BUA3-024 
Fieldnotes 
2021.03.30 
GR tests 
Raising/control 
o ‘amaku e avola me au meu ‘ea bia 
ʻo ʻamaku e avola veiau me ʻea a bia 
“my father made me plant cassava” 
*ʻo ʻamaku e avola me ʻeavi bia  
“My father wants the cassava to be planted” o ʻamaku e avola me seleʻa a bia 
o ‘amaku e avola veiau me sele’a a bia 
“My father wants me to cut the cassava” 
A bia e seleʻi 
“The cassava is cut” 
ʻo ʻamaku e avola a bia me seleʻi 
“My father wants the cassava to be cut” 
ʻo ʻinaku e avola meu voli ʻaxina a me 
ʻo ʻinaku e avola veiau me voli ʻaxina a me *ʻo ʻianku e avola a me me voli ʻaxina 
“My mother wants me to sell the goat” 
ʻo ʻianku e avola a me me voli ʻaxi 
“My mother wants the goat to be sold” 
ʻauʻau vaʻa ni a bia sa varau me dreʻi 
ʻauʻau vaʻa sa varau me dreʻa a bia 
“it seems the cassava is ready to harvest” 
Savarau – to be ready.  
ʻauʻau vaʻa ʻo Mela se dreʻa a bia 
*ʻauʻau vaʻa a bia se dreʻa ʻo Mela 
“It looks/seems like Mela is pulling/harvesting cassava” Reflexive binding 
ʻo Mela e vativi xea ʻixo na iloilo  
“Mela is looking at herself in the mirror” 
*ʻo Mela....
“Mela accidentally cut herself” 
#n not specific enough (need to specify a body part) ʻo Mela vativi xea vāre 
“Mela takes good care of herself” 
(“xea” ambiguous between reflexive and 3SG) 
Au vativi au 
“I look at myself” 
*ʻixo vativi ʻixo 
Tivi ʻixo  
“look at yourself” 
Au tiva ʻixo ai aba baleʻi au 
“I am looking at a picture of myself” 
Baleʻi – about me  
ʻo ʻinaku e varai ʻaxina e tuga a xenai ai aba 
#n her picture 
ʻo ʻinaku e varai ʻaxina e tuga ai aba (baleʻi) xea #n picture about her 
“my mother showed me a picture of herself” 
Xenai -3SG possessive 
ʻo ʻinaku e varai ʻaxina e tuga xenai aba 
“my mother showed me a picture of him” 
#n(again, the 3sg is abiguous) 
ʻo ʻinaku e varai ʻaxina e tuga ai aba baleʻi au “my mother showed me a picture of myself” 
Plural reflexives vs. Plural reciprocals. 
Quantifier float (?) 
Droʻou a kasanivuli e tivi xea a gona vuli 
Droʻou aucoxo a kasanivuli e tivi xea a gona vuli *Droʻou a kasanivuli aucoxo e tivi xea a gona vuli *Aucoxo droʻou.... 
“All the teachers saw the student” 
Kasanivuli “teacher” 
Kasanivuli e tivi ira aucoxo a gona vuli 
*Kasanivuli e tivi ira a gona vuli aucoxo 
*Kasanivuli e tivi aucoxo ira a gona vuli 
“the teacher saw all of the students”
Verb modification (adverbials) [Schutz pg. 271] 
Au xilai xea vāre 
“I know him well” 
Xilā – to know (no thematic consonant) 
ʻo ʻinaku e vosa ʻaxi au 
“my mother spoke to me harshly” 
ʻo ʻinaku e vosa vei au 
“My mother spoke to me” 
ʻo ʻinaku e vosa vaʻoʻolo veiau 
“my mother spoke to me quickly” 
ʻoʻolo – quick 
Au ma vaxasama ʻaxina  
“I thought about it seriously” 
#n ma gave it extra oomph 
ʻo xea ʻaubale vamālua na gaunisala 
“he walks slowly down the street” 
ʻaubale – to walk 
Malua – slow 
Gaunisala – street 
ʻo Sisilia taulai kalo 
“Sisilia frequently goes swimming” 
Taulai – frequently 
ʻo druxa a gona veitau rērē 
“Those two are like good friends” 
ʻo druxa a gona e vei-vosa-xi ʻixo e veitau rērē “Those two are talking to each-other like good friends” 
O druxa a gona vei-tivi ‘ixo 
“Those two are looking at each-other”
ʻo xea e laxolaxo ʻauʻauvaʻa xai-valagi 
“He walks likes a foreigner” 
Xai – refers to a specific race/someone from a place 
Xaiviʻi “Fijian” 
Xaivanuatu “Nivanuatu” 
ʻabu 
“Not allowed” 
Kapu, taboo 
Gunu vaʻa xana e vaʻabui e na xoronivuli 
“Drinking and eating are not allowed in school” 
Varorogo sere 
“listen to music” 
Au maʻa sara yaloyalo kai varorogo sere 
“I want to watch movies and listen to music (separately)” 
Au maʻa sara yaloyalo vaʻa varorogo sere 
“I want to watch movies and listen to music (at the same time)” 
Vaʻa – simultaneous coordination 
Kai – sequential/non-simultaneous coordination 
ʻO xea e varorogo sere kai caxava ʻixo a ona vuli 
“He is listening to music and doing his homework (at the same time)” 
ʻO ʻamana e savasava kai ʻo ʻinana e vasaxa 
“The man is washing and the mother is cooking” 
ʻO Rajaina sa ʻixo e na boʻoni teveli 
“Mr. Banana is under the table” 
Boʻoni – under 
ʻO Rajaina sa ʻixo na tela ni teveli 
“Mr. Banana is on top of the table” 
Tela – on top (touching the table) 
ʻO Rajaina sa vuxa i caxe volexaʻa tela ni teveli
“Mr. Banana is flying above closer to top of the table” 
Caxe – up/above 
Volexaʻa – closer to 
O Rajaina sa laxo ʻixo xina/vei teveli 
“Mr. Banana is walking towards the table” 
O Rajaina sa laxo ʻani mai na teveli 
“Mr. Banana is walking away from the table” ʻani mai – away from 
O Rajaina e ʻixo e na kara ni vunixacu 
“Mr. Banana is in the hole of the tree” 
Kara – hole 
O Rajaina e ʻixo i loma ni kara ni vunixacu “Mr. Banana is inside the hole of the tree” 
A waininiu e ʻixo i loma 
“There is coconut water inside” 
Loma – inside  
ʻuba – outside