# Adapting and Writing Language Lessons/Appendix R

APPENDIX R TO CHAPTER 6
CUMMTNGS DEVICES IN A TASK-CENTERED COURSE
(PONAPEAN)
The textbook from which this lesson has been taken was written in Ponape, for trainees who were living with Ponapean families. The authors were therefore able to write lessons which led very directly to real use of the language, with equal emphasis on linguistic practice and entry into the culture of the island.
Unlike most courses that have given prominence to Cummings devices, this one does not make each 'cycle' the center of its own lesson. Instead, there are several 'cycles' in each 'unit,' together with notes and dialogs. All these components are aimed at enabling the student to use Ponapean for clearly-stated purposes at the end of the unit. Nor is the textbook as a whole just a series of units. Aa the table of contents shows, there is a 'prelude,' which consists of preliminary lesson material with detailed instructions, followed by four 'books,' each of which contains four 'units' interrupted by 'interludes.'
This format is one of the most thoughtful, imaginative, and appropriate in the recent spate of 'microwave' courses. In addition to the table of contents and unit I of Book I, we have reproduced here the pages labelled Using these Materials from the remaining units of Book I.
Table of Contents
| Acknowledgements | i |
| Preface | ii |
| Instructor's Notes | iii |
| Prelude | 1 |
| Map of Ponape Island | 26 |
| Book I |
| Unit I | 27 |
| Unit II | 39 |
| Map of the Trust Territory | 40 |
| Interlude | 51 |
| Unit III | 63 |
| Unit IV | 76 |
| Book II |
| Unit I | 89 |
| Unit II | 102 |
| Interlude | 116 |
| Unit III | 131 |
| Unit IV | 142 |
| Pronoun Chart | 154 |
| Book III |
| Unit I | 155 ​ |
| Unit II | 169 |
| Interlude | 183 |
| Unit III | 193 |
| Unit IV | 203 |
| Ponapean Counting System | 218 |
| Book IV |
| Unit I | 219 |
| Unit II | 257 |
| Interlude | 250 |
| Unit III | 261 |
| Unit IV | 272 |
| Ponapean Verb Paradigm | 290 |
| Possessive Pronoun chart | 291 |
PONAPE ISLAND
BOOK I
"People and Places - Comings and Goings"
Proceed as you did for the Introductory Cycles.
Cycle 1
M-1
| wehi(et) | Ia eden wehiet? | (this) municipality | What's the name of this municipality? |
| kousapw(et) | Ia eden kousapwet? | (this) section of land | What's the name of this section of land? |
| sahpw(et) | Ia eden sahpwet? | (this) piece of land | What's the name of this piece of land? |
| wasa(ht) | Ia eden waseht? | (this) place | What's the name of this place? |
M-2
| Madolenihmw | Eden wehiet Madolenihmw. | The name of this municipality is Madolcnihmw. |
| Uh | Eden wehiet Uh. | The name of this municipality is Uh. |
| Kiti | Eden wehiet Kiti. | The name of this municipality is Kiti. |
| Net | Eden wehiet Net. | The name of this municipality is Net. |
| Sokehs | Eden wehiet Sokehs. | The name of this municipality is Sokehs. |
M-3
| Areu | Eden kousepwet Areu. | The name of this section of land is Areu. |
| Awak Powe | Eden kousapwet Awak Powe | The name of this section of land is Auak Powe. ​ |
| Pohrasap | Eden kousapwet Pohrasapw. | The name of this section of land is Pohraapw. |
| Dolokei | Eden kousapwet Dolokei. | The name of this section of land. is Dolokei. |
| Palikir | Eden kousapwet Palikir. | The name of this section ofis Palikir. |
M-4
| Nanengk | Eden sahpwet Nanenek. | The name of this piece of land is Nancngk. |
| wasa | Eden waaaht Nanengk. | The name of this place is Nanengk. |
| Peinais | Eden wasaht Peinnis. | The name of this place is Peinaie. |
| sahpw | Eden sahpwet | The name of this piece of land is Peinais. |
| Pahn Poi Pwel. | Eden sahpt~ot Pahn Pei Pwel. | The name of this piece of land is Pahn Pei Pwel. |
| wasa | Eden wasaht Pahn Pei Pwel. | The name of this place is Pha Pei Pwel. |
| Luhke | Eden lissaht Luhke. | The name of this place is Luuhke. |
| sahpw | Eden sahpwet Luhke. | The name of this piece of land is Iohl. |
| Ihol | Eden sahpwet Iohl. | The name of this piece of land is Iohl. |
| wasa | Eden wasaht Iohl. | The name of this place is Iohl. |
Give accurate responses in C-1 according to the location of your classroom.
