US Army Guide to New Caledonia - George C. Marshall Foundation

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SPECIAL SERVICE DIVISIO :N', ARMY SERVICE 'FORCE S
UNITED STATES ARMY
WASHINGTON, D . C .
A :-TRY JOURNAL Librar y
A SHORT GUIDE T O
E
C L -0h' A
CONTENT S
Introduction
Meet Our All es
6
Getting Along in New Caledonia
14
" The
25
French Australia"
Miscellaneous Information
37
Hints on Sneaking Frenc h
40
List of Most Useful Words and Phrase s
43
Additional Words and Phrase s
49
Special Notes on New Caledonia
57
YOU and your out ;_t have come to New Caledonia no t
only as friends to help guard the strategic interest of th e
United Nations in . a distant and vital corner of the world ,
but virtually as discoverers .
This island of the Free French has been the home of
Frenchmen for more than a century, but brew American s
have been there, and few know anything about This
guidebook now in your hand is the first guide of an y
kind ever published to inform Americans on New Caledonia . Its purpose is to introduce you to the country an d
facilitate your learning more about a people whose love o f
freedom is as great as our own . If you are an alert soldier . the time should come quickly when you know more
about the country than is to be found in the guidebook .
That should he your aim, Your efficiency will amount ac cording to the accuracy of your Information . The mor e
you learn of New Caledonia, the better you discharge you r
duty as an American .
The position of this Island is of great importance to th e
security of our country . One glance at the map will tel l
you why . To two the war, we must keep the freedom o f
the seas and continue the incitement of our fighting materials to our allies and to our own forces . New Caledonla stands guard over the Pacific lifeline which join s
our strength with Australia and with the Dutch who stil l
give battle to the enemy in some of. the islands of the Eas t
Jndles .
You are fortunate that this island i5 to. be y our statio n
for the time bung . New Caledonia is the only Island i n
the western South Seas whir .h is wholly° free of fever . Th e
public health problems are minor . If . you take care o f
yourself, you will thrive on the Island, and st-ilI find your self among friends . The trail has been well blazed fo r
you . The conduct of your fellow soldiers in New Caledon ia has been good . They have not only adjusted them selves easily to their situation but have won the respec t
and admiration of the New Caledonians . The men of the
New Caledonia command are anxious CO . get at th e
2
enemy, They believe that they are the . Lest soldiers in th e
Pacific . When men think that way, so they are .
The New Caledonia natives are your loyal comrades i n
arms . Some of them are wearing the uniform of you r
country, swearing . It p roudly, and speaking eagerly o f
themselves as . American forces . They have become associated with cur arms to ser v e as guides and service corp s
troops . The American troops in New Caledonia wea r
khaki . The New Caledonia natives and this term will be
used throughout the guide to designate the original inhabitants) who are serving with rs ask for a modifie d
,
O . D . unr_orm because they . do not like the feel of cotton
France
the
New
Calof
For the first env-cars a_ter the all
edon :a natives took _ess than a moderate interest In th e
w,`,'ar . Then with the forming of forces for tnc Coral Se a
'.cattle the whole issue in the Southwest Pacific becam e
clouded by doubt, and they. Rocked to our colors by th e
scores because they were ready zo fight . Some of these
dark-skinned men are warriors who have won decoration s
on the battieheids of France during the First World War .
Mutual respect 'between you v l develop naturally .
Three flags now fla over New Caledonia-tree tricolo r
of the oid French Republic, the Lorraine Cross, symbol o f
the Fighting French, and the . Stars and Stripes, whic h
will continue to command the esteem of the New Cale 3
donians as your personal attitude and behavior merit it .
New Caledonia has been a French colony since 1853 .
When the French Republic collapsed an 194o the Governor of the colony wanted to string along with Vichy .
But the plain people drove him out of the colony and se t
up a government to work with General de Gaulle ,
Just Suppose . Let us suppose for a minute that New .
- Caledonia had taken the opposite course, and played th e
pliable Vichy game the way French Indochina did . Yo u
remember what happened there . Indochina opened he r
doors to the Japanese (for "protection " ) and right awa y
they began to build airports and establish garrisons .-Tha t
surrender destroyed the balance of militant power in th e
Pacific and led to defeat in Malaya, the Philippines, an d
the Dutch East Indies .
If the same thing had happened In New Caledonia, th e
- 'results .would have been as bad or worse for us . For thi s
agar-shaped Island lies only 750 miles across the Cora l
Sea from Australia . Given possession of this key spot ,
the Japanese might have been able to knock out Australi a
before now and certainly would have blocked our presen t
route across the Southwest Pacific . The job of runnin g
the Japanese out of the East Indies, tough as at is now ,
would have been many times as difficult .
5
Mineral Treasure-House . Theres another mighty important reason wJv New Caledonia must be he1d . For it s
size-acre for acre, mile for mile-it has the richest mineral resources of any country in the world-nickel, dare mite, cobalt, and iron . Those are maptc words in thi s
man's war . It _Japan could get her hands on those minerals . some cr her supply worries would be eased . If w e
should lose them-,t might mean shortages for some oi .
our most vital war industries rack home . Many an American plane and munitions factory is dependent today o n
nickel and chrome front New Caledonia .
That ' s the chance the initiative of the New Caledonian s
has g iten us-and the great res p ons i bility . When you ge
t
to New Caledonia, you will find that your fellow Amen cans have great admiration for what the islanders hav e
done In the war . By their courage In the face of dange r
they have already saved us from serious military defea t
and have thrown a monkey wrench Into the Jars' machinery .
MEET OUR ALLIE S
f FS a little m :ssleading to sneak of our New Caledonia n
allies as one p eople . Real :,. they are setcral peoples t o
gether-though you i i.111 find they are equa l ly friendly ,
equals strong for our side and against the Japanese and
6
Hitler . Likewise, they ar e
strong for one another .
New Caledonia is remark abbe free from race pretudices . The Caledonian s
don `t ask what a man look s
like . They ask : "What ca n
he no' " It Is a good question .
We and the . New Catedonians have a commo n
cause . We are fighting together against the so--calle d
new order " of Hitler an d
Hirohito rn all its bruta l
forms . BUT, there are a
lot of small differences between us . AVitn your consistClt t
help these items can be minimized and the solidificatio n
or our Pacific front can be continued .
You will want to knot'. what kind of _people you ar e
going to meet . New Caledonia is a very t hinly populate d
e
country . For example, although the colony is a littl
larger than Net',' Jersey in square miles . it has onl y
d
61,ooo people-an American football stadium would hol
.
them all-as compared with New Jersey s 4,ooo,00e
7
By American standards, the island cannot be called fertile . One-third or more of the total area is too rugged o r
barren to be of any° econom i c use . Back of the beach th e
flat lands are apt to be swampy, Thousands of acres I n th e
river v°allev°s, however, are suited to agriculture .
The French.
There are tour major groups of people making up New Caledonia s population . The largest grou p
are the Europeans-meaning mostly French-who ar e
about a third or the total population . This is the larges t
white population of any single South Pacific island .
Here are a few things on should know about them .
First, they are not " colonists . " in the accepted sense . o r
the word among peo ple or the South Sea Islands, Instead ,
the French in New Caledonia consider that the island i s
their home . They like to be called Caledonians . In thi s
respect they are something like the Australians across th e
Coral Sea . Allowing for differences ni language, religion ,
and custom, you will find among the French in Ne w
Caledonia some of the same hearty friendliness and in dependence that characterizes the Australians-who, i n
turn, are frequently compared to westerners in America .
The French you will meet are for the most part farmers ,
shopkeepers, businessmen, and government employees .
Externally they are much like corresponding people in
8
cur country Some have traveled back and forth to Franc e
quite' a bit, the ma j ority fee . . deeply rooted in New Caledonia . They speak French and follow the Roman Catholic faith, in the majority, There is also a considerabl e
Protestant group .
Some metropolitan Frenchmen from Paris may tend t o
look doss n on the Frenchman from New Caledonia a s
being an isolated "colonial" but the latter is more often a
more practical and democratic person than the man fro m
France .
The Natives . The second largest group of people -in th e
island are the native hanakas (kah-nah-kas), These are a
brown-skinned people of mixed Melanesian and Polynesian origin, whose ancestors were the or_ainal New Caledonians . Graceful and fond of singing, they are a cheerful, happy-go-lucky l .ot . And vet many of their best me n
volunteered for the Free French forces and are now serving in far parts of the world .
It is something of a problem what to call these people ,
French writers have referred to them as indigenes (natives) or Canaques (from the Polynesian word " kanaka' '
meaning "man") . However, they dislike . the term Canaque, and it should not be used . The people hare no general name for themselves other than that of their distric t
9
or village-"East Coast People, " " Como People, ' and s o
on, When you are dealing with a man, however, it i s
quite all right to call him "boy," as this is' . a widely use d
term around the islands . The people are accustomed to it .
