Austronesian words for seahorse (Hippocampus spp.)

[Bill Palmer]

One further NWS seahorse term: Nehan /kuriap/ 'seahorse'.

Bill Palmer

> ----------
> From: 	Joel Bradshaw[SMTP:bradshaw at hawaii.edu]
> Reply To: 	bradshaw at hawaii.edu
> Sent: 	Monday, May 10, 1999 7:33 PM
> To: 	 AUSTRONESIAN LANGUAGES AND LINGUISTICS
> Subject: 	Re: Austronesian words for seahorse (Hippocampus spp.)
>
> Looking at Grant's Guide to Fishes, Numbami speakers (in PNG) labelled
> sea horses yuwaya tina (lit. 'crocodile mother'). They were pretty
> clear
> that it was not a yuwaya ano 'true crocodile'. The modifier tina (lit.
> 'mother') is used for diminutives as well as augmentatives, thus
> indicating 'off-sized' rather than 'great' or 'small'. I should check
> the Jabem dictionary to see what it shows for Hippocampus. At least
> the
> Numbami name is not derived from English or Malay.
>
> --
> Joel Bradshaw <bradshaw at hawaii.edu>
>
>