C-1
| A: | la eden (kousapwet)? | A: | What is the name of (this section of land)? |
| B: | Eden (kousapwet) (Pohraɜpew). | B: | The narne of (th:i.s section of land) is (Phraɜapw). |
​TO THE STUDENT:
The noun suffix /-(e)t/ indicates a location in the immediate proximity of the speaker. Thus, /kousapw/ meaning 'section of land' may take the suffix /-(e)t/ to result in /kousapwet/ or 'this section of land.' (In the case of ‘this place‘, the final vowel of /wasa/ is lengthened and /-t/ is suffixed to produce /wasaht/.)
when asking about the name of a piece of land, /wasa/ is commonly employed as an alternate to /sahpw/.
In M-2, the names of the municipalities of Ponape are listed as they are usually ranked. In M~5 and M-4, kousapws and sahpws of each of the five municipalities are listed in the order of M—2. Therefore, you may determine that Pahn Pei Pwel is the name of a sahpw which is located in the kousapw of Pohrasapw in the municipality of Kiti.
TO THE INSTRUCTOR:
Kataman ken sukuhlihkin irail eden sahpw, kousapw, oh wehi me kouson en sukuhl mihie.
Cycle 2
Carefully imitate your instructor's pronunciation and gestures.
M-l
| Pohrasapw | E mi Pohrasapw. | It's in Pohrasapw. |
| Areu | E mi Areu. | It's in Areu. |
| Luhke | E mi Luhke. | It's in Luhke. |
| Palikir | E mi Palikir. | It's in Palikir. |
M-2
| pcilong(o) | E mi peilongo. | inland | It's inland. |
| pali(o) | E mi palio. | over there | It's over there. |
| pah(o) | E mi paho. | down there | It's down there. |
| powe(o) | E mi poweo. | up there | It's up there. |
​M-3
| pah | E mi paho. | It's down there. |
| Areu | E mi Areu. | It's in Areu. |
| powe | E mi poweo. | It's up there. |
| peilong | E mi peilongo. | It's inland. |
| Pohrasapw | E mi Pohrasapw. | It's in Pohrasapw. |
| Luhke | E mi Luhko. | It's in Luhke. |
| pali | E mi palio. | It's over there. |
M-4
| sidowa | Ia sidowahn? | store | Where is the store? |
| ohpis | Ia ohpisen? | office | where is the office? |
| ohpisen Peace Corps | Ia ohpisen Peace Corpsen? | Peace Corps office | Where is the Peace Corps office? |
| ohpisen wehi | Ia ohpisen wchien? | municipal office | Where is the municipal office? |
M-5
| imwen wini | Ia imwen winien? | dispensary | Where is the dispensary? |
| ihmw sarawi | Ia ihmw sarawien? | church | Where is the church? |
| imen sukuhl | Ia imwen sukuhlen? | school | Where is the school? |
M-6
| sidowa | Ia sidowahm? | Where is the store? |
| imen wini | Ia imuen winien? | where is the dispensary? |
| ohpis | Ia ohpiswn? | where is the office? |
| ohpiswn wehi | Ia ohpisen wehien? | where is the municipal office? |
| iwen sukuhl | Ia imwwn sukuhlen? | where is the school? ​ |
| hpisen Peace Corps | Ia ohpisen Peace Corpsen? | Where is the Peace Corps office? |
| ihmu sarawi | Ia ihm sarawien? | Where is the church? |
Ask meaningful questions and give accurate responses in C-1 and C-2 relative to the location of your training site and classroom.