The New Caledonia natives compose many small tribes ,
and still retain a strong community loyalty. Up to a few
years ago most of the tribesmen spoke only their nativ e
tongue, but today many are beginning to speak a " pidgin "
form of French . The children go to little church school s
in the native villages and speak quite good French .
Since American troops began co arrive and the men began to serve with our forces, many of them have picke d
up English phrases . Those who are In our military services are accustomed to taking orders rn English ,
Some of the Europeans will tell you that the nativ e
islanders are lazy . Perhaps, out there are two r avs o f
looking at it, In New' Caledonia the climate is pleasan t
and without any great extremes . Fish, game, and othe r
foods are east' to get . The island is sparsely settled, wit h
room for an . So when white men wanted to hire the Ne w
Caledonia natives for hard labor in the mines, they re plied they were getting along all right the way they wer e
and didn't want hard labor . Nevertheless, if you can ge t
their interest, or show them that it is to their own advantage to work or fight you will no them willing an d
10
strong . That is the wa y we have found them . They are doing much hard work for us ,
Most of the New Caledonia natives today are coinin g
to some form of Euro p ean dress . There is one unusua l
sight you will see-about half of them have reddish or .
orange-colored hair, : This is not a freak of nature but i s
caused by rubbing lime, once used to kill parasites ; into
the roots of the hair . The customs still followed as a
means of tribal adornment .
Today nearly every babe° is baptized into the Christia n
faith, and nature worship and spirit worship are dyin g
out . But some ot. the old beliefs still persist . One belief i s
that every person is I nhabited br° a spirit, or 1(o, whic h
goes travelling while the human body is asleep . It a ma n
should be awakened suddenly--so the belief . is-the k o
might not have time to get back into its body and woul d
get even b y going around causing trouble . So the peopl e
believe a man should be. allowed to sleep until h e
wakes up of his own accord . It is a point of view,wit h
which any man who has to stand reveille cats have ful l
sympathy° . In any event, be care ::ul about waking natives .
Javanese and Tonkinese . Because the native New Caledonians could not be interested in working In the mines, th e
mine owners imported labor rom other parts of the Pa 11
- ; ``
JOURNAL Library
cidc, from more crowded lands where it was difficult t o
make a living . About 12,ooo of these laborers are in th
e
island according to latest available figures . They are usually Imported on 3-year contracts . Some of the laborer s
renew their contracts and eventually become permanen t
residents of the country . About two-thirds of the laborer s
are Javanese, from Java_, and one-third Tonkinese, fro m
French Indochina .
Some Javanese women work i n the mines along wit h
the men, but most of them do not like it and preter domestic service . Almost every white family in the islan
d
has a Javanese servant . You can usually recognize th e
Javanese women by their gaily colored sarongs-not quit e
like Dorothy Lamours, but more like a skirt, with a
blouse covering the upper part of the body . The lava 12
nest are Moslems . At home they have been brought up t o
be h ighly disciplined, very polite, and respectful of aht
thorny . The French regard the Javanese as intelligen
d
,
workers, but trigger-tempere
The Tonkinese are from the Tonkin region of Indochina, and are similar to the Chinese . in appearance and
d
customs . They also are regarded as reliable workers, an
d
.
l
n-arie of them are tine artisans in metal and wood
r
.Taoist,
o
religion, the Tonkinese may be Confucian,
Buddhist, since all three religions are followed in thei r
homeland .
,
Japanese . The fourth mayor group in New Caledonia
t
.
There
were
abou
until Pearl Harbor, veere the Japanese
on
the
island,
The
dcv
after
Pearl
Harbor,
General
1,100
de Gaulle deciared oar on Japan and the Japanese .wer e
tai en under government control for their own safety .
All of them have been evacuated to Australia ,
In addition to these four main groups of p eoples ther e
are also, scatterings or other Europeans and Australians ,
and the " halif-castes ." These are the of spring of white s
g nu native New Caledonians . It is not unusual here, as i n
other parts of the word, to find marriages betwee n
Euro p eans and the aborigines . Some or the half-caste s
mingle soc :aih with the French .
GETTING ALONG IN NEW CALEDONI A
THE best way to get along in \ew Caledonia is to b e
friendly, courteous, and considerate, Abote all, respec t
other people s customs and their privacy . You are not go ing to New Caledonia to change the people or their ways .
CUStOmS Are Important .
`fanners and customs are the firs t
thing to learn w.n.en you are in a strange country, Fortunatcly, New Caledonia is comparat!t'eiv tree froice religious taboos which make it difficult for the visitor to ge t
along in many countries . But there are a few things yo u
will want to know . For example . the siesta hour Is observed rigidly throughou t Aen- Caledonia and a1l shop s
and offices are closed tight for a few hours at midday .
14
The French set great value on being polite . A smile an d
a salute or a friendly courtesy will go a long , .vay in Ne w
Caledonia as elsewhere .
Most of the -.French in the Island are devour and quite
conserv ative in their personal lives . They are family people and you will find that they have a rather strict mora l
code, In some families it would no : be considered prope r
r
for a girl to go out or. a date unless accompanied by he
.
Cur
troops
understand
these
cusparents or a chaperone
toms and respect them_ . They are not molesters of women .
In dealing with the native New Caieconians, the Javanese, and ToMeinese, is well to be a little on your dignity . Be ir_endlo but a litt .' o restrained .
Most of the natives are devout Catholics . and the priest ,
.who is called a padre (FAH-dray), is a very Importan t
.
man . You will hoc missions in the most remote districts
n
There are also many mans who teach the native childre
and hold them to a strict moral code . In =general, the mor e
isolated the native vi' iage, the stricter you will find th e
people, though as said Ueicro, they are likely to cling t o
their native beliefs . They are afraid or the dark and kee p
fires and light burning at night to keen the dewi ': away ,
If these beliefs seem funny to you, reflect on whether yo u
have known an American or two who was afraid to g o
. home in the dark .
15
Among the Javanese and Tonhinese you will find a d
sorts of religious customs . festivals . and observances . Th e
important hang is never to laugh or Interfere . Learning
about these things is a Dart of your new life . As a student
of New Caledonia, tou will o : course approach the lan d
and its people with respect, as your comrades alread y
there have done ,
There is no problem of haggling or 'bargaining wit h
the nati=ves to he considered . For one thing, the island ha s
not been frequented by tourists and there .are almost n o
nattve son'.enirs `ot sale . For another, the whole economi c
system of the island is now stabilized by price-liking ,
which is even more rigid than in your own country .
In normal times the French in New Caledonia live a
great deal as we do at home . These are not normal times .
The stores In Noumea and the other cities are running o n
the ragged edge because of a lack or im p orts . Such products as they have are needed be the native population .
It isn't honest poker for an American soldier to compet e
with their when n_os, of his needs can be supplied at th e
army canteen .
Liquors of all kinds arc extremely scarce . As In peace times . the native population was accustomed to the traditional French wines, the scarcity Is a greater hardship o n
them than on the American soldier . A little beer Is im 16
ported from Australia ; It is not especially good beer . Suc h
wine as is to be round is now I mported from California .
Of soft drinks, there are a tew : citron, an orange syru p
cut with v=, ater, lemon pop -arid banana pop . Ice is hard to
get, there being on'hv two small plants on the I sland, with
a plentiful demand r or their product .
Nearly all the native New Caedonians 'ice in v°illages, . called mribu {tree-boat . They are generally foun d
in the river valleys, but some are deep in the mountains ,
The - old-style native I'.ut-now rare-Is a cone-shape d
thatch-rooted affair looking something like a tall beehive .
The more common dwelling today°, encouraged by th e
gov=ernment for reasons of public health . is a rectangula r
cottage with tan, bark, or thatch roof . The walls are mad e
of wattle and mud, usually painted in bright colors, Wove n
mats are used as bedding, and the cooking Ere Is an ope n
hearth on the earth floor . Generally, the villages are tid y
and surrounded by flowers . In the hills You will still se e
the native costume-noy, also partly Europeanized which consists, for men, of a shirt and a cotton waist cloth, often brightly° colored, called a manou (man-oo) .
The women wear mostly the "Mother Hubbard, ' introduced into the South Seas by the missionaries . It is a
• loose cotton dress tailing below the knee with elbo w
length sleeves, The people are fond or bright decoration s
17
and colors and when they are in a festive mood they pu t
on wreaths of dowers and leaves, strings of beads, copper
wire, tin bottlo toes, or anything else that appeals to them .
They decorate their ankles, knees, wrists . and arms a s
well as their necks and waists .
Around the mines and plantations you 4vill find th e
la,orers-the Javanese and Tonkinese . Dorn,,ncries ar e
provided, but . mace of the laborers prefer to build thei r
own little huts of hark and lumber . There are plenty o f
children . Outside of work hours, these peo p le keep to
themselves and earny on their Gun sways of Ii' . mg muc h
the same as inn their home countries .
