"PLACE OF....TIME OF"

FOOD COURT - FAÑOCHUYAN

The only thing missing is the ~ over the N

Our Chamorro language has a great way of turning any verb or noun into the "place of" doing that verb or the "time of" that noun.

One simply places FAN before the word, and AN at the end of the same word.

One easy example.

EYAK means "to learn."  FAN + EYAK + AN = FANEYÅKAN.  The place of learning, or school!  The one thing to notice is that using this formula can change the pronunciation of the original word, from eyak to eyåk.

 

Sound Combinations Can Change the Original Word

N+CHO = Ñ

 

N + S = Ñ

 

N+P = M

 

N+F = M

 

N+M = M

 

N+K = NG

 

N + T = N

Keep these in mind as we look at the following :

CHOTDA = banana
FOÑATDÅYAN = place of banana trees

BENÅDO = deer
FANBENADUYAN = place rife with deer

MAIGO' = to sleep
FANMAIGUAN = sleeping area, bedroom, dormitory

GIMEN = to drink
FANGIMINAN = bar, saloon

HASSO = to think, to remember
FANHASUYAN = monument

ME'ME' = to urinate
FANMEMIYAN = latrine

HÅFOT = to bury
FANHAFUTAN = cemetery

FÅ'I = rice seedling
FAMÅ'YAN = rice paddy

Those sound changes above do not apply in every case.

For example...

PÅLE' = priest
FANPALIAN (priest's home), not FAMALIAN

yet...

PAKI = to shoot
FAMAKIYAN = area of much shooting (as in a place where many hunt, or a firing range)

N + P should become M, but not every time.

It depends, nai.

ENDING THE WORD

Notice that sometimes one adds a Y when ending the word with -AN.  Again, it depends.  Påle' ends with a glota, whereas paki does not.  It sounds better to the Chamorro ear to add a Y after paki and make it famakiyan.

 

EXERCISES

Take these words and, applying the FAN+WORD+AN formula, make them all "place of" or "time of."

Gåsgås = clean

Påsto = pasture

Huyung = to leave, exit

Pulan = to watch over

Kamute = sweet potato

Låkse = to sew