APiCS Online -

Datapoint Bislama/Indefinite articles

The indefinite article is wan.

Example 23-11:: from hem i wan pikinini we hem i no save hangri
from
because
hem
3sg
i
agr
wan
indf.art
pikinini
child
we
rel
hem
3sg
i
agr
no
neg
save
hab
hangri
hungry
because he's a child who doesn't feel hungry [but then gets headaches if he hasn't eaten]

Source: Meyerhoff nd
Example 23-58:: mifala i stap talem wan gel ia hem i bin bon long faea
mifala
1pl.excl
i
agr
stap
prog
talem
tell
wan
indf
gel
girl
ia
def
hem
3sg
i
agr
bin
ant
bon
burn
long
loc
faea
fire
We're talking about this girl who was burnt in a fire.

Source: Meyerhoff nd
Example 23-120:: Wan kaen grup blong ol sapota we hem i givim plante hedek long ol polis olsem long Mexico World Cup mo World Cup long Italy hem i olgeta blong England.
Wan
one
kaen
kind
grup
group
blong
of
ol
pl
sapota
supporter
we
comp
hem
3sg
i
agr
givim
give
plante
plenty
hedek
headache
long
to
ol
pl
polis
police
olsem
like
long
in
Mexico
Mexico
World
World
Cup
Cup
mo
and
World
World
Cup
Cup
long
in
Italy
Italy
hem
3sg
i
agr
olgeta
3pl
blong
of
England.
England
One type of group of supporters that gave the police plenty of headaches at the Mexico World Cup and the World Cup in Italy was those from England.