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codrington and parker  : surf riding at banks' islands, 1896 

R. H. Codrington and V. J. Parker  :  Surf Riding at Mota, Banks' Islands, 1896.

 Extracts from:
Codrington, Robert Henry and Palmer, Ven J. :
A Dictionary of the Language of Mota, Sugarloaf Island, Banks' Islands,
with a short grammar and index.
Society for Promoting Christian Knowledge, London 1896.

Open Library
http://openlibrary.org/books/OL5813671M/A_dictionary_of_the_language_of_Mota_Sugarloaf_Island_Banks'_Islands


Introduction.
The abbreviations and locations have been completed from the Preface notes.

Also see:

1891 Robert Henry Codrington : Surfboards in the Banks and Torres Islands.
Extracts from The Melanesians : Studies in their Anthropology and Folklore, Clarendon Press, Oxford, 1891.


Page v
PREFACE.

The language of Mota is spoken as their native tongue by some eight hundred people, and has never probably been spoken in a past generation by more than a thousand.
It derives its only importance from its having become, by circumstances rather than by choice, the language used as a common
medium of communication in the Melanesian Mission.
...
Mota, Sugarloaf I., is one of the Banks' Group, which lies to the north of the New Hebrides.
The Mota language is closely connected with the other languages and dialects of the Banks' Islands, and of the northernmost islands of the New Hebrides.
These belong to a well-defined group of Melanesian languages ; and these again are members of the great family of Oceanic Languages spoken throughout the island world, which stretches from the coasts of Africa and Asia to the most Eastern groups of Polynesia.

Page vii

The examples which are given with some words are almost all written or dictated by natives.
A keen interest was taken by those with whom the vocabulary was last revised, and their help has been much missed in the compilation of the Dictionary in England.

Page x

LOCATIONS

Page xi

ABBREVIATIONS. 

Page 7

Asuasu, said of a canoe running swiftly, o aka we asuasu sage salilina, runs up ashore in smoking surf.

Page 44

Lan, ... 3. ... Fl. [Florida, Solomon Islands] lani gabu, the iris on surf or rainbow, rain of blood.

Page 48

Lelenawo, V. [a word of Veverau] to swim on the surf-board.

Page 50

Leqa, 2. v. [verb] to fly before, dash away from ; leqa nawo, on a surf-board ;

Lin, 1. to incline, lean.
...
lin sur natapana, met. has come safe through, has inclined his surf-board to the shore.

Page 78

Magovagova, bending, giving ; as the side of a boat when struck by surf ; elastic.

Page 98

Nawo, salt-water, salt ; surf ; v. [verb] ...  nawo nun, surf coming in long line, ti malate vagaegae.

Page 100

Ninroa, [mn 2.] smooth, glassy, like surface of calm water.

Page 104

Nore, to make a noise ; nore goro, disturb by noise, norenore, noise, as of surf.

Page 105

Nun, to make a resounding noise as thunder, surf.

Page 109

Olo, 2. to come ashore, as of a canoe, its bow turning upwards to the beach.
...
ololovag, M. [a word of Maligo] to come through surf on the tapa, surf-board.

Page 110

Oroi, constr. [constructed], oro; rubbish;
...
oronawo, light stuff carried up by the surf; oropei, rubbish carried by water.

Page 137

Qoriag, (qor) to whirl about, as surf ; qoriag risris, whirl and turn over and over.

Page 159

Sao, 1. n. [noun] a place on the shore without breaking surf, a landing-place for canoes ; tursao wesao, salava.

Page 196

Tapa, 1. (k) [noun taking suffixed pronouns] a board, slab of wood flat and thin ; a surf-board ;

Page 197

met. [metaphorical] ni me lin sur natapana, he has brought his surf-board down over the breakers, he is safe.

Page 228

Tuaqata, to crush, come smashing, crashing on ; as falling bread-fruit smashes, thunder or heavy surf crashes.

Page 229

Tuketuke-nua, surf leaping up when the reflex wave meets an incoming wave ; said to be tiketike nua.

Tul, 5. v. [verb] same as tila M. [a word of Maligo] to accuse, lay blame ; ni me tul goro ape nawo, he laid the blame on the surf.

Page 231

Turerea, the surf rushing back, as in a masasa; o matesale rere.

Tursao, [tur 3.] good, principal, landing-place, sao 1., were there is no surf.

Page 237

Uto, 1. to come above the surface in water.
2. uto nawo surf on the surface of the sea; o navo taso;
 

Page 247

Vaqirqir, [va. 3.] to crowd together, qir, confusedly; o nawo we malate vaqirqir, surf breaks irregularly.

Page 271

Wal, 2. to form in lumps, rise in lumps; thence 1. to boil as water, surf, &c.,


Codrington, Robert Henry and Palmer, J. :
A Dictionary of the Language of Mota, 
Sugarloaf Island, Banks' Islands,
with a short grammar and index.
Society for Promoting Christian Knowledge, 
London 1896.
Open Library
http://openlibrary.org/books/OL5813671M/A_dictionary_of_the_language_of_Mota_Sugarloaf_Island_Banks'_Islands

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home catalogue history references appendix

Geoff Cater (2013) : R. H. Codrington and J. Parker : Surf Riding at Mota, Banks' Islands, 1896.
http://www.surfresearch.com.au/1896_Codrington_Dictionary_Mota.html