FINO' GUAM, FINO' SAIPAN

What is the above object called in Chamorro?

Answer : it depends.

In Guam, it is called a lisåyo.

But in Saipan, it is called a misterio.

In Saipan, lisåyo refers to the actual prayer and not the beads used in the prayer.

In Guam, lisåyo refers to both the prayer form and the beads used to pray it.

Misterio means "mystery" or "mysteries" and the rosary is a prayer form that meditates on the mysteries of the life of Christ and the Blessed Mother.

Lisåyo is the Chamorro form of the Spanish word rosario.

Chamorro avoids the R sound and often replaces it with an L.

Chamorro also doesn't have the Western Y sound and replaces it with our own Y sound which sounds like a DZ or DJ. So the RIO in rosario becomes YO.

Why is there this difference between Guam and Saipan?

The people who lived at the time the change occurred are all dead now and cannot answer. They also did not leave any written explanation why there was a change.

The limitations of history.