NGAN'GI LANGUAGE

Meaning:

Sugarbag bee.

elele

Word Class:

Meaning:

Curlew, 'Bush thick-knee'.

elifala

Word Class:

time noun

Meaning:

Morning, early in the day.

eme

Word Class:

Meaning:

'Bush black', a malevolent bush spirit with magical powers.

emelmel

Word Class:

Meaning:

Crest of top of the heads of species of parrot (like Sulphur crested cockatoo).

emelpe

Word Class:

Meaning:

Stingray.

emembirr

Word Class:

Meaning:

Child-giving spirit, a 'conception spirit' that places babies inside a woman.

Kurungurr Example:

Nem emembirr kinde dini tye.

There was a child-giving spirit living here before.

ememetyiba

Word Class:

Meaning:

Any animal with an 'arm' or wing bitten off.

ememetyibi

Word Class:

Meaning:

Any animal with a leg bitten off.

ememetyipurr

Word Class:

Meaning:

Any animal that is missing its tail (usually crocodiles, goannas, lizards, or dogs).

emen'gimen'gi

Word Class:

Meaning:

Grey goshawk.

emengginy

Word Class:

Meaning:

Goanna.

emerrkiny

Word Class:

Meaning:

Bird species (undentified: long tail).

eneltyi

Word Class:

Meaning:

Northern Lands Council.

Kurungurr Example:

Ep wureneltyi yenim pagu tyawurru.

The NLC woman should be here today.

enererr

Word Class:

Meaning:

'Chicken hawk', Brown falcon.

engelifen

Wumirri Headword:

adudumenytyamu

Word Class:

Meaning:

Gilbert's dragon.

Engelifen girim

Word Class:

placename

engelin

Wumirri Headword:

agarrtyinytyi

Word Class:

Meaning:

Fishing gear, line, hooks, bait, etc.

Kurungurr Example:

Agarrtyinytyi yangi fime pe.

Lend me some fishing gear.

engete

Word Class:

Meaning:

Forest kingfisher.

ep

Word Class:

particle

Meaning:

Perhaps, maybe.

Kurungurr Example:

Yerrnyin tyagannawa ngini? Ep medityin werre ngini ne.

I wonder what that stuff was for? Maybe it was used to make medicine.

Kurungurr Example:

'Ep kine Tawun', ngiminyne. 'Ep ne', menyngiti.

'Maybe this is Darwin', I said to him. 'I guess so', he told me.

epe

Word Class:

particle

Meaning:

But, however. This particle usually occurs at the beginning of a clause, contrasting it with some preceding clause.

Kurungurr Example:

Gagu wirritywirrity dede kinyi nayin nide yenim eweti, epe dede nyinyi nginyinggin minbe eweti yenim!

The lorikeets that live here in our country are small, but the ones I saw in your country are huge!

Kurungurr Example:

Peyi intyat yendi wembem nginimem, epe warifi mirri.

It's still inside the same building, but on a lower floor.

epelen

Word Class:

Meaning:

'Rifle fish', Archerfish.

eperrperr

Word Class:

Meaning:

Burdekin duck (Radjah Shellduck).

Kurungurr Example:

Angani ngini ngagadi tye eperrperr kana ngebene fiket.

I went out for goose, but I got a Burdekin duck by mistake.

errike

Word Class:

indefinite pronoun

Meaning:

Anything, any number of X, too many X.

Kurungurr Example:

Wuwu kinyi minde errike ngerriny tyutyuk ngirrim!

We've just got too many dogs here!

Kurungurr Example:

Minbe tye errike wani pirr.

He didn't miss anything out.

errike ninggi

Word Class:

indefinite number noun

Meaning:

Some number of times.

Kurungurr Example:

Kanbi ngayi errike ninggi ngagadi fifi tye!

Well I blew that didjeridu... I don't know how many times!

erriplen

Word Class:

Meaning:

Aeroplane.

Kurungurr Example:

Erriplen nyinda gaganim mirrmirr.

(I can hear) a plane's engine noise.

etye

Word Class:

time noun

Meaning:

Recently. In this sense etye usually combines with the negative particle minde, to mean 'not just recently but ages ago'.

Kurungurr Example:

Ya, kinyi minde etye nimbi ngudupun tyuk, kide nawa gaganin leli?

Hey, I sent that kid up here ages ago, where the hell's he wandered off to?

etye nimbi

Word Class:

interrogative

Meaning:

Since when, for how long?

Kurungurr Example:

Etye nimbi dede yannin du dirreninggi?

How long have you been camped across the river?

etye ninggi

Word Class:

indefinite time noun

Meaning:

About time, the appropriate time for something to happen.

Kurungurr Example:

Etye ninggi karam fitit, Nyin ngambani pirr nime warra tye!

