Leksion Chamoru: Prefix ya-

Ya- is the "superlative prefix" according to the dictionaries and grammar books, but it's actually a lot simpler than it sounds. Ya- is used with location and direction words, along with a reduplication of the final syllable, and is used to mean the "most" in that direction. Here are some examples:

• Hulo' = Up, above, etc...
  Ya- + hulo' => Yahululo' (reduplication of final syllable) = Highest place, farthest up.
• Mo'na = Front, before (preposition), ahead, etc...
  Ya- + mo'na => Yamo'nana (reduplication) = Front-most, farthest up front.
• Håya = South (in Guam), East (in Saipan)
  Ya- + håya => Yahåyaya (reduplication) = Southernmost/Easternmost, farthest South/East.

Here are some examples of sentences comparing the stem/root words with the "superlatives."

1. Hulo':
• Po'lo i yabi gi hilo' i estånte. = Put the key on top of the shelf.
• Po'lo i yabi gi yahululo' na estånte. = Put the key on the top (highest) shelf.
2. Mo'na:
• Gaige yo' gi me'na. = I'm in front (at the front).
• Gaige yo' gi yamo'nana. = I'm at the very front (farthest up front).
3. Håya:
• Må'pos gue' håya. = He went south/east (southward/eastward).
• Måtto gue' gi yahåyaya. = He arrived at the southernmost/easternmost point.

Note: This whole construction came about because of the way Chamorro "articles" work (i/si/iya). In modern Chamorro we use iya as the article for places, but we normally only use it with proper place names (i.e.: iya Guåhan; iya Kalifotnia; iya Amerika, etc.). In older Chamorro iya was pretty much used for any location it seems. So, if we use this idea we get terms like iya hulo' (the high place), iya mo'na (the front place), and iya håya (the south place), which through the process of reduplication/intensification turn to iya hululo', iya mo'nana, and iya håyaya. Through common usage and pronunciation we dropped the initial "i" from iya and combined it with the stem/root to get yahululo', yamo'nana,  and yahåyaya.

Pronunciation of the new words seems a little tricky, because the technical explanation would be that the stress falls on the "ante penultimate" syllable (3rd to last syllable). If we consider the above note, it makes it a lot easier to understand, because we're essentially saying two words in one:

1. I yahululo'
   => Iya hululo' => EE-dza WHO-loo-loo'
2. I yamo'nana
   => Iya mo'nana => EE-dza MOH'-nuh-nuh
3. I yahåyaya
   => Iya håyaya => EE-dza HA-dza-dza

 Remember, if you have any questions or suggestions, please, don't hesitate to leave a comment on the blog or Facebook page.

Palåbran 09/27/2011: Kilili

Kilili (KEY-lee-lee): To hand-carry, drift away--by current, carry along.

Note: This type of carrying is how you would hold a grocery bag or a purse, by holding it in your hand rather than on your shoulder or to your chest. The other definition means to be taken by the current.

Uses:
"Puti kalalot-hu sa' hu kilili i kestat ya gof makkat." = "My fingers hurt because I was carrying the bag and it was heavy."
"I korente ha kilili i boti." = "The current carried the boat away."
"Ai, annai hu kilili iyo-ku selfon (cell-phone) bumasnak ya mayamak!" = "Ai, when I was carrying my cell-phone in my hand it slipped out and broke!"

Leksion Chamoru: Prefix tak-

Tak- is a comparative prefix that is used with location and direction words. Essentially, tak- takes the direction/location and makes it "in a far place/degree."

• Hulo' = Up, above, on top of.
  Tak- + hulo' =>; Takkilo' = High, in a (high) far up place.
• Påpa' = Down, below, bottom, southward, downward, beneath.
  Tak- + påpa' =>; Takpapa' = Low, in a (low) far down place.
• Huyong = Out, ouside.
  Tak- + huyong =>; Takhiyong = Far out, in a far out place.

Another way to consider the prefix tak- is that it indicates a place greater degree, but not the greatest degree.

• Hålom = In, inside.
  Tak- + hålom =>; Takhalom = Inner, in a (inner) far inside place.
  (i.e. in an inner area, but not necessarily the innermost place)
• Fo'na* = Ahead, be first.
  Tak- + fo'na =>; Takfe'na = Out front, in a (forward) far up front place.
  (i.e. in a more forward position, but not necessarily the farthest out front)

Let's go ahead and use the above examples in sentences to get a better feeling of what tak- actually does.