C-1
| A: | Ia imwen winien? | A: | Where is the (dispensary)? |
| B: | E mi (Pohrasapw). | B: | It's in (Pohrasapw). |
C-2
| A: | Ia (ohpisen wehien)? | A: | Where is the (municipal office)? |
| B: | (Paho). | B: | (Down there). |
TO THE STUDENT
/e/ is a third person singular subject pronoun and means 'he, she, or it.'
/ia/ in this cycle means 'where.'
/mi/ means 'exist or live' in the sense of being or dwelling in a particular location. (The short answer omitting /e mi/ as in C-2, B is perhaps the more ccmmcn response to a question about location.)
/palio/ in sentence final position is idiomatically translated in this text as 'over there.' Literally, though, /pali/ means 'side'; /palio/ thus means 'side-that' or 'the further side.' 'Over there', then, must be interpreted as 'over (meaning beyond or on the other side of) there.' Cycle 6 will further explore the use of /palio/.
/imwen wini/ literally means 'house-of medicine.' It may be translated either 'dispensary' or 'hospital.'
In this cycle, as in Cycle E, the noun suffix /-o/ is employed. Note, however, that this suffix is not used with proper nouns; therefore, it does not suffix to proper names of places.
The noun suffix /-(e)n/ as in /ia ohpis-en/ functions to indicate that the speaker does not know, nor has ever known, the location of the object that he is inquiring about. (If a rhetorical question is being posed, ​or if the speaker once knew the location of the object but has forgotten, the /-o/ suffix is employed; therefore, /ia sidowao/.) This suffix will subsequently be referred to in this tuxt as /-(e)n/$^2$ so as to distinguish it from the h~)otactical suffix /-(e)n/$^1$ you encountered in Cycles E and 1.
Noto that in M-5, the question word /ia/ sounds somewhat different than it does in M-4. This is due to the elision of the final vowel of /ia/ with the initial Vowel of /i(h)mw/.
Inquiries about the location of people or places are commonly responded to only by a general indication of direction.
TO THE INSTRUCTOR:
Kihong irail pasapeng me uhdan palm kaGulehieng irail wasah rna ihmaW pwkat me ie.
Cycle 3
M-l
| me(t) | E mi mo(t). | here | It's here. |
| men | E mi men. | there by you | It's there by you. |
| mwo | E mi mwo. | there (away from both of us). | It's there (army from both of us). |
M-2
| palio | E mi palio. | It's over there. |
| me(t) | E mi me( t). | It's here. |
| paho | End paho. | It's down there. |
| mwo | Emi rowo. | It's there. |
| men | E mi men. | It's there by you. |
| pcilongo | E mi peilongo. | It's inland. |
| poweo | E mi poweo. | It's up there. |
M-5
| imwen kainen | Ia irm-len kainenen? | outhouse | Where is the outhouse? |
| wasahn duhdu | Ia wasahn duhduon? | bathing place | Where is the bathing place? ​ |
| wasahn kuhk | Ia wasahn kuhken? | cooking place | Where is the cooking place? |
| rahs | Ia rahsen? | place of the stone oven | Where is the place of the stone oven? |
| wasahn kihd | Ia wasahn kihden? | garbage place | Where is the garbage place? |
M-4
| Iawasa? | Where? |
The C phase of the cycle should be exercised in a real or simulated Ponapean comgound, or with appropriate visual aids.
C-1
| A: | Ia (wasahn kuhken)? | A: | Where is the (cooking place)? |
| B: | E mi (rwo). | B: | It's (there). |
| A: | Iawasai | A: | where? |
| B: | (Mwo). | B: | (There). |
TO THE STUDENT:
The final consonant of /met/ is often omitted in informal speech.
Common alternates to /met/, /men/, and /mwo/ are, respectively, /iet/, /ien/, and /io/.
In this cycle, the noun suffix /-(e)n/$^2$ as in /nen/ indicates a location in the direction and near proximity of the person being spoken to. Thus, it may be translated 'that (your way).'
You have now encountered the entire set of noun suffixes of location. In summary, they are /-(e)t/ 'this (my way),' /—(e)n/$^2$ 'that (your way),' and /-o—/ 'that (away from both of us).' As you will learn later in this book, an analogous set of directional suffixes exists for verbs.
