Pohnpeian is a Micronesian language spoken as the indigenous language of the island of Pohnpei in the Caroline Islands. Pohnpeian has approximately 30,000 (estimated) native speakers living in Pohnpei and its outlying atolls and islands with another 10,000-15,000 (estimated) living off island in parts of the US mainland, Hawaii and Guam. It is the second-most widely spoken native language of the Federated States of Micronesia[2] the first being Chuukese.
Pohnpeian features a "high language", referred to as Meing[3] or Mahsen en Meing including specialized vocabulary used when speaking to, or about people of high rank.[2]
Pohnpeian employs a great deal of loanwords from colonial languages such as English, Japanese, Spanish, and German.[5][6]: 14 However, these loanwords are neither spelled nor pronounced exactly the same as the source language. Examples of these loanwords include:
kariu,[7] meaning "frog", borrowed from the Japanese 蛙, kaeru
iakiu,[8] meaning "baseball", borrowed from the Japanese 野球, yakyū
kana,[7] meaning "to win", borrowed form the Spanish ganar
pwoht,[9] meaning "boat", borrowed from the English boat
mahlen,[3] meaning "to draw or paint a picture", borrowed from the German malen
Phonology
The modern Pohnpeian orthography uses twenty letters — sixteen single letters and four digraphs — collated in a unique order:[6]
a
e
i
o
oa
u
h
k
l
m
mw
n
ng
p
pw
r
s
d
t
w
As German missionaries designed an early form of the orthography, Pohnpeian spelling uses -h to mark a long vowel, rather like German: dohl 'mountain'.[2] The IPA equivalents of written Pohnpeian are as follows:[6]
^ abWritten Pohnpeian does not distinguish between [e] and [ɛ]: both are ⟨e⟩.
Phonotactics
Pohnpeian phonotactics generally allow syllables consisting of consonants (C) and vowels (V) accordingly: V, VC, CV, CVC. This basic system is complicated by Pohnpeian orthographical conventions and phonological processes. Orthographically, ⟨i⟩ is used to represent /j/, though it is often unwritten; -u is realized as /w/; and ⟨h⟩ indicates a long vowel (a spelling convention inherited from German).[2] Thus, sahu is pronounced [sʲaːw], never [sʲahu]. Consecutive vowels are glided with [j] or [w], depending on the relative height and order of the vowels:
diar is said [tijar] ("to find")
toai is said [̻tɔji] ("to have a runny nose")
suwed is said [sʲuwɛt] ("bad")
lou is said [lowu] ("cooled")
While the glide [j] is never written other than as ⟨i⟩ the glide [w] may be written between ⟨u⟩ and a non-high vowel: suwed ("bad").[6]: 54–5
Words beginning in nasalconsonant clusters may be pronounced as written, or with a leading prothetic vowel. The roundedness of the prothetic vowel depends on that of the adjacent consonant cluster and the first written syllable. For example:
nta can be said [i̻n̻ta] ("blood")
ngkapwan may be [iŋkapʷan] ("a while ago")
mpwer is optionally [umʷpʷɛr] ("twin")
ngkopw may be [uŋkopʷ] (a species of crab)
Pohnpeian orthography renders the consonant clusters [mʷpʷ] and [mʷmʷ] as mpw and mmw, respectively.[6]: 55–9
Substitution and assimilation
Further phonological constraints frequently impact the pronunciation and spelling of consonant clusters, triggered variously by reduplication and assimilation into neighboring sounds. Sound changes, especially in reduplication, are often reflected by a change in spelling. However, processes triggered by affixes as well as adjacent words are not indicated in spelling. In order to inflect, derive, and pronounce Pohnpeian words properly, the order of operations must generally begin with liquid assimilation, followed by nasal assimilation, and end with nasal substitution.[6]: 58–64
First, liquidassimilation is seen most often in reduplication alongside spelling changes. By this process, liquids /l/ and /r/ are assimilated into the following alveolar (coronal) consonant: nur > nunnur ("contract").[6]: 60
The second process, nasalassimilation, presents two varieties: partial and complete. In partial nasal assimilation, /n/ assimilates with a following stop consonant to produce [mp], [mʷpʷ], [mm], [mʷmʷ], or [ŋk]. For example, the prefix nan- ("in") produces:
Partial assimilation also occurs across word boundaries: kilin pwihk is pronounced [kilimʷpʷiːk]. The allophone of /n/ is written "n" in these cases.[6]: 56–7
In complete nasal assimilation, /n/ assimilates into adjacent liquid consonants to produce /ll/ or /rr/: lin + linenek > lillinenek ("oversexed," spelling change from reduplication); nanrek is said [narrɛk] ("season of plenty"). Complete nasal assimilation also occurs across word boundaries: pahn lingan is said [paːlliŋan] ("will be beautiful").[6]: 57, 60
The third process, nasal substitution, also presents two varieties. Both varieties of nasal substitution affect adjacent consonants of the same type: alveolar (coronal), bilabial, or velar. The first variety is often triggered by reduplication, resulting in spelling changes: sel is reduplicated to sensel ("tired").[6]: 58–64
kalap pahn is pronounced as if it were kalam pahn ("always will be")
Soulik kin soupisek is pronounced as if it were souling kin soupisek ("Soulik is [habitually] busy")
This second variety of the nasal substitution process is phonemically more productive than the first: it includes all results possible in the first variety, as well as additional cluster combinations, indicated in green below. Some alveolar pairs produce an intervening vowel, represented as V below. Not all clusters are possible, and not all are assimilative, however.[6]: 58–64
By following the order of operations, reduplication of the word sel ("tired") progresses thus: *selsel > *sessel (liquid assimilation) > sensel (nasal substitution).[6]: 60 In this case, the same result is achieved by nasal substitution alone.
