The Gundungurra Language | Page 2

slightly in form, according to the termination of the noun.
Gender.--Mur'ri[n~], a man; bul'lan, a woman; boobal, a boy; mullunga, a girl; goodha, a child of either sex; warrambal, a young man. Another name for a man is boual; a married man is kunbeelang; a married woman is boualillang. Generally the males of animals are distinguished by the addition of goomban, and the females by dhoorook. The males of certain animals have a name which distinguishes them without stating the sex; thus, the male of wallee, the opossum, is known as jerrawul, while the female is wallee dhoorook. Goola, the native bear, has burrandang for the male and goola dhoorook for the female. A few animals have a distinctive word for the female as well as for the male; thus, the female of the wallaroo is b[a^]wa, and the male goondarw[a^]. Others again have the suffix koual for the male, and [n~]oual for the female. The words for "male" and "female" are inflected for number like other adjectives.
Case.--There are two forms of the nominative, the first naming the subject at rest; as Boual ngabooroma[n~], the man sleeps. The second shows that the subject is doing some act; thus, mirreegangga wallee burr[a^]ra[n~], the dog an opossum bit. Mirreegang is a dog in the first nominative.
The possessive case takes a suffix both to the possessor and that which is possessed:
Murringoo warrangangoong, a man's boomerang.
Mirreegangoo goodh[a^]woong, a dog's puppy.
Bullangoo goodh[a^]yarroong, a woman's children.
Booroongoo dhoombirgoong, a kangaroo's tail.
Any object over which one can exercise ownership can be conjugated by possessive suffixes for number and person:
Singular. First person My boomerang Warrangandya Second Person Thy boomerang Warranganyee Third Person His boomerang Warrangangoong
Dual. First Person Our boomerang, incl. Warrangangulla Our boomerang, excl. Warrangangullang Second Person Your boomerang Warranganboola Third Person Their boomerang Warranganboolangoo
Plural. First Person Our boomerang, incl. Warranganyinnang Our boomerang, excl. Warranganyillung Second Person Your boomerang Warranganyoorung Third Person Their boomerang Warrangandyunnung
The accusative does not differ from the nominative. There are a few forms of nouns for the dative and oblative, but these cases are frequently shown by modifications of the verb; as, I carried to him, he carried from me. They are also indicated by the pronouns; as, with me, to me.
Pronouns.
Pronouns are inflected for number, person and case. There are two forms of the dual and plural in the first person. The following table shows the nominative and possessive cases:
Singular. I Goolangga Mine Goolanggooya Thou Goolanjee Thine Goolanyingoo He Dhannooladhoo His Dhannoogoolangoo
Dual. We, incl. Goolanga Ours, incl. Goolangal[i|]a We, excl. Goolangaloong Ours, excl. Goolangaloong Ye Goolamboo Yours Goolambooloong They Dhannooboola Theirs Dhannooboolangoo
Plural. We, incl. Goolanyan Ours, incl. Goolanyannung We, excl. Goolanyilla Ours, excl. Goolanyillungoon Ye Goolambanoo Yours Goolanthooroong They Dhannoojimmalang Theirs Goolangandyoolang
These possessives admit of variations to include two or several articles and in other ways. There are also forms of the pronouns signifying, with me, with thee, and so on as follows:
Singular. First Person With me Goolangngooreea Second Person With thee Goolangooroonyee Third Person With him Goolangooroong
Dual. First Person With us, incl. Goolangooroongulla With us, excl. Goolangooroongullung Second Person With ye Goolangoorooloong Third Person With them Goolangooroolangoo
Plural. First Person With us, incl. Goolangooroo[n~]unnung With us, excl. Goolangooroo[n~]ullungoo Second Person With ye Goolangooroo[n~]ooroong Third Person With them Goolangooroodyunnung
There are other modifications of the pronouns to meet different forms of expression. The demonstratives and interrogatives are inflected for number and person like the rest.
Adjectives.
Adjectives take the same dual and plural numbers as the nouns with which they are used:
(1) Barr[i|] buggarabang A wallaby, large Barr[i|]woolallee buggarabangoolallee A couple of wallabies, both large Barr[i|]dyargang buggarabangargang Several wallabies, all large
(2) Bullan yeddung A woman pretty Bullanboollee yeddungboolallee A couple of pretty women Bullandhar yeddungdyargang Several pretty women
Comparison is effected by saying, This is heavy--that is heavy; this is smooth--that is not; this is sharp--that is very sharp.
When used predicatively, as yooroang or yoorwang, he is strong, an adjective can be conjugated through all the tenses and moods of an intransitive verb:
Present Tense.
Singular. First Person I am strong Yooroangga or Yoorwangga Second Person Thou art strong Yooroandyee Third Person He is strong Yooroang
Dual. First Person We are strong, incl. Yooroanga We are strong, excl. Yooroangaloong Second Person Ye are strong Yooroangboo Third Person They are strong Yooroangboola
Plural. First Person We are strong, incl. Yooroanyun We are strong, excl. Yooroanyulla Second Person Ye are strong Yooroanthoo Third Person They are strong Yooroanjimmalang
The past and future tenses are not given, owing to want of space.
Verbs.
Verbs have the singular, dual and plural numbers, the usual persons and tenses, and three principal moods, viz., indicative, imperative and conditional. The verb-stem and a contraction of the pronoun are incorporated, and the word thus formed is used in the conjugation.
INDICATIVE MOOD.
Present Tense.
Singular. First Person I throw (throw I) Yerreemangga Second Person Thou throwest Yerreemandyee Third Person He throws Yerreema[n~]
Dual. First Person We throw, incl. Yerreemang'a