blong mama blong
July 19, 2010 8:05 PM Subscribe
Bislama speakers, please help! What does this sign say?
This question was originally going to be on the order of "What language is this sign in and what does it say?", but my memory and Googling momentarily kicked into high gear.
The pictures make a lot of the meanings pretty clear, though I keep thinking of the fourth as "do not conduct a crocodile orchestra". And I'm pretty sure a good amount of this is common sense. I just want to know how this stuff translates to English.
And maybe it'll help me get "blong mama blong" out of my head.
This question was originally going to be on the order of "What language is this sign in and what does it say?", but my memory and Googling momentarily kicked into high gear.
The pictures make a lot of the meanings pretty clear, though I keep thinking of the fourth as "do not conduct a crocodile orchestra". And I'm pretty sure a good amount of this is common sense. I just want to know how this stuff translates to English.
And maybe it'll help me get "blong mama blong" out of my head.
Best answer: Do not swim with the crocodiles.
Do not give food to the crocs.
Don't go into the ocean or river at night.
Don't disturb or anger the croc. (literally, don't make him cross)
Don't go near a croc's nest (i'm telegraphing, but that's the gist).
posted by Emperor SnooKloze at 8:28 PM on July 19, 2010
Do not give food to the crocs.
Don't go into the ocean or river at night.
Don't disturb or anger the croc. (literally, don't make him cross)
Don't go near a croc's nest (i'm telegraphing, but that's the gist).
posted by Emperor SnooKloze at 8:28 PM on July 19, 2010
Love that sign! Total guesses, unhindered by any knowledge of pidgins:
1) Pretty self explanatory. I wouldn't swimswim with the crocodile either.
2) Don't give food to the crocodiles
3) Don't go near water or the river at night??
4) Don't hit the crocodile or make him angry (cross).
5) Don't get close to a nest -- it belongs to a mama crocodile.
Hope someone does better....
posted by cgs06 at 8:37 PM on July 19, 2010
1) Pretty self explanatory. I wouldn't swimswim with the crocodile either.
2) Don't give food to the crocodiles
3) Don't go near water or the river at night??
4) Don't hit the crocodile or make him angry (cross).
5) Don't get close to a nest -- it belongs to a mama crocodile.
Hope someone does better....
posted by cgs06 at 8:37 PM on July 19, 2010
Response by poster: Wow, that's great, Emperor SnooKloze! The Wikipedia page on Bislama was also something of a help, especially when it came to the discussion on "long" and "blong".
Reading Bislama feels to me like staring at a magic eye poster. You know something should be there, but you can't. quite. get it. Until BAM, it jumps out at you (or someone points it out) and it's so obvious, why didn't you see it before? I am, of course, referring specifically to "solwata" being "ocean" (salt water).
Could you be a little more literal on the last one, though? At first it seemed like it'd be "stay away from the baby crocodiles". Then I noticed "haus", figured "klosap" was "close up", and read up on "long" and "blong" and figured it had something to do with the nest, but I wasn't sure exactly how the translation worked. "Don't go near the mother crocodile's house"?
posted by ymendel at 8:44 PM on July 19, 2010
Reading Bislama feels to me like staring at a magic eye poster. You know something should be there, but you can't. quite. get it. Until BAM, it jumps out at you (or someone points it out) and it's so obvious, why didn't you see it before? I am, of course, referring specifically to "solwata" being "ocean" (salt water).
Could you be a little more literal on the last one, though? At first it seemed like it'd be "stay away from the baby crocodiles". Then I noticed "haus", figured "klosap" was "close up", and read up on "long" and "blong" and figured it had something to do with the nest, but I wasn't sure exactly how the translation worked. "Don't go near the mother crocodile's house"?
posted by ymendel at 8:44 PM on July 19, 2010
My instinct says:
No ko klosap long haus blong mama blong crocodile - Don't go close near the house of the mama of the crocodile.
Don't go near mother crocodile's house (nest).
posted by Gordafarin at 8:56 PM on July 19, 2010
No ko klosap long haus blong mama blong crocodile - Don't go close near the house of the mama of the crocodile.
Don't go near mother crocodile's house (nest).
posted by Gordafarin at 8:56 PM on July 19, 2010
'Blong' is of (according to wikipedia), so 'haus blong mama blong crocodile' would be something like 'the house of a crocodile's mother'. So, "don't go close (klosap) to (long?) a mother crocodile's nest".
posted by wayland at 9:02 PM on July 19, 2010
posted by wayland at 9:02 PM on July 19, 2010
I dunno, I kinda like this alternate translation.
posted by greatgefilte at 9:04 PM on July 19, 2010 [2 favorites]
posted by greatgefilte at 9:04 PM on July 19, 2010 [2 favorites]
My only pidgin experience is a tiny bit of Wontok, and I'd never heard of Bislama, but the last one looks like it literally reads ''No no closeup longhouse belong mama, belong crocodile.'' So don't go close up to the home of the mama croc!
posted by t0astie at 10:14 PM on July 19, 2010
posted by t0astie at 10:14 PM on July 19, 2010
Response by poster: I remember seeing that long ago, greatgefilte. I'd forgotten all about it.
posted by ymendel at 8:11 AM on July 20, 2010
posted by ymendel at 8:11 AM on July 20, 2010
This thread is closed to new comments.
posted by amtho at 8:17 PM on July 19, 2010