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Lesson 50: Make you happy, make you sad (The ka- prefix again)

This post is based on Practical Marshallese by Peter Rudiak-Gould, a freely distributed, full-length textbook for learning the native language of the Marshall Islands. It has been used since 2004 as the official language manual for all volunteers in the WorldTeach Marshall Islands program, and it has formed the basis of language classes for Americans at Kwajalein Atoll. The 102 short lessons describe the grammar of the language in practical and familiar terms, and a glossary presents 1500 useful words.

In the last lesson you learned that you can add ‘ka’ before a noun to mean ‘to hunt for, to look for.’  You can also put ‘ka’ before an adjective or verb to mean ‘to cause to’ or ‘to cause to be’:

ka + nañinmej   =kanañinmej   =cause to be-sick= to cause to be sick, to make sick
ka + rọọl            =karọọl           =  cause to-leave= to cause to leave, to make leave

– Sometimes when you do this the word ends up as something we would translate differently in English (also notice that the adjective sometimes changes a bit when you add ‘ka’):

ka + ettoon       = kattoon        =make-dirty= to make dirty => to dirty up
ka + erreo         =karreo          =make-clean= to make clean => to clean
ka + jiṃwe        =kajiṃwe       =make-right= to make right => to correct
ka + mat           =kōmat           =make-cooked= to make cooked => to cook
ka + maat         =kamaat         =make-all gone= to make all gone => to use up
ka + diwōj         =kadduoj        =make-exit= to make exit => to take out, to remove
ka + delọñ         =kaddelọñ      =make-enter= to make enter => to put in, to insert
ka + ṃōj            =kaṃōj           =make-finished= to make finished => to finish
ka + jeṃlọk       =kōjjeṃlọk     =make-end= to make end => to bring to an end, to spend time with people before leaving for a long time
ka + bwilōñ       =kabwilōñ      =make-amazed,surprised= to make surprised, amazed => to surprise, to amaze
ka + ilbōk          =kailbōk         =make-amazed,surprised= to make surprised, amazed => to surprise, to amaze
ka + utiej           =kautiej          =make-high= to make high => to treat respectfully
ka + ṃōṇōṇō    =kaṃōṇōṇō    = make-happy= to make happy => to amuse
ka + eṃṃan      =kaṃanṃan   =make-good= to make good => to improve (something)
ka + bwebwe    =kabwebwe    =make-stupid= to make stupid => to fool
ka + jeḷā            =kōjjeḷā           =make-know= to make know => to announce, announcement
ka + jeraaṃṃan=kōjeraaṃṃan=make-good luck= to make good luck => to congratulate
ka + keememej =kakeememej =make-remember= to make remember => to remind

– You can also do this with adjectives like ‘bigger’ or ‘smaller’:

ka + dik + ḷọk         =kadikḷọk           =make-small-er= to make smaller
ka + kilep + ḷọk      =kakilepḷọk        =make-big-er= to make bigger
ka + eṃṃan + ḷọk  =kaṃanṃanḷọk  =make-good-er= to make better

– You can use these constructions to make commands like ‘speak slowly!’ or ‘speak more slowly!’:

Karuṃwij aṃ kōnono         =make-slow/your/speak= Speak slowly!
Karuṃwijḷọk aṃ kōnono    =make-slow-er/your/speak= Speak more slowly!
Kaṃōkaj aṃ jerbal             =make-fast/your/work= Work fast!
Kaṃōkajḷọk aṃ jerbal        =make-faster/your/work= Work faster!
Kadikḷọk aṃ jeje                =make-small-er/your/write= Write smaller!
Kakilepḷọk aṃ jeje             =make-big-er/your/write= Write bigger!

Vocabulary

talboon (from English)telephone, to call on the telephone
tūrep (from English)trip, voyage, excursion
wōdwōdto eat (for pandanus only)
kea (from English)to careEx. Ij jab kea = I don’t care
kein eṃwall, side of a house
kōkairirhurry up
bọọtinose
buruṃbroom, to sweep
eddo(E: sometimes dedo)heavy, responsibilityEx. Aṃ eddo = It’s your responsibility
iioonto meet (a person), to come across, to encounter, to find (without looking for the thing)

Pronunciation Practice

‘t,’ ‘p,’ and ‘k’

You learned before that ‘t,’ ‘p,’ and ‘k’ are pronounced like English ‘t,’ ‘p,’ and ‘k,’ except between vowels.  However, even when ‘t,’ ‘p,’ and ‘k’ are not between vowels, they are a little different from English ‘t,’ ‘p,’ and ‘k.’  If you speak Spanish with a good accent, then use Spanish ‘t,’ ‘p,’ and hard ‘c’ for Marshallese ‘t,’ ‘p,’ and ‘k.’  If not, do the following. 

First put the palm of the hand an inch in front of your mouth.  Now say the English word ‘tan.’  Feel the puff of air on the palm of your hand when you say the ‘t’ of ‘tan.’  Now say ‘stan.’  Notice that there is much less of a puff of air when you say the ‘t’ in this word.  That puff of air is called ‘aspiration.’  Now say English ‘pin’ and then ‘spin.’  Notice that in the first word the ‘p’ is aspirated but in the second it is not.  Now say English ‘kim’ and ‘skim,’ and notice when the ‘k’ is aspirated.

As you can see, English ‘t,’ ‘p,’ and ‘k’ sometimes have aspiration.  However, in Marshallese, ‘t,’ ‘p,’ and ‘k’ never do.  Consciously try to eliminate the puff of air, pronouncing ‘t,’ ‘p,’ and ‘k’ like you do in English ‘stan,’ ‘spin,’ and ‘skim,’ but not ‘tan,’ ‘pin,’ and ‘kim.’

Practice on these words, putting the palm of your hand in front of your mouth to make sure you are not aspirating ‘t,’ ‘p,’ or ‘k’:

ti‘tea’pen‘hard’ki‘key’
to‘rope’pā‘arm’ke‘question marker’
ta‘what?’pako‘shark’ko‘run away’

Practical Marshallese

Marco Mora-Huizar

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