forgive me, but I can't.throw-out/error/but/it is exhausted/my/ability

M. Emman, am wt bebe.= Okay, it's your choice.i t -good/your /only /dec is ion

V. Kommool tata kn m eo!= Thanks very much for the food!you are-thanked/utmost/for/food/the

M. Kn jouj!= You're welcome!with/kindness[short for K n men ne kwj kadiklok am jouj=It's better to give than toreceive]

DRILLS

Q. Have you _____ yet? A. Yes, I have. A. No, I haven't.Q. Em j ke am m ? A. Aet. Em j .

idaak A. Jaab. Ejain mj a __.tutu b a t h i n g no/it-not yet /done/my/___.

tutu iar swimming/ in- lagoonkiki s l e e p A. Emaat a maro in __.jerbal w o r keod f i sh ingjikuul go to school

Q. Kwmat ke? A. Ikanooj in mat! A. Ijain mat.you- fu l l / ? I - ve ry / o f / fu l l I-not yet/full


30/962 1

DIALOGUE NINEILU IIALIN JE

o n / r o a d - i n / J e

M. Morning-morning.

V. Morning. Jete awa ippam?= Morning. What time you got?morning/how many/hours/with-you

M. Rualitk awa kii. Kwe Peace Corps Ke?=It's eight o'clock now. Are you with P.C.?eight /hours /now/you/P.C. /?

V. Aet, a Peace Corps.= Yes, I'm with P.C..yes / I /P .C.

M. Etam?= What's your name?name-your[your, one person's]

V. Eta in Kiki.= My name is _____ .name-my/ i s /_ .

M. Kwj jokwe ia?= Where do you live?you are/dwell/where

V. Ij jokwe ippn baam le eo a.= I live with my family.I am/dwell /with-i t / family/the/my

M. Etan jemam?= What's your father's name?name-his/father-your[your, one person's]

V. Etan in _____.= His name is _____.n a m e - h i s / i s / _ _ .

M. Kwj ilok an ia kii?= Where you going now?you are/go-to there/to/where/now

V. Ij ilok an m n jikuul eo, ak irum wij.= I'm going to school,I am/go-to there/to/house of/school/the/but/I-late but I'm late.

M. O, emman. Bar yokwe.V. Bar yokwe.

NOTE: Vocabulary and Grammar: Introduced above is a phrase used commonly to asksomeone the time. In the next lessons NUMBERS and TIME-TELLING will be dealt with morefu l ly .


31/962 2

NUMBERS

NUMBERS ARE FORMED FOLLOWING VERY REGULAR PATTERNS:

1.ju on 11.jooul juon 10.jooul

2.r u o 12.jooulruo 20.r o ou l3.j i lu 13.jooulj i lu 30.j i loul4.e m n 14.j o ou l e mn 40.e o u l5.l a l e m 15.jooulla l e m 50. l e m o u l6.j i l j ino 16.jooulji l j ino 60.j i l j inooul7.j imjuon 17.jooul j imjuon 70.j imjuooul8.ral i tk 18.jooulral i tk 80.ral i tooul9.rat imjuon 19.jooulrat imjuon 90.rat imjuooul10.jooul 20.r o ou l 100.j i b u kw i

DRILLS 200.r u b u k w iTranslate the following from English 300.j i lu bu kwian Kajin Majel: 400.e a b u k w i

500. l i m a b u k w itwenty-one:______________________ . 600.j i l j inobukwithirty-two:_______________________ . 700.j imju onb uk wifourty-three:______________________ . 800 .r a l i tk b u k w ififty-four:______________________ . 900.r a t i mju on b u k w isixty-five:______________________ . 1000.juontauj in

ORDINAL NUMBERS

Kajin Majel indicates "first, second, third, etc. . . ." by idiom thus:

First: kein kajuon, or moktata [foremost]Second: kein karuoThird: kein kajiluFourth: kein kaemnEtc. ... : kein ka+number.

DRILLS

Juo n ej nm ba eo kein kajuon.RuoJi luEmnL a l e m


32/962 3

TIME-TELLING

Jete awa kii?= What time is it now?how many/hours/now

Jete awa ippam?= What time you got?how many/hours/with you

There are four simple patterns of responses to the above twoquestions. The one used depends on whether the minute hand is:

1.) exactly on the hour2.) past the hour3.) exactly on the half hour4.) before the hour.

Examples are given below:

1.) Juon awa kii.= It's now one o'clock.one/hour /now

2.) Jooullalem minit jn ruo awa.= It's fifteen past two.f i f teen/minutes / f rom/ two/hours

3.) Jilu jimattan awa kii.= It's now three-thirty.three /ha l f -of /hours /now

4.) Jooullalem minit an emn awa.= It's fifteen 'til four.

f i f t een /minu te s / t o / fou r /hour s

DRILLSTIME-TELLING

Q. Jete awa kii? A. ____ awa kii.

Q. Jenaaj m in naat? A. Jenaaj m ilo ___awa.we-wi l l /ea t / in /morning/when we will/eat/at,in / __ /h ou r

raelep n o o n

jota e v e n i n g

NOTE: Vocabulary and Grammar: Time-telling is covered in more detail in Lesson 6of Spoken Marshallese.


33/962 4

DIALOGUE TEN

A. Yokwe yok.

B. Yokwe yok.

A. Ewr ke mjet ippam.= Have you got any matches?it-has/?/matches/with-you[Are there any matches with you?]

B. Aet. Ewr.= Yes. I've got some.yes/it-has[Yes. There are.]

A. Imaro ke kjerbale?= Can I use them.I - c a n / ? / u s e

B. Aet. Eo.= Yes. Here you go.yes/here it is

A. Kommool.= Thanks.you are thanked

B. Jab inepata.= No problem.no /wor ry

DRILLS

Q. Ewr ke _____ ippam ? A. Aet. Ewr _____ ippa.

mjet matches / w i t h - m eptre ba t t e r i e skarjin ke rosene A. Jaab. Ejjelok _____ ippa.kij gasol inekj hookseo fishing line

Q. Kwmaro ke letok _____ ? A. Aet. Eo.you-able/?/give-to me/_

Q. Imaro ke kjerbal _ _ _ _ _ _ eo am ?I - a b l e / ? / u s e / the/your[you,one person's]bakbk kn i f eteeki f l a sh l igh tjitoob s toveainbat cooking potlaam l a m p


34/962 5

PHRASES TO ASK FOR CLARIFICATION

Ta eo kwj ba?= Kwj ba ta?= What are you saying?what?/the(=is it)/you-are/say= you-are/say/what

Kwaar (Ear) ba ta?= What did you (he) say?You-were(He-was)/say/what?

Kwmelele ke?= Do you understand?you-unsna r l ed / ?

Aet, Imelele.= I understand.yes / I -unsna r l ed

Jaab, Ijab melele.= I don't understand.no / I -no t /unsna r l ed

Etan men in ilo Kajin M aj el?= What's the Marshallesename-of?/thing/this[between us]/in/K.M. word for this thing?

Bar ba mk?= Bar juon mk?= Say that once again please.again/say/please=again/one/please

Emkaj am knono.= You're speaking quickly.i t - f a s t / your / speak

Elap an mkaj am knono.= You're speaking too quickly.

i t - b ig /o f / f a s t / your / speak

Elap an iur am knono.= You're speaking too quickly.i t - b ig /o f /qu i ck /your / speak

Jouj im karum wijlok jidik am knono.= Please speak a littlebe kind/and/make-slow-er/ l i t t le/your/speak more slowly.

Jouj im karalok lo k jidik am knono.= Please speak a littlebe kind/and/make-slow-er/ l i t t le/your/speak more slowly.

Iaan am ba come quick ilo Kajin M aj el?= How do you sayk o k a i r i u r t o k i nway of?[Rlik]/your/say/ . . . Marshallese?

Elemen aer ba go away ilo Kajin M ajel? = How do they say ko jnjen e in.. .way of?[Ratak]/their/say/. . .


35/962 6

Ewi wween am ba good ilo Kajin M aj el?= How do you sayemman in . . .how/way-of/your[singular] /say/good/in/Marshallese


36/962 7

LANGUAGE FOR THE CLASSROOM

i.)THE FIRST DAY OF SCHOOL

Eta in _____.= My name is ______.n a m e - m y / i s / _

a ij rikaki eo ami kl.= I'm your new teacher.me/I am/teacher/the/your[your, plural indefinite]/new

Etam?= What's your name?name-your?[your, sing.]

