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Palauan Adjectives

The following is a brief discussion about Palauan adjectives. For a longer exploration, please refer to discussions of state verbs in the Joseph Handbooks. According to the official Lewis Joseph grammar book of Palauan, there are no Palauan parts of speech called adjectives. However, Palauan does, of course, have words used to describe other words. In English, we call these words adjectives. Examples of English adjectives are dangerous, beautiful, and hot.

Palauan Resulting State Verbs

In Palauan, words corresponding to English adjectives are called state verbs. There are several types of Palauan state verbs. The most common are resulting state verbs which occur as a result of a verb. Some examples:

Here is a list of seven random Palauan verbs and their resulting state verbs:

blor, v.r.s.(hands, chest) laid or put on or against something.
a
mla
a
er
a
er
a
See also:
chelemull, v.r.s.engaged in sexual relations with.
a
mla
a
mla
er
See also:
chelmekl, v.r.s.(person) stubborn, persistent, determined, etc.
a
mla
a
el
a
See also:
selab, v.r.s.snapped or pecked at.
a
er
er
a
a
er
a
See also:
selokl, v.r.s.turned to side; (matter) confused.
a
mla
a
a
See also:
ulsiseb, v.r.s.put, pushed or forced in.
a
mla
er
a
mla
See also:

 

Palauan Anticipating State Verbs

Anticipating state verbs in Palauan are like resulting state verbs. However, instead of describing the state of something after a verb has modified it, these describe the state of something before a verb is anticipated to modify it. Here's seven random Anticipating State Verbs:

besengall, v.a.s.is to be tied into bundle; is to be pulled vigorously or grabbed.
See also:
cheseksiktall, v.a.s.(someone) is to be involved or mixed up in.
See also:
chetuotel, v.a.s.(headware) to be put on; to be inserted or stuck into or onto; to be impaled or plugged in.
a
el
el
a
a
See also:
sedomel, v.a.s.is to be propositioned or proposed.
a
See also:
semikel, v.a.s.is to be husked by hand.
a
el
a
a
a
el
a
See also:
serechall, v.a.s.is to be cleansed/bathed in hot water.
a
el
a
el
mo
a
See also:
sudall, v.a.s.is to be erased; is to be dried or wiped off.
a
a
kim
a
See also:

 

State Verbs with Related Nouns

In English, a common thing to do is to ask 'how XXXX is something,' where XXXX is an adjective. For example, 'how hot is that,' or 'how dangerous is that,' are common English expressions.

This is true in Palauan as well in a form like, 'ng uangarang a kleldelel,' which translates literally perhaps to something like, 'it is like what, its heat,' or figuratively as, 'how hot is it.' The word kleldelel is a possessed noun meaning 'its heat.' See the nouns page for a longer explanation of possessed nouns.

Many of these Palauan nouns have related state verbs which translate to, and are used as, English adjectives. Here is a list of seven random Palauan nouns along with their corresponding state verbs.

Palauan_NounEngish_NounPalauan_AdjEnglish_Adj
mengchongchthick betel nut fiber used for wrapping food, making rain hat, etc.chellibelmengchongchwhite; (woman) beautiful/white-skinned.
kurstwitching (nervous disorder) .kurstwitching.
chemaiongdragonfly.chemaiong prone to moving from one boyfriend or girlfriend to another.
chadliver.chedengaolhave a large liver.
iluodelstones, coconut shells, or similar objects used as support for cooking pot during serving.iluodelstones, coconut shells, or similar objects used as support for cooking pot during serving.
ngelloklnodding; dozing (off).olengelloklslow-moving; sluggish.
chellingsclearness; transparency; purity; pristine condition.mechellings(liquid, glass, etc.) clear or transparent.

Reng Idioms as Adjectives

There are many Palauan expressions which use a state verb to describe the Palauan word reng which means spirit or heart. These are idioms which mean their literal and figurative meanings are not the same. Typically, but not always, the figurative meaning describes an emotion. An example is kesib a reng, which literally means a sweaty heart but figuratively it means to be angry. Here is a list of seven random examples of these reng idioms:

PalauanEnglish
melekoi
a
: Palauan of melekoi a rengul'>
a
determined; well-motivated; make rasping or humming sound in the lungs; make humming moise while sleeping; (cat) purr.
diak
a
: Palauan of diak a rengul'>
a
inconsiderate; impolite.
telirem
a
: Palauan of telirem a rengul'>
a
feelings hurt.
bechedechudel
a
: Palauan of bechedechudel a rengul'>
a
irritable.
olsebek
er
a
: Palauan of olsebek er a rengul'>
er
a
worry (unintentionally); startle.
mekurt
a
: Palauan of mekurt a rengul'>
a
(someone's) feelings hurt.
ngelekel
a
: Palauan of ngelekel a rengul'>
a
favorite child.


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