• Ti siña hu taka' i kisami sa' gof takkilo'. = I can't reach the ceiling because it's very high up.
• Hunggan, takpapa' i presio-ña, lao, åhe', ti baråtu ha'. = Yes, its price is low, but, no, it's not really cheap.
• Sumåsåga yo' takhiyong gi siudåt. = I live far outside of the city.
• Bai sångåni hao ginen takhalom gi korason-hu. = I'll tell you from deep inside my heart.
• Ti un li'e' yo' gi fila sa' gof takfe'na hao. = You didn't see me in line, because you were far up front (in line).

Tak- also follows the rules of vowel harmony, meaning, in general, we change the first vowel in the root word from å to a, o to e, and u to i. The prefix also assumes the primary stress of the new word, so the above examples would be pronounced:

• Takhilo' => TACK-he-loo'
  Takkilo' => TACK-key-loo'
• Takpapa' => TACK-pa-pa'
• Takhiyong => TACK-he-yung
• Takhalom => TACK-ha-lum
• Takfe'na => TACK-feh'-nah

*Mo'na (preposition/past participle form of fo'na) is not really used with the prefix tak-. Instead we use the general/future/command form fo'na.

Utugrafian Chamoru (Chamorro Orthography)

Para todus ni manmalago' tumungo' i utugrafian Chamoru.
Gi halacha mafa'nu'i yo' nu este na PDF utugrafia, ya mientras ti perfektu i tinige'-hu gi Chamoru, ha gof ayuyuda yo'.

(For those that want to learn the Chamorro orthography (the way to write in Chamorro).
I was recently shown the orthography in PDF format, and while my Chamorro writing isn't perfect, the file has been a big help.)

http://www.nmihumanities.org/update/file/Chamorro%20orthography.PDF

Leksion Chamoru: Prefix san-

San- is called a directional prefix. However, "directional" doesn't fully explain what it does. San- marks a position rather than a relative location. In other words san- changes "above"/"upon" to "(the) top of"; "outside of" to "(the) outside of"; "behind" to "(the) back of." Here are some examples:

• Hulo' = Up, above, on top of.
  San- + hulo' => Sanhilo' = Above (preposition), (the) top of.
• Mo'na = Front, be first, in front of, forward.
  San- + mo'na => Sanme'na = Front side of, front of.
• Hålom = In, into, inside, enter.
  San- + hålom => Sanhalom = Inside, interior, internal, in, into.

Just giving the definitions to the words might not help too much, so here are some examples in sentences:

• Hu po'lo i yabi-hu gi hilo' lamasa. = I put my keys on (top of) the table.
  Hu po'lo i yabi-hu gi sanhilo' i lamasa. = I put my keys on (the) top of the table.
• Gaige i ga'-hu ga'lågu gi me'nan guma'. = My dog is in front of the house.
  Gaige i ga'-hu ga'lågu gi sanme'nan guma'. = My dog is on the front part of the house. = My dog is in the front yard.
• Siña hao mañodda' pugas gi halom i tenda. = You can find rice in the store.
  Siña hao mañodda' pugas gi sanhalom i tenda. = You can find rice (on the) inside (of) the store (as opposed to on the outside).

The prefix san- is only used with location words, e.g. hålom (in), mo'na (front), lågu (north--Guam, west--Saipan), etc.
San- also follows the rules of vowel harmony. Meaning that in general you "pull back" the first vowel of the root word, i.e.: å to a, o to e, and u to i.

Pålåbran 08/22/2011: Hongga

Hongga (HONG-ga): Audible; able to be heard.

Note: Some also say honggan. I believe the word is a contraction of hungok (to hear) + -(y)on (abilitative suffix) to get something like hungukon, however I, personally, have never heard hungukon.

Uses:
"Hongga i burukento gi halom i måkinan karetå-hu." = "There's an audible noise in my car's engine."
"Famatkilu fan nåya' sa' kalan ti hongga i taotao." = "Be quiet for a bit, because the person is practically inaudible."
"Hongga i essalao-na desde gi halom guma'." = "His yelling was audible from inside the house."

Pålåbran 08/11/2010: Bisita

Bisita (bee-SEE-ta): Visit, visitor.

Note: Bisita can be use as either a verb or a noun.

Uses:
"Hu bisita i che'lu-hu giya California." = "I visited my sister in California."
"Kao en bisita si Tomås esta?" = "Have you (plural) already visited Tomas?"
"Kuåntos tiempo para un fanbisita guini?" = "How long are you going to visit here?"

"Megaggai bisitå-hu siha gi tiempon Påskua." = "I have a lot of visitors at Christmas time."
"Ti para u fåtto si Jose, sa' guåha bisitå-ña." = "Jose isn't coming, since he has a visitor."
"I bisita ilek-ña taotao Hapon gue'." = "The visitor said he is Japanese."