Kwmaro ke ba etam?= Will you say your name?you-can/?/say/name-your?[sing.]

Kwn jab mijak.= Don't be afraid.you- shou ld /no t / f ea r

Kwn jab jook.= Don't be shy.you- shou ld /no t / shy

Kwn jab ja.= Don't cry.you- shou ld /no t / c ry

Kwmaro ke je etam ilo peba in?= Can you write your name onyou-can/?/write/name-your[sing.]/in/paper/this[between us] this paper?

Jouj im je etam kab ii eo am .= Please write your name and age.be kind/and/write/name-your/together with/year/the/your[sing.]

Kilaj ta eo kar am ii eo lo k ? =What grade were you in last year?You-were/study/with-i t /class/how many/year/ the/past

Etan jinam?= What's your mother's name?name-of?/mother-your[sing.]

Etan jemam?= What's your father's name?name-of?/father-your[sing.]

Kwj jokwe ia?= Where do you live?you-are /dwel l /where?

Ewi mweo imom?= Where's your house?where/house-the/house-your[sing.]


37/962 8

Kjro en etal an mweo imom.= Let's go to your house.we-two[you and me]/it-should/go/to/house-the/house-your


38/962 9

ii.)BEGINNING and ENDING THE CLASS

E iien in jikuul kii.= It's time for school now.i t / t ime/of / school /now

Kojae bell en ratimjuon alen im buli!= Ring the bell ninemake- s ing /be l l / t he /n ine / t imes / and / fu l l - t hem times and really hit it!

Delotok im jijet.= Come in here and sit down.enter-to here/and/sit

Rojake mk.= Please listen.l i s t en /p l ea se

(Jouj im) jab keroro!= (Please) don't be noisy!kind/and/not/make noise

Lukkuun rojake im lale.= Listen and look carefully.r ea l l y / l i s t en / and / look

Reitok im lale.= Look right here.look-here /and/watch

Jijet ilo jea n e am .= Sit down in your chair.sit/in/chair/that[one near you]

Jenaaj jikuul ilo ralitk awa.= We will have school at 8:00.we-wi l l / school /a t /e ight /hour

Delotok im jijet m okta jn ralitk awa.=Come in and sit down before eight o'clock.enter- to here/and/si t /before/ than/eight/hour

Jouj im kopellok winto kein.= Please open these windows.kind/and/cause-open/window/these[here with us]

Jouj im kili kjm en.= Be kind and close that door.kind/and/close-it/door/that[there, not far away from us]

E iien in kakkije.= Time for a break.i t / t i m e / o f / r e s t

E awa in diwj im iukkure.= Time for recess.i t / h o u r / o f / e x i t / a n d / p l a y


39/963 0

Emj ad jikuul rainin.= School's done for today.it-done/our[yours and mine]/school/today

Jenaaj jikuul iliju.= We'll have school tomorrow.we-will /school/ tomorrow

Ejjelok ad jikuul iliju.= There's no school tomorrow.nothing/our/school/ tomorrow

Ebwe rainin.= Enough for today.i t -enough/ today

Komwj aolep en rool kii.= Everybody go home now.you[plural, indefinite number]/all/should/return/now

Ejjelok jikuul rainin bwe ewt.=

No school today because it's raining.nothing/school / today/because / i t - ra ins

Ejjelok jikuul rainin bwe emarok.= No school today because it'snothing/school / today/because / i t -dark dark.

Ejjelok jikuul rainin bwe Inainmej.=No school today because I'm sick.nothing/school / today/because / I -s ick


40/963 1

iii.)CLASSROOM RULES

Komwin jab rumwij.= Don't be late.you-should[you plural]/not/delay, slow

e ejjain iien jikuul, jab delo ilo ruum in.=If it's not time for school, don't enter this room.if/it-is-not yet/time/school/not/enter/room/this[here where we are]

Jab iukkure.= Don't play.no t /p l ay

Jab em m akt jn jea n e am , e ejjelo k melim . =not/move/from/chair/that[near you]/your[sing.]/if/none/permission-your[your, sing.]

Don't leave your seat without permission.

Jab jibwe men eo ejjab am .= Don't touch what's not yours.not/ touch/thing/the/i t is-not/your[singular]

Jab irre.= Don't fight.no t / f i gh t

Jab m bwil. Joloke.= Don't chew gum. Throw it away.not /ea t /chewing-gum/throw-away- i t

Jab lamj.= Don't shout.no t / shou t

e ewr am kajjitk, kajutak peim . =If you've got a question, raise your hand.if/it-has(there is)/your[sing.]/ask/cause-stand up/hand-your[sing.]

e kwj aikuj in duwj, kajutak peim . =If you need to go outside, raise your hand.i f /you-are[sing.] /need/of/exit /cause-stand up/hand-your

Jab jolok kwpej ilal.= Don't throw garbage on the ground.not / throw-out /garbage/on-ground

J o lo k kwpej ilo nien kwpej en. =Throw garbage in the trashcan.throw-out/garbage/in/container-of/garbage/that[there, not far away from us]

M jin kilaj karreoik ruum in.= After class clean up this room.finish-of/class/clean-it/room/this[here where we are]


41/963 2

iv.)READING ALOUD

Reitok im lale.= Look right here.look-here /and/watch

Jenaaj katak kajin Ilij kii.= We'll study English now.we-will /s tudy/tongue-of/Eng./now

Jen riit ilo kajin Ilij kii.= Let's read in English now.we-should/ read/ in /Eng. /now

Aolep bk juon bok.= Everybody take a book.al l / take /one/book

Ajej bok kane an aolep.= Give everyone one book.divide/book/those[near you]/to/all

Kopellok bok kane ami an peij lalem. =Open your books to page five.make-open/book/those[near you]/your[plur., indef.]/to/page/five

Jenaaj riit itulin peij juon.= We'll read at the top of page one.we-wi l l / read/ in-a t -h igh-of /page/one

Jen riit ioloban peij ruo.= Let's read in the middle of page two.we-should/ read/ in-middle-of /page/ two

Riit itulalin peij jilu.= Read at the bottom of page three.r ead / in -a t -g round-o f /page / th ree

Lale pija ne ion peij emn.= Look at that picture on page four.look at/picture/that[near you]/on top-of/page/four

Wn eknaan riit?= Who wants to read?who?/he(she) -wishes / read

Wn eknaan kajjio?= Who wants to try?who?/he(she) -wishes / t ry

Wn eknaan jino ad riit?= Who wants to begin our reading?who?/he(she) -wishes /begin/our / read

Wn emaro riiti naan in?= Who can read this?who?/he(she)-able/read/word/this[between us]


42/963 3

Wn ejel riiti naan in?= Who knows how to read this?who?/he(she) -knows/ read- i t /word/ th is

Knono jntj e.= Read this sentence.read/sentence/this[near me]

Riiti tok m k naan e.= Read this word to me please.read-it/to here/please/word/this[near me]

Kjparok bok ne am.= Take care of your book.care for/book/that[near you]/your[sing.]

