bigisma

Sranan Tongo

Etymology

Compound of bigi (“big”) +‎ sma (“person”).

Pronunciation

IPA^(key): /biˈɡisma/, [biˈɟisma̠], [biˈjismɑ̟]

Noun

bigisma

adult
parent
elderly, wise person; old man or old woman
- 1950 January 23, Gerard van der Schroeff, “Einde van de koloniale voogdij. (Radiorede van de heer G. van der Schroeff) [The end of colonial tutelage. Radio address by Mr G. Van der Schroeff]”, in De West‎^[1], page 5:
  Tide mamantin, wan bigi soema kon aksi mi, iffoe mie no kan taki wan pikien sani na ini Sranang tongo, bikasi alla soema no verstan alla sani fini fini.
  [Tide mamanten, wan bigisma kon aksi mi, efu mi no kan taki wan pikin sani na ini Sranantongo, bikasi alasma no ferstan alasani finifini.]
  This morning, an elderly person came to ask me if I could say something in Sranan Tongo, because not everybody understood everything in detail.
- 1975, Edgar Cairo, “Wan pisi fu libi [A piece of life]”, in Ursy M. Lichtveld, Jan Voorhoeve, editors, Creole drum. An Anthology of Creole Literature in Surinam‎^[2], New Haven, London: Yale University Press, →ISBN, page 256:
  Mi no ben kan tan arki den betiyesi tori fu Basedi, bika na bigisma no ben lobi te pikinnengre mofo e warsi na ini en tori efu den bradi den yesimama e arki.
  I couldn't stay to listen to the ear-catching stories of Master Edi, because the old man didn't like it when children's mouths wandered into his tale if they had stretched their eardrums and were listening in.
- 2003, Conjunto Pomos (lyrics and music), “No Kosi Kaiman”, in Kula Man:
  Noiti no kosi kaiman mama, fosi yu abra liba, a so den bigisma koti den odo.
  Never curse the caiman's mother before you've crossed the river, that's how the old people recite their proverbs.