Trump Speaks Samoan? ...Or Trying?

The Internet and twittersphere today have been swamped, flooded and inundated with responses, jokes and interpretations of a word in one of president Trump’s latest and iffy tweets. Which one?  This one:“Despite the constant negative press covfefe”. Yes every average English writer/speaker has held his/her breath at the new, if not strange, word - “covfefe”.  Comedians and late night show hosts are having a feeding frenzy with the “typo” (for a lack of a better word, or maybe I can use “covfefe” lol!!).  It's not even a standard coinage 😩. Jimmy Kimmel, one of my favorites, tweeted “What makes me saddest is that I know I’ll never write anything funnier than #covfefe.”

Mr. Trump then sarcastically tweeted several hours later (about 6 am):
“Who can figure out the true meaning of "covfefe" ??? Enjoy!”

Well, president, here’s my take.

To a Samoan native speaker, covfefe seems intelligible especially with the “fefe” part.  The two possible English pronunciations “fay-fay” (fefe) and “fee-fee” (fifi) are both legit Samoan words.  The former means “afraid/scared/fear” and the latter is Samoan for “small intestine” (not “small hands” ..lol!).  And so not surprisingly, Google concurs; it automatically detects “covfefe” to be Samoan.

According to the Independent (UK) website, “Google Translate actually suggests that the word is Samoan, if you use its "detect language" feature. But it can't translate it.”  

Actually, I think I can translate it.... read on ...lol!

Now, like many other word prognosticators out there, let me expound and/or parody the Samoan connection - namely the “afraid/scared/fear” (fefe) translation. The best and closest Samoan translation for Mr. Trump’s asinine and goofy lexical construct is “kafēfē” which is a word of exclamation and literally means “Oh my!”  Grammatically, therefore, “covfefe” can be an interjection, much like “kafefe!”.  The Samoan transliteration is fitting whether phonetically, semantically or contextually.  Consider therefore this version of the tweet: “Despite the constant negative press, kafēfē! (oh my!)”

Kafēfē also is an utterance that expresses one’s fear of a specific something. (The chief of vainglory (cov) is fefe; hence covfefe.)  In Mr.Trump’s case he either feared the press for perpetrating fake news, OR he was just being afraid and scared because of the time of night.  Yes, it was around midnight that he tweeted!  Midnight!!  Can you believe that?  (By the way, I want my president, especially for an old man like him, to be asleep around that time, for the sake of the country, pleaaase Mr. Please!!)  So he must have said: “Kafēfē, ua vaeluapo a’o lea lava e fai la’u tuiti!” (Oh my, it’s midnight and I’m still tweeting!).  And that’s what happens as a result when an old man is up at midnight tweeting; he tweets nonsensical things.  Koeikiiki tweet se upusa (Soon, he may tweet some profanity) Come to think of it, he may already have.  Covfefe, in Plutonian or Martian parlance, could very well be a vulgar word. LOL!

Thus far in Mr. Trump’s fledgling presidency, nothing with regards to audacity, impudence, vulgarity and insolence should surprise us anymore.  Some have already said that his presidency is a joke, and with tweets like this “covfefe” one, it only validates it even more.

So with that in mind, let’s not take Mr. Trump’s presidency seriously; let’s just treat it as a comic relief in the ongoing White House drama series.  Kafēfē! ... Hahahaaaaaaaaaaa! Ia Kofafa loa! (Bye for now!). Ia pe kofifi fo'i 🤣😂

Pics of Recent Family Milestones

Our Trip to Australia - April/May

... dearie inside sydney cathedral

... us with harbour bridge in background 

... opera house in background 

... with daughters at the taronga zoo

... inside cathedral

Our Grandson's Mission Farewell and Sendoff.  He is the second grandchild/son to serve; the first one (his brother) returns next month. 

"Temple Day"
(front l to r) me and elder; (back l to r) elder's dad and uncle

... brothers (three) and cousins performing during his farewell party
(grandchildren, minus two elders/missionaries)

... farewell sunday 

...day he was set apart

...at the Missionary Training Center (MTC) grounds saying his goodbyes

... saying goodbye to his baby brother

Mother's Day 2017

(l to r) dearie, her mum and Soli (from NZ) after church

... after church

Me and Natura

NATURA

I’m a real pastoral and rustic guy

And definitely ‘til the day I shall die.

Put me in a jungle of concrete towers,

And you’ll find in me a man that cowers

Cringes and crouches in repulsive awe,

Of man’s modern miracles of perfect flaw.

Clogged veins and arteries of Main Street,

From fuming cars and crowds of hurried feet.

Everyone vying to make a profit and some green

At all costs and means even if to prude and preen.

The hustles and bustles of chaos and confusion,

Emitting potent pollens of poisoned pollution

And so occasionally I escape to catch a breath

Of fresh air so I won’t suffer silent sudden death.

Here in the mountains I find solace and relief,

Where rivers and streams rescue me from grief.

The clean air, blue sky, green pastures and fields;

Free and friendly and serve as needed shields.

The pretty flowers and preening birds singing

Praises of peaceful miracles and gifts of living;

They calm my fears, soothe my soul in this shrine,

Lifting my spirit heavenward in awe of the divine.

LV ~ 2017

...escape to catch a breath of fresh air

...peaceful miracles

...in this shrine

... calm my fears, soothe my soul

... clean air, blue sky and green pastures

... rivers and streams rescue me from grief

... lifting my spirit heavenward in awe of the divine

... needed shields and gifts of living

... in the mountains I find solace and relief

Pictures from our Daughter's BYU Graduation

... graduated and already hired as a news editor at a Utah major - and very first - TV station ....

There was a quite a treat too for our daughter's graduation from a famous singer/entertainer who happens to be our (with dearie) teen idol (with his sister) during our younger days in Samoa.  Re: this post on this blog from back in 2011 that refers to those times when we started listening to Donny and Marie Osmond.  This past Friday during graduation, we got to meet Donny  - and had our pictures taken with him.  Donny had a son who graduated together with our daughter.  How about that?  Coincidence or fate?  ...LOL!  We couldn't have met a much nicer person. Donny is a very pleasant, modest and unassuming guy.

a picture with dearie and our girls

Donny said to us that our children and grandchildren were too young to know who he was.  Then he asked this
grandson if he remembers the Disney movie Mulan (in which he "played" Li Shang). Donny was surprised
when our grandson sang back the theme song which he (Donny) sings ...