Pohnpeian word order is nominally SVO. Depending on the grammatical function, the head may come before or after its dependents. Like many Austronesian languages, Pohnpeian focus marking interacts with transitivity and relative clauses (see Austronesian alignment). Its range of grammatically acceptable sentence structures is more generally (1) noun phrase, (2) verb phrase (3) other noun phrases, where the contents of the leading noun phrase may vary according to the speaker's focus. If the leading noun phrase is not the subject, it is followed by the focus particle me. Normally, the object phrase is last among predicates:[6]: 225, 248–50, 280, 307
The canoe is what that guy will lash with this sennit.
Noun phrase
Kisin pwehlet
sennit-this
me
FOC
lahpo
that-guy
pahn
will
inauriki
lash
wahro.
canoe-that
{Kisin pwehlet} me lahpo pahn inauriki wahro.
sennit-this FOC that-guy will lash canoe-that
This sennit is what that guy will lash that canoe with.
Honorific speech
Honorific speech is used in several settings as a way of showing honor and respect to older ones, those who have been assigned titles, royalty, and in almost all religious settings. Depending on the second or third person, a given sentence may vary widely because honorific speech comprises a separate vocabulary, including all parts of speech and topics both lofty and mundane. Examples include:
Although at times in the absence of a specific honorific word, the word Ketin is often used to indicate that the proceeding verb is honoric (Koht kin ketin kapikada would translate to "God creates"). The word Ketin has no meaning by itself. However, when used as a prefix, it is a sure way to distinguish honorific speech (Kiong has the meaning of "Give", Ketkiong would be the honorific version of the same word).[5]
Nouns
Nouns may be singular, dual, or plural in number, and generally inflect by suffixing. Numerals usually follow the nouns they count, and agree in noun class. Groups of nouns and adjectives comprise noun phrases. Pohnpeian transitive sentences contain up to three noun phrases.[6]: 141–2, 157, 280
Inalienable, or direct, possession is marked by personal suffixes. Other forms of possession are indicated through possessive classifiers. The construct suffix -n appears in oblique positions, such as possessive phrases. Words ending in n, however, are followed by the clitic en. Possessive phrases generally add this construct state to a classifier noun, followed by the possessor, and lastly the possessum. For example:
Determiners in Pohnpeian may occurs as enclitics which are bound morphemes or independent words and occur in three basic types: demonstrative modifiers, pointing demonstratives, and demonstrative pronouns.[6]: 143 All of the determiners have a three-way diectic distinction of proximal (near the speaker), medial (near the listener), and distal (away from both the speaker and listener), as well as an emphatic/non-emphatic distinction. Demonstratives are generally, suffixed to or following the last word of a noun phrase.[6]: 144–50 Orthographically singular clitics are suffixed to the word, while plurals are written as separate words.[6]
Demonstrative modifiers
Demonstrative modifiers occur as enclitics with nouns and always occupy the last element in a noun phrase.
The singular emphatic demonstrative modifiers are formed by suffixing the non-emphatic singular forms to appropriate numeral classifier for the noun, such as men- for animate nouns. The plural forms are always constructed by suffixing the non-emphatic plural form to pwu- regardless of the singular classifier.[6]: 149
Pointing modifiers are determiners that can stand alone in a noun phrase and are used in equational (non-verbal) sentences.[6]: 150 They can also occur by themselves as one word sentences. They have both non-emphatic and emphatic forms.
