Title: The Gundungurra Language
Author: Mathews, R. H. (Robert Hamilton), 1841-1918
Language: English
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THE GUNDUNGURRA LANGUAGE.

BY R. H. MATHEWS, L.S.

(_Read October 4, 1901._)

The Dhar′rook and Gun′dungur′ra tribes respectively occupied the
from the mouth of the Hawkesbury river to Mount Victoria, and thence
southerly to Berrima and Goulburn, New South Wales. On the south and
southeast they were joined by the Thurrawal, whose language has the
same structure, although differing in vocabulary.

Besides the verbs and pronouns, many of the nouns, adjectives,
prepositions and adverbs are subject to inflection for number and
person. Similar inflections have, to some extent, been observed in
certain islands of the Pacific Ocean, but have not hitherto been
reported in Australia. I have also discovered two forms of the dual
and plural of the first personal pronoun, a specialty which has
likewise been found in Polynesian and North American dialects. Traces
of a double dual were noticed by Mr. Threlkeld at Lake Macquarie, New
South Wales, and traces of a double plural by Mr. Tuckfield in the
Geelong tribe; but the prevalence of both forms of the dual and plural
in different parts of speech in any Australian language has, up to the
present, escaped observation.

Orthography.

Ninteen letters of the English alphabet are sounded, comprising
fourteen consonants—b, d, g, h, j, k, l, m, n, p, r, t, w, y—and five
vowels—a, e, i, o, u. Every word is spelled phonetically, the letters
having the same value as in English, with the following
qualifications:

Unmarked vowels have the usual short sound.

Vowels having the long sound are distinguished by the following marks:

  ā as in fate    ī as in pie    oo as in moon
  â as in father  ô as in pole   ee as in feel
                  ou as in loud

It is frequently difficult to distinguish between the short or
unmarked sound of a and that of u. A thick or dull sound of i is
occasionally met with, which closely approaches the short sound of u
or a.

G is hard in every instance.

R has a rough trilled sound, as in hurrah!

Ng at the beginning of a word, as ngee=yes, has a peculiar sound,
which can be got very closely by putting oo before it, as oong-ee′,
and articulating it quickly as ony syllable. At the end of a word or
syllable it has substantially the sound of ng in our word sing.

The sound of the Spanish ñ is frequent, both at the beginning or end
of a syllable.

Y, followed by a vowel, is attached to several consonants, as in dya,
dyee, tyoo, etc., and is pronounced therewith in one syllable, the
initial sound of the d or other consonant being retained. Y at the
beginning of a word or syllable has its usual consonant value.

Dh is pronounced nearly as th in “that” with a slight sound of the d
preceding it.

Nh has nearly the sound of th in “that” with an initial sound of the
n.

The final h is guttural, resembling ch in the German word “joch.”

T is interchangeable with d, p with b, and g with k in most words
where these letters are employed.

A sound resembling j is frequently given by the natives, which can be
represented by dy or ty; thus, dya or tya has very nearly the same
sound as ja.

In all cases where there is a double consonant, each letter is
distinctly enunciated.

W always commences a syllable or word and has its ordinary consonant
sound in all cases.

At the end of a syllable or word, ty is sounded as one letter; thus,
in beety-bal-lee-mañ, it is disappearing, the syllable beety can be
obtained by commencing to say “beet-ye,” and stopping short without
articulating the final e, but including the sound of the y in
conjunction with the t—the two letters being pronounced together as
one.

Articles.

The equivalents of the English articles, “a” and “the,” do not occur
in this language.

Nouns.

_Number._—Nouns have the singular, dual and plural:

  (1) _Singular_  A man                Murriñ
      _Dual_      A pair of men        Murriñboolallee
      _Plural_    Several men          Murriñdyargang

  (2) _Singular_  A kangaroo           Booroo
      _Dual_      A pair of kangaroos  Booroolallee
      _Plural_    Several kangaroos    Boorooyargang

It will be observed that the dual and plural suffixes vary slightly in
form, according to the termination of the noun.

_Gender._—Mur′riñ, 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 bâwa, and the male
goondarwâ. Others again have the suffix koual for the male, and ñoual
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 ngabooromañ, the man sleeps. The second
shows that the subject is doing some act; thus, mirreegangga wallee
burrârañ, 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 goodhâwoong, a dog’s puppy.

