Let's Discuss Ya!

Feeling helpless, he muttered with resignation, "Our brother in-law ya, he is not a good man ya."

Tok Pisin 'ya' has made it's way into PNG English for sure.

But what is it ya?

Let's discuss the meanings of 'ya'.

1) YA is a TOK PISIN INTERJECTION that can convey a range of emotions depending on the context. Below are examples of sentences expressing annoyance or frustration.

Let's discuss ya! Come on man, let's discuss it!

But what is it ya? But for goodness sake, what is it?

He is not a good man ya. Damn it. He is a stingy person.

2) YA is a TOK PISIN TOPIC MARKER, a particle that marks what the speaker is talking about. It is often loaded with cultural nuances that only native speakers can understand as demonstrated in the second example.

a) Our brother in law ya. Our brother in law that I am talking about.

b) Chauka ya! It's that Manusian characteristic or vibe. For real man. You know what I mean.

(Chauka or Manus Friar bird is the cultural totem for Manus islanders.)

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