NGAN'GI LANGUAGE

perrik

Word Class:

Meaning:

Fence.

Kurungurr Example:

Yu wele perrik!

Hang it on the fence!

perriking

Word Class:

Meaning:

'Pair of kings', as a call in card games.

perriperri

Word Class:

Meaning:

Bird, generic.

perrityek

Word Class:

Meaning:

'Pair of jacks', as a call in card games.

peyifa

Word Class:

Meaning:

Paper, paperwork, writing.

Kurungurr Example:

Yudum miwul kinyi, yini pefi tye, yini wurrkama tye peyifa nyinyi.

You went home and sat around, working on your writing.

peyim

Word Class:

mem

Word Class:

Meaning:

Pay someone, give someone money.

Peyirri

Word Class:

peyk

Word Class:

Meaning:

Bag, handbag.

Kurungurr Example:

Peyk ngayi kide.

Where's my bag?

pi

Word Class:

bodypart as coverb

beyin

Word Class:

Meaning:

Lie head-to-head.

Kurungurr Example:

Wirrike werrbinggi pi.

The two of them were lying head-to-head.

dem

Word Class:

Meaning:

Form something into a ball, knead (bread).

Kurungurr Example:

Lawa kinyi minde nana ngemi pi.

This dough's impossible to knead.

wim

Word Class:

Meaning:

Comb hair.

Kurungurr Example:

Wusye wingnge pi.

She's combing her hair.

wudupun

Word Class:

Meaning:

Sit in a group, be huddled together.

Kurungurr Example:

Wunapirri wurrupun pi.

They're sitting up ahead there in a heap.

dinyinggin

Word Class:

Meaning:

Look in someone's hair (eg, for nits).

Kurungurr Example:

Yinyirringi pi gimin.

Try and look on my head for nits.

Word Class:

pi angamuk

Word Class:

Meaning:

Fontanelle, soft part of a baby's head where the skull plates have yet to fuse.

pi birr

Word Class:

dem

Word Class:

Meaning:

Hovering above someone's head, be overhead.

Kurungurr Example:

Tyagannawa gagu asinyme denne pibirr, ep yedi merriny ne.

I wonder why that cockatoo is hovering up there, maybe there's someone coming.

pi dudu

Meaning:

Heap things up.

Kurungurr Example:

Fepi werrim pi dudu.

There were lots of stones they'd heaped up.

pi ferr

Word Class:

bodypart + coverb

dingim

Word Class:

Meaning:

Spoil someone's plans, do something that causes things not to turn out as they should, to 'stuff things up'.

Kurungurr Example:

Yem piferr nide wakay, darany fitit kana ngirrngirr nimbi.

You've spoiled it now, you've woken him up from sleep.

pi gat

Word Class:

bodypart + coverb

direm

Word Class:

Meaning:

Raise your arm threateningly, make an aggressive gesture at someone.

nagan

Word Class:

Meaning:

Sneak along, move stealthily.

pi kek

Kurungurr Reduplication:

pi kekek

Word Class:

bodypart + coverb

dangim

Word Class:

Meaning:

Baptise someone, pour water over someone's head.

Kurungurr Example:

Tyagani ngini yarimbirr pikekek yirribem?

Why are you baptising them?

pi ket

Word Class:

bodypart + coverb

weyim

Word Class:

Meaning:

Heap up a raised 'headlike' mound (eg. make a pile of leaves).

wupun

Word Class:

Meaning:

Cut the 'heads' off something (eg. mow grass).

Kurungurr Example:

Nyinyi nawa wurr yu piket!

It's your turn to mow the grass!

webem

Word Class:

Meaning:

Cut someone's hair.

Kurungurr Example:

Ngayi ninggi ngebinyi piket wusye nyinyi.

I'll cut your hair (for you).

pi leli

Word Class:

bodypart + coverb

dem

Word Class:

Meaning:

Roll something into a ball shape.

Kurungurr Example:

Ngayi ngerim pileli yetytyerrawu.

I'm rolling up a ball of chewing tobacco.

pi ngan'gi

Word Class:

bodypart + coverb

bengin

Word Class:

Meaning:

Talk about someone behind their back.

Kurungurr Example:

Beyingi pingan'gi.

She's talking about me behind my back

pi syari

Word Class:

bodypart + coverb

wudupun

Word Class:

Meaning:

Hold back, exercise restraint, choose not to do something fully.

Kurungurr Example:

Yudi pisyari, minde yafi purrtyat yani madiwuty weti pefi.

Hold some back, don't tip the whole lot in, just pour a little bit!

dingin

Word Class:

Meaning:

Hold back (in eating), eat in a restrained manner, pace yourself.

Kurungurr Example:

Yengindi pisyari!

Make sure you eat slowly.

pi syarr

Word Class:

bodypart + coverb

dangim

Word Class:

impersonal verb

Meaning:

Bald, be bald.

dingin

Word Class:

Meaning:

Leave some food for someone else.

Kurungurr Example:

Yengngindi pisyarr!

Leave some for me.

pi ta

Word Class:

bodypart + coverb

dingim

Word Class:

Meaning:

Spread rumours, tell stories, gossip about someone.

Kurungurr Example:

Nyinyita ninggi yem pita!

You're the one, spreading stories around!

pi tada

Word Class:

bodypart + coverb

dangim

Word Class:

impersonal verb

Meaning:

Bald, be bald.

Kurungurr Example:

Danging pitada, warrangaripi.

He's completely bald.

pi tum

Word Class:

bodypart + coverb

wudupun

Word Class:

Meaning:

Embed something inside a head-shaped thing, bury something inside a head.

Kurungurr Example:

Ngudupun pitum depi bi yewirr nide.

I thumped the axe against a tree (to force the handle further into the head).

wupun

Word Class:

Meaning:

Slide something into a person.

Kurungurr Example:

Ami ngarim bang ngupunne pitum fityi fityi.

I stabbed him with a bone, pushed it right in and can't get it out.

webem

Word Class:

Meaning:

Bury the 'heads' of things (eg.hammer nails down into timber so that the nail heads are below the surface).

pi tyeri yilil

Word Class:

bodypart + bodypart + coverb

webem

Word Class:

Meaning:

Know someone's voice, recognise someone by their voice.

Kurungurr Example:

Ngan'gi nem ngebem pi tyeri yilil.

I knew his voice.

pi wirr

Kurungurr Reduplication:

pi wirrirr

Word Class:

bodypart + coverb

wudupun

Word Class:

Meaning:

Insert a 'head' into something (eg. attach a spearhead to a spearshaft).

disen

Word Class:

Meaning:

Pluck something (eg. grass, nits) from someone's head.

Kurungurr Example:

Disyengi pi wirrirr dini tye.

She was plucking nits from my hair.

pi wul

Word Class:

bodypart + coverb

wudupun

Word Class:

Meaning:

Moving along (of clouds, shade).

Kurungurr Example:

Meringgi wudupun puwul.

The shade's moved.

pi yiri

Word Class:

bodypart + coverb

dem

Word Class:

impersonal verb

Meaning:

Feel 'shamed', be shy or embarrassed. Feel the way someone does when public attention is drawn to them.

Kurungurr Example:

Wawedimuy ngagadi tye, wadengngi piyiri tye yedi.

As a young boy, I was really shy.

wupun

Word Class:

Meaning:

Concuss someone, make someone's head feel numb by hitting them.

Kurungurr Example:

Wupungngi piyiri.

He made me concussed.

dingin

Word Class:

Meaning:

Tell someone off, put someone down, talk to someone in a way that makes them feel embarrassed or 'shamed'.

Kurungurr Example:

Werrengngi piyiri.

They told me off.

dinyinggin

Word Class:

Meaning:

Make someone feel embarrassed or 'shamed' by seeing them doing something indiscrete.

Kurungurr Example:

Dinyinggingngi piyiri.

He saw me and made me feel 'shamed'.

piferr

Word Class:

Meaning:

Ruin a plan, spoil whatever was meant to happen.

Kurungurr Example:

Yem piferr nide wakay darany fitit kana ngirrngirr nimbi.

You've spoiled it for him now, he's woken up from his sleep.

pifiti

Wumirri Headword:

pifidi

Word Class:

Meaning:

Midday, in the heat of the midday sun.

pigipigi

Word Class:

Meaning:

Pig.

Pikinduwung

Word Class:

piligen

Word Class:

Meaning:

Billy; any tin can used for boiling water.

Kurungurr Example:

Piligen pagu, kuri ngini ngemi bubu.

Pass that billy, I'll boil some water.

pilkity

Word Class:

wudem

Word Class:

Meaning:

Swing yourself around.

Kurungurr Example:

Efenggu wudem pilkity pagu.

The snake swung itself around at me.

wirribem

Word Class:

Meaning:

Spinning, be spinning around.

Kurungurr Example:

Deyedirr wirribem pilkitypilkity.

The (car's) tyres are spinning around.

pilpil ... muy

Word Class:

coverb + bodypart

mem

Word Class:

Meaning:

See stars, have distorted vision.

Kurungurr Example:

Wingi gewurr wityi, pilpil ngim muy.

Wait up, my eyes are spinning.

pimadimi

Word Class:

Meaning:

Sternum, middle bony part of the chest.

pimimbi

Wumirri Headword:

mudadirri

Word Class:

Meaning:

Skeleton.

pimut

Word Class:

Meaning:

Fever.

pinbin

Word Class:

Meaning:

Crab's eye vine.

Kurungurr Example:

Pinbin midamuy dengini fifilngini i tyikmamadi. Damuy milenggirr, minde milalirr.
Pinbin wani fityat walipan wani dirr.

Pinbin seeds are red and black. The seeds are poisonous, you can't eat them. The Pinbin stem is used to make the frame for fishing nets. It's sown on to form the edge.

Pindaya

Word Class:

pindiyay

Word Class:

Meaning:

Prickle, any spiky seed that can be trodden on.

Pindiying

Word Class:

pinggilsya

Word Class:

Meaning:

Bee species.

pinpin

Word Class:

Meaning:

Armband, a traditional item of clothing.

pipiri

Wumirri Headword:

pininytyidirri

Word Class:

Meaning:

Brain.

Kurungurr Example:

Minde pipiri kirri!

You brainless twit!

piri

Word Class:

Meaning:

Pus, any yellowy discharge from the body.

Kurungurr Example:

Wumirr ngariny tyurrutu, piri kana ngerin tutu ngirim.

I pierced the boil, and I'm squeezing the pus out.

pirr

Word Class:

dem

Word Class:

Meaning:

Stop someone, prevent someone from doing something.

Kurungurr Example:

Ngemi pirr ngini.

I'll stop him.

yenim

Word Class:

Meaning:

Leave, go and leave someone behind.

Kurungurr Example:

Ngani nyi pirr kana ngini.

I'm going to leave you behind.

pirrigut

Word Class:

Meaning:

Skirt.

pirritpirrit ... tyerr

Word Class:

coverb + bodypart

mem

Word Class:

Meaning:

Have a dry mouth.

Kurungurr Example:

Pirritpirrit nginy tyerr kana.

My mouth's all dry.

pisya

Word Class:

Meaning:

Clusters, concentrations, lots of similar things in the same place.

Kurungurr Example:

Merrepen Litchfield pefi ngangginin nime, pisya nyinnawa girim.

We're going to Litchfield station for sandpalm, there's mobs of them together there.