[Mihalic] Asidua

[Institute of Papua New Guinea Studies]

I no longer have the post where this is mentioned. I haven't heard 
"asidua", although that doesn't mean that it is not used. Is there any 
possibility that this could actually be a variation of "pasinda"?

Don

At 15:21 11/9/04 +1200, Ross Clark (FOA DALSL) wrote:
>A recent post to the ASAO list mentions the Tok Pisin word:
>
>"asidua" ("sex workers," in public health parlance, but "street friends" 
>and "sisters" in local parlance, from the Portuguese for "plenty," originally)
>
>The last part does not sound right. For a start my Portuguese dictionary 
>gives assidua (feminine) as "assiduous, unremitting, sedulous" rather than 
>"plenty". Also it seems rather a bookish word to have found its way into 
>pidgin, and I have not heard of it turning up in pidgins elsewhere. As for 
>an alternative etymology, one would immediately think that "as" might play 
>a role here. But I'm sure others on this list will know more about this 
>word's meaning, currency, variant forms and possible etymology.
>
>Ross Clark
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Don Niles
Head & Senior Ethnomusicologist
Music Department
Institute of Papua New Guinea Studies
P.O. Box 1432
Boroko 111
PAPUA NEW GUINEA

tel.:   [675] 325-4644
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