Ealing and Drinking . The French have somew'nat differen t
customs o` eattea than our own . In the morning they
18
have a petit ifb eunc .e uuh-TEE day-zhuh-NAY or "littl e
)breakfast ; " usually consisting or coffee and a roll . The n
comes C1 c'JEtG ~1 eT (aa ~~-211uh-N AY) . an early lunch . An d
fina .iv diner (DEE-NAY), the main meal . They dint-1k a
great deal of coffee (some i s grown on the Island) and us e
rum and light wines in moderation . Despite the shortage
of liquor, the New Ca 'ledcaians retain their rigid idea s
about the use of it . It is a social sin to get drunk, and i t
is a tail ofle>._e to tic Prince to it r ,ative .
On the whole, the food eaten by the French is no t
greatly different from ours . One of the rarities of th e
Island fare is rousette saute-Eying foa-which tastes lik e
chicken giblets . The native New Caledonians live largel y
d
on native. products of the country . The Tonkinese an
g
a-ranese,
however,
follow
their
own
customs
of
cookin
J
h
.
Rice
rs
their
staple
toed,
garnished
svith
fis
and eating
and vegetable sauces . Though beef cattle are plentifu l
and thousands of heat live in a wild state in the interio r
of the island, the natives prefer potted meats . Som e
mutton i5 Inr-oorted irons A 'astralia .
The war has impoverished the island in some ways .
The people arc wearing shabbier clothing . As their me n
may be away at war, there is a likelihood that the tabl e
'_are will be neither as plentiful nor as varied as in normal
times . Ness Caledonians are normally hospitable, an d
19
willing to share what they have with strangers . Now ,
they can't afford it . Your way of expressing , your sympathetic understanding of their situation is to refrain fro m
- boasting about the abundance and quality of your ow n
chow .
In a sparsely inhabited land such as Caledonia you ar e
not going to find many bright l ights . But there ar e
movies . Noumea has three picture houses which are co operating with Armv° Motion Picture Service so that no w
they are shoe=; ing the latest Hollywood productions a t
about the same . time e-then are making their first appearance on Broadway, Your Army is getting these productions to, New Caledonia as fast as possible . But unfortunately the capacities of the Noumea theaters are too smal l
to meet the demand adequately .
- War has interfered with horse racing which used to b e
a popular sport in the island . Baseball is being introduced ,
limited only by the lack of adequate flat spaces elsewher e
than near the beaches . The New Caledonians are beginning to take to our national pastinamg but there is n o
native phrase for "'.kill the umpire . "
There are numerous bathing beaches, and the wate r
feels fine . The best one is Anse Vara near Noumea be :
cause it is protected and therefore shark-proof . At th e
other beaches, the man-eaters are a hazard to swimmers .
But the best sports are hunting . and fishing, an d
American soldiers doing duty in New Caledonia ar e
finding it a game paradise . Deer are so plentiful tha t
they are regarded as a pe st, and may be found grazin g
with . the cattle . In one vear . more than 1zo,ooo hides wer e
exported from the island . Soldiers are given as muc h
liberty as they wish to hunt these animals with governmentammunition . It is good, live target practice, prepara tory to the quest for bigger game of the kind that al l
soldiers are talking about . But for safety's sake, it i s
necessary to enforce the local ru nk that deer shall not b e
shot in camp, and it is custom to move ride-shot distanc e
away from any troops before shooting at deer .
There is no closed season on door, or on wild pigeons ,
which are plentiful, or on wild duck, which are slightl y
less so . The only limitation is a shortage of shotgun am munition in the outfits . Soldiers are encouraged to roa m
far afield either while hunting, or in mountain-climbin g
which in New Caledonia is a first-class way to get legge d
up, Some of our troops have traversed the island in casua l
parties, and explored nearly every corner of the hinter land . It is -worth the doing because the scene is one of
rugged grandeur . The mountains are bold, rather barre n
and precipitous . The passes through them-there bein g
three Main routes from one side of the island to th e
21
other-follow the courses or the mountain streams . Th e
mountain highways are suitable for trucks, and the hiking may be either relatively easy or extremely difficult, a s
one chooses, The interior _s considered perfectly safe fo r
our forces .
In Nev. Calec!on_a our troops are gathering oysters off .
trees to garnish the company mess . There are no bette r
oysters in the world . They cling to the roots of the man grove in the tidal rivers, and a hungry soldier come s
along, pulls the root up, and eats several dozen on th e
half shell, Clams are plentiful in the rocks of the smal l
islands in the numerous bays and harbors, and moto r
launch parties may eat their h1'. on the spot, or take a
supply back to the camp for chowder . Said an America n
army captain : " There is no better fishing anywhere tha n
along the coast or New Caledonia ." The most succulen t
s p ecimen :s a fish not unlike our own red sna p per whic h
the French call loche saumone, and another popula r
variety is akin to the sea bass found along our ow n
coast . In Se p tember some of the large fish become contaminated by the coral and if eaten evill produce a ba d
skin Irritation . The native fishermen will hel p you identif y
them .
One sport the New Caledonians enjoy is luring th e
large spiney lobsters with dead squid . These . lobsters
22
'abound ;n caves under the coral reefs . At low trade th e
fishermen go to the reefs ut bathing trunks, with_ shoe s
to protect their feet irons the sharo tors', toggles, an d
gloves to protect their hands tro p: the lobsters . The bai t
is a dead squid on a pole . The squid is dangled in fron t
of the cave . When the lobsters see the squid they los e
all power to move . Another fisherman goes into the poo l: .
with goggles and goes, and catches them by hand .
Smaller shovel-nosed lobsters, confronted with the squid ,
throw themselves out or .the water onto the reefs ; wher e
they can be picked up by hand . Both varieties of lobster ,
though somewhat foolish, are very good eating .
. d ,i s
One last word on wildlife .. I you see a smal .l bir d
hopping along the countreslde but neser .tak :ng off, giv e
him a r.o kind words . The kagu, called the nationa l
bird of New Caledonia, cant and is . therefore becoming extinct rn an era which has little tolerance for force s
.';filch won't take to wings . All :aught still he well wit h
the kagti if he had studied the lessons of this military age .
There are plenty cf radio sets on th e
tion
is unusually good of short-wav e
island, and rece p
broadcasts from Australia and California . Noumea, a t
last reports, had two sma l l newspapers . Since the fail o r
France, however, the peo ple have been short of reactin g
News and Reading .
23
material In their native language, They are likely to :a eicome alai reading matter, even in En glish, that you ca n
pass on to them . Your Army magazine, "YANK ." bein g
an illustrated wee;le, will he esncc :ally appreciated b y
them .
In addition to the of c :al French .
--that of
European France-a simplified form of pidgin Frenc h
is' used by some groups . This is a short-cut language .
If the natives can puck it up, you can . 1 helpful list of
words and phrases in egu as French will be found at th e
end or this guide. You s. x;ill'also hear a l i ttle pidgin English, such as is used in the Pacific islands further northwest .
This will be even easier to pick u p .
Language .
"THE FRENCH AUSTRALIA "
TRAVELERS who have visited New Caledonia usuall y
say that it is more like Australia In climate and living
conditions than it is like the South Sea Islands as w e
usually think of them . Other visitors have likened it to
southern California . The vegetation is in some res p ect s
comparable . Three kinds of local trees catch you r
ere, -The loss niaoul : (nee-ow-lee), also called the -cape r
hark, is related to the Australian eucalyptus and yields a
- medic :nai essence . The kauri (cow-reel is in demand fo r
lumber and the slender Captain Cook pine, which grow s
nowhere else in the world, is something like our tamarack . You will realize the climate never really gets col d
when you see the coeom it trees which thickly fringe th e
shores . Their fruit provides a delicious natural drink ,
However, Nev... Caledonia is a subtropical rather than a
Ironical island and you will not encounter the extrem e
heat, humidity, dangerous animals, insect pests, or fever s
that make life so difficult in the real tropics, There is ,
however . one native tree, Min-barked and oozing a ver y
Hack gum, which at Bets the skin like poison ivy .
V'cG Ca'.edonua is roughly _5o miles long-farther tha n
;de,
, with a - New York to Washington-by about ;o.
.
It
is
750 mile s
total area o- around 8,eoo square miles
25
t N7AN T RY JOURNAL LIbrar
from Australia, gr .- from Ne s v Zealand, 6
.5oo from Cali .
forma, and hoc : from the Panama Canal
,
Take a moo at the map In the center of this
guide.
Near the southern tip of the island, sl ig
htly up the tt'es t
eoast,li
tthhcapital
and p rincipal j'ort, Noumea, wit
h
a pre-war p opulation o around 12 .000,
a little more than
hale of them whites
. Noumea has a landlocked harbor, a :e of the finest in the South_ Scats, It
was also a pre-tt-a r
air base of Pan-American _~ :ravr, ; s
lcl1 the Ne w
Caledonians call " Pal':air") on the S
an Francisco to Ne w
Zealand run . It also has the Island's p
rincipal nickel sotelting plant .
