Babatana language explained
| Babatana |
| Also Known As: | East Choiseul |
| States: | Solomon Islands |
| Speakers: | 7,100 |
| Date: | 1999 |
| Ref: | e18 |
| Familycolor: | Austronesian |
| Fam3: | Oceanic |
| Fam4: | Western |
| Fam5: | Meso-Melanesian |
| Fam6: | Northwest Solomonic |
| Fam7: | Choiseul |
| Dia1: | Sisingga (Sisiqa) |
| Iso3: | baa |
| Glotto: | sout3208 |
| Glottorefname: | Southeast Choiseul |
Babatana, also spelled Mbambatana, is the principal indigenous language of Choiseul Province, Solomon Islands. Although native to the South Choiseul coastline area between Sepa and the Manggo Bay area, the use of this language has spread across much of Choiseul Island and it is generally understood, much like Solomon Islands Pijin, across the province as a second or third language.
Phonology
The following represents the Sisiqa dialect:
Consonants
| Bilabial | Alveolar | Post-
alveolar | Velar |
|---|
| Plosive | voiceless | pronounced as /link/ | pronounced as /link/ | | pronounced as /link/ |
|---|
| voiced | pronounced as /link/ | pronounced as /link/ | pronounced as /link/ | pronounced as /link/ |
|---|
| Fricative | voiceless | | pronounced as /link/ | | |
|---|
| voiced | pronounced as /link/ | pronounced as /link/ | | pronounced as /link/ |
|---|
| Nasal | pronounced as /link/ | pronounced as /link/ | | pronounced as /link/ |
|---|
| Trill | | pronounced as /link/ | | |
|---|
| Lateral | | pronounced as /link/ | | | |
|---|
- Voiced stops are typically plainly released word-initially, but prenasalized pronounced as /[ᵐb ⁿd ᵑɡ]/ when intervocalically.
- The fricative pronounced as //z// can be heard as an affricate pronounced as /[dz]/ in free variation within word-initial position.
Vowels
| Front | Central | Back |
|---|
| Close | pronounced as /link/ | pronounced as /link/ | pronounced as /link/ |
|---|
| Mid | pronounced as /link/ | pronounced as /link/ |
|---|
| Open | | pronounced as /link/ | | |
|---|
- The central vowel pronounced as //ə// can vary between three sounds pronounced as /[ə]/, pronounced as /[ɨ]/ and pronounced as /[ø]/.[1]
Simple expressions
- 'Good morning': Marisasa nöe
- 'Good afternoon': Kinaka nöe
- 'Good evening': Vilu nöe
- 'Good night': Kuse nöe
- 'Let's go fishing': Me mata la pepeko
- 'How much': Ava via
- 'Many': Taba
- 'No worries': Manöe zirapeta
- 'I'm hungry': Ra ko saqo
- 'I'm full': Ra ko kuma
- 'Don't eat it': Kasi göki tini
- 'I'd like to swim': Ra ko sökö ma senge
- 'I'd like to dive': Ra ko sökö ma kujulu
- 'I'm going to sleep': Ra ma la pamu
- 'Come here': Zo me gati
- 'Go away': Zo
- 'Bring ... here': vame gati...
- 'Take ... away': Qisu la ...
- 'Leave it': Törö
- 'I like ...': Ra ko sökö ...
- 'I see ...': Kori ...
- 'I don't see ...': Kamariqu ...
- 'It's too hot': Sa vila varuka
- 'The sun is too hot': Kiku sa vila varuka
- 'Where are you going?': Bimolae?
- 'Bad boy': So roka (usually said in jest with suitable tone)
Commands/verbs
- 'Go': Zola
- 'Come': Zome
- 'Quick': Dada
- 'Slow': Kurki
- 'Easy': Samao
- 'Run': Jekele
- 'Wait': Piri
- 'Jump': Soqa
- 'Out': Jolo
- 'Shout': Vukulu
- 'Tell him': Pijoni
Numbers
- 1. Köke
- 2. Kere
- 3. Tulu
- 4. Vati
- 5. Lima
- 6. Vonomo
- 7. Vitu
- 8. Viu
- 9. Zia
- 10. Mano
- 20. Karabete
- 30. Tolo Ngonu
- 40. Kereduki
- 50. Neqo
- 60. Neqo mano
- 70. Neqo karabete
- 80. Neqo tulungunu
- 90. Neqo kereduki
- 100. Köke vubi
- 1000. Köke Mau
Other vocabulary
- 'Food': Gaki
- 'Garden': Baroe
- 'Cassava': Tovioko
- 'Pineapple': Kanapu
- 'Sweet potato': Sisu
- 'Taro': Tika
- 'Yam': Noba
- 'Pumpkin': Duru
- 'Corn': Lezu
- 'Banana': Siku
- 'Ripe': Musu
- 'Betelnut': Kasu
- 'Sour/bitter': Paza
- 'It smells': Sanabu
- 'Bad smell': Nabusasa
- 'Fish': Koete
- 'Shark': Bursa
- 'Bonito': Reka
- 'Crocodile': Poku
- 'Kingfish': Tangere
- 'Barracuda': Ghalu
- 'Marlin': Viruviru
- 'Fishing line': Tali
- 'Hook': Jopa pipiko
- 'Bait': Mamutu
- 'Reef': Pedaka
- 'Dive': Kojulu
- 'Coral': Laji
- 'Sea cucumber': Bu
- 'Clam shell': Meka
- 'Shell': Banga
- 'River': Vuru
- 'Rain': Murga
- 'Wind': Vovosele
- 'Cyclone': Sokoro
- 'Sea': Masi
- 'Fresh water': Bi
- 'Island': Nunu
- 'Mountain': Supu
- 'Sand beach': Korokone
- 'Sky': Mamalurkana
- 'Cloud': Toki
- 'Sun': Ngada
- 'Star': Siriputu
- 'Moon': Ukene
- 'Canoe': Mola
- 'Paddle': Kapo
- 'House': Toke/pande
- 'Ladder': Tokatoka
- 'Kitchen': Pande kuki
- 'Cooking pot': Sireke
- 'Door': Patagamana
- 'Window': Vuida
- 'Sleep': Pam
- 'Mosquito': Zizima
Customary terms
Colourful words
- 'Masturbation': Sovisovi
- 'Excrement': Te
- 'Vagina': Kede
- 'Penis': Veje
- 'Anus': Kodolo
- 'Mucus': Momo
External links
Notes and References
- Book: Ross, Malcolm. Sisiqa. Richmond: Curzon.. 2002. The Oceanic Languages. 456–466.
