Ebeje

German

Etymology

Borrowed from Marshallese Ebeje, the older orthographic spelling of Epjā.

Proper noun

Ebeje

1. (archaic) Ebeye (the most populous island of Kwajalein atoll, Marshall Islands)

   Synonym: Ebeye

Usage notes

• Ebeje is the historic German name of Ebeye, dating from the island's administration under German New Guinea. The modern German name is Ebeye, after the English name which itself originated from the older German name.

Descendants

• → English: Ebeye
  • → German: Ebeye
  • → Marshallese: Ibae

Marshallese

Alternative forms

• (new orthography) Epjā

Pronunciation

• (phonetic) IPA^(key): [ɛbʲ(ɛ)zʲæ], (enunciated) [ɛpʲ tʲæ]
• (phonemic) IPA^(key): /jɛpʲtʲæj/
• Bender phonemes: {yepjay}

Synonyms

• Ibae

Proper noun

Ebeje

1. Ebeye (the most populous island of Kwajalein atoll, Marshall Islands)

Usage notes

The form Epjā, previously spelt Ebeje in the old orthography, is the traditional and official name of Ebeye. The form Ibae is the most common local name, borrowed from English. This distinction is historical; most Marshallese residents of Ebeye today are not indigenous to this particular island, but are descended from refugees who were resettled by the United States government because of the atomic bomb tests at Bikini Atoll. The islanders were introduced to the island through its English name rather than through the Marshallese name it already had. Since the English name was already derived obliquely from Epjā through a sight pronunciation of a misspelling of its German form Ebeje, this made Ibae a twice-borrowed term in Marshallese.

Descendants

• → German: Ebeje
  • → English: Ebeye
    • → German: Ebeye
    • → Marshallese: Ibae
• → Japanese: エビゼ (Ebize)

References

• Marshallese–English Online Dictionary