Most of the other towns and vi l lages o any size ar e
also located on the coasts, and many of them have fin e
though undeveloped harbors . The island it fairly wel
l
surrounded by a earner reef or coral . : to T o miles off
shore,
gives natural p rotection against I n v asion ;
out tit is reel 1s broken at plaCmt,
.1
.d1 0rlteaim toa
tarnpois
011 the coast require alert ,,.i a r_ch .ng
. D own th e
center or the . island runs the pc i nelpal Irountai11 range
,
something like our ott'n Teton range, but with magnif -icent views ot the ocean, Fi'1 Ie v er the eve roves In Nev.;
Caledonia, it meets mountain f ;eaas and their slopes com
e
ilk =t down to the sea
. The 'mg-nest mountain Is Moun t
Humbolt, 5,361 feet above sea level, near the southern
26
zip . Is these mountains are found New Caledonia's ric h
mineral resources . Some cods has called the is and a soli d
block of metal .
One of the odd topograpisical features of New Caledonm which you will notice arc the hillocks of shel l
scattered over -rant parts ,ot the island adjacent to th e
seashore . Like the "kitchen rrfcdens " of Florida, they are
rile accumu_at_on of nundreds of years during v himi th e
island was moo as a :east .ng ground Bleached huma n
bones and skulls can sometimes be _eund .n Me debri s
of these hillocks-suggesting a gruesome explanation o f
the feasting .
Because the prevailing trade winds are from the east ,
the eastern slo p e of the mountains receives more rainfal l
than the western . On this s'omc the forests are particularl y
dense, Tree ferns sometimes gro g: to a height of 6c feet .
Climate . The thermometer rarer- goes above oo degree s
at am time, or below 6e . At Noumea the average mea n
temperature. in January and February i summer In Ne w
Caledonia) is S6 degrees . In July and August s=tinte d
It is 75 degrees . Aorma '.it, Noumea has about 43 inche s
of rainfall a year and 13 halm . or partially mint- cats ou t
of the 365 . Most of the ram tails between February an d
April . From August througia October is the crvest time .
27
About the only drawbacks to the climate are the tropical hurricanes, of which there are about three a year ,
usually between December and April . They are usuall y
brief, but can do a lot of damage in a short time . Some times torrents of water come down the rivers and destro y
roads and isolate whole communities . Lately New Caledonia has had "unusual" weather . For _ years there ha s
been little ram but bivouac commanders must still tak e
care not to make camp in dry washes .
Although parts of New- Caledonia are very fertile, particularly the ricer valleys, yo u
will find that agriculture is somewhat backward, thoug h
improvements have been made in recent years . Coffee i s
the principal crop . Coconut products come next . The chief
domestic animals are the oxen . On the slopes of th e
mountains are large plantations and ranches where cattl e
are raised .
New Caledonia tried at one nme to ca p ture the Orien 'tel market on beet but missed and the cattle industry ha s
proved a financial failure . The forests, however, yiel d
some wealth . Many fruits . such as lemons and papayas .
gross 'old . There are also banana plantations but no t
more than enough fruit to provide for the local population . Some of the native Nev.' Caledonians and French Agriculture and Industry,
30
too, make their living by hunting deer and 'selling thei r
hides to the Australian market . To save gun p owder and _
cartridges, this hunting is oaten done highly traine d
dogs, which run the deer InTo ponds or into the sea wher e
they can be caught and dispatched with a knife .
Mining and other forms of industry hase been greatly,'
Irtensi`_ie-l since the star by the Intrcduet cn c additiona l
machinery . You will sec signs 0- act's-1's' on every hand .
Nickel is mined in huge . open pits In much the sense we ,
that we (nine copper In Utah, New Mexico, and Arizona .
Chrome Is mined underground in the region or Tiebagh :
Mountain whence comes 4 percent of the world supply .
There Is also an uiexhaustible amount of chromite in th e
sands along New Caledonia s beaches, and as fast fl th e
sand is dug out and treated, the sea washes more u p
again, A typical chrome p=ant consists of ordinary tip trolleys and a grooved steel washing table . The beac h
sand is shoveled Into trucks and rolled along
along to th e
grooved table where the chrome is se p arated from th e
sand by the simple p rocess of agitating the table unde r
flowing water . The lighter said is floated of, leaving 5
5
percent pure chrome on the table .
New Caledonia has some Tort _enatit :s of narrow ,
gauge railroad, but visitors say. it is kindest not to men non them, Most transportation today _s by the roads .
31
History,and Government, The great English explorer, Captain Cool, first sighted the island in 17'74 . Its mountainous ap p earance reminded lain, of the Scottish coast, s o
h ; gave it tine name of New Caledonia-Caledonia bein g
the Latin word for Scotland . In 1853 the French .loon
control and it has been a French colony ever since, together hnth such nearby smaller Islands as the Loyalt y
group and the Isle of Pines .
Previous to the sear its Governor was also the French
High Commissioner of the Western Pacific, wit 'n contro l
co a= : the French :s-ana colonies over thousands of miles .
Before the :=gar, the Governor was assisted by a Genera l
Counci: of 1=.; New Caledonian citizens, as well as by a
hrivt Council of his otto de partment heads . It was the General Council which, iv i 9'_c, votes unammously t o
join the Free French movement, supported by practicall y
the whole populace . French and native, and thus Coln th e
United Nations .
The present Governor is appointed by General h e
Gaulle, and is assisted by a single council of I_ citizens .
Noumea has a separate municipal administration to
carry on its local affairs . The mayor is a ppointed by th e
Governor and is advised ov an elected municipal council .
The other main settlements are goi erned by elected municipal commissions, each under a prominent local person
32
as President ; and aided by the necessary . Governmen t
officials, called tonctionnctrcc . (fay k-si-a«•-NEHR) .
Each general . district outside Noumea is supervised b y
what the . French call a gendarme (,zhah-DARM), a combined police officer and administrator . The gendarm e
holds the rank of sergeant in the French army and i s
saluted by soldiers In the local force . He usually make s
the rounds of his district by motorcycle . All mining companies and plantations, for example, are supposed to pa y
wages to their laborers in the presence of the gendarme,
to avoid later disputes . He also looks after the affairs o f
the native Caledonians . In Noumea there are special loca l
police . These should not be confused with the gendarmes .
If a native New Caledonian leaves his tribe, gets a ne w
yob or wishes to move his family, he must first get per mission from the gendarme . Result : There is no love los t
between them .
Sanitary Conditions . On the whole, you will find Ne w
Caledonia a healthy place to be, it you observe a few
simple rules .
.New Caledonian mosquitoes are very annoying, so yo u
had better take good care of your mosquito net . Th e
giant cockroaches may startle you and also the gian t
lizards, which grow to be a foot or more long . The y
33
look fierce but are entirely harmless .- There are no lan d
Shake s
Lure eating grass in New Caledonia, don't shoot! It ma y
be the corporal .
Your main dangers are in the sea, and here you d o
have to be somewhat carefu . Never fool 'v t th a snak e
There are two sources of infection-drinking impur e
water and eating uncooked vegetables, The Noumea .
in the water if you happen on one, as you are likely t o
do near the little islands offshore . The sea moccasi n
crater has been approved by American health authorities .
Even so, it rs wisest to follow the exam p le oflocal peopl e
which is something like our 'cater moccasin_. is th e
familiar danger . There is some argument about whethe r
and always use bottled or boiled water, or -safer yet ,
it is deadly . out no smart soldier will treat it uke a buddy ,
drink water only from out of chlorinated lister bags i n
American army camps . The water in the mountai n
Peo p le Long in . the tropics or subtrop :es are likely t o
x p osed to hand
hookwor mbe
other intestinal p arasites ,
streams (this information for the benefit of hikers an
case of an emergency) is usually pure . In the northwes t
and to be bothered by o r.senters To check this latte r
part of the island the water is said to have a high minera l
ailment, the i'an es cat it certain grass v.h :cl= is calle d
content which is likely to kee p a soldier doing a maratho n
to the rear . So drink easy !
": dysentery grass" and is su pposed to have a herbaceous
Our troop s
Another small precaution ; it is wisest to wear shoe s
have Made not a tev,
when you walk on coral and keep ass as erona it whil e
noble
s'S':imming . Cuts from coral can become badl y Infected .
effect .
exper :men_t s
with this oarticu!a :
Skin infections are common and there is some leprosy .
hay, an d
Known lepers have been carefully segregated in one sec -
up . to date nobody;
has been hurt, thoug h
tor of the island : There is a high rate p it venereal diseas e
with the worst infection among the Javanese women .
the record is contuse d
Venereal diseases were not knoss n in the Pacific island s
variety
or
as to whether any -
before the coming of the white man although there wa s
body has been helped .
a mild equivalent called " yaws' . which is still prevalen t
So iii you see a crca -
among the native peoples . In modern times syphillis an d
34
35
Library
I N :"ANTRY JOURNAL
MISCELLANEOUS INFORMATIO N
Money . New Caledonia has already shifted to a local currency system . The local currency has been pegged at 4 3
Noumea (paper) francs to the dollar . There is very little
metal money or token coinage rema i ning_ on the island .
