gengen
Sranan Tongo
Alternative forms
Etymology
Probably from Kongo ngéngéngéé (“ting-a-ling; ringing”), from Proto-Bantu *-gengede (“bell”).[1]
Pronunciation
- IPA(key): /ˈd͡ʒend͡ʒeŋ/, /ˈɟenɟen/, [ˈd͡ʒɪ̞nd͡ʒɪ̞̃ŋ], [ˈd͡ʒe̝nd͡ʒe̝ŋ]
Noun
gengen
- bell
- 1936, Melville J. Herskovits, Frances S. Herskovits, Suriname folk-lore[1], New York: Columbia University Press, page 94:
- Grɛ̨nya na goro, / Ma Aisa ɛ loi ɛ̨ŋg dyɛ̨ndyɛ̨n, / Papa-umą ɛ̨ŋ seki ɛ̨ŋ saka.
- please add this translation if you can / Mother Aisa is ringing her bell / The Papa-spirit woman is shaking her rattle
- 1953 July 18, Albert Helman, “Fos'tem-tori [Olden days story]”, in Het Nieuws[2], Paramaribo: A.J. Morpurgo, page 6:
- So, a–was' en tongo feerie / no–mo di a hopo stem, / alla liebi–soema skreki / fa a bari lek' djendjen (.)
- [So, awansi en tongo feiri / nomo di a opo sten / ala libisma skreki / fa a babari leki gengen]
- So, although his tongue was filed / the moment he raised his voice / all people got startled / by how he made a noise like a bell
- 1976, Edgar Cairo, Kollektieve schuld, of wel Famir'man-sani. [Collective guilt, or family members' things.][3], Baarns/The Hague/Brussels: Het Wereldvenster/NOVIB/NCOS, →ISBN, page 163:
- Wenk'o, mi no jere gengen!
- [Wenke-o, mi no yere gengen!]
- Girl, I didn't hear the bell!
- telephone
- Synonyms: teilefown, konkrutitei, kari
Derived terms
- akubagengen
- naki wan gengen
References
- ^ Norval Smith (2015) “A preliminary list of probable Kikongo (KiKoongo) lexical items in the Surinam Creoles”, in P. Muysken, N. Smith, editors, Surviving the Middle Passage: The West Africa-Surinam Sprachbund, Berlin: De Gruyter Mouton, →ISBN, page 433
Vurës
Etymology
Pronunciation
- IPA(key): /ɣɛnˈɣɛn/
Noun
gengen
References
- ^ Catriona Malau (September 2021) “gengen”, in A Dictionary of Vurës, Vanuatu (Asia-Pacific Linguistics), Australian National University Press, , →ISBN, page 71