Year: 2024

Speech Attribution in Chamorro part 3: The Reciprocal Á- Prefix

On By Schyuler LujanIn Chamorro Lessons: Intermediate1 Comment

Continuing our blog series on speech attribution in Chamorro, we will learn how the reciprocal á- prefix is used to indicate who is speaking in Chamorro stories. This prefix is used in sentences such as “The women asked each other” or “Juan and I sang to each other.” The reciprocal á- prefix is used in more than just speech attribution, but it can be helpful to learn this prefix in the context of storytelling. This post includes an introduction to the á- prefix, sentence drills in Chamorro with the audio, and English translations. Happy studying!

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When we first arrived on Saipan

On By Schyuler LujanIn Chamorro StoriesLeave a comment

This story was written by Magdelena Iguel Lieto, where she tells the story, as told to her by her elders, of how their people (the Carolinians) came to Saipan. This is part of a workbook of short stories that I found in the KPV Collection. This post includes the Chamorro text, a Chamorro audio narration by Jay Che’le, and an English translation. Happy reading! (UPDATE 9/24/2024: A note has been added at the bottom of this post about the word gupallao, which is used in this story.)

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Legend: When Taga Became Chief of Tinian

On By Schyuler LujanIn Chamorro Legends, Chamorro StoriesLeave a comment

September is Chamorro and Carolinian Cultural Heritage Month in the CNMI, and so for the next month our practice group will be reading stories in honor of this celebration. This first story is about how Taga, a man known for his incredible strength, became chief of the island of Tinian. This story is from a book about Taga, which was first written down in English and then later translated into Chamorro. We found the Chamorro version, by Sylvestre Iguel, in the Pacific Languages Collection at UH Manoa when we visited in June. This post includes the Chamorro text, a Chamorro audio narration by Jay Che’le and an English translation. Happy reading!

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Shop Announcement! Chamorro Greeting Cards

On By Schyuler LujanIn AnnouncementsLeave a comment

Håfa Adai everybody! I am so excited to announce that I have launched my online greeting card shop at www.bulaguinaiya.com. This idea has been years in the making, and it’s truly fulfilling to breathe life into it at last. All the greeting cards feature sentiments written in Chamorro, with the English translation given on the back of every card. And each card is designed, printed, cut, folded and packaged by me! Whether you’re celebrating a special milestone or just looking to brighten someone’s day, I’ve made cards for every occasion. We launched this business last week at the Marianas Festival in Oregon and are looking forward to making more cards and stationery products for our community. As a thank-you to my readers here, please use the code LENGGUAHITA at check-out for a discount on your order, valid through December 31, 2024 🙂

3 Mindsets to Increase Resilience for Chamorro Language Learners

On By Schyuler LujanIn Study Tips6 Comments

This summer Jay and I have been so lucky to meet, in-person, people from our online practice groups. We have been studying with many of these people on a weekly basis for a few years now, and I am continually impressed, humbled and inspired by everyone’s dedication. For learners like us, we know it’s not easy or fast to move toward fluency, so sticking with our learning for the long-run will make or break our ability to achieve our language goals. This means that cultivating resilience becomes a key aspect of the learning process. In this post, I will discuss why resilience is important for learning Chamorro and share 3 key mindsets, gleaned from my fellow language-learners, that can help us build our resilience.

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