Jab nukuji peij ne.= Don't wrinkle that page.not/wrinkle-it/page/that[near you]

Jab jeje ilo bok ne!= Don't write in that book!not/write/in/book/that[near you]

Aini tok m k aolepn bok kan e.= Collect all the books.gather-them/to here/please/all-of/book/those[near you]

Karoolok aolepn bok kane ami an ioon shelf en.=Put all your books back on that shelf.make-return-to there/all-of/book/those[near you]/your [pl . ] / to /on- top-of /she l f / tha t


43/963 4

v.)LANGUAGE LEARNING AND DRILLS

Lukkuun (=Kanooj) rojake.= Listen carefully.rea l ly(=rea l ly) / l i s ten

Reitok im lukkuun rojake.= Look and listen carefully.really/look-to here/and/listen

Ba likin a ba.= liji likin a ba.= Repeat after me.say/after-of/my/say = repeat-them/after-of/my/say

Komwin ba Hello! = You all should sayyou-should[you, pl. indef.]/say/_

Kwn ba Goodbye! = You should sayyou-should[you, sing.]/say/_

Kwmaro ke ba one, two, three?= Can you say ?you-can[you, sing.]/?/say/_

Bar juon mk.= Once again please.again /one/p lease

Bar ba mk.= Say it again please.again /say/p lease

Bar juon alen.= One more time.again /one/ ins tance

Ta eo kwaar ba?= What did you say?what?/the=is it/you-were[you sing.]/say

Ejimwe am ba.= You're saying it correctly.i t - r ight /your[s ing . ] / say

Ejimwe.= That's right.i t - r i g h t

Ejain lukkuun jimwe.= It's not quite right yet.it-not yet/really/right

Ejjab jimwe.= That's not right.i t - i s - n o t / r i g h t

Ebd am ba.= You're saying it incorrectly.i t -wrong/your[sing.] /say


44/963 5

Ebd.= That's wrong.i t -wrong

Ilo kajin M aj el etan in = In Marshallese it's name isin / tongue-of /M. /name- i t ' s / i s /book

Ilo kajin Ilij etan in book.= In English it's name is book.in / tongue-of /E. /name- i t ' s / i s /book

Ilo kajin M aj el rej ba = In Marshallese they sayin / tongue-of /M. / they-are /say/he- i s /go

Ilo kajin Ilij rej ba he is going.= In English they say he is going.i n / t ongue -o f /E . / t hey -a re / say /_

Ta melelein wri t e ilo kajin Ilij? =

What does mean in Marshallese?what? /unsnar l -of /_ / in / tongue-of /E.

melelein l i s ten ilo kajin Ilij.=Listen means in Marshallese?_ /unsna r l -o f /_ / i n / t ongue -o f /E

Kwmelele ke?= Do you understand?you-unsna r l ed / ?

Imelele.= I understand.I -unsna r l ed

Ijab melele.= I don't understand.I -no t /unsna r l ed

Ijab lukkuun melele.= I don't really understand.I -no t / r ea l l y /unsna r l ed

Komeleleik e.= Explain it to me. (lit., "Disentangle me.")make-unsnarl-it/me[object of verb]


45/963 6

vi.)SINGING

Wn eknaan ekkatak juon al?= Who wants to learn a song?who?/he(she) -wishes / learn/one/song

Jen al kii.= Let's sing now.we(you and I)-should/sing/now

Jej ekkatak juon al kii.= We're learning a song now.we-are / learn/one/song/now

Wn ejel al?= Who knows how to sing?who?/he(she)-knows/sing

Jen al kn A B C kii.= Let's sing our abc's now.we(you and I)-should/sing/with/abc's/now

Rojake m okta, im likin jenaaj al ippn doon.=Listen first,and after we'll sing together.l i s t en / f i r s t / and /a f t e r - i t /we -wi l l / s i ng /wi th -o f / each -o the r

Kwn al.= You should sing.you-should/s ing

Kwn jab jook in al.= Don't be afraid to sing.You-should/not / shy/of / s ing

Kolaplok ainikiemi!= Louder !make-big-er/voice-your[your, plur..]

Ejjab kanooj lap ainikiemi!= Not loud enough!i t - i s -not / rea l ly /b ig /voice-your[s ing . ]

Kii komwin al ippami make!= Now you all sing by yourselves.now/you-should[you, plur. indef.]/sing/with-your[plur.]/self


46/963 7

vii.)WRITING ON THE BLACKBOARD

Wn eknaan jeje ilo bilakbot?= Who wants to write on the b.b.?who?/he(she) -wishes /wr i te /on/b lackboard

Wn emaro jeje ilo bilakbot?= Who can write on the b.b.?who?/he(she) -can/wr i te /on/b lackboard

Wn eo emaro je men in?= Who can write this?who?/the=is it/he(she)-can/write/thing/this[between us]

Itok im jeje.= Come and write.go-to here/and/write

Etal im bk juon mttan jook.= Go and get a piece of chalk.go/and/ take/one/p iece-of /chalk

Komeejlok am jeje.= Make your writing darker.cause-dark-er /your[s ing . ] /wr i te

Emera am jeje.= Your writing is too faint.i t - l ight /your[s ing . ] /wr i te

Lale kwbwiloke jook ne != Don't break that chalk!look/you-break/chalk/that[near you]

Jere jeje kane.= Erase what you wrote.erase/writing/those[near you]

Jere aolepn bilakbot ne.= Erase the whole blackboard.erase/all-of/blackboard/that[near you]

Kmanmanlok wween am jeje.= Write more neatly.make-good-er/your[sing.] /wri te


47/963 8

viii.)SEATWORK: WRITING, DRAWING, COLORING . . .

Wn eknaan jeje?= Who wants to write?who?/he/she-wishes /wr i te

Wn ejjab eknaan jia?= Who doesn't want to draw?who? /he / she - i s -no t /wi sh /d raw

Aolep bk juon peba (bok, pinjel).= Everybody take one . . .al l / take /one/paper(e tc . . . . )

Jei etami na ion peba kane ami.=Write your names on your papers.write/name-your[plur.]/there/on top-of/paper/those[near you]/your[plur.]

Jei etami na itulin peba kane ami.=

Write your names at the top of your papers.write/name-your[plur .] / there/on-high-of/paper/ those[near you]/your[plur .]

Anki jeje k a.= Copy my writing.copy-them/write/these[near me]/my

Anke pija e.= Copy this picture.copy-it/picture/this[near me]

Anki pija k.= Copy these pictures.copy-them/picture/these[near me]

Ejimwe am kar anke.= You've copied it correctly.i t - r ight /your[s ing . ] / [pas t ] /copy- i t

Ebd am kar anke.= You've copied it incorrectly.i t -wrong/your[sing.] /[past] /copy-i t

Emman am jeje.= Your writing is good.i t -good/your[sing.] /wri te

Ealikkar am jeje.= Your writing is clear.

i t -c lear /your[s ing . ] /wr i te

Kmanmanlok eltan peim bwe epok.=Neaten up your hand-make-good-er/your[sing.] /handwrit ing/because/i t-confused writing because

it's sloppy.Ettoon peba ne am.= Your paper is messy.i t -dir ty/paper/ that[near you]/your


48/963 9

Jab nukuji peba ne.= Don't crumple that paper.not/wrinkle-it/paper/that[near you]

Jeme pinjel ne am.= Sharpen your pencil.sharpen-it/pencil/that[near you]/your

Ekkub bran pinjel ne am.= Your pencil's dull.i t -blunt/head-i ts/pencil / that[near you]

Klori pija kane ami.= Color your pictures.color-them/picture/those[near you]/your[plural]

K o m aolep bar litok penjil kane ami.= Everybody give meyou[plur. indef.]/all/back/give-them-to here/ back your pencils.pencil/those[near you]/your[plur.]

Jouj im ainitok aolepn pija kane ami.= Please gather all yourkind/and/gather-them-to here/all-of/picture/those[near you]/your[plur.] pictures

and give them to me.

Wn ekn aan jipa katotoik pija k ikiin m wiin.= Who wantswho?/he(she)-wants/help/make-hang-them/picture/ these[near me]/ to helpon-wall-of/house-this[here with us] hang these pictures on the wall?


49/964 0

ix.)MATH

Jen katak bnbn kii.= Let's study math now.we-should[you and I]/study/count/now

Juon koba juon, ruo.= One plus one, two.one/together with/one/two

Ruo bk juon, juon.= Two minus one, one.two/ take/one/one

Juon alen ruo, ruo.= One times two, two.one/ ins tance/ two/ two

Juon koorl ok kn jilu, jilu.= One times three, three.one/make-grow/by means of/three/three

Jiljino ajej kn jilu, ruo.= Six divided by three, two.six/divide/by means of/three/two

Juon mttan jiljino.= One-sixth.one /pa r t -o f / s ix

Ruo mttan jimjuon.= Two-sevenths .two/par t -of / seven


50/964 1

x.)ENCOURAGING AND PRAISING THE STUDENT

Emman am katak.= You're learning.i t -good/your[sing.] /study

Emmanlok am katak.= You're doing better in your studies.i t -good/your[sing.] /study

Emman am kajin Ilij.= Your English is good.i t -good/your[sing.] / tongue-of/E.

