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Re: Rotokas (was: California Cheeseburger)

From:william drewery <will65610@...>
Date:Sunday, June 20, 2004, 4:51
I'm pretty sure that the Rotokas word "wiliwili" means
"fake"... it is a borrowing from English, being a
Rotokaization of "Mili Vanili", LOL
                                    Travis
--- "Mark P. Line" <mark@...> wrote:
> Racsko Tamas said: > > On 18 Jun 2004 "Mark P. Line" > <mark@...> wrote: > > > >> What evidence do we have that [w] is used when > pronouncing 'wiliwili'? > >> > >> I think we have to assume that it's written with > 'w' in Rotokas because > >> it's written with 'w' in Tok Pisin. We can make > further assumptions > >> about > >> the most likely ways it'd be pronounced, but > we've already covered that. > > > > I do not agree with you. Pro primo: it was only > your supposition that > > "wiliwili" is a Tok Pisin borrowing. > > Sorry, but I find that insulting, I was hoping that > this thread would end > before I had to say that. > > Nik Taylor surmised that I might be guessing about > Rotokas phonology, and > you are similarly unwilling to believe that I might > have a considered > professional opinion to share. > > I know that the form "wilwil" is used in Tok Pisin > for 'bicycle', that > this Tok Pisin form derives from English > ("wheel-REDUP") and that > "wiliwili" is the word used in Rotokas for > 'bicycle'. > > That's clear enough for me. > > But what do I know, right? > > Clearly, this thread has gotten out of hand. What I > thought was a simple > case of me reporting what I know and can find out > about Rotokas (a > language I studied to the extent of the available > materials in the mid > 70's) has turned into a situation where I'm being > grilled on even the most > miniscule of assertions. > > I don't have time for that. Sorry. I'll not try to > comment on the rest of > your post, since that can only expose me to further > insult. (Maybe > somebody else will help you find your mistakes.) > > I guess I'll not try to impart any more of my, umm, > guesses or > suppositions on this list for a while. That way, I > won't be diluting the > list with speculation -- and everything else we see > posted here can be > taken as gospel, as we know. > > > -- Mark >
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