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<DIV><SPAN class=750375504-21102003><FONT face=Arial color=#0000ff size=2>As
others have pointed out, vowel length is important here. The word for "board" or
"flat surface" or the name of the mythical mother has two short vowels.
</FONT></SPAN></DIV>
<DIV><SPAN class=750375504-21102003><FONT face=Arial color=#0000ff size=2>Papa
'father' occurs in Deighton's Moriori vocabulary, but vowel length is not
reliably recorded.</FONT></SPAN></DIV>
<DIV><SPAN class=750375504-21102003><FONT face=Arial color=#0000ff size=2>The
Maori word is /paapaa/, and Williams apparently considers it indigenous. He
associates it with /paa/ 'a term of address to a male elder or superior' (e pa).
</FONT></SPAN></DIV>
<DIV><SPAN class=750375504-21102003><FONT face=Arial color=#0000ff size=2>On the
other hand, Milner gives Samoan /papa/ as children's language 'daddy', but again
without suggesting it's from English.</FONT></SPAN></DIV>
<DIV><SPAN class=750375504-21102003><FONT face=Arial color=#0000ff
size=2></FONT></SPAN> </DIV>
<DIV><SPAN class=750375504-21102003><FONT face=Arial color=#0000ff size=2>Ross
Clark</FONT></SPAN></DIV>
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<DIV class=OutlookMessageHeader lang=en-us dir=ltr align=left><FONT
face=Tahoma size=2>-----Original Message-----<BR><B>From:</B> David Gunn
[mailto:dagunn@email.uophx.edu] <BR><B>Sent:</B> Monday, 20 October 2003 3:48
p.m.<BR><B>To:</B> An-lang@anu.edu.au<BR><B>Subject:</B> [An-lang]
papa<BR><BR></FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>Hello - I'm interested in the word "papa".
I read recently that this word means "father" in Maori and Moriori. I
know "papa" means rock or a board in some Polynesian languages. I just want to
know how far the word "papa" is used throughout Polynesia in the sense of
"father" or having something to do with geneology. I also want to know
if the word is definitley of Polynesian origin as opposed to being a
European loan word. </FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>If you'd like to answer straight to my email, you
can reply to <A
href="mailto:dagunn@uophx.edu">dagunn@uophx.edu</A></FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>Thanks!</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>David Gunn</FONT></DIV></BLOCKQUOTE></BODY></HTML>