The indeperdent form of the question word 'where' is /iawasa/-literally, 'what place.'
​TO THE INSTURCTOR:
C phase en Cycle wet uhdan palm wiarli ni innicn mehn Pohnpei kan.
Cycle 4
M-l
| Damian | Ia Damian? | Damian | Where is Damian? |
| Fred | Ia Fred? | Fred | Where is Fred |
| Larry | Ia Larry? | Larry | Where is Larry? |
| Pernardo | Ia Pernardo? | Pernardo | Where is Pernardo? |
M-2
| pali(o) | E mihmi palio. | over there | He's over there. |
| Pahn Pei Pwel | E mihmi Palm Pei Pwel. | Palm Pei Pwel | He's at Palm Pei Pwel. |
| mwo | E mihmi mwo. | there | He's there. |
| peiei(o) | E mihimi peieio. | toward the sea | He's toward the sea. |
| pah(o) | E mihmi paho. | down there | He's down there. |
| peilong(o) | E mihrni peilongo. | inland | He's inland. |
| Kiti | E mihmi Kiti. | Kiti | He's in Kiti. |
| powe(o) | Emihmi poweo. | up there | He's up there. |
M-3
| ohpis | E mihmi ni ohpiso. | Ho's at the office. |
| imwen sukuhl | E mihmi ni innlen sukuhlo. | He's at the school. |
| imwen wini | E Mihmi ni imwen winio. | He's at tho dispensary. |
| sidmra | E mihmi ni sidowaho. | He's at the store. |
| ihmw sarawi | E mihmi ni ihmw sarawio. | He's at the church. |
​M-4
| met | E Inihmi. met. | He's here. |
| pah | E mihmi. paho. | He's down there |
| men | E mihmi men. | He's there (by you). |
| wasahn kuhk. | E mihmi ni wasalm kuhko. | He's at the cooking place. |
| sidowa | E mihmi ni | He's at the store. |
| ihmw-sarawi | E mihmi ni ihmll sarawio. | He's at the church. |
| Uh | E mihmi Uh. | He's in Uh. |
| powe | E mihmi poweo. | He's up there. |
| peiei | E mihmi peieio. | He's towards the sea. |
| imwen wini | E mihmi ni limwen winio. | He's at the dispensary. |
| wasahn duhdu | E mihmi ni wasahn duhdup. | He's at the bathing place. |
| mwo | E mihmi ni wasahn duhduo. | He's at th bathing place. |
| imwen kainen | E mihmi ni imwcn kaineno. | He's at the outhouse. |
| peilong | E mihmi peilongo. | He's inland. |
M-5
| Pwurehng via M-2, M-3, oh M-4, ahpw kieng /mwein/ ni tapi. Karasepe: | Practice B-2, 11-3, and 11-4 again, but precede each base sentence with /mwein/ For example: |
| pali(o)Mwein e mihmi palio. | over thereHe's probably over there. |
C-1
Ask or anmwr questionD about the location of members of your class.
| A: | Ia (Fred)? | A: | Where is ( Fred) ? |
| B: | E mituni (men). | B: | He' s (there - by you). |
​C-2
Now ask or answer questions about people likely to be found in the directions or locations drilled in the H-phases of this cycle.
| A: | Ia (Damian)? | A: | Where is (Damian)? |
| B: | E mihmi (ni ohpiso). | B: | He's (at the office). |
| A: | Ia (ohpisen)? | A: | Where is (the office)? |
| B: | E mi (paho). | B: | It's (down there). |
TO THE STUDENT:
/-(e)n/$^2$ is not employed Hi th proper names of people or places. Therefore, the question in M-1 is /Ia Damian/ - not /Ia Damianen/. (Note that 'Peace Corps office' is not considered a proper name; it is-simply the office that belongs to the Peace Corps).
With animate objects, the reduplicated form of /mil, /mihmi/, is commonly (though by no means always) employed. In Ponnpean, reduplication conveys the concept of a less definite, scattered, non-eorrlpletive action or state of facts.
/ni/ means 'at.' Do not expect to use /ni/, however, where you would use 'at' in English. In Ponapean, /ni/ is employed only with common nouns like those in M-3.