The money units are the franc (FRAH)
- and the centim e
.( one hundredth part of a franc ; pronounced " sah TEEM") . There are paper notes of five, twenty, on e
hundred, and five hundred franc denominations . The coi n
values are :
5 cenumes (copper)=a Lttle over .dr C . S . cent (ottea calic o
a CCU .
to centimes (copper) =a attic over 1-,-U S . cent .
25 centuries isOcer) = a little over
U . S . cent .
Sn cenumes (silver) =a little over r U . S . cent.
t tram... (silver)=a little ever 2 U . S . cents .
2 francs (silver ;)=a liale over 4 C ; . S . cents .
gonorrhea have been spreading, especially by way oN th e
ports and the laborers . quartets . Our troops have learne d
hot to tare chances .
Throughout New Caledonia toilet tacilitles are tern°
primitive by our standards . Thus i s even true in the tow n
of Noumea . Ao closed-i-l set;era~e system- exists antwhere in New Caledonia . Take precautions against possible infections .
36
You are also likely to come up against Australia n
money in this region . The Australian pound (L' A) i s
officially set at three-quarters of the value of the Britis h
pound sterling (L) . At the latest reckoning, one £A i s
worth somewhat over 3 U . S . dollars . The Australian
money units are as :follows : the pound, which .equals . 2
shillings, or about L . S . S3 .2o ; the-shilling, which equal s
12 pennies or pence, about- U . S . 16 cents : two and six pence or haiucron n : the penny . worth about t?i, cents .
The Australians use English-type coins and notes . The
coins are the half-penny° (havp ` nce) ; penny : threepenc e
(thrupoenee) ; sixpence ; shining ; two shillings, or florin ,
The notes are ,.north shillings, i pound, 5 pounds ,
anQ 10 rounds .
Weights and Measures .
In New Caledonia, the Frenc h
metric so°stern is used In reckoning d i stances and other
measures . This is as follows :
E
Length s
I.
kdcn-,c :et=aosut su tan '.a pulp s .
nscter-acou : 3 ; MC .:IaS .
s cnct„ncter-abort tour-tenths Ot an t nc'e ,
i:']i .binctcr = :.b :.ut a t '.`.5"a',_rt :=- o -̀ an Inch ,
I
Weight s
The calendar and method of telling time follo w
French customs . The folio :ing are the days of the week :
Monday is
.d ; Tucsla~, ,Herr,'. , Wednesday, ncicredi;
iRaqi ;
Thursday, rend( ; Friday, cce- di'cdi, Saturday,
and Sunday is dirriar.ncc . Sec page _S . )
Official French time, as to oticlal L . S . Army time ,
is reckoned by the European clock, which counts th e
hours after noon as 13 . 14, 15, and so on, making midnight 24 o clock .
In New Caledonia, when VOL wake up, it is stil l
,ea reid : ~' in the United States . At S a . m . on Monday i n
New Caledonia, ,t will be p . ah . ( Standard Time) Sunda„ in New York and p . m . Sunday rn San Francisco .
The time is :6 hours ahead of the eastern seaboar d
(Standard Tine? and 19 hours ahead of the Pacific Coast .
Time .
38
1
metric ton= 22e. 4,62 p.unes ,
cuint_1=a2o .46 uonnu's ,
kLagra ; m . kilo-rc°c and a htt Faunas 2 .20 4 6 punch .
gMmrne
15,a32 = = .n , or o .c353 OunCeS .
Capacit y
i hectorce .i:e_ :=a83 U . S . bus:..chi, o r
26,415 U . S . ga ;lons .
liter--6 ;,525 cubic Inche<-r .e56? liquie: quarts :
Are a
he .nare-Ic .ooo square ; :,ete_.=? ._
acre ; .
I square '1i]o :netcr-c .3S5x 'cuare n:i :c .
1
HINTS ON
PRONOUNCING
FRENC H
yyilI show the accented (loud) syllables in capital letter s
THESE are -pronunciation hints to help you in listenin g
and unaccented syllables In small letters . French is not a s
to the French `anguage records which have been sup plied to your troop unit . They will also hel p you wit h
consistent as English is about accenting the same syllabl e
the pronunciation of actcitlona : words and phrases give n
in the vocabulary below, which are not included in th e
help yourself get the " feel " of French if you speak th e
record .
letters .
in the same word In every sentence . However, you wil l
part of the word louder which we write here in capital .
There is nothing very difficult about French excep t
that . as in English, many words arc not p ronounced a s
they are s p elled .- Therefore, the instructions and - ;ocabu n
lure below are not based on the written French language ,
but are a simplified system of representing the languag e
as it sottruts . This system contains letters for all th e
sounds you -; ;i us
ma--ce to be understood . It does
These are the kinds of sounds we represen t
in English bye a, e, c, u, ah, ay, etc . Just follow the ke y
below and you will haye no trouble .
r1H or ah equals the a in nicer . Exame .e : Is G,4HR
meaning "railroad station "
(la gate )
no t
contain letters for some of the sounds you wilt hear . bu t
it will give y ou enough to get by on, both listening an d
speaking .
So that you may be able to read the familiar word s
you will see, the French spelling of each word and phras e
s given in parentheses ,
Here Are a Few Simple Rules To Help Yo u
1 . Accents .
You know what the accented syllable of a
word . Is, of course . It is the syllable which Is spoke n
louder than the other syllables in the same word . We
40
2, Vowels .
ar a equals a sound between the a c to and the a o f
rather . Listen carer lly for n on the record .
Example :
n;a-1?,5?i4
(madame' .
meanin g
'madam . "
AY'R' or am equa .s the are in 1,sw, but not so drawled Example '
Pil:'R (ears) meaning 'pork . '
AY or as equals the a :, in (Say, but not so drawled . Exampl e
L :1Y (lair ; meanin g "milk . .
EE or tic equal= the ee
bit)
in 7eee Examine : deez-(FEET (dix .
meaning "eighteen . "
EH or eh equais the e in get.
"salt . "
Example : SEHL
(selj meanin g
41
t m hint said with the li p s rounded a s
though about to say the oc in bco . Example :
lino EU (lee ceuts) mcanieg "eggs . "
EU or eu is like the
OH or oh equals the c in go, but not so drawled . Example :
LOH (beau) meaning "water . "
- 00 or co eeue .s the
0.
. .-
it
w . . Example : 00 [oil) meanin g
"where . '
U or u equals the
<< ;'machirc said ssi :h tin lips rounded a s
though about to s the co In rco . Example:
chk-SKL-zr<v V
;11 (cccusez-min) meanin g
'iexcuse inc .
UH or uh equals the
but . Example :
meaning . .carrots "
In.
ir ;a-RiiHT
carottes ..
Four of the vowels above are also pronounced through the nose . This rs indicated by a wav e
line over the vowel to he "nasalized" ( pronounce d
through the nose), like this To hear what this nasa l
pronunciation sounds like, hold your nose and say th e
syllable ma with a equalling the a rn cat), You have jus t
said the French word for hand . Now hold eour nos e
again and say maw . You have just said the French wor d
for mv . These words would be written MA (main) an d
MAW (mon) . The same " through the nose " .p ronuncia non is given t he vowels written AH and CH
; katti)'-) .IAH (comment) rneantng "how ancl,ample U H
3 . The nose sounds .
( tin) meaning "one, " REMEMBER, EVERY TIME A
WAVY LINE IS OVER A VOWEL IT MUST B E
PRONOUNCED THROUGH THE NOSE .
The consonants are all the sounds that ar e
not vowels . Pronounce them dust as you know them r n
English . The only strange combination of letters yo u
must note is the zh-which equals the sound written s
in the middle of the English word pleasure .
4. Consonants .
LIST OF MOST USEFUL WORDS AND PHRASE S
HERE is a list of the most useful words and phrases yo u
will need in French . You should learn these by heart ,
They are the words and phrases included on the Frenc h
language records, and appear here in the order the y
occur on the records .
Greetings and General Phrases
r English--Sircp? :fled
Good morning or Good day ZHOOR [bon torsi )
Good evening-BAit.' SWAH R
(bon toil )
How are
sou'-kau-AY-I
TA-Lie Y'00 Icc nu nent eEoc 1'out )
Sir-rnuhs-YEU tmcn teur)
42
French Spelling )
Macam---rra-DA :i1 (n;2darne )
bliss-mad-mlc' h-ZEHL (nthdon euelle) .
roe PLAY
tout plait)
Please-see :
it'll ,
Thank you- .MEHR-SE E
inter-et )
43
I N 4NT
JOURNAL Library
Excuse me -e h
.q-S K L'-z a y
vfi:'AH (excusez-rr.oi )
Yes-WEE (our)
No-NAT {non )
Do .you understand :-k,iiE
con; prePRUH-oa ;
1'00
nez-vons i
I don t ndersrand-zi;oh
t:
hu h
K :i T-PR .4H pa : (ie s c
comp ends pas )
Steak slowly . please-PAR-lay
LA.'H-i-tn ah . ten c o o PLA Y
(F»!'fen lc?fe?neni . £ ' tl totes
plait )
Locatio n
(If you are driving and ask the distance to an'o :hcr town,
will be given you in kilometers, not miles . )
it
Kilometer--KEE-Ioh-SfEHTR (kilornctre )
One kilometer equals
of a mile .
