notable

notable
Originally uploaded by jlovegren.

there are no cognates to help you along in the ngwe language, only amusing etymologies similar to those of chinese.
the word for a full moon is literally "eye moon"
sun that shines bright "eye sun"
beans "seven weeks" (time from planting to harvest)
anything with color is called "red" (if a foreigner is very pale you call him a "red red white man")
the word for knife is the same as for hills
beer "white man drink"
palm whine "white drink"
rice "coast rice" or "white man rice"
also it is important to always greet someone with a question, though it is invariably rhetorical:
"you have come?"
"you are walking?"
"you are resting?"
"you are drinking?"
"you are eating?"

care is to to be used in making affirmative statements, especially involving eating and drinking. if you say you are eating or drinking, you have made an invitation to share. if you tell someone they are eating or drinking, you are asking that they share. salutations are varied and depend on someone's age, social status, marital status, whether they have children, so use the massa or madame for now. also it is polite to offer some general condolences to anyone who is doing something other than resting, eating, drinking, or playing. if you stumble but don't fall, if you are carrying a bag of any size, if you are walking up hill, if you are waiting for a bus to arrive, you have to offer your condolences. nda nda