moths, elephamts and anglerfish

[Bruce Biggs]

I hope you can read the attached file. Any non-Polynesian Oceanic cognates
would be of interest.

Bruce
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Al Schutz in a recent paper on Fijian (and Polynesian) accent (Oceanic Linguistics v.38, No.1, June 1999, p. 141) mentions the problem of determining the derivation of compound words. His example is Hawai`ian pulelehua "butterfly" which, he suggests, could be divided into pule "pray" lehua "a type of tree and blossom", or it might contain lele "fly" and hua "fruit". A derivation he does not mention is that adopted in POLLEX where PPN *pulele-fua >moth, butterfly" is related to PMP *bulajlaj "r?ssel" (Dpf.1938). Dempwolff lists no Oceanic cognates. The POLLEX entries for *pulele-fua and its innovated PSO *lefua are:

PPN *pullele-fua "moth, butterfly".
HAW    Pulelehua. :Butterfly, moth (Pki).
MAO    Puure(re)hua. :Moth (Wms).
MFA    Refue. :A kind of moth (Clk).
MQA    Puehua. :Esp. de papillon (Dln).
RAR    Pure(re)`ua. :Large moth sp. (Sve).
SAM    Lelefua. :Moth (Prt).
TAH    Puurehua. :Papillon de nuit (Mte).
TIK    Rerefua. :Anglerfish (Antennaridae), with filament hanging down above mouth and used in attracting prey (Fth).
TOK    Lelefua. :Moth (Sma).
WFU    Sa/rafue/. :Butterfly, moth.

PSO *lelefua "moth, butterfly"
MFA    Refue. :A kind of moth (Clk).
SAM    Lelefua. :Moth (Prt).
TIK    Rerefua. :Anglerfish (Antennaridae), with filament hanging down above mouth and used in attracting prey (Fth).
TOK    Lelefua. :Moth (Sma).

Bruce Biggs