bel

bel

English: ‘belly’.

A term related to lewa, bel is perhaps the seat of uncontrollable emotions such as anger, but also empathy towards others. By contrast lewa is more about a chosen target for one’s emotions.

In relation to thought, bel is about state of mind, as possibly influenced by external events, not cogitation; for example tanim bel, ‘repent’, is more about having a ‘change of heart’ rather than an inner theological debate.

See original Mihalic entry.

Noun forms

belly, stomach, entrails, innards ® lewa
bel i pen to have a stomach ache, to have any pain in the abdomen
bel i tait the stomach is full; to be sated
bel i tantanim to feel the stomach churning, to be nauseated
rausim bel bel bilong pik to take out the pig’s entrails
strongim bel to sette one’s stomach

womb, uterus, to do with pregnancy
givim bel to make pregnant
kisim bel to get pregnant, to conceive
meri i gat bel the woman i pregnant; a pregnant woman
rausim bel; brukim bel; katim bel to commit abortion
When the term rausim is used, it implies eating concoctions of seeds and leaves as abortifacients. The term with katim refers to the eating of sharp camphor leaves which natives believe dismembers the foetus.
em i bel o nogat? is she pregnant or not?
samting bilong pasim bel a contraceptive

the seat of emotions, empathy and one’s basic mental state ® lewa, tubel, wanbel
askim bel to consult one’s conscience
belgut, bel i gut to be happy, in good humour, well disposed
bel i hat to be angry
bel i hevi to be upset, troubled
bel i kirap to start getting angry
bel i malomalo to be meek, weak willed, gentle, mild
bel i pas, bel i sori to be sad
bel klin sincere
bel tru faithful
bel i nogut to be sad, uneasy, disappointed, penitent, filled with remorse
mekim kol bel to pacify someone
sutim bel to tease someone; to provoke someone
tingting long bel to think, to decide, to make up one’s mind, to reflect, to meditate
bel bilong mi i tok my conscience says; an interior voice tells me
oli tok long bel bilong ol they said to themselves

the inside, the interior of something
bel bilong tri the inside of a tree trunk

the bulging part of anything
sel i gat bel a billowing sail, a sail bellied by the wind

Noun combination forms

bel isi at peace, calm
ol i no bel isi long lukim em long taun they weren’t happy to see him in the town

bel hat angry
bel hat nau, ol kirapim pait when they were angry, they started fighting

bel hevi sad, upset
pikinini bilong tupela i dai, na ol i bel hevi tumas their child died and they were really upset

bel nogut (a) sad, uneasy, upset (b) with bad intention towards
boi i mekim bikpela rong, na ol famili i bel nogut the boy did a really bad thing and the whole family was upset
em i soim bel nogut long mi he has bad intentions towards me

bel kol (a) calmed, when anger has cooled (b) a payment of money to cool tempers before compensation negotiations commence
sapos kar i kilim wanpela, lain bilong driva i mas givim bel kol mani kwik if a car runs anyone over, the driver’s tribe must pay ‘cooling off’ money immediately

Verb phrase forms

tanim bel to change one’s attitude; to see the light, to repent
raskol man i tanim bel, na nau laudspika long maket the gang-member has repented and now preaches in the market

givim bel (a) to make pregnant (b) to open one’s heart to another in sympathy
em i givim bel long meri he made the woman pregnant
yumi givim bel long ol tarangu let us open our hearts to the unfortunate victims

kirapim bel to provoke someone to anger, to incite
ol meri sutim tok na kirapim bel bilong ol man the women hurled insults and made the men angy
ol mekim long ai bilong olgeta man, na kirapim bel they did it in public and provoked people to anger

sikrapim bel to provoke someone to anger, to incite
ol meri rausim pulpul na troimwe long haus man long sikrapim bel bilong man bilong ol the women took of their skirts and threw them in the men’s house to incite their husbands to fight