Number
I You need to know the numbers l
Thirteen-TREHZ ltretze )
Fourteen - ka-TAWRZ (gaia Two-DEG (deux)
torze )
Three-TRIFAH (irons)
Fifteen-K4.Z (guir-ze )
Four-KATR (quatee)
Sixteen-SEHZ (seize )
Fine-SOAK (cioq)
Seventeen- dee - SEHT (aix Six-SEES (sit)
sept )
Seven-SEHT (sept)
Eighteen --- deez-TWEET (dixEight-WEET (huit)
hint )
Nine-°UHF (neuj)
Nineteen --deez-sUHF
(dixTen-DEES (dix)
neut .
Eleven-AWZ (ooze)
Twenty-Vet (t ;ngt)
Twelv e-DOOZ (douze)
Onc-UH (un)
est )
Where is-00 AY
the restaurant-luh reii -tch RAH
(le reetatumnt )
Where is the restaurants-0 0
AY in;h rei;s soh-RAH
it
cot Ie reo :aurara r
hotel-caw -TEH L
the
Where is the rai :road statron 00 AY (a GAHR (oh cs t
(Yhctel)
the . tai ';et-2a
.ivai;-LEH T
tie toilette )
Where is the toilet--00 A Y
la swain-LEHT (ors cot la
toilette )
Where s the hotel?-00 A Y
law-TEPEE (or ; ear t%etei )
the railroad s t a t : to n l a
GAHR (la gore )
Qlrectlon s
To
the
right-a DRWGAHT ( h
droate i
To the Lett-a
GOHSFJ'
1:
Stra :gh.r ahead-too DRWA H
(tort droii)
44
Shot, roe : 4'least-nit17Vtra1
IdWAH, see? too PLA Y
(nron ;rez-rite), Oil horsy plait. /
(For "twenty-one," "thirty-one," and so on, you say "twenty an d
one," and "thirty and one," but tar "twenty-two,' "twenty-three "
and so on, you J ust add the words for "two" and Three" after the .
words for "twenty" and "thirty" as we do in English .)
Twenty-one-VA-ray
L7.-H' (singe
et tin )
Twenty-two-V4 DEC (rtngtdeux)
Thirty-TRAHT ( :recite )
For to-La-RANT (airarante )
Fifty-sd-K .'HT +czvat{ante )
Sixty-srsa-SAHT lootxanfe )
.4 5
("Seventy," "eighty," "ninety" are said " Sixty ten,"
ar
twenties," and "four twenties ten ." )
Seventy-stow-st7h DEES (se .Ninety - ku - nefi - :-d- DEES
ranee dra'c
Eighty ka-tech-?' .
arsatre-tinge-dia )
One hundred-S ~H (eenr )
One thousand-.HEEL (mitt e
( uarre-
a cigr)
Designatio n
WSt hats tins - ken :
err; SA Y
tr' e.t :-ce cue c`es : )
; S- Y
What's that-ken
knit SA (gtr ' es :-cc free c'est
cr
ur f a )
I 'vans-act,it tea D1(liY (? e
ccr,%) :zi
some -cigarettes-day see-ga -
;ynt eiearcttcs--xhz<h too DRAY
ysec-ga-REHT ltd
tSr
ci
t
gareties )
to eat-mr7i-ZH4Y ( mange r
I want to eat-a/in'i too-DRA Y
rra•r-ZHr`Y (e aoudrar man g
REHT (de: ctgescrers )
A cup of coffee-tin. TAHS du h
Ta-FAY (ucre .arse de caic )
A grass of beet-nn I'FSJ,R dts %
c ico-T ale' (cna :riaz: i
ar ea'. I' OH (near )
LetciI
Pork-P./I('R (( pore )
Bee :-EU F
end )
1-ec-YEHR Iran verve de ghee )
itifi :k-L r1Y
i> i
Drinking
.ate .-LOH ,ui, TABL '1 'e ;eu potr,»fe )
A cup of tea-tin TARS a ti
TAY .tree :arse Gar tier i
Carrots-',a-RUHT (carottcs )
Peas-prrh-TEE PW AH (peer ,
Pota :acs-petite:-CuI,-TEHR
Salad s) -L-1D (ra,' de )
Two o'clock-eel
Sugar-SL"KR
EUR (il e.,r Ecttx re :cres )
Ten oast two DEL'Z etr ,
;e-ire: dix )
DEES hertz ./
Quarter pas- five-S .. K cur' nit
K AR (ding hearer _r>~ aurre)
46
( :acre
Sa' .-SEHL (eel' )
Pe_ per-PH'AHVII (paver)
Some _catches-d ,
:-Iu -
hEHT arcs. alttmeue ; )
Franc-FR,71 (franc )
Meat-i ee-,4HD (vrarde )
Eges----laye-ELr (les crests )
Vegerab :es-.2r,-GUM (legrrrrea :
(pen:nie de terse )
a ..
The answer ,^ill be given in rr(.r:cr,
and cear :cner, Frrs r
-ari_ .f ea_H_
i :twenty rons or ere -urdred cen,vrie r
ccua! One7) 'Sc
a
.)
Cabbage-SHOO chci,x )
Cauiillcwer-> is a a - F LED R
String bean s-a-iee-KO H
IEHR .%„zi;cna :'errs)
-
To find out hoar much things cast you say :
Bread-RL parr i
Butter-BEE n (beurrc )
Soap---SLOP (range
(chats x-lett r
time
How much--'(a
:v-bcr-hi ,corrtc :e e
Cen :ire-a :IEE?,1 (cecrter
Sous-SOO (sou, )
Food
A bottle rat sine-eta ,,ac-TA Y
Tim e
',Vhat time is t r
KEHL EUR
a .r-TEEL (Tic .''e heure as:
Ha :t oast sin-SEES er u
dt is-.' .EE
istx heures
e:
dente )
DEUZ
T
;FEE
Quarter at eight).IIIA ltc5 K:/R
fernier, ( ar!ili :' .)
;eurea
Three minutes to n_rc-.'t L'H dr
cite T li71/H (nett '
Lures sere : a ucir :
47
At :what hour-a KEHL EL R
ntel :e iieure)
(commence )
mov,t . ::I: roe-ra,-PE( Ile
cinema )
What time cons the movi e
start :-a KEHL EUR l;uh :Mr.' .'S !uh :c-ray-':L-i
nrrelie he¢are coermeace i e
cinema)
the train-i!eh TRA (le :rain )
leaves-PAR (part )
When does the rain leave? a KEHL EUR PAR TR
u:relle
,erarr par! ! e
I a:n )
Ie ;terda~-c'E-}'EHR (h{er )
Tu a r-oji-z! cord-Ti%EE
( aN 3ourti'iuei 7
Tomorrovr-rirai MA- (amain )
Days of the Wee k
Sunday - d e - H$UHSH (di r.-arc- !e)
MzndLUH-see (llrr-hi)
Tucsda' --iLSHR-ace (march .)
.1(Vtdnesaa<; - :ti ;EHR-kYun-.e e
1lcr a cdi i
Th ursda :-ZHEL'-c.ee (jers :E )
Fraley- t r H-art./-Gee (ben dress )
Saturday-SA?d-¢ee (Saeecdi j
Useful Phrase s
What
:cur name
u1J/1 -1 i-oaz .4-pu%; ay V0 0
(Cc r n:
,or appelc
l
na ne Is
- ;t.l eec PEHL
('e r.1'appellc
How do }OU sa•: table in
French = -aic- :'iMH DEFT Pnca : ar!es-1c,u (rabic) e n
FParca )
Gocdbve - oh
rni'i - I'WAH E
(au re p air)
ADDITIONAL
,WORDS AND
PHRASE S
j E_ g :lish-Frer,ci ,
Surroundings-Natural Object s
bank (ci it : cr -iti: tee-U .1Z H
(Ile 1'21'2 )
car'cne .s
a in D n-rc°c-TAY
(i'o emi r
lich :- l ;a here-S'EHR
.nee : e)
hcse :t-it :h-dch,-ZEHR Cie deer)
_
nclc
SHAH (e champ )
Le- nh FEU ni *e ; ;
tcres :-.a -zt R .2Y (l a
Crass LEHRE
er ;e )
the cwu :-d-,'r, , :ui;-R .l. . . .
felran7 )
rein e--- ;i i
(le ratt n
hill
i,° :<1:--LEE\" ,Ia co : :n.e .
tae a GL S (l
/a BROOS
a°unle ' l
lake-1u%; L AK (le t ic )
the :n . . : .--1:< , unc )
mountain-f a
(la
the ocean
.1a
-, y H
rain-.
r !-EE (la (die)
snow-la
nelge )
s^nne-la SOORS .,( solace )
atcr : n :e-i : .c
..r7- .OOH l e
: . s .tars-layz
the -ier-i
e viere )
strC n --`tr P:
Tii' .iHL (lc.<
recr-YEHR (l a
,r :-cc-SGH
(( c
?1 ,1H (lc re ;u l
ac : ml ZH00 .R (le ; in .)
du
_ter tc-murrc<.c-a-PRE H
au! :-. . : ::
~:rc5 nenn .i .