Numbers normally follow the nouns they count, however they may be pre-posed in certain situations. Numbers and measure words depend on the grammatical class and physical characteristics of the object being counted. The several number systems are grouped by linguists into three sets, reflecting their term for "ten." When naming numbers in order, natives most often use the –u class. Ngoul is an alternate word for "ten" for -pak and -souclassifiers.[6]: 127, 135, 141–2
Higher numerals such as pwiki "hundred", kid "thousand", do not inflect for noun class. The ehd system, above is likewise not class-based.[6]: 137–40
Ordinals are formed with the prefix ka–, pronounced as ke– in certain words.[6]: 141–42, 215–218, 318
Verbs
Pohnpeian distinguishes between intransitive and transitive verbs. Transitive verbs are those with both a subject and an object. Intransitive verbs indicate most other verbal, adjectival, and adverbial relationships. Within verb phrases, aspect markers are followed by adverbs, and lastly the main verb.[6]: 193–5, 255–67
Many, if not most, transitive and intransitive verbs share common roots, though their derivation is often unpredictable. Some thematic features among intransitive verbs include ablaut, reduplication, the suffix -ek, and the prefix pV, where V stands for any vowel. Thematic suffixes among transitive verbs include -ih and -VC, where C stands for any consonant. Some transitive verbs also end in a final short vowel.[6]: 202–209
There are five verbal prefixes, which appear as bound morphemes: the causative ka-, the negatives sa- and sou-, and two other semantic modifiers ak- and li-.
Ka-, the causative prefix, makes intransitive verbs into transitive ones. It is the most productive prefix, as it is the only that can precede the other four above. It often occurs in conjunction with a reduplicative vowel suffix. For example, with luwak, "be jealous", an adjective:[6]: 215–218, 221
Liho luwak: That woman is jealous
Liho kaluwak: That woman was made jealous
Liho kaluwaka lihet: That woman made the [other] woman jealous
Pisek, idle
Soupisek, busy (i.e., un-idle)
Kasoupisek, to make busy
The majority of intransitive verbs have only a transitive causative form: pweipwei > kapweipwei, "to be stupid." Among verbs where ka- is productive, only adjectives and a few resultative intransitive verbs have both intransitive and transitive causative forms. Though the prefix is productive in many active and resultative verbs, it is not productive with neutral intransitive verbs, nor for a handful of intransitives denoting bodily functions such as "sneeze" (asi), "frown" (lolok), "be full" (tip), and "be smelly" (ingirek). The prefix ka- often has assimilative allophones depending on the stem, for example:
rir (to be hidden) becomes kerir (secret sweetheart)
As illustrated in these examples, the prefix often causes semantic differentiation, necessitating different constructions for literally causative meanings; karirala, a different form employing ka-, is used to mean "to make hidden."[6]: 216–218
Sa- and sou- negate verbs, however sou- is less productive than sa-, which itself varies in productivity according to regional dialect. The general meaning of sa- appears to be "not," while sou- apparently means "un-," thus:[6]: 218–219
Only a single example has been found of sa- preceding ka-: the word koasoakoahiek means "inappropriate," deriving from the verb koahiek, "be competent."[6]: 220
Ak- adds a semantic meaning of demonstration or display when combined with adjectives. When preceded by ka-, it becomes kahk-. Li- generally means "may," or "predisposed, given to" some quality or action.[6]: 221–3
General intransitive verbs
General intransitive verbs describe actions or events. They are divided into active, resultative, and neutral subtypes. For example, mwenge (to eat) and laid (to fish) are active; langada (to be hung up) and ritidi (to be closed) are resultative (static); and deidei (to sew, to be sewn) and pirap (to steal, to be stolen) are neutral — they can have either an active or a resultative meaning. Though resultative verbs sometimes resemble passive transitive verbs in English, they are in fact a class of intransitive verbs in Pohnpeian, which entirely lacks a comparable active-passive voice distinction. For example, Ohlo pahn kilel means both "That man will take a photograph" and "That man will be photographed." Reduplication is frequently productive among general intransitives and adjectives alike. Derivations often include reduplication:
Others are derived from transitive forms through the prefix pV-, conveying a meaning of reciprocal action: kakil (stare) > pekekil (stare at one another). These reciprocal intransitives form a distinct subgroup.[6]: 208
A few intransitives derive from transitive roots through the suffix -ek, though this is a fossilized suffix and is no longer productive. For example, dierek (to be found) from diar (to find); dilipek (for a thatch roof to be mended) from dilip (to mend a thatch roof). Sometimes this results in two intransitive derivations of a single transitive root, usually with a semantic nuance:
