Tongan Pocket Dictionary - Colors

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Kedd, 29/04/2014 - 14:24

Moderátor of the Moana

Csatlakozott: 22.04.2011

Pending moderation

Welcome to another edition of the Tongan Pocket Dictionary series! Today, I will go over the various colors of the spectrum in Tongan! The first thing you need to know is the word lanu which in this context means 'shade', 'hue' or 'color'. This word is usually accompanied with the name of the color, and sometimes it can do without!

English / Tongan

Black / 'Uli'uli or 'Ui'ui
Gray / Hina
White / Hinehina
Red / Kulokula
Yellow / Engeenga
Blue / Moana or Langi
Orange / Moli
Purple / Kulokulameimeimoana
Brown / Kelokelo or Kekelo or Melomelo
Crimson / Kulokula or Kulamumu
Scarlet / Kula'aho'aho
Green / Mata
Pink / Kulokulameimeihinehina or Pingikii
Navy / 'Uhi'uhi

Kedd, 29/04/2014 - 19:30

citlālicue

Moderátor 🔮🇧🇮🇩🇽🇦🇦❜

Csatlakozott: 31.03.2012

So is Moana lanu correct for "Blue hue"?

Kedd, 29/04/2014 - 19:40

(Reply to #2)

SilentRebel83

Moderátor of the Moana

Csatlakozott: 22.04.2011

carnivorous_lamb wrote:

So is Moana lanu correct for "Blue hue"?

Not bad :bigsmile:
In Tongan, the adjective is used first.
--> lanu moana or lanumoana

Kedd, 29/04/2014 - 19:44

citlālicue

Moderátor 🔮🇧🇮🇩🇽🇦🇦❜

Csatlakozott: 31.03.2012

Oh, okay. It's like spanish, where it would have been "color azul", the adjective going first and then the color. I see, thanks for correcting me. I'm completely lost when it comes to the language ^^

Kedd, 29/04/2014 - 19:45

(Reply to #4)

SilentRebel83

Moderátor of the Moana

Csatlakozott: 22.04.2011

No problem. Oh, that's cool that Spanish is the same way!

Szerda, 30/04/2014 - 01:54

SilentRebel83

Moderátor of the Moana

Csatlakozott: 22.04.2011

Omg lolz...
Sorry carnivorous, it should actually be the other way around. I had to look at my post again and re-think what I had typed lolz...

BLUE COLOR
'lanu' being the subject, and 'moana' the adjective.

English: THE COLOR BLUE
Tongan: Ko e lanu moana

Ko(restricted prefix) e(definite article) lanu(subject) moana(adjective)

so, it's not like the Spanish...bummer >.

Péntek, 02/05/2014 - 00:56

crimson_antics

Retired Moderator

Csatlakozott: 16.06.2010

Are you kidding me with that first 'pink' option. :O

EDIT: And purple.

Péntek, 02/05/2014 - 01:19

citlālicue

Moderátor 🔮🇧🇮🇩🇽🇦🇦❜

Csatlakozott: 31.03.2012

So according to your example it's like so: Ko e lanu kula'aho'aho (I picked another color).

Péntek, 02/05/2014 - 02:16

(Reply to #8)

SilentRebel83

Moderátor of the Moana

Csatlakozott: 22.04.2011

crimson_antics wrote:

Are you kidding me with that first 'pink' option. :O

EDIT: And purple.

lol. nope, it's true hehe. I think that's probably why they substituted it with 'pingiki', which is the English rendering.
If you think those are out of wack, you should see what you think about these:
humuhumunukunukuāpuaʻa
lauwiliwilinukunukuʻoiʻoi
both are names of fish in Hawaii.

carnivorous_lamb wrote:

So according to your example it's like so: Ko e lanu kula'aho'aho (I picked another color).

That's perfect!
You could either say "ko e lanu kula'aho'aho" (the color scarlet), "ha lanu kula'aho'aho" (a scarlet color), or just "lanu kula'aho'aho" (scarlet)
The lanu part is optional, as is having both 'lanu' and [color] together or separate. :)

#10

Péntek, 02/05/2014 - 02:30

crimson_antics

Retired Moderator

Csatlakozott: 16.06.2010

I'm fairly certain I've seen some guy with that first fish's name on a shirt. I got scared a little, haha.

Are there stressed syllables in those long words though? There is no stressing in French, really, that's why I'm asking.

#11

Péntek, 02/05/2014 - 02:37

citlālicue

Moderátor 🔮🇧🇮🇩🇽🇦🇦❜

Csatlakozott: 31.03.2012

Oh okay. So how would one structure a sentence like this: Her dress is a scarlet or orange color

#12

Péntek, 02/05/2014 - 07:11

(Reply to #11)

SilentRebel83

Moderátor of the Moana

Csatlakozott: 22.04.2011

crimson_antics wrote:

I'm fairly certain I've seen some guy with that first fish's name on a shirt. I got scared a little, haha.

Are there stressed syllables in those long words though? There is no stressing in French, really, that's why I'm asking.

lol.
As for stresses, they can get complicated in some cases. But the general rule is that the penultimate syllable takes on the stress.
The stresses here are in bold and I've separated each syllable:

hu-mu-hu-mu-nu-ku-nu-ku-ā-pu-aʻ-a

lau-wi-li-wi-li-nu-ku-nu-ku-ʻoiʻoi

carnivorous_lamb wrote:

Oh okay. So how would one structure a sentence like this: Her dress is a scarlet or orange color

You would say:

Ko(prefix) 'oku(is) ha(a) lanu(color) kula'aho'aho(scarlet) pe(or) 'oku(is) lanu(color) moli(orange) 'a(restrictive prefix) 'ene(his/hers/its) ta'ovala(dress)