| 释义 |
Tolai, n. (and a.)
(‖ toˈlai, tɒˈlaɪ)
[ad. Tolai to lai int. and greeting, lit. ‘O friend!’]
a. An Austronesian language spoken on the Gazelle Peninsula in north-east New Britain, Bismarck Archipelago, and adopted widely by missions throughout New Britain and New Ireland. Also known as Kuanua and Tuna.
b. collect. pl. A people or group of peoples inhabiting the Peninsula. Also attrib. or as adj.
1962Oceanic Linguistics I. 47 To date language learning materials have been completed for the Administration in two languages: Tolai of the Gazelle Peninsula on New Britain, and Kuman of the Chimbu area in the Eastern Highlands. 1963Oceania XXXIII. 182 The use of the term ‘Tolai’ as a group name is a recent innovation; in the past there was no single name for the various communities living on the Gazelle Peninsula. Ibid. 184 The Tolai people of the Rabaul District of New Britain (..linguistically homogeneous). 1971Current Trends in Linguistics VIII. 1011 Solomon Islands pidgin remained free from German influence and the influence of the Tolai language of the Rabaul area. 1976Language LII. 639 Tolai, the major Austronesian language contributing to Tok Pisin, also uses ia as one form of the 3sg. pronoun. 1989Canad. Jrnl. Linguistics XXXIV. 352 The phonetic similarities between English and Tolai are entirely accidental. |
