TODAY'S CHAMORRO WORD : GOLLAI

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GOLLAI : vegetables

I have my suspicions about this word.  It is very close to some Filipino dialects (Tagalog gulay, Kapampangan gule and Cebuano gulayon) but nothing like Indonesian (sayur) or Ilocano (nateng).

Is it truly pre-contact?  Or did Chamorros pick it up from the Filipino soldiers who moved to Guam under the Spanish?  Remember that most of the vegetables we now have on Guam were brought in from the outside : eggplants, green beans, tomatoes, okra, onions, pumpkin.

Ya-ho gollai.  I like vegetables.

Ti ya-ña gollai.  S/he doesn't like vegetables.

Golåye.  Add vegetables; make vegetables.

Golåye i malångo'.  Prepare vegetables for the sick person.

Golåye i katne.  Add vegetables to the meat.

I gellai ha' debi di un kånno'.  You should eat only vegetables.

Gollai Monggos

For some reason, we don't just say monggos.  We have to say gollai monggos. 

Vegetarian

How do you say "vegetarian" in Chamorro?

Try "minuscule minority?"

Sorry, that's still English.

Well, kakno' is "eater."  From kakanno' (eater).

So how about kakno' gollai?  Vegetable-eater?