/ia ih Damian/ is heard as a common alternate to /ia Damian/. This is simply a dialect variation.
TO THE INSTRUCTOR:
Nan peidek oh pasapengen mwuhr kat, padahkiong irail ren idek aramas me kalap lili wasah me re sukuhlkier de wasah me ke idok rehrail.
​ Dialogues for Practice
| A: | Oaron. Ia eden sahpwet? | A: | Oaron. What's the name of this piece of land? |
| B: | Eden sahpwet Pahn Pei Pwel. | B: | The name of this piece of land in Pahn Pei Pwel. |
| A: | A 1a eden kousapwet? | A: | And what's the name of this section of land? |
| B: | Pohrasapw | B: | Pohrasapw. |
/a/ is a conjunctiYe vhich is employed to link clauses with different subjectso Therefore, though it best translates as 'and,' its meaning is closer to 'however.'
| A: | Largo. Ia wasahn kihden? | A: | Largo. Where's the garbage place? |
| B: | Paho. | B: | Dwon there. |
| A: | Iawasa? | A: | Where? |
| B: | Kilang! E mi mwo | B: | Look! It's there. |
/kilung/, like 'look' in English, is used either to direct someone's eye or mental atttention to something.
| A: | Maing. Ia eden soahng(o)? | A: | Sir. What's the name of that thing? |
| B: | (Mwo} | B: | There? |
| A: | Ei, (mwo) | A: | Yes, there. |
| B: | Rahs. | B: | The place of the stone oven. |
​Using these Materials
Task 1
Find out the name of the /sahpw/ and the /kollsapw/ where you are living. Record this information below.
Do the names that you listed above have any special meaning, or are they just names? that does /Pohnpei/ mean?
Task 2
At your home, establish tho location of tho /washn kihd/ and the /rahs/. Belou, draw a sketch of the Ponapean howe site (the main dwelling and the adjacent buildings)where you are staying, and label ... the principal landmarks. If you do not know the names of some of the places, use the question /Ia eden soahng-(ot, en, o)?/.
Using those Materials
Task 1
With someone from the family you are staying with, or with your language instructor, visit your neighbors. Using the materials that you have learned thus far, converse about the following matters:
a) What are the names of the people at the household?
b) What are their titles?
c) What is the name of their /sahpw/ and /kousapw/?
d) Where is their cooking place, garbage place, bathing place, stone oven, and outhouse?
e) What are the names of other important places at their household? (For examle, they may have a copra-drying shed; find out what it is called in Ponapcan.)
When you approach the house, remember to use the greeting, /kaselehlie tehnpasen/.
Record any significant information that you may wish to remember below.
Task 2
Review all the lexical items or new structures that you have learned while carrying out the 'tasks' of this text.
​Using these Materials
Two important sources of assistance while studying Ponapean are (1) children, because you need not be embarraseed about trying to speak Ponapean to them, and (2) nakau paries, because there everyone will be relaxed and most willing to help you in your language learning efforts. Therefore, carry out the following tasks:
Task 1
Talk to one of the children you know and find out what he plans to do for the remainder of the day and on tho following day. If he has no opinions on the subject, which he may not, find out what someone in his family plans to do.
Task 2
Specifically find out when one of the men in your family, or some adult male that you knoll, plans next to pound sokau. Upon acking this question, you are likely to be asked to participate. If at all possible, accept the invitation.
Task 3
Find out the meaning of the following expressions connected with sakau drinking.
sakaula-
ohn sakau-
wungumng
kelou-
Using these Materials
In addition to children and sakau parties, your training staff will be of great assistance in helping you to learn Ponapean. To tap this resource, carry out the following tasks:
Task 1
Find out when at least three of the American staff members of your training program came to Ponape, and when they plan to return to America. (Of course, do this in Ponapean.) Be prepared to report this information back to your class members.
Task 2
Find out the meaning of the following expressions,
kaunen kaiahnen Peace Corps -
kaun kariauen kaialulcn Peace Corps -
kaunen sulruhlen lokaiahn Pohnpei -
sounpadahken lokaiahn Pohnpci -