Kwjel riit.= You know how to read.you-know[you, sing.]/read

Kwlukkuun jel riit.= You really know how to read.you-really[you, sing.]/know/read

Kwjouj kn am jipa a.= It's kind of you to help me.you-kind/for/your[you, sing.]/help/me[object form]

Kommool kn am jipa.= Thanks for your help.you-thanked/with regard to/your[sing.]/help

Emman am kate yok.= It's good you're giving it your best effort.i t -good/your[sing.] /push/you(=yourself)

Emman am kate yok katak.= It's good that your trying to learn.it-good/your[sing.]/exert/you[object form]/study

Emman mwilim.= Your behaviour is good.it-good/behaviour-your[your, sing.]

Emman kain ne.= That sort of thing is good.it-good/kind/that[near you]

Ejimwe am lmnak.= What your thinking is right.i t - r ight /your[s ing . ] / th ink

Komltlt.= You're smart.you-smart[you, sing.]

Kwlukkuun mltlt.= Elap am mltlt.= You're really smart.you-really[you, sing.]/smart = it-big/your[sing.]/smart

Emool am ba.= What you say is true.i t - t rue /your[s ing . ] / say


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xi.)HOMEWORK, TESTS, GRADES

Buniin kom win katak peba k.=Tonight you all should study these papers.night-this[with us]/you-should[you, plur. indef.]/study/paper/these[by me]

Ilju jenaaj teej kake.= Tomorrow we will have a test on it.tomorrow/we-wi l l / tes t /about - i t

Jen kajim we peba kane ami kii.= Let's correct your papers now.we-should/make-right/paper/those[near you]/your[plur. indef.]/now

e ebd, kmman juon ekej.= If it's wrong, make an X.i f / i t -wrong/make/one/X

e ejimwe, kmman juon jek.= If it's right, make a check.i f / i t - r i gh t /make /one / check

Bwini aolpen an bd.= Count all his/her errors.count - them/al l -of /h is (her ) /mis take

Jei itulin peba oran bd ko.=Write at the top of the paper the number of mistakes.wri te- them/on-high-of /paper /quant i ty-of /mis take/ the[plur . ]

Jej teej kii.= We are having a test now.we-are / tes t /now

Teej in enaaj aetokan jooullalem wt minit.=The test will last only 15 minutes.test / this[with us]/ i t -wil l / long-of/15/only/min.

Kadelo aolepn kein jikuul kane ami nai ilowaan desk eoa m , ijellokun wt pinjel eo am . =Put all your school things inside your desk, except for your pencil.make-enter/all-of/tool/school/those[near you]/your[plur., indef.]/on/in-side-of/desk/the/ your[sing.]/ except-for it/just/pencil/the/your

Kwn teej ippam make.= Take the test by yourself.you- shou ld / t e s t /wi th -you / se l f


52/964 3

Lale peba n e am wt.= Look at your paper only.look/your[sing.] /only/paper

Jab lale peba en an.= Don't look at his/her paper.not/look/paper/that[there, away from us both]/his(her)

Uraaktok mk.= Move to here please.move-to here/please

Uraakwj.= Move back.move-toward you

Uraaklok.= Move over there.move-to there

Kauraakwj desk ne am .= Move your desk back.

make-move-toward you/desk/that[near you]/your[sing.]

Kauraaktok table ne am .= Move your table towards me.make-move-to here/table/that[near you]/your[sing.]

Kauraaklok jea ne am.= Move your chair over there.make-move-to there/chair/that[near you]/your[sing.]

Mottan wt lalem minit.= Only five minutes left.b i t -o f / j u s t / f i ve /minu te s

K o m win kam j teej n e kii wt.=You all should be finishing up the test now.you-should[you, plur. indef.]/make-done/test/that[near you]/now/just

Emj teej kii.= It is done now.i t / done / t e s t / now

Litok peba kane ami.= Give me your papers.give-them-to here/paper/those[near you]/your[plur. indef.]

Emman ami kar teej.= Your tests were good.

i t -good/your[plur .] /[past] / test

Ejjab lukkuun in em m an ami kar teej.=Your tests weren't so good.i t - i s -no t / r ea l l y /good /your[p lu r . ] / pas t / te s t

Ejjab kanooj emman teej eo am.= Your test is'nt so good.i t - i s -not / rea l ly /good/ tes t / the /your[s ing . ]


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Bar katak aolepn men ko ilo teej eo.=Study the material from the test again.again /s tudy/a l l -of / th ing/ the[plur . ] / f rom/ tes t / the

Emman grade eo am.= Your grade is good.

i t -good/grade/the/your[sing.]

Emmanlok grade eo am jn mokta.=Your grade is better than before.i t -good-er/your[sing.] /grade/the/your[sing.] than/before

Emmantata grade eo am jn aolep.= Your grade is the best of all.i t -good-es t /your[s ing . ] /grade/the /your[s ing . ] /than/a l l

Kwe bk A.= You get an A.you[emphatic]/get/A


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xii.)DISCIPLINE AND COMMUNICATION WITH PARENTS

Jab rumwij.= Don't be late.no t /de l ay

Kwn jab bar rumwij.= Don't be late again.you-should/not /again /de lay

Kajimwe jea ne am.= Sit with your chair flat on the floor.make-right/chair/that[near you]/your[sing.]

Kajimwe yok.= Sit up straight.make-r ight /you

Jab jibwe men ne.= Dont touch that.not/touch/thing/that[near you]

Etal jn jene!= Go away from there!go/from/there[near you]

Jab pd ijene!= Don't hand around over there!run/from/there[near you]

Kttar, ejjab kii.= Wait, not now.wait, it-is-not now

Kttar wt.= Just wait.wai t / j u s t

Kttar jidik.= Wait a little.wai t / l i t t l e

Enana kain ne.= That's bad.it-bad/kind/that[near you]

Kwn jab kain ne.= You shouldn't do that kind of thing.you-should[you, sing.]/not/kind/that[near you]

Elukkuun nana kain ne!= That sort of thing is really bad.it-really/bad/kind/that[near you]

Kwaar et inne?= What did you do yesterday.you-were[you, sing.]/do what?/yesterday

Kwaar pd ia inne?= Where were you yesterday?you-were[you, sing.]/stay/where?/yesterday


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Etke kwaar jab jikuul inne?=Why didn't you come to school yesterday?why?/you-were[you, sing.]/not/school/yesterday

Enana mwilim.= Your behavior is bad.

i t - bad /behav iou r -your

Etke koban km m an katak ilo jikuul?=Why won't you work in school?why?/you-will not[you, sing.]/do/study/in/school

Etke kwjjab kate yok katak?= Why don't you try to learn?why?/you-are-not/exert/you[object form]/learn

e ebar nana m wi li m , inaaj kinake eok an mama.=If your behavior continues to be bad, I will tell your mother.if/it-again/bad/behaviour-your[your,sing.]/I-will/report/you[object form]/to/your mother

Inaaj kinake yok an Papa.= I'm gonna report you to your father.I-will/report/you[object form]/to/your father

Rool an mweo imom.= Go home.r e tu rn / to /house - the /house -your

Koban bar jikuul mae iien inaaj knono ippn jinem imjem em .= You won't come to school again until I talk with your folks.you-will not[you, sing.]/again/school/until/time/I-will/speak/with-it/mother-your[your,

sing.]/ and/father-your[your, sing.]

E m m an e ajri eo nejim ej m m okta jn an itok anjikuul.= It is good if your child eats before he /she comes to school.i t -good/if /child/ the/child-your[your, s ing.] /he(she)-wi l l /ea t /before / than/h is (her ) / school

Elukkuun em m an an ajiri eo nejim katak.=Your child studies very well.i t -real ly/good/his/child/ the/child-your[your, s ing.] /study

Emltlt ajiri eo nejim.= Your child is smart.he(she)-smart/child/the/child-your[your, sing.]