It's about time she got up , we nearly left without her!

etyenawa

Word Class:

indefinite pronoun

Meaning:

Sometime, whenever.

Kurungurr Example:

Etyenawa pagu ngude wul ngini.

I'll be back sometime or other.

etyetye

Word Class:

Meaning:

Suckling baby, a baby still on the breast.

Kurungurr Example:

Minde yine batybity etyetye wurru.

Don't smack him, he's just a little baby.

etyma

Word Class:

Meaning:

Asthma.

Kurungurr Example:

Etyma dem baty dim kengarapa nide.

She's got asthma in her lungs.

etytrip

Word Class:

Meaning:

Airstrip, airport.

ewarrmil

Word Class:

Meaning:

Silver crowned friarbird.

ewerrmisya

Wumirri Headword:

muy yerrba

Word Class:

Meaning:

Fresh water crocodile.

Kurungurr Example:

Kultyi nimbi ewerrmisya werrbenda kinyi dirrpederr.

Yesterday they shot a crocodile down in the river.

ewerrpifiny

Wumirri Headword:

asyinme

Word Class:

Meaning:

Sulphur-crested cockatoo.

eybityi

Word Class:

Meaning:

Card game.

eytay

Word Class:

Meaning:

Playing card numbered 'eight'.

fa

Kurungurr Reduplication:

fafa

Word Class:

dangin

Word Class:

Meaning:

Hatch (of eggs).

yenim

Word Class:

Meaning:

Shout, scream.

fa ... muy

Word Class:

coverb + bodypart

mem

Word Class:

Meaning:

Shout angrily at somebody.

fafa

Word Class:

Meaning:

Shouting, screaming.

Kurungurr Example:

Ya awapurrpurk tyagani gannim fafa?

Hey, what are these kids screaming about?

fafala

Word Class:

wirribem

Word Class:

Meaning:

Wave your hands at somebody (to attract attention, or say goodbye).

Kurungurr Example:

Wirribengnge fafala.

He was waving to her.

fagarri

Wumirri Headword:

wagarri

Word Class:

Meaning:

Two.

Kurungurr Example:

Ma, egeningge wagarri yangi fime pe.

Well, give me two geese then.

fakurr

Kurungurr Reduplication:

fakurr fakurr

Word Class:

dem

Word Class:

Meaning:

Break, snap something off.

Kurungurr Example:

Ngayim ta, dem bafakurr miyi.

It was her, she broke off (the branches of) my plants.

yenim

Word Class:

Meaning:

Broken down, be broken down.

Kurungurr Example:

Murriga yenim fakurr nginde.

The car's broken down on me.

fal

Word Class:

dem

Word Class:

Meaning:

Spread things apart, open something up.

Kurungurr Example:

Ngerim fal.

I spread it open.

fal muy

Word Class:

coverb + bodypart

wirribem

Word Class:

Meaning:

Glare at someone, stare angrily at someone.

yenim

Word Class:

Meaning:

'Bug-eyed', be bug-eyed, have wide open staring eyes.

Kurungurr Example:

Mudetyi, yaganim falmuy!

What are you staring at, bug-eyes!

fala

Kurungurr Reduplication:

fafala

Word Class:

dangim

Word Class:

Meaning:

Clear away something, disperse something.

Kurungurr Example:

Dagum dangim fala kana mirri ninggi.

The sun has dispersed the fog.

wudupun

Word Class:

Meaning:

Father a child.

Kurungurr Example:

Minde derrigidi ngerim ngudu fala ngini membirr.

I don't want to father children.

wuden

Word Class:

reflexive verb

Meaning:

Show yourself, reveal your presence to someone.

Kurungurr Example:

Minde kene winnyirri tye, epe wudennin fala nime.

No-one had ever seen him, but he showed himself to us.

demem

Word Class:

reflexive verb

Meaning:

Walk around in a group.

Kurungurr Example:

Werrem fala yerrkinefi.

They're walking around everywhere.

yenim

Word Class:

Meaning:

Walk around in sight, wander in view.

Kurungurr Example:

Kinnembi deti yedi fala tye, kide pirr gaganim?

He was just in sight a minute ago, where has he gone?

wudupun

Word Class:

Meaning:

Bring a matter into the open, make something public.

Kurungurr Example:

Minde nana yudi fala ngan'gi!

You shouldn't bring that matter up in public!

wirribem

Word Class:

Meaning:

Wave your hands at somebody (to attract attention, or say goodbye).

Kurungurr Example:

Wirribengnge fafala.

He was waving to her.

falanban

Word Class:

Meaning:

Catfish, large, 'Salmon catfish'.

falfil

Word Class:

wupun

Word Class: