in reply to Re: [probably OT] Perl in Natural Semantic Metalanguage
in thread [probably OT] Perl in Natural Semantic Metalanguage

The Yele language of Rossel Island, Papua New Guinea has no word for colour. In fact all the colour terms are derived from physical objects, sometimes by reduplication (doubling the word). For example, the white cockatoo is "kpaap^i", "white" is "kpaap^ikpaap^i".

It has no word for "bright", but you can say "it's light is big".

There is an nice word for "dark", "mg^id^i".

There is a noun "tuu", which means "smell", but no verb. To say "Can you smell it?" you would ask the equivalent of "Is its smell standing?"

  • Comment on Re: Re: [probably OT] Perl in Natural Semantic Metalanguage