I'm working on preparing a lesson for this week's ladies' Bible study, so I thought I'd fulfill Audrey's request by posting some Tok Pisin. Keep in mind I've only been learning Tok Pisin for nine months, and I'm still learning. ;-)
With that said, I might start our Bible study like this:
Orait, bai yumi go insait long leson b'long yumi.
Nau bai yumi toktok long ol promis Bikpela i bin givim long yumi, ol Kristen manmeri.
God i bin givim planti promis long yumi, na God i no inap senisim tingting b'long em.
Olsem na yumi inap bilip strong long ol promis b'long em.
And with the sentences on separate lines, so you can see how the English and Pidgin line up, here's a rough translation:
Ok, let's start our lesson.
Today we're going to talk about the promises God's given us Christians.
God has given us lots of promises, and God can't change His mind.
So we can believe His promises.
Tok Pisin is really quite similar to English. Many Tok Pisin words come from English words (like leson from lesson, Kristen from Christian, and bilip from believe). Here are a few more examples from what I wrote above:
-yumi comes from "you (and) me," and it means "us"
-planti comes from "plenty," and it means "plenty" or "many"
-bilong or b'long comes from "belong," and it means "belonging to" or "of"
For example, leson b'long yumi literally means "lesson of us" or more idiomatically "our lesson"
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4 comments:
Thanks so much, Sara. It boggles my mind to think of going into a place where no one has ever put the language into print, and figuring out what people are saying! Praise God for what you're doing. I know He will direct your paths, because He has promised to do that when we stay IN the Word and on our knees, whether literally or figuraatively. Reading through the OT again, what a marvel that God is so patient. He knows what we are, and understands, and just keeps prodding us along to a closer walk (prayerfully), even when it takes 81 years to even begin to start to "get it right!" Have a blessed day. Thanks for the "lesson!" You can do it again any time ;-) Audrey
Sara,
Tenkyu long dispela leson long Tok Pisin. Mi no save gut long Tok Pisin tasol mi laik kisim.
Mi laikim yu tru,
Mama bilong yu
Sori long sampela kranki!
Hi, Sara,
Thanks for sharing your Bible lesson and the Tok pisin. Also enjoyed your latest newsletter. You do a great job writing and describing your experiences. Rich won tickets to a Scranton/Wilkes Barre Yankees game at 11 AM on Monday. It was a little disappointing that the players were not at their best. Two outfielders ran into each other at full tilt trying to catch a long fly ball. They knocked each other down. The Louisville Bats team they were playing were just slugging the pitches and one hitter even broke a bat, he hit so hard. We enjoyed watching the antics of the mascot, Champ, and the school children that were there. It was a treat and something we don't normally get a chance to do, so we are thankful to have had the opportunity. The weather was perfect, sunny with a nice breeze. A barn swallow landed near us, looking for goodies people left behind. Two large planes went overhead going to or from the airport. Today I got back to work wood-splitting and lawn mowing.
Thanks again for sharing,
Karen_H
Sara,
I loved seeing the samples of tok pisin and seeing where there were similarities and differences with English! Glad you're doing well:)
Erin J
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