The suffix was apparently much more productive earlier in the language's history, even among active verbs.[6]: 207–8
Intransitives include verbs that incorporate their objects, in contrast with transitives, which state objects separately; this is somewhat akin to "babysitting" in English. This process sometimes results in vowel shortening within the incorporated noun. Any verbal suffixes, normally suffixed to the initial verb, follow the incorporated object. Incorporation is not possible when there is a demonstrative suffix, however:[6]: 212–4
I pahn pereklos, I will mat-unroll
I pahn pereki lohs, I will unroll mats
I pahn pereki lohso, I will unroll that mat
Adjectives
Pohnpeian adjectives are a class of non-action intransitive verbs. They function in a mostly parallel way to other intransitive verbs:
E pahn [tang/lemei] – "He will run/be cruel"
E [tangtang/lemelemei] – "He is running/being cruel"
E [tenge/lamai] pwutako – "He ran to/is cruel to that boy"
Many adjectives themselves can be used as commands, and have transitive counterparts.[6]: 198
Adjectives function as a subclass of intransitive verbs, though grammatical functions set them apart. For example, the superlative-ie is reserved for adjectives, as in lingan, "beautiful," and lingahnie, "most beautiful." Likewise reserved for adjectives is the suffix -ki, which indicates instrumentality in transitive verbs, means "to consider [beautiful]" when suffixed to an adjective. Superlatives may also appear using the ordinal numeral keieu "first." Comparatives are made through word order and the suffix -sang: Pwihke laudsang pwihko means "This pig is bigger than that pig."[6]: 195–200, 215, 224–6, 250
One feature setting adjectives apart from non-active verbs is the productivity of the stative marker me (different from the pronoun and focus particle me), which is generally not grammatically correct with intransitive verbs of any kind:[6]: 199–200
E mwahu, He is good; and E me mwahu, He is good!
E mi mwo, It exists there; but not *E me mi mwo.
Another aspect setting adjectives apart from other intransitives is that adjectives precede numerals, while intransitives follow. Adjectives generally follow the head noun, though possessives and numbers with fractions precede the noun:[6]: 124, 141
pwutak, boy
pwutako, that boy
pwutak silimeno, those three boys
pwutak reirei silimeno, those three tall boys
nei pwutak silimeno, my three sons there
orenso, that orange
pahkis ehuwen orenso, one-fourth of that orange
mahio, that breadfruit
pahkis siluhwen mahio, three-fourths of that breadfruit
Transitive verbs
Transitive verbs consist of single roots and various suffixes upon modern intransitive verbs. Historically, intransitive verbs probably developed by dropping these transitive suffixes and ablauting.
Some transitive verbs end in -VC on intransitive forms, appearing as unablauted or without reduplication; as intransitives were likely products of final syllable dropping, the endings are rather unpredictable:
Several transitive verbs end in -ih on intransitive roots, sometimes also with vowel changes:
malen > mahlenih, "to draw"
sel > salih, "to tie"
erier > arih, "to stir, probe"
This form is the most productive and is used with loanwords.[6]: 204–5 For example: mahlenih, deriving from German mahlen, means "to paint, draw."[5]: xv
Some transitive verbs ending in short final vowels have intransitive counterparts that lack those endings; again, ablaut and reduplication often differentiate. Examples include:
langa > lang, "to hang up"
doakoa > dok, "to spear"
rese > rasaras, "to sharpen"
The short vowel ending -i appears only in -ki.
Transitive verbal suffixes include the perfective -ehr, -ki (which derives verbs from nouns; different from the noun instrumental suffix -ki and short vowel suffix), object pronoun suffixes, and a host of directional suffixes. These include -ehng (towards) and -sang (away, without).[6]: 106–7, 222–52, 246–9, 279
Prepositions and Prepositional Nouns
Pohnpeian has two canonical prepositionsni and nan.[6]Nan is used to express the containment of an object in either 2D or 3D space by another object, and ni expresses the attachment of an object to another object.[12]
Nan
Lahpo mihmi nan ihwo, 'That person is in the house.'
Kahto mihmi nan pingin likou, 'That cat is on the rug.'
Ni
Rihngo mihmi ni pehn liho, 'That ring is on the woman's finger.'
Pwahlo mihmi ni kehpo, 'The crack is in the cup.'
Basic phrases
Below are some basic words and phrases in Pohnpeian:
Kaselehlie - Hello (semi-formal)
Kaselehlie maing - Hello sir/ma'am (formal)
Kaselehlie maing ko - Hello ladies/gentlemen (plural, formal)
Kaselel - Hello/Goodbye (informal)
Kalahngan - thank you (formal)
Menlau - thank you (informal)
edei - my name is
edomw - your name (singular, informal)
Ia edomw? - What is your name?
Ia iromw? - How are you? (singular, informal)
ia iromwi? - How are you? (singular, formal)
Ia iromwa? - How are you? (to two people, informal)
Ia iromwail? - How are you? (to three or more people, informal)
ke kohsang ia? - Where are you coming from? (singular, informal)
