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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:

blekebek, v.r.s.gladdened; made happy.
a
a
mla
a
a
See also:
blibii, v.r.s.sorted out.
a
mla
el
See also:
bllebel, v.r.s.wound around with rope, cord, tape, etc.
See also:
bloch, v.r.s.stepped on and crushed.
a
mla
mla
a
el
a
See also:
klekas, v.r.s.scratched (because itchy).
a
mla
a
el
a
See also:
telikak, v.r.s.(legs) spread apart.
See also:
uliit, v.r.s.deflected; turned away.
a
mla
mla
er
a
a
a
er
a
a
a
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:

brecherechall, v.a.s.is to be brought to boil.
a
el
a
See also:
dedungall, v.a.s.is to be tattoed.
See also:
dengeball, v.a.s.is to be covered.
a
el
er
a
See also:
ochisall, v.a.s.is to be chased away.
See also:
ongebetall, v.a.s.is to be pushed under water; (wick of lamp) is to be turned down.
a
el
mo
e
mo
er
a
er
a
See also:
otekiall, v.a.s.is to be carried aboard/transported in vehicle.
a
el
er
a
a
er
tir
er
a
er
a
See also:
toadel, v.a.s.(sardines) are to be caught between prongs of a spear.
a
el
a
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
ongitact of asking for something.bekongitalways asking for things.
bausmell; odor; scent.bekebau(cooked meat or fish, cooking pot, etc.) foul-smelling.
bengtpurple colored sweet potato.bengtpurple.
beraomfish kept until slightly spoiled and then wrapped and barbequed.beraomfish kept until slightly spoiled and then wrapped and barbequed.
uidfruit that has fallen off the tree on its own.udall(fishnet) is to be pulled in.
kerasuschigger.kerasusbitten by chiggers.
otordblunt-headed parrot fish.otord(person) having protruding forehead.

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
smuuch
a
: Palauan of smuuch a rengul'>
a
(person) calm/placid.
ngoaol
a
: Palauan of ngoaol a rengul'>
a
confronted with and perplexed by large task or responsibility.
tuobed
a
: Palauan of tuobed a rengul'>
a
one's real feelings come out.
merirem
er
a
: Palauan of merirem er a rengul'>
er
a
hurt someone's feelings.
delbeseaol
a
: Palauan of delbeseaol a rengul'>
a
aimless; idle; foolish.
omichoech
a
: Palauan of omichoech a rengul'>
a
(stomach) grumble, talk or gurgle (especially from hunger); (person) feel excited.
mekikiid
a
: Palauan of mekikiid a rengul'>
a
unsympathetic; uncaring; uninvolved; emotionless.


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