nguanguaq aravac a nu qata.
Free translation:
Your glass beads are very pretty.
Word gloss:
- ngua-ngua-q: pretty. The root is nguaq 'good, well' in RED for emphasis of degree.
- aravac: very, quite
- a: subject case marker
- nu: your, 2nd person plural GEN
- qata or 'ata: sglass bead. Another word is mulimulitan, which really refers to the most significant and precious bead among all glass beads. However, in Ferrel (p. 55), he had drungaljisan 'glass bead, specific type from Dutch trade. I could not find drung in any dictionary, but aljis is tooth, and -an is the end marker for nominalization.
Voice file:
From Raleigh Ferrell's Paiwan Dictionary (1982) and ILRDF Online Paiwan Dictionary qata.
Ferrell also put aljis nua kutji as 'glass bead, a specific type from Dutch trade' (p. 55). kutji means female genitalia. The phrase literally means 'teeth of vagina'.
Among native or indigenous folklore, there is a story of women with biting vagina who eat up their suitors after intercourse. But this is the first time I read a biting vagina is referring to accessory. Interesting.
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