languageH.gif (22339 bytes)

Norfolk Islanders and our Pitcairn ancestors, speak among themselves in their language, a beautiful patois, a made-up language. Put together from pieces of English and Tahitian and from natural responses to the natural surroundings where they live in.

Here are some words and phrases:
SINGLE WORDS
(CLICK ON THE NORFOLK WORD TO HEAR IT IN THE NORFOLK TONGUE)

NORFOLK

ENGLISH MEANING

WATAWIEH Hello: How are you?
DEM Them, They, Those
DAA That
DEFE This way
DAEFE That way
BUSSUP Broken in pieces
KAAFUT Don’t know why
KAADUU No good
DOMAIN Never mind
DAAD'WIEH That is the way
DAASET That is it
ESTOLE It is not true
FUT NORT Why not
GARET Angry
GWEN Going
HILI Lazy, dopey
MORLA Tomorrow
MUSA Nearly
NAAWE To swim
YORLYE All of you

 

Bounty Day

PHRASES
(CLICK ON THE NORFOLK PHRASE TO HEAR IT IN THE NORFOLK TONGUE)

NORFOLK

ENGLISH MEANING

WEBAUT YU GWEN Where are you going
WE GWEN RAMA MORLA NIGHT Lets go fishing tomorrow night
YORLYE HAU WAAWAHA You are stuck up
AI SE SLAI SAF TUU BIG No the sea is too rough
HE ELL GARET WELAUT He gets angry easily
YU HAU AMA ULA You are clumsy
YU GUT A HILI You are lazy
DA NUFKA SE TOW IN EM MOO-OO That kingfisher has settled in the flax
LUBII SAID ES Leave it where it is
DA LETTLE SULLEN SE WYLIE UP IN AR PINE That little child is stuck up in the pine
EL DUU F' MADA They’ll do for dumplings won’t they
I GWEN OUT YENA F' PORPIEH I’m going out yonder for red guavas
I GWEN NAAWE MORLA I’m going swimming tomorrow

 

Hills outside Cemetery