This is a Bislama lexicon; words and phrases useful in communication in Vanuatu among the general population. Vanuatu was first settled by Melanesian peoples who migrated there beginning approximately 3500 years ago. Isolated from the other islands, over a hundred oceanic tribal languages provided obstacles to communication. Eventually Europeans arrived in the form of Traders and Blackbirders in the late 1800s. Around this timeframe thousands of indigineous peoples were transported to Fiji, New caledonia and Australia to work on the plantations and in the mines. Thus the conditions for communication between Europeans and among other tribes became possible.

A form of Pidgin English based on phonetic sounds evolved from this necessity and Bislama is the result. Bislama takes its name from 'Beach-la-mer'/'Biche de mer' (meaning sea cucumber) Traders from the time, who first developed the beginnings of the language. Its started simply as combinations of pidgin English, French and Spanish, as those were the nations most heavily visiting the then named New Hebrides Islands. It quickly took on a life of its own becoming the lingua franca of the oceanic region. While New Guines and the Solomans and other Pacific countries  have similiar versions, Vanuatu's Bislama is a language onto itself. Over time and usage it expanded and incorporated new words and phrases and Bislama continues that living process today.

Cast and crew involved in the Survivor Vanuatu filming will undoubtedly encounter Bislama very quickly. For those who listen well, it is easily adapted to with some careful thought and usage. Bislama is centered around its phonetic structuring, however unusual combinations of words are often used in descriptive definitions, which can be challenging. Bislama would be the perfect medium of choice to deliver challenge news to the Survivors via treemail. It would provide new and endless challenges for both cast and fans alike. With few resources available, what follows are words gathered via the web to provide a starting point for translation and understanding. 

 

A advaes - advice aelan - island ale - go alo - hello	B beli - belly bigfala - large blong - belong, on, of, length blak - black blo - decides bokis - box bolet - bullet bonane - happy new year bos - boss bras - brush bred - bread brij - bridge bugarap - buggered up, broken, ruined buluk - cow buk - book bush - bush, forest bush naef - machete	C coconas - coconut copra - coconut flesh
D danis - dance dai - day dipsea - deep sea, ocean doti - dirty dragsto - drugstore dring - drink	E en - end eksesaes - exercise epril - april evnwan - everyone evri - every	F faetem - fight, strike, hit farmesi - pharmacy feks - fax finga - branch fis - fish foldaon - fall down freswota - fresh water franis man- frenchman fro - for frowanem - why fulap - full up fuldrong - drunk
G gat - got giaman - tell lies, liar glad - happy gras - grass gud - good gudfala - well	H hamas - how much han - hand, arm hanggre - hungry haos - house harem - sense, hear, feel, smell, taste hem - him, that hemi - him & me hemia - her hot - hot	I i - is ia - here
J jif - chief	K kabine - toilet kakae - food kam - come kantri - country kanu - canoe kaofis - dugong karem - carry, get kaset - video cassette kaskad - cascade, waterfall kastom - custom kava - numbing drink kek - cake kilim - kill him klab - club kol - cold kolwota - cold water kompiuta - computer kukum - to cook kwin - queen	L lae - garlic laet - light lafet - party laplap - baked manioc/banana/yam wrap w/meat/fish filling length - in front of leg - leg, foot legim - green vegetable limonad - lemonade lem lo - decides long - from,to on loto - car lukim - look lukum yu - tomorrow
M makem - make, do mande - monday manis - month manfis - dolphin mas - must masket - musket, rifle meresin - medicine meri - woman mi - I, myself, me, my, myself mifala - we, us miting - meeting mo - more, and morning - morning	N nabanga - banyan tree naef - knife naet - night nakamal - chief meeting house, bar namba - number nambawan - excellent, number one, first nambatu - number two, second nambatri - number three, third nasiviru - parrot nem - name niuklia - nuclear no - no nomo - no more	O ofis - office ol - all oli - all olsem - alike ostrelia - australia
P paep - pipe pepa - pepper pidgin - pigeon pikinini - child, children plaes - place plenti - plenty poef - pepper polis - police postofis - postoffice puskat - pussycat, cat plis - please praktis - practice pupe - doll, puppet	Q	R raet - right, correct, good raes - rice resing - raising ridim - read
S sarere - saturday sakem - take samting - something sava - supper save - know, can seepsea - ocean semi - see me, I sidaon - sit down sik - sick singaot - sing out, call, shout sipos - suppose skiusmi - excuse me skul - school soa - sore sookool - school solwata - saltwater sori - sorry smol - small smolhaus - toilet spik - speak stap - stop, be stanap - stand, rise stilvoes - tape recorder stringban - string band stoa - store swit - sweet	T tank yu - thank you tanis - dance tata - goodby, later teknik - technique, style tel - tail teprikod - tape recorder tija - teacher tok - talk toktok - meeting, speech tolet - toilet tri - tree trak - truck trening - training tri - three tu - two tukluk - manioc bread filled w/meat tumas - too much tut - tooth	U
V vilej - village voes - voice	W waetman - whiteman wan - want, one wanem - what wantem - want wea - where weding - wedding wil - wheel wiwi - frenchman wokboe - worker wokman - workman wota - water wotafol - waterfall	Y yam - yam, sweet potato yangfala - young people yia - year yu - you yumi - us yufala - you(plural)