Enaaj em m antata e ejab jolok an jikuul.=It will be best if he (she)doesn't quit school.i t -wi l l /good-es t / i f /he(she) -not / throw-out /h is / school


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Jet iien ej bt.= He/She sometimes misbehaves.some/ t ime/he(she) - i s /bad

Aolep iien ej bt.= He/She is always misbehaving.a l l / t ime /he ( she ) - i s /bad

Ajiri eo nejimiro ejaje bt.= Your kid's a sweatheart.child/the/child-your[your, to two people]/he(she)-not know/bad

Jen jimor lale report-card eo an.=Let's look at his report-card together.we-should[you and I]/together/look at/r.c./the/his

Jen jim or lale homework eo an.=Let's look at hishomework together.we-should[you and I]/together/look at/h.w./the/his/with-/eachother

B a a m le eo am ekar jokwe ia m okta jn ami itok an enin?=family/the/your[sing.] / i t -was/l ive/where?/before/ than/your[plur . indef.] /go-tohere/to/island-this[where we are]

Where did your family live before you came to this island?

Ajiri ro nejim rar jikuul ke ijen ? =Did your kids go to school there?child/-ren/child-your[your, s ing.] / they-were/school/?/ there

Kilaj jete eo rar pd ie?= What grade were they in?grade/how many/the/it-was/their

E m m an ke aer kar katak ijen ?= Did they learn well there?it-good/?/their/[past tense indicator]/study/there

Ear jikuul ippn wn ii eo lo k ? =Who was his(her) teacher last year?he(she) -was/school /wi th-him/who?/year / the /pas t


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RADIO

Ewi m n takta eo?= Where's the health assistant's house?where/house-of/health assistant/the

E awa in knnaan ippn Peace Corps.= It's time for radio net.i t / t ime /o f / speak /wi th - i t /P .C .

Imaro ke kjerbal retio eo am ?= Can I use your radio?I-can/?/make-work/radio/the/your[general classifier;casual usage]

Imaro ke kjerbal retio eo nejim ?= Can I use your radio?I-can/?/make-work/radio/the/your[special classifier;formal usage]

Aolep Juje ilo jilu awa kmimaro knnaan ippn Pij Kor.=every/Tuesday/ in / three /hour /we[exclus ive] -can/speak/wi th- i t /P .C.

We can speak with Peace Corps every Tuesday at three o'clock.


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TRAVEL and MAIL

i.)A.M.I.

Wn eo ej agent eo an A.M.I.?= Who's the A.M.I. agent?who/the[=is it that]/he-is/agent/the/of/Air Marshall Islands

Etan agent eo an A.M.I.?= What's the A.M.I. agent's name?name-of/agent/the/of/Air Marshall Islands

Ewwen iial eo an baluun eo?= What's the plane schedule?how-way-of? /way(schedule) / the /a i rp lane/ the

Baluun eo enaaj ktok t?= When will the plane be arriving?plane/the/i t -wil l / f ly-to here/when?

Baluun eo enaaj klok t?= When will the plane be taking off?plane/the/i t -wil l / f ly-to there/when?

Kwmaro ke bke eta?= Will you take down my name (for aticket)?can -you /? / t ake - i t / name-my

t eo koknaan klok?= When do you want to fly?when?/the=is it/you-want/fly

Ewr ke a tikej ippam .= Do you have my ticket?i t -has /? /my/ t icket /wi th-you[s ing . ]

Ewr ke a pkij?= Do you have a package for me?i t - has / ? /my/package

El ke a pkij?= Do you have many packages for me?i t - has / ? /my/package

Iknaan jilikinlok men kein an Mjro.=I-want/send-to there/thing/these[with you and me]/to/Mjuro

I want to send these things to Mjuro.

Jete onn juon tikej an Mjro?=How much for a ticket to Mjuro?how much?/price-of it/one/ticket


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ii.)Tima Im Jata . . .Supply/Ship/and/Char ter

Ewwen iial eo an tima eo?= What's the ship schedule?how-way-of?/way/the/outer-island transport ship/the

Enaaj po ia mokta tima eo?= Where's the ship going to stop first?it-will/land/where/before/outer-island transport ship/the

Enaaj potok t wa eo?= When's the boat going to arrive?i t -wi l l / l and -he re /when? /veh ic l e / t he

Emj ke an po wa eo?= Has the boat come yet?i t - done / ? / i t ' s / l and /veh ic l e / t he

Emj ke an atartar wa eo?= Is the boat docked yet?

i t - done / ? / i t ' s / l and -he re /veh ic l e / t he

Jenaaj po t?= When will we arrive?we-wi l l / land/when?

Iknaan iuwe an Mjro.= I want to ride to Mjuro.I -want / r ide / to /Mjuro

Kwmaro ke km m ane juon a trip ilo wa eo waam . =you-can /? /make - i t/ one /my/ t r i p / i n /veh ic l e / t he /veh ic l e -your .

Can I charter a trip in your boat?

Ik n aan km m ane juon a trip an Mjro.=I -want /make- i t /one/my/ t r ip / to /Mjuro

I want to charter a trip to Mjuro?

I k n aan km m ane juon a trip ilo pick-up.=I-want/make-i t /one/my/tr ip/ in/pick-up truck.

I want to get a pick-up truck cab.

I k n aan km m ane juon a trip ilo wa eo waam . =I -wan t /make - i t/ one /my/ t r i p / i n /veh ic l e / t he /veh icl e -your .

I want to charter your vehicle.

Wa en enaaj jerak t?= When will that boat sail?veh ic l e / t ha t / i t -wi l l / s a i l /when?

Wa eo waam enaaj jerak an ia?= Where's your boat sailing to?veh ic l e / t he / i t -wi l l / s a i l / t o /where?


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Wa eo waam ej jerak an ia?= Where's your boat sailing to?veh ic l e / t he / i t - i s / s a i l / t o /where?

Imaro ke iuwe ippam ilo wa eo waam . =I - can / ? / r i de /with -you / in /veh ic l e /t he /veh ic l e -your .

Can I ride with you in your boat[or other vehicle]?

Eobrak ke wa ne waam ?= Is your boat full?i t - fu l l / ? /veh ic l e / t he /veh ic l e -your .

Jete onn a iuwe?= How much for a ride?how much?/price-of it/my/ride

t eo kwnaaj jerak?= When will you sail?when/the=is it that/you-will/sail

Jouj im kttar e. Inaaj buktok men ko m w e i . =be kind/and/wait for/me/I-will/bring them-to here/thing-/-s/my propertyPlease wait for me while I get my stuff.

Ij kll ke kii?= Should I to pay now?I - am/pay /? /now

Kwnaaj to ia?= Where are you going to get off?you-wi l l /d isembark/where?

Inaaj to ilo wab eo tuea.= I'll get off at the north dock.

I -wi l l / d i s embark / a t /war f / t he / in -no r th

Inaaj to ilo bok turk.= I'll get off on the beach to the south.I-wil l /disembark/at /sand/to the-south

Kwj etal an ia?= Where are you going?you-are /go/ to /where

Kwnaaj bar rooltok t?= When are you coming back?you-wi l l /aga in / re turn-here /when?

Ewi toun am naaj pd ijo?= How long will you stay there?how? / l eng th -o f /your / fu tu re / s t ay / the re

Ewi toun am kar pd ilo Mjro?=How long did you stay in Mjuro?how?/ length-of /your /pas t / s tay/ in /Mjuro


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Jete awa jn ijin an ijen? =How long does it take from here to there?how many?/hours/from/here[where you and I are]/to/there[the place you and I are talkingabout]

Jete m ai l jn ijin an ijen? =How many miles is it from here to there?how many?/miles/from/here[where you and I are]/to/there[the place you and I are talkingabout]

Wn ro renaaj iuwe ippam ?= Who will ride with you?who/[plura l ] / they-wi l l / r ide /wi th-you[s ingular ]

Jete onn kij?= What's the price of gas?how much?/price-of/gasoline

Elap ke no?= Are the waves big?i t - b i g / ? / s u r f

Ejjelok no, le.= No waves, man.no/wave

En wt ke?= Will it rain?i t - s h o u l d / r a i n / ?

Enaaj det.= It'll be sunny.i t - w i l l / s u n n y

Elap ke kto?= Much wind?i t - b i g / ? / w i n d

Jaab. Elur.= No. It's calm.no / i t - ca lm

Ej et kii? Eibwijtok ke?= What's going on?Is the tide coming in?it-is/do-what?/now/it-high tide-to here/?

Eptlok ke?= Is the tide going out?

it-low tide-to there/?