, :a . before t.c . .da
AHT YFHR ( ;calif- uci )
even ne di St''/HE (i ;cp. )
month ,ui;
nvi.)
arch
.t :\ : r EE
a cu::
week-la cn,. .,IEHY (la (r
ci;2tn : )
Jan'car('-aO it-cee-A (,'aaa'rer )
Fcb. uar
r.;.'-1-rec-r'1' (?d •: :e/
49
tilarch.-.1,1 :iHRS (rums )
aerobe, ate .1-TAi;'BR (oclopri :-a- .REEL (ar ril )
bre )
Mac-,11,-1Y >y:aO
November -rlct-V,AIBR {ne June-z1roo :- (iron )
0eniGre )
1'0 -zhreee-YAY
.i:'ei-1
Deceenocr -r ;-S .SHBR (dc August-00 or OOT laori r
Se-3 :emhcr-;ehp-7_IHBR (ser terr:bre)
Relationship s
oo v-irrh gar-SAI:'
garco- orother-iu/r FREHR (A 'rre )
child-LAH-FAH (i 'enant)
daugher-la FEE (la )(File )
-ami'. : ., 7a-MEE (la 4:mihe )
rather-lair AEHR (le pere )
husband-ir ;i: ma-PEE (!c 7nati)
girl-ia ZHEZ'A' FEE (Jeun e
^lie)
man-LA f: 'L1 (i'hcn,me )
mother---la •OEHR (la mere )
snstcr-ha SEAR Is cocra- )
n-i'rri: FEES (le fiis j
s-oman cr wife-i.a FAM (is
!ern>ne)
Human Bod y
arms--fay BRAH (ies as )
body-iu ;r KA( R Is coops )
beck-rr:ii DOH (ie dos )
ea .-iaw-RA Y (1 oreiiie )
cars-lays art--RAY (les orCil i'es )
eye-LEAee (1'o£sl )
e Fcs-la+:z YEA (le ; yc'trx )
finger-Yu, DP/AH (le do.gt )
foot-:tri; pee-AY (le p led )
hair-lay chuff-VEL (Ies enc. t(erex)
50
hand-la M ris naa :n )
head-la 7ENT (ia SSA )
:eg-a JAHB (la jambe )
both-l :: BOOSH (la boruhe )
nick-- .(t( j; 1<00 (le core ;
A'AY is rez )
test :'. ?ay DAB (le., desks )
tee-Iris Dii AHD pee-AY (! e
aorgt An pled ;
House and Furnitur e
bed-i'ru; LEE . : r
F ;s-reo-TCR ( A
b- .
:oreeerture )
char lz S/-IEHZ ((a ckaz ::e )
deor-la P4WRT .(a pore )
house-i'a xA-Z .91i' (Ia >>trrson )
k :pee-ZEE 1r
kitchen-la
cuisine )
l CSgL11t0
net-:a
7rlOOSei;ee T .AYR (la nnonse4wa?le )
room-i ;t SHAIHBR (la charnore)
(1 ' cscaiier )
pee
evoking race) -- Ir( h
pole )
ta'olc (a T .:BL (la kahle )
tore- (or samtaro rac(lities ; iair !a- t e a-BOH lit 1ar a i>s) or ._
,a-TREE_.7 (ia iarrl-7e )
'.i LR (le na fir )
window-la 'reh- 1'EHTR (l a
(°71eire )
Food and Drink-Tobacc o
cueumbcrr-irrir k Irv-K .A1 B R
(le ccnconrhre l
fish-G :1: pro-al,-SAH (le po1sson )
toed--rs nco-ice-TUR (la rlanruurei _
i.rurt- lath 'too-EE lie trali ;)
grapes---It(ts 7a„-Z3 (.r e
Iomcn---Ir :c see-TRAIT" (le ra 0007 )
m e l o n InS -me,:-LA V (ie
rae(o a )
watermelon-ia pates-TEHK (la
paseegrre)
orange - iaw-RAHZ H
(i' orias;ge)
orange (ulce-Z H U
S a w R,MZH (tus iZ'orange )
pine---ia PEEP (la pipe )
radishes-ir:h ra-DEE (le radii
rice-.ern REE (le rrz )
steak-le hrj-TEHK (bifrec )
;obaeeo--luh -BAK ( :e iabac)
tametccs-lrsh tat- . dAHT (la
'ornate )
turn-p-Irsh 7:a-DAY (le oar-I ; )
51
Surroundings
bridge-tuh FAIT' (le port )
church.--lay-GLEEZ (1 'Fgli;e )
town or crtila PEEL (la nille )
mar'.ke[-itch- Bear-SHAY
(!e
7earc'he )
p ath (,rail ; pass}
(le scnzier )
police post-ia paws; dui; ptth LEES (la poste de police)
road-la ROOT (la route )
shop (store)-Ia boo-TEEK (la_
6oretrgrre) or (oh n:a-ga•Z A
ae sa t-YA Y
post office-iuh
bu-ROH anti
PAii'ST (le bureau de post )
lage )
chicken (hen)-(ui pno-L A
it pourer )
cow-1a VASH (la cache )
deg-ir :h 51-1
(ie shier. )
donkey-LAN (1 1dre )
duck-Iii: ka-l'AR (le canard )
burrow-:uh bee-Tee-KOH (le
bourdtvot )
goat-la SHEHU'R ((a shire)
horse-iuh shah-l,'AL (lc (-heval )
mouse-lull soo-REE (le soaris )
mule-2rd nice-LAY (le Tnulet )
p ig-lul: kch-SHA1T' (le co chan )
rabbit-Irrh la-Psi- (le lapin )
rat-iuh RA (le rat )
ssheep -Ia bray-BEE (la Grebir )
snake-Leh ehr-P.41 (le serpent )
skara'r-pee-Ai
Tr
scorpion----luh
(le scorpion)
52
eoulangee )
coiLeur)
blacksmith - lrsh tour - chuh RAiP (le iorgeron )
butcher - fun, b co - SHAY (le .
cook-iuh
coctor-lui:
aaAls-TEL'R
(i'e
eocrctrr) or brri; tared-S A
nuddecirA
farmer-leis rehr-nlcr-Y~ellI s
iermrer )
mechanic-iuh ma}-ke-ree;-Y d
ie n:ccan?c ;en )
shoemaker -lid:
e,rvee-zeen-Y AY (le
ewsinier )
boar -du h
YAY tic cordonrier )
tailor-.u/i to-YEUR tie rai! ler : r
Numbers
p rat-prrihm-YAY ( premier )
second-sch-KAT{D (second)
third - isnaltz - YENS! ( rrctst emne)
fourth - kat-ree-Y EH:r1
iitia trieme )
fifth -suk-ee-YEHb1
escora em e
sixth-seez-YEHLi (sixierrc)
avcnth-seh :-YEHa1 I septteni e
erhth-u-eer-YEH-SI (huitieme )
n .nth-near-YE/IS! (ne:asiente )
eltn-decz-YhH,Sf di .xicnnc' )
eleventh YEH,Ii (orz) erne )
twelfth - doez-YEHS1 (lend;
Clothin g
Insects
mosquitoes -lay
flies-lay SIOOSH (Ies n ;ouches)
fleas---lay PODS (lee puce.)
pu-L'EHZ (Ies
punasses )
Trades and Occupation s
baker-iuh boo-late--ZHAY (le
couclser )
Animals
bedbugs -le
nee)
barber - lrih kraal) - FEUR (l e
(le rnagasin )
street-1a RU (la rue )
village-irah peel-AZH (le vilwell-Irslt PWEE (le putts )
animal-!a-nee-:l1AL (I ' atamal )
bird-la a-ZOH (1'oueai )
camel-iuh sha-MOH (le c :an:eau )
eat-iuh SHA fie chat )
lice-lay P00 (ies pauz)
spider -la-rehr.-YAY (I'ararg-
(lee moustiques)
MOOS
•TEEK
h it-la sit-YIP Its crrcture)
beots-lay BUNT (Ls bottes)
coat-Itch parr-SC
sus)
(le perdes53
gloves-ia ; G .~I'~ lee:
gm ;)
hat-)r ;b abe-POH tie ci;apear :
nccktie H ra- :'AT ('e eta rate )
shirt-in si.r,L-SIEEZ (la enemlee)
h a- a ; ;:au-SUR (le ; c!:arr_ sr, res )
Pronouns, etc .
socks- :'ay
Awu-SEHT
cnau ss e;,'es)
stveatar-i'uh pui- :aw-VEH R
glulec'er )
parauion )
undershirt-inn
;rce-KOH
;l e
Adjectives
good--BAIT' lor e
had-maw- I. '.4Y . rnaa i n )
big-GRAN (Erma )
srna'l-pun-TEE (petit )
sc'.; . n1a-L,4D i n.aiade )
w&I--.ice-Y.1 ' e aur-T .bH (bee n
pa,7anf )
atn hungry-ZHAY F :1 ('a ,
ra in: )
I sm thirsty-ZH .aY S ;VAH F
Il ia! soil )
h ..ack-A'WAHR (cor )
white-EL,'I K (blanc )
rod-ROOZH (rouge )
b :ue-ELEU (l ieu )
goer.-VEHR (cer !
chow-ZHOFIY ( ;dune )
high OH 1neo ; :
la-v-BAH (bas )
^r;
s .':'ai.lo5':-pate
prove
54
prate-t .'ti~i (pas
co :d---FR,?iV
)
hot-5HOH (cr':aisx )
` c-a-n :ou-YAY (r :arr.'lir-- ; .
