kapuweri

Sranan Tongo

Alternative forms

kapoeweri (superseded)

Etymology

From Portuguese capoeira (“glade; clearing; area of land devoid of trees”),^[1] possibly from Old Tupi kopûera, Old Tupi ka'apûera, or Old Tupi ka'apaũ. Possibly influenced by kapu (“chop, fell”) and wiwiri (“plant, weed”).^[2]

Pronunciation

IPA^(key): /kap(u)ˈweɾi/, [ka̠p(u)ˈwɪ̞ɾi], [kɑ̟p(u)ˈwe̝ɾi]

Noun

kapuweri

second-growth forest; thicket, shrubland, brushwood (vegetation that regenerates after the clearing of primary forests)
- [1783, C. L. Schumann, “kappewirri”, in Neger-Englisches Wörterbuch [Negro English Dictionary]‎^[2] (in German), archived from the original on 8 February 2023:
  kappewirri junger Busch, wieder aufgeschossenes Gesträuch.
  Kapuweri. Young bushes, shrubbery that has shot up again.]
- 1951, Albert Helman, “Gadodede [Slender dayflower]”, in Adyosi / Afscheid‎^[3], Nijmegen: Instituut ter Bevordering van de Surinamistiek, published 1994, page 20:
  Nengre tek' en srapu owru / g' a prenasi, kap' wan gron, / tan te wroko brok' en skowru, / fala ala bigi bon, / kapu wana, fala pisi, / fala san en owru kisi, / krin kapuweri seibi lo, - / gadodede tan fu gro!
  The black man took his sharp machete / went to the plantation, to clear a plot, / stayed until the work broke his shoulders, / felled all the big trees, / chopped down red louro, cut down laurels / cut down what his machete could get at, / cleared thickets, seven rows, - / the slender dayflower kept on growing!
- 1959, Trefossa, “Owrukuku ben kari [The owl called out]”, in Ursy M. Lichtveld, Jan Voorhoeve, editors, Creole drum. An Anthology of Creole Literature in Surinam‎^[4], New Haven, London: Yale University Press, published 1975, →ISBN, page 212:
  A no strey nomo wi abi fu strey wi libi langa nanga grasi, kapuweri èn pina?
  [A no strei nomo wi abi fu strei wi libi langa nanga grasi, kapuweri èn pina?]
  After all, isn't it a struggle we have to wage all our lives with grass, thickets and hardship?
- 1983, Pieter Seuren, “Overwegingen bij de spelling van het Sranan en een spellingvoorstel [Considerations regarding the spelling of Sranan and a spelling proposal]”, in OSO. Tijdschrift voor Surinaamse taalkunde, letterkunde en geschiedenis‎^[5], Instituut ter Bevordering van de Surinamistiek, →ISSN, page 79:
  Ebi kapuweri ben e gro na libakanti, so furu taki yu no ben kan si pasá mindri a kapuweri disi.
  [Hebi kapuweri ben e gro na libakanti, so furu taki yu no ben kan si psa mindri a kapuweri disi.]
  Heavy brushwood grew on the riverbank, so much that you couldn't see beyond the middle of this brushwood.

Derived terms

Descendants

→ Dutch: kapoeweri

References

^ Norval H.S. Smith (1987) The genesis of the Creole languages of Surinam (PhD)‎^[1], Universiteit van Amsterdam, page 450
^ J. van Donselaar (2013) Nicoline van der Sijs, editor, Woordenboek van het Nederlands in Suriname van 1667 tot 1876 [Dictionary of the Dutch Language in Suriname from 1667 to 1876] (in Dutch), Amsterdam, The Hague: Meertens Instituut/Nederlandse Taalunie, →ISBN, page 107.

[1] Norval H.S. Smith (1987) The genesis of the Creole languages of Surinam (PhD)‎^[1], Universiteit van Amsterdam, page 450

[2] J. van Donselaar (2013) Nicoline van der Sijs, editor, Woordenboek van het Nederlands in Suriname van 1667 tot 1876 [Dictionary of the Dutch Language in Suriname from 1667 to 1876] (in Dutch), Amsterdam, The Hague: Meertens Instituut/Nederlandse Taalunie, →ISBN, page 107.

[1]

[2]