[Mihalic] re bonon

[Ross Clark (FOA DALSL)]

> -----Original Message-----
> From: Piet Lincoln [mailto:linc at hawaii.rr.com]
> Sent: Wednesday, 16 July 2003 10:27 p.m.
> To: BURTON John; M2 (E-mail)
> Subject: [Mihalic] re bonon
> 
> 
> BONONO shows up in Bannoni ( on opposite corner of island 
> from Tinputz)
> meaning apparently a big distruburnce in the sea:  tidal 
> wave, whirlpool...
> I also had it glossed  as 'dugong'  but decided that was from 
> Tok Pisin,
> partly because they also have TOOU for 'dugong'
> 
> (The english approximates Dempwolff's PAN reconstruction *Duyung.
> Could the Linnean 'dugong dugon'  include a spelling or 
> transcription error
> y -> g ?)
> 
> Phonologically similar  BUBU  or  VUVU meaning grandparent 
> seems to have
> arrived in the Tok Pisin there fairly recently.  Any help there?
> 
> cheers,
> 
> piet
> 

Bislama bu(m)bu? I assume this is a baby-talk reduplication from POc *tubu,
just as you get mama and tata from *tama 'father'.

Ross Clark