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Help[Facts] Re: Fijian name
in reply to a message by Lexy
Here is a quick selection of Fijian girls' names from The Pacific Islanders' Book of Names by Brenna Lorenz. This book was copyrighted in 1996. Unfortunately, there is no indication in the book as to the actual popularity of any of these names in Fiji for girls born in the late 1980s.
Akanisi: Fijian form of Agnes
Asenaca: Fijian form of Asenath
Esiteri, Siteri: Fijian forms of Esther
Ilisapeci: Fijian form of Elizabeth
Josivini: Fijian form of Josephine
Karalaini: Fijian form of Caroline
Kasanita: Fijian "strike wood together to make fire"
Kereni: Fijian "ask" or "boiling"
Kula: Fijian "parrot"
Litia: Fijian form of Lydia
Marama: Fijian "a lady"
Mereoni: Fijian form of Marion
Paterisia: Fijian form of Patricia
Rokolewasau: Fijian "power to rule over the people"
Ruci: Fijian form of Ruth
Salaseini: Fijian form of Sally Jane
Sereana: Fijian "song"
Sovaia: Fijian form of Sophia
Toloi: Fijian "woman with a slender waist"
Varadoli: Fijian "forced to give birth early"
Akanisi: Fijian form of Agnes
Asenaca: Fijian form of Asenath
Esiteri, Siteri: Fijian forms of Esther
Ilisapeci: Fijian form of Elizabeth
Josivini: Fijian form of Josephine
Karalaini: Fijian form of Caroline
Kasanita: Fijian "strike wood together to make fire"
Kereni: Fijian "ask" or "boiling"
Kula: Fijian "parrot"
Litia: Fijian form of Lydia
Marama: Fijian "a lady"
Mereoni: Fijian form of Marion
Paterisia: Fijian form of Patricia
Rokolewasau: Fijian "power to rule over the people"
Ruci: Fijian form of Ruth
Salaseini: Fijian form of Sally Jane
Sereana: Fijian "song"
Sovaia: Fijian form of Sophia
Toloi: Fijian "woman with a slender waist"
Varadoli: Fijian "forced to give birth early"
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Replies
Thanks, Cleveland. You are a lifesaver!
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Cleveland, does your book give pronunciations for these names?
I've long wondered - and asked here a couple of years ago with no results! - how it came about that the surname Rokocoko is pronounced Rokothoko; now that I see Ruci as a Fijian form of Ruth, it looks like another instance of c = th, this time after a high vowel which is closer to what I'd expect. So, is c regularly pronounced like English th in thistle, and if so, who first wrote down the Fijian language?
This is really interesting!
I've long wondered - and asked here a couple of years ago with no results! - how it came about that the surname Rokocoko is pronounced Rokothoko; now that I see Ruci as a Fijian form of Ruth, it looks like another instance of c = th, this time after a high vowel which is closer to what I'd expect. So, is c regularly pronounced like English th in thistle, and if so, who first wrote down the Fijian language?
This is really interesting!
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The book doesn't give a pronunciation key in the individual entries. However, in its short description of Fijian names in the introduction to the book the following sentence occurs:
"In Fijian orthography, pronounce "t" as [ch], "b" as [mb], "d" as [nd], "q" as [ngg], and "g" as [ng]."
As you can see that sentence doesn't mention "c". It certainly looks like "c" is used for [th] in Fijian, however, because in addition to the forms of Ruth, Elizabeth, and Asenath given above, Maciu is the Fijian form of Matthew, Nacani the Fijian form of Nathan, Nacanieli the Fijian form of Nathaniel, Peceli the Fijian form of Bethel, Sainibici the Fijian form of Jane Beth, Seci the Fijian form of Seth, and Timoci the Fijian form of Timothy.
Personally I would assume that whoever first created an alphabet for the Fijian language was a missionary translating the Bible into Fijian, but that's just a guess. If I were creating a writing system for a new language using the Roman alphabet, I think I'd use "c" for some other sound besides S or K as that is really redundant. Evidently whoever first wrote down Fijian decided to use it for English "th"; whoever invented the Roman alphabet transcription of Turkish decided to use "c" for the sound of English "J", which is why the Turkish name Can is pronounced almost identically to the English name John.
"In Fijian orthography, pronounce "t" as [ch], "b" as [mb], "d" as [nd], "q" as [ngg], and "g" as [ng]."
As you can see that sentence doesn't mention "c". It certainly looks like "c" is used for [th] in Fijian, however, because in addition to the forms of Ruth, Elizabeth, and Asenath given above, Maciu is the Fijian form of Matthew, Nacani the Fijian form of Nathan, Nacanieli the Fijian form of Nathaniel, Peceli the Fijian form of Bethel, Sainibici the Fijian form of Jane Beth, Seci the Fijian form of Seth, and Timoci the Fijian form of Timothy.
Personally I would assume that whoever first created an alphabet for the Fijian language was a missionary translating the Bible into Fijian, but that's just a guess. If I were creating a writing system for a new language using the Roman alphabet, I think I'd use "c" for some other sound besides S or K as that is really redundant. Evidently whoever first wrote down Fijian decided to use it for English "th"; whoever invented the Roman alphabet transcription of Turkish decided to use "c" for the sound of English "J", which is why the Turkish name Can is pronounced almost identically to the English name John.
This message was edited 10/17/2005, 10:49 AM
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I'm sure you're right - and the evidence is certainly overwhelming! Thank you.
I still wonder if the original missionaries might not perhaps have been Spanish, as missionaries are by nature conservative and not given to innovation ... but my knowledge of Pacific Ocean history is for practical purposes zero, and as the Fijians are now English-speaking rugby players, something must have happened to change the colonial regimes around.
I still wonder if the original missionaries might not perhaps have been Spanish, as missionaries are by nature conservative and not given to innovation ... but my knowledge of Pacific Ocean history is for practical purposes zero, and as the Fijians are now English-speaking rugby players, something must have happened to change the colonial regimes around.
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