SEHK {sec)
eagcns . .e-SHEHR ;crier)
cheat'-hato mar-SHAY ('ear ,
marehe j
e-no -i'EED (tide)
Lull PL .T (plea:')
cng-LAT' (long )
short---KOOK ( (-oar! )
read"-PREH (prey )
c :eer. PRL'HFR (plopre )
dirty-SAL (sale )
c'.al-t ec-YEO (vaeax )
ne'. . rco-i' OH (nouveau )
';dung-ZHEUN [ieru;c )
other OHTR ?atrnre ;
H
'app) . contenreti-K l ;'-T,J
( C :a;rera)
I-ZHUH Cie }
we-NOO (sous.)
you-VOO (cans )
heEEL (i1 )
she----EHL teller
thcs'-EEL (iis j
masculin e
this-S L' H Ice)
SEHT oche) Jem ;nrn e
these-SAY Ices)
that-SOH
(cc)
'ececulirta .
SENT (cc!re) `eo.innln e
or more dehnire-SU H
LEA (ce - - - id) rsarcisliace .
SENT
. LA (emi t .
iEr21rir7-' e
those-SAY Ices) . Marc dchntte, Sfi}' . . . LA car . . . hi )
tny, mine--- .-IA H7 (se;or, )
our, ours-HOH (nos)
his, h_-w-SEH (se) reaserdhae ;
Sri (ea) 'ern .n .n e
dour, :ours-VOH (vas )
the r . the :rs-LEUR (Zero)
ho-KEE (dui )
hat-k'i'H (,;ue) .
how n nv-r'ta'7-lee- .L (corr. Len )
how tar---KEHL de-e-STAHHS
(queue distance)
somebody-a',ehi-KCH
(duel s rn )
anyone - &ehl-K.4~t s K
en nurse )
bod- too Luk !IAJVD
ever y
(tour le niarlde )
ramcnaing-bcial-k r ‘n - SHOHZ
(aue)oaae (nose )
Prepositions
on SUR (cur )
to-A ("3 )
with-a-VEHK (evec) '
tar-POOR (pour)
iron-DOH (de) .
1o-D4H dare)
or-DUH (de)
Adverbs
above-on dtl,-SU (au dessue)
again-ate-KAWR (encore)
(derriere)
beside-a itch-TAY [a cote )
below--nn def:-SOO (ar. des sous}
55
enough-a-SAY (asset )
tar-itc'!f-TAIL (loirtarn )
here-ee-SEE ( (Cl )
in front-a7 FAS (en Jace )
less-'dL'r .1- (mean; )
more-PLL' (pies )
much-Solr-K00 (nearrco ap )
neat-swan-Z3 i x'02400 )
on that side- Aufi snn koh-TA Y
la (de ce cote 1a )
on this side-null sriir koh-TA Y
see (de Cc' Cote a )
there--Lz (la )
': ery-TREH (tries ,
Conjunction s
and-AY (et)
.
but-MAY (niais )
if-SEE (si )
or-00 (oii )
dint-KUH (que)
Points of the Compas s
Where - the nearest 'ow n
How tar is the nearest .rin g
00 AY la PEEL- la PLL'
PRUHSH (Ori es : as ville la
rind prOCSte? ;
Be ceretul!_ C EHT a-rri ;-YAW
. .(Eai tes arre!1ir0Y:' )
KEHL dee-ST AHS . sit h
TROO0 is SOORS la pin
PRL HSH ( .4 C'iieile dist:u:c e
source is plr„
s6 ;nonce
pi'oCr`1e )
Whist is the name of thi s
place?-kaw-,~? .H sa-PEH L
n-DRWAH (Commen t
dent .7''
appei'le cc : endrort'3 )
I have cigarette,-ZH.4Y da y
see-ga-l(EHT
(Cal des oscaret :es )
1 am sick-ZHUH SivEE ma LAD (je . . ._ n :riadc )
:ceps -0 0
'M!-s.re Can i
PP'EEZH dau-r-).; EER (O :
prr;- ;C norms? )
Wait a imnutei--UH moil-MAP.
(Ln n.CYAe7it )
haven't any mone'-ZHUH
NAY PAH dar-ZH .4H ' Jo
pas r<"argool )
Give nit some drinking watcrnorth- '-4[:'R (nerd)
south-SLI D f dtrd)
cent--d1HST (its! )
west-iii EHST (ones : )
Phrases for Every Day
What date is today -KEH L
ZHOOR ay-TEEL (fsuel roar
est-d2 )
The fifth or June, ctc .-lrr h
S-TK zhoo- .1 (le cirri min )
What day. o± the week_ --KI EH L
ZHOOR di;I 1a stiff-?,rEH't• ?
(Qrici rout he Is semaine? )
Tuesday, cte .---dYAAHR-dee (rrrar ai)
Cone here-tarn- z)YZ ee-SE E
(Tenet-rci )
Conte auiekiy-euS- AY i'-EE T
(Venez rite )
Go quickly-a-LAY VEET (,4lfez cite )
Give me some tocci-itnii-iViiii Y
li (L'~iH Sehl-h, ran-SHOHZ a
, t-ZHAY
(Dome.-mo i
a rleloue chose t7 manger)
SPECIAL
I am an American-y soidier ZHUH SWEEZ fir) sonl-t A
a-712ay'-)CC-K_f
{Jr dri2S
us
;shat -4merlcain )
I am Your friend-ZHUH Sif'E E
I CHTRE a-',IEE (]e sinu s
i'Ctr'0 .:,7.,:i )
NOTES ON NEW CALEDONI A
English
French
Who arc sour-KEE eht b'0 0
Qin eics-00x0
What do you want =-KUH coo LAY VOO (Que iorsleacoo .- )
56
dtih- 0l'r S16iAH drill LO H
a Bif'AHR (Dorncz-nior do
lean a bocce )
Surroundings-Natural Object s
Tnc usual s:crd for stream i s
borrowed tom the_ Eng :is h
creek and is-lrrn KREE K
ile creelr ;
57
NOTE S
Relationships
(lc gai+;ce )
In Nev.. Caledonia genera :11 a
s :ro-i-to rs a native scc', edore, a
woma n
In .Nos°: Caledonia a nativ e
(Melanesian) woman is-? a
: u -pee-\' c ((cc -op :ne )
;
A. Javanese woman . generally '
a servant, is.- i
i;-YO U
(ca Prear! )
.1 Tonkinesc woman, generally a servant, ]s-?a
it-
GAHee No cosign: )
Food and Drink (Note Especially )
. ;ate :rne:on is particularly con : mor-ia fair .-TEh1i (la p : -
.ariee)
V r inH .. :eir .vo A
cocoanut
KOH (Pr corn de coca )
bananas-'sirsa-NA1' ( :a (~a
coma' )
guava-la g,4rcer-
s;o-\'AH
ra ::ea.pp . .
r:oyj
arrow-roots
ame
ara recs.-YPI M
rgr :nri;a )
lno-0005 1
L. L,ego :r . .c )
ocsters---n HP EETR (ia ;r ;,src
native lobsters-fa
7' (n got roe)
Surrounding s
in Yea Caledonia there are n o
passenger railroads but a passenger bus service known as -
'arc- ;oil-BUS (1 m ;'cl;n(
Pay _artic'tt .ar arrzc-mon
sun s
warning you o any' apnroach .g-Yaa-YAT .lc ra ' icr ;
This Is a s unken concrete Jett y
servin g as a bridge across
58
streams, and can break eve n
the s p rings of a cap, unles s
traveled over slowly .
Cable Fern•-i:ri: BalK (le Par )
Shop, store an Naw Caledoni a
(lc
ge-nertl .v-irt-:
a :ere)
ranch-1; :L
- .n--YAii'
,ra -
NOTE S
RU . S . GOVERNMENT PAINTING OFFICE ; 1543-530'12