Bullangoo goodhâyarroong, 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.  Goolangalīa
               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.  Goolangoorooñunnung
                              With us, excl.  Goolangoorooñullungoo
               Second Person  With ye         Goolangoorooñooroong
               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) Barrī buggarabang                   A wallaby, large
      Barrīwoolallee buggarabangoolallee  A couple of wallabies, both large
      Barrīdyargang 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             Yerreemañ

  _Dual._      First Person   We throw, incl.       Yerreemang′a
                              We throw, excl.       Yerreemangaloong
               Second Person  Ye throw              Yerreemanboo
               Third Person   They throw            Yerreemanboola

  _Plural._    First Person   We throw, incl.       Yerreemanyan
                              We throw, excl.       Yerreemanyalla
               Second Person  Ye throw              Yerreemanthoo
               Third Person   They throw            Yerreemandyoolung

_Past Tense._

  _Singular._  First Person   I threw (threw I)     Yerreeing′ga
               Second Person  Thou threwest         Yerreerindyee
               Third Person   He threw              Yerreering

  _Dual._      First Person   We threw, incl.       Yerreering′a
                              We threw, excl.       Yerreeringaloong
               Second Person  Ye threw              Yerreeringboo
               Third Person   They threw            Yerreeringboola

  _Plural._    First Person   We threw, incl.       Yerreeooranyan
                              We threw, excl.       Yerreeooranyulla
               Second Person  Ye threw              Yerreeooranthoo
               Third Person   They threw            Yerreeooradyoolung

_Future Tense._

  _Singular._  First Person   I will throw          Yerreeningga
               Second Person  Thou wilt throw       Yerrenindyee
               Third Person   He will throw         Yerreeniñ

  _Dual._      First Person   We will throw, incl.  Yerreening′a
                              We will throw, excl.  Yerreeningaloong
               Second Person  Ye will throw         Yerreenimboo
               Third Person   They will throw       Yerreenimboola

  _Plural._    First Person   We will throw, incl.  Yerreeninyan
                              We will throw, excl.  Yerreeninyulla
               Second Person  Ye will throw         Yerreemunanthoo
               Third Person   They will throw       Yerreemunadyoolung

IMPERATIVE MOOD.

  _Singular_  Second Person  Throw thou  Yer′-ree
  _Dual_      Second Person  Throw ye    Yer′-ree-ou′
  _Plural_    Second Person  Throw ye    Yer′-ree-a-nhoor′

CONDITIONAL MOOD.

  Perhaps I will throw  Yerreeningga  booramboonda

If a negative meaning be required, it is effected by means of an
infix, mooga, between the verb-stem and the abbreviated pronoun. One
example in the first person singular in each tense will exhibit the
negative form of the verb:

  I am not throwing  Yerreemoogamangga
  I did not throw    Yerreemoogaringga
  I will not throw   Yerreemooganingga

This negative infix can be applied in the same manner to all the
persons of the three tenses.

There are numerous modifications of the verbal suffixes to convey
variations of meaning; as, “I threw at him,” “He threw at me,” etc.,
which can be conjugated for number and person. Case can also be
indicated in this way, as already stated in dealing with the nouns.

Verbs have no passive voice. If a native desires to state that a fish
was swallowed by a pelican, he would say, “A pelican swallowed a
fish.”

Prepositions.

Some prepositions can be used separately, as dhooreegoong, between;
warroo, around; willinga, behind, and several others, thus:
Dhooreegoong ngullawoolee, between trees two or between two trees;
gunbee warroo, the fire around or around the fire.

A prepositional meaning is often obtained by a verb; thus, instead of
having a word for “up” or “down,” a native will say, Boomaningga, up I
will go; woorâramuningga, down I will go. Many of the prepositions
admit of conjugation for number and person, as in the following
example:

  _Singular._  First Person   Behind me         Willingīa
               Second Person  Behind thee       Willinganyee
               Third Person   Behind him        Willingâwoong

  _Dual._      First Person   Behind us, incl.  Willingangulla
                              Behind us, excl.  Willingangullung
               Second Person  Behind ye         Willingangâwooloong
               Third Person   Behind them       Willingangawoolangoo

  _Plural._    First Person   Behind us, incl.  Willinganyanung
                              Behind us, excl.  Willinganyanungoo
               Second Person  Behind ye         Willinganthooroong
               Third Person   Behind them       Willingadyanung

Adverbs.

Space will not permit of a list of adverbs any further than to
illustrate how some of them can be conjugated:

  _Singular._  First Person   Where go I          Ngoondeeneea
               Second Person  Where goest thou    Ngoondeeneeñee
               Third Person   Where goes he       Ngoondeeneeoong

  _Dual._      First Person   Where go we, incl.  Ngoondeeneenga
                              Where go we, excl.  Ngoondeeneengoolung
               Second Person  Where go ye         Ngoondeeneewoo
               Third Person   Where go they       Ngoondeeneewoola

  _Plural._    First Person   Where go we, incl.  Ngoondeeneeñnun
                              Where go we, excl.  Ngoondeeneeñulla
               Second Person  Where go ye         Ngoondeeneeñoo
               Third Person   Where go they       Ngoondeeneeyoolung

Adverbial meanings are sometimes conveyed by means of verbs, as
beetyballeemañ, he (or it) goes out of sight. Conjunctions and
interjections are few and unimportant.





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