Eibwijtata kii.= The tide is in now.it-high tide-utmost/now

Ij iuwe ke kii?= Should I get on board now?I - am/ r ide / ? /now


62/965 3

Ewr ke jikin rke wa eo?= Is there a place to beach the boat?i t - has / ? /p l ace -o f /beach - i t / veh i c l e / t he

Wn eo ej kattr wa eo?= Who's driving the boat?who/the[=is it that]/he-is/make-run/vehicle/the

Jej aikuj ke teki?= Do we need a flashlight?we-a re /need /? / f l a sh l igh t

Ewr ke ad kein a?= Do we have lifejackets.it-has/?/our[yours and mine]/tool-for/swim

Ebwe ke ad kein a?= Are there enough lifejackets.it-enough/?/our[yours and mine]/tool-for/swim

Jemaro ke eod?= Can we fish?

we-can[you and I]/?/fish

Jemaro ke ilarak?= Can we troll?we-can[you and I]/?/troll

Ij tobwe ke kii?= Should I pull in my line now?I - am/pu l l - i n / ? /now

E m m an ke eo e? Ebwe ke an kilep?=Is this fishing line big enough?i t -good/?/f ishing l ine/ this/ i t -enough/i t ' s / largeness

Jej eod kn moor rot?= What kind of bait will we use?we-are/f ish/with/bait , lure/kind?

Ekojek!! Elukkuun kilep ek e!!= It's hooked!!This fish is huge!!it-is hooked/it-really/big/fish/this[near me]

Ek rot in? Enno ke?= What kind of fish is this? Is it edible?f ish/kind?/this[between us]/ i t -edible/?

Jej kadek ke?= Will we be poisoned if we eat this kind of fish?we-are/poisoned/?[present tense sometimes may have future meaning]

Kjparok pkij ne bwe en jab tutu.=take care of/package/that[near you]/so that/it-should/not/be wet

Take care that parcel doesn't get wet.

Jouj im ba ren jilikintok men ko mwei.=be kind/and/say/they-should/send-to here/thing/these[with you and me]/my property

Please tell them to send me my things.


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64/965 5

TENSE AND MOOD

Below are examples of common usages of the Marshallese verb pdin the first person singular,with tense and mood indicators.

Iar pd.= Ikar pd. = I stayed. [I had stayed.]*Emj a pd. = I have stayed.I p d . = I stay.Ij pd. = I am staying.Inaaj pd. = I will stay.Inaaj kar pd. = I would stay.In pd. = I should stay. Let me stay.In kar pd. = I should have stayed. I will have stayed.

The past progressive tense in Kajin Majel is shown in various ways,

but not by means of "ij kar" which does not exist. For example:

Ilo iien eo ke Ikar pd ijen, Ikar m n n .When I was staying there, I was happy.

The distributive form of the verb may also be used to showincomplete or progressive mood. See the description of this verbform in M.E.D. pp. xix ff.

*The past perfect in English is often rendered more accurately in the

context of a sentence using kar :

e Ikar pd, Iban kar m n n .If I had stayed, I would not have been happy.

Ke kwaar itok kwaar lo ke ikar pd wt.When you came you saw that I had stayed.

Much of tense and mood in Marshallese can be determined bycontext, as can whether the verb is active or passive. Sample

sentences can be found in the M.E.D. which will provide you withample useful examples of proper sentence structure.

The chart on the following page shows the subjectpronoun prefixes conjoined with the suffixes used todesignate tense and mood in the Marshallese Language.Ratak dialect forms are given in brackets [ ... ] where theydiffer from the Rlik forms.


65/965 6

PERSONAL PRONOUNS1.SUBJECT PREFIX-

EMPHATIC WITH TIME SUFFIX OBJECTFORM 2.past*was, were FORM

3.present* am, is, are

4.wish* shou ld*ENGLISH 5 .f u t u r e*will, shall *ENGLISH1 . i -

*I a 2.iar [Ratak: ikar] e *me3.i j4.i n5. inaaj [Ratak: inj]1 .k w -

*you k w e 2. kwaar [Ratak:kw kar] e o k *you(speaking to 3.k w j [also:yok ,yuk ]

one person) 4.k w n5.kwnaaj[Ratak:kwnj ]1 .e -

*he, e 2. ear [Ratak: ekar] e *him,she, 3.e j *her,

i t 4.e n * i t5. enaaj[Ratak:enj ]1 .j e -

*w e kj 2.jaar [Ratak: jekar] kj *us( including 3.j e j ( incl .)

person being 4.j e nspoken to) 5.jenaaj [Ratak:jenj]

1.k m i -*w e k m 2.kmiar [Ratak:kmikar] k m *us(excluding [Ratak: 3.k m i j [Ratak: (excl.)person being k m , 4.k m i n k m , spoken to) kmmem ] 5. kminaaj [Ratak:kminj ] km m em]

1.k o m i -*you kom 2.komiar [Ratak:komikar] kom *you(to more [Ratak: 3.k o m i j [ R a t a k : ( p l u r a l )than one km i ] 4.k o m i n km i ]person) 5.kominaaj [Ratak:kominj]

1 .r e -* t hey e r 2. raar [Ratak:rekar] e r * t h e m

3.r e j4.r e n5.rnaaj[Ratak:rnj]


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PLURAL PERSONAL PRONOUNS WITH NUMERATIVES

The following table exhibits the plural personal pronouns andall the possible distinctions in number which they make. The formsin italics appear also in the previous chart, and are plurals indicating

an indefinite number. The numbers shown on the extreme leftindicate as follows: 2 , two persons; 3 , three persons; 3+ , more thanthree persons, or sometimes simply an indefinite number; 4+ , morethan four persons or simply an indefinite number. Ratak dialectforms are given where they differ from the Rlik forms. For thephonemic transcriptions of these pronouns and of thosefrom the preceding table, see Spo ken Marsha ll ese, pp. 5 + 8.

OBJECT/ABSOLUTE FORMS SUBJECT FORMSR LIK RATAK R LIK RATAK

k j j e -

2 k jr o j e r o3 k j je e l k j e l j e e l j e l3+ k j e a k j m n j e a j e m n4+ k jw j jo w j

k m k m / k m m e m k m i -2 k m r o km r o3 k m j e e l k m j e l3+ k m e a k m m n3+ k m je a k m je m n4+ k m w j

k o m k m i k o m i -

2 kom r o k m i r o3 k o m je e l k m i j e l3+ k om e a k m i m n3+ kom j ea k m i je m n4+ kom w j k m i w j

e r r e -2 e r r o r e j e r o3 e r j e e l e r j e l r e j e e l3+ e r e a e r m n r e a 3+ e r j e a e r j e m n4+ e r w j r o w j


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POSSESSIVE CLASSIFIERS

Inalienable nouns name objects which are of such value to thepossessor that they are unlikely ever to be separated from him. Inemphasis of the close relationship between the possessor and the

object possessed, the personal pronomial suffix is fused to the end ofthe noun.

Possessive clas sif iers are a species of inalienable noun whichhas evolved to signify possession in broad categories or classes ofnouns. The general possessive* is used to show possession ofalienable nouns without specifying the class of objects to which itbelongs. It is also used with verb forms.

When an inalienable noun and hence, a possessive classifier,shows possession, the end or stem of the noun alters in conjunctionwith the personal pronomial suffix. Marshallese nouns and

possessive classifiers exhibit four possible stems. Below are themost commonly encountered possessive classifiers in thefirst person singular [my], for each of the four stem types.

i-stems e-stems a-stems aa-stems

nej [Ratak:nj] k i j kon a a*offspring, food, catch of fish, general possessivedomestic animals, c igaret tes crus taceans,

watches, she l l f i sh , w a omoney, l i m or birds vehicles,Bible, beverages wheelbarrows

radios , m e j atape players im masks,

houses, eyeglasses

n i bu i ld ingsu tens i l s ,

tools k i n i bedding

j i b grandmothers, u t grandchi ldren , bath water

p e t sThe complete paradigm for possessive c lassi f iers

exemplifying each of the four stem-types is given on thefollowing page.1s., 2s., 3s. = first, second, third person singular;1p., 2p., 3p.= first, second, third person plural; i. = inclusive (includeslistener); e. = exclusive (excludes listener).Ratak forms are given insmall type below the Rlik forms where they differ from the Rlik.


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POSSESSIVE CLASSIFIERS of the 4 stem-types WITH NUMERATIVESi-stem e-stem a-stem aa-stem

1s. n e j k i j kon a w a o2s. nejim kijem konam w a am3s. n e j i n k i j e n kon a n w a a n

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -1p.i. n e j i d k i j e d k o n a d w a a d 2 n ej ir r o k i j er r o kon a r r o w a a r r o3 n e j i d j e e l k i j e d j e e l k o n a d j e e l w a a d j e e lRatak: n e j i d j e l k i j e d j e l k o n a d j e l w a a d j e l

3+ n e j i d e a k i j e d e a k o n a d e a w a a d e a Ratak: n e j i d m n k i j e d m n kona d m n w a a d m n

4+ n e j i d w j k i j e d w j kon a d w j w a a d w j- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -1p.e. n e j i m k i j e m k o n a m w a a mRatak: n e j i m m e m k i j e m m e m kon a m m e m w a a m m e m

2 n e j i m r o k i j e m r o kona m r o w a a m r o3 n e j i m j e e l k i j e m j e e l k o n a m j e e l w a a m j e e lRatak: n e j i m j e l k i j e m j e l k o n a m j e l w a a m j e l

3+ n e j i m e a k i j e m e a ko n a m e a w a a m e a Ratak: n e j i m m n k i j e m m n kona m m n waam mn

3+ n e j i m j e a k i j e m j e a kon a m j e a w a a m j e a Ratak: n e j i m j e m n k i j e m j e m n kona m j e m n waamj emn

4+ n e j i m w j k i j e m w j kon a m w j w a a m w j- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -2p. n e j i m i k i j e m i k o n a m i w a a m i

2 n e j i m i r o k i j e m i r o kon a m i r o w a a m i r o3 n e j i m i j e e l k i j e m i j e e l k o n a m i j e e l w a a m i j e e lRatak: n e j i m i j e l k i j e m i j e l k o n a m i j e l w a a m i j e l

3+ n e j i m i e a k i j e m i e a k o n a m i e a w a a m i e a Ratak: n e j i m i m n k i j e m i m n kon a m i m n w a a m i m n

3+ n e j i m i j e a k i j e m i je a k o n a m i j e a w a a m ijeaRatak: n e j i m i j e m n k i j e m i j e m n ko n a m i j e m n w a a m i j e m n

4+ n e j i m i w j k i j e m i w j kon a m i w j w a a m i w j- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -3p. n e j i r k i j e e r k o n a e r w a a e r 2 n e j i e r r o k i j e e r r o k o n a e r r o w a a e r r o3 n e j i e r j e e l k i j e e r j e e l k o n a e r j e e l w a a e r j e e lRatak: n e j i e r j e l k i j e e r j e l k o n a e r j e l w a a e r j e l

3+ n e j i e r e a k i j e e r e a k o n a e r e a w a a e r e a Ratak: n e j i e r m n k i j e e r m n k on a e r m n w a a e r m n

3+ n e j i e r j e a k i j e e r j e a k o n a e r j e a w a a erj e a Ratak: n e j i e r j e m n k i j e e r j e m n k o n a e r j e m n w a a e r j e m n

4+ n e j i e r w j k i j e e r w j k on a e r w j w a a e r w j


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GENERAL POSSESSIVE CLASSIFIER WITH NUMERATIVESThe plural forms of the general possessive classifier

also specify the number of possessors, as follows in thechart below. The numbers with letters shown on the extreme left indicateas follows: 1s., 2s., 3s. = 1 st, 2 nd, 3 rd person s ingula r ; 1p., 2p., 3p.= 1 st, 2 n d ,

3 rd person p lu ra l ; i. = inclusive (includes person spoken to); e . = exclusive(exc ludes pe r son spoken to ) . The forms in italics a re p lura l sindicating an indefinite number of possessors. The numberswithout letters shown on the extreme left indicate that thepossessors are: 2, two persons; 3, three persons; 3+, more thanthree persons, or sometimes simply an indefinite number; 4+, morethan four persons or simply an indefinite number. Ratak d ia lec tforms are given where they differ from the Rlik forms.

R LIK RATAK ENGLISH1s. a m y2s. am your[singular]

3s. a n his, her, its

1p.i. a d our[inclusive]2 a r r o3 a d j e e l a d j e l3+ a d e a a d m n4+ a d w j

1p.e. a m a m m e m our[exclusive]2 a m r o

3 a m j e e l a m j e l3+ a m e a a m m n3+ a m j e a a m j e m n4+ a m w j

2p. a m i your[plural]2 a m i r o3 a m i j e e l a m i j e l3+ a m i e a a m i m n3+ a m i j e a a m i j e m n

4+ a m i w j3p. a e r t he i r2 a e r r o3 a e r j e e l a e r j e l3+ a e r e a a e r m n3+ a e r j e a a e r j e m n4+ a e r w j


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DEMONSTRATIVES{1} The demonstratives demonstrate the positions of the nouns

which they follow, relative to the speaker and the person or peopleaddressed. Once again distinction is made between i n c l u s i v e(includes the person or people addressed), and exclusive (excludes

the person or people addressed). Consider these three examples:ek kein= these fish near us (near both you [singular or plural] and me).ek k= these fish near us(near me and my friends here, but not near you).ek k= these fish near me(not near you).'ek kein'is termed a 1 st person inclusive form; 'ek k'is termed a1 st person e xclusive form and context must reveal whether thesingular [me] or plural [us] is meant.

{2} The demonstratives also exhibit special "singling out" formswhich serve either to single out one particular noun from amongst agroup, or simply to demonstrate the position of the noun moreemphatically.

{3} In the singular the same demonstratives are used for bothhumans and nonhumans, 'nonhumans' being all inanimate things, aswell as plants and animals. In the plural, however, there are specialdemonstratives which refer exclusively to human beings.

In the tables below the numbers and letters appearing atthe extreme left indicate as follows:

1. i .=1st person inclusive, near us[near or between both youand me];

1.e.=1st person exclusive, near me or us (but not near you);

2.= 2nd person, near you[singular or plural];3 . = 3 rd person, near him/her/it or them, distant from me or

us; 4.= Very distant or out of sight.s.= singling-out. Rlik forms of the demonstratives may prefix

an i- [= at, in, on] and are indicated in the tables below by (i).SINGULAR PLURAL PLURALHUMAN OR NONHUMAN HUMANNONHUMAN

1. i. i n k e i n r e i n1.e. e k r

1.e.s. i i =ei =ei k k r r 2. n e k a n e r an e2.s. n e n e k k a n e rran e3. e n k an ran3.s. i i en =e ien k kan rran4. e o k o r o4.s. ( i ) u w e o k o k o r o r o? e w i ? e r k i ? e r r i ?


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DEMONSTRATIVES

SINGULARHUMAN ORNONHUMAN ENGLISH

1.i. ajri in this child in between us1.e. ek e this fish near me/us(not near you)1.e.s. ni ii this coconut near me/us(not near you)2. ajri ne that child near you2.s. ek n e n e that fish near you3. ni en that coconut near neither of us3.s. ajri iien that child near neither of usD. ek eo the fish[out of sight]D.s. ni (i)uweo that coconut[way over there]? Ewi ajri eo? Where is the child?

PLURALNONHUMAN ENGLISH

1.i. ek kein these fish in between us1.e. ni k these coconuts near me/us(not near you)1.e.s. ek kk these fish near me/us(not near you)2. ni kan e those coconuts near you2.s. ek kkane those fish near you3. ni kan those coconuts near neither of us3.s. ek kkan those fish near neither of usD. ni ko the coconuts[plural]

D.s. ek koko those fish[way over there]? Erki ni ko? Where are the coconuts?

PLURALHUMAN ENGLISH

1.i. ajri rein these children in between us1.e. ajri r these children near me/us(not near you)1.e.s. ajri rr these children near me/us(not near you)2. ajri rane those children near you2.s. ajri rrane those children near you

3. ajri ran those children near neither of us3.s. ajri rran those children near neither of usD. ajri ro the childrenD.s. ajri roro those children [way over there]? Erri ajri ro? Where are the children?


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PERSONAL DEMONSTRATIVESThe personal demonstratives shown below are words for"man" and "woman" to which the demonstratives have beenfused in the post position.

MASCULINE FEMININESINGULAR PLURAL SINGULAR PLURAL

1.i. le i n l m a r e i n l i i n lim a r e i n

1.e. loe [le ] lm a r l i e lim a r 1.e.s. le i lm a r r l i i lim a r r

2. lo n e lm aran e l i en e lim aran e2.s. lo n e n e lm arran e l ien e n e lim arran e

3. le e n lm aran l i e n lim aran3.s. le i e n lm arran l i i e n lim arran

D. le o lm a r o l i o lim a r oD.s. lo u w e o lm a r o r o l u w e o lim a r o r o

? lt(a) . . . lt (lita) . . .

HOUSE DEMONSTRATIVESThe demonstratives are fused in the post position to

the word for "dwelling" in the forms below.SINGULAR PLURAL

1.i. m w i i n m k e i n

1.e. m w e m k 1.e.s. m w e i m k k

2. m on e m kan e2.s. m o n en e m k k an e

3. m w e e n m kan3.s. m w e i e n m kkan

D. m w e o m k oD.s. m o u w e o m k o k o

? m t(a) . . .


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LOCATIVE DEMONSTRATIVES

Locative demonstratives are used to specify positionrelative to the speaker and the person or people addressed.The forms show the same patterns as the above

demonstratives. Rlik forms may prefix an i- [= at, in, on] and areindicated in the table below by (i).

SINGULAR PLURAL

1.i. ( i ) j i n ( i ) j e k e i n1.e. ( i ) j e ( i ) j e k 1.e.s. ( i ) j i i =( i ) j i e ( i ) j e k k 2. ( i ) jen e ( i ) j ekan e2.s. ( i ) jen e n e ( i ) j ekkan e3. ( i ) jen ( i ) jekan

3.s. ( i j) j i ien ( i ) jekkanD. ( i ) j o ( i ) j e k oD.s. ( i j ) j u w e o = ( i ) j u u w e o ( i ) j e k o k o

SENTENCE DEMONSTRATIVESSentence demonstratives are termed such because

they may best be translated into English by an entires e n t e n c e .

SINGULAR PLURAL NONHUMAN PLURAL HUMAN

1.i. ( i ) e i n ( i ) e r k e i n ( i ) e r r e i n1.e. ( i ) e e ( i ) e r k ( i ) e r r 1.e.s. ( i ) e i o = i i ( i ) e r k k ( i ) e r r r 2. ( i ) e n e ( i ) er kan e ( i )er ran e2.s. ( i ) e n e n e ( i ) e r kk an e ( i )errran e3. ( i ) e e n ( i ) erkan ( i )erran3.s. ( i ) e i en ( i ) er kkan ( i )errranD. ( i ) e e o = ( i ) e o ( i ) e r k o ( i ) e r r oD.s. ( i ) e u w e o = e o w e o ( i ) e r k o k o ( i ) e r r or o

= e u w o= e o w o

Ein!= Here he/she/it is between us!Ee!= Here he/she/it is near me!Enene!= There he/she/it is near you!Erroro!= There those folks are way over there!Erkoko!= There those things are way over there!


74/966 5

USING SPOKEN MARSHALLESEWhile Spoken Marshallese (S.M , Bender, University of Hawaii,

1969) has been the definitive work on Marshallese grammar andsyntax since its publication, many readers have found it difficult, tosay the least. The following notes have been written to highlight

some points likely to clarify matters for the beginning student.The principal difficulty in the use of S.M. involves the fact that

all the dialogue materials are written twice, in two adjacent columns.In the left hand column a traditional spelling system is used, and onthe righ t the phonemic system of transcription is used. On pages xiii-xxi of the introduction to S.M. the pronunciation of the varioussymbols in the phonemic transcription are explained. The mainpeculiarities of this system are enumerated below. Otherwise, theletters are pronounced as in English.

a= sa te= se t&= betweense tandsit.i= s i t

With the pronunciation of the vowels in mind, the studentshould also know that the semivowels h , w , and y have a mi l d e rpronunciation than in English, being sometimes almost imperceptibleexcept for their effects on the above vowels.

The consonant q when it occurs at the beginning or in themiddle of a word has a sound something like the "qu" in "aqua". Atthe end of a word it has a "k" sound as in "lock".

The consonant g has a sound something like the "ng" in "sing".Certain other signs, namely the "rounded consonants", are

written with .. .. .. . .

two dots over the symbols for the unrounded forms: g , n , l , r .These consonants are pronounced with the lips rounded or puckeredas when pronouncing a "w". It is not necessary for a beginningstudent to worry too much about distinguishing these rounded forms

from their unrounded counterparts, since this distinction is madealmost automatically, depending upon the accompanying vowels.

In the M.E.D. this same phonemic system is used ( inparentheses after each entry ) with only some smalldifferences: the vowel sound written "&" in S.M. is written "e" inthe M.E.D. ; the rounded consonants mentioned above are written go ,no , lo , ro in the M.E.D.


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NOTE: The difficulties which will plague the student ofMarshallese come about in large part because the language remainedunwritten until modern times. Through their attempts to translateportions of the Bible, Christian missionaries were the first tointroduce literature to this area of the Pacific, transcribing the

sounds of Marshallese with the Roman alphabet. These firsttranslations of the Bible, done in the dialect of the Rlik chain,brought about the eventual predominance of this dialect.

The spellings which these missionaries introduced were erraticand the Roman alphabet was not well suited to representing thesounds of the language. It was not until recent times that a newsystem was developed to more accurately and consistently depict thesounds of Marshallese. The beginning of this new system is the"phonemic transcription" as it appears in Spoken Marsha llese. Thissame system of phonemic transcription was later used in the M.E.D.

with only minor modifications, as mentioned above.The main entry spellings of the M.E.D. were devised based upon

the analysis of the phonemes of Marshallese to more consistentlyrepresent the sounds peculiar to Marshallese. These spellings areintended to be the standard for all writing in the Republic.

The differences between the common spellings and the M.E.D.standard spellings are many, and until the spelling reforms areenforced throughout the country the student will find reading the"Marshall Islands Journal" ("M.I.J.") , the Marshallese Bible , or justabout anything written in Marshallese to be somewhat difficult.

Because it has been common for writers of Marshallese to spellwords according to their individual whims, it is difficult toenumerate all the differences between the "traditional" and"standardized" spellings. To illustrate some of these differences, youwill see below passages excerpted from the Marshallese Bible andthe "M.I.J."


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TRADITIONAL SPELLINGPsalm 23

1 Iroij ej ao shepherd ,Ijamin aikwij .

2 Ej kakkijeik io ilo melaj in ujoj ko

r e m m a r o r o , Im ej tel io non unin dren ko relae.3 Ej kakajur io.

Ej tel io ilo ial eo ejimweEinwot an kar kallimur.

4 Iroij, mene ij etal ilo juon ial eo eninjik,Ijamin mijak jabdrewot nana,Bwe kwoj bed ibba,Im kwoj tel io im kejbarok io kin

jok on eo jok on am .5 Kwoj keboj juon ien mona non io

Iman mejen ro rej kijdrate io;Ilo am wonmaik io kwoj kabit bora kin

oil ,Im kwoj kalon mejidjid c u p eo limo.

6 Emol, am joij im yokwe renaj bed ibbatoan wot ao mour;

Im inaj jokwe imweo imom non indrio.

NEW STANDARD SPELLINGPsalm 23

1 Irooj ej a jabt,Ijamin aikuj.

2 Ej kakkijeik e ilo melaajin wjooj kor m m a r o r o ,

Im ej tl e an wnin dn ko rla e .3 Ej kakajoor e.

Ej tl e ilo iial eo ejim w einwt an kar kallim u r .

4 Irooj, mee ij etal ilo juon iial eo eninjek,Ijamin mijak jabdewt nana,Bwe kwj pd ippa,Im kwj tl e im kjparok e kn

j o k o n eo jokon a m .5 Kwj kpooj juon iien m an e

I m aan mejn ro rej kjdate e;

Ilo am wnm aik e kwj kapit bra knw e i l ,

Im kwj kal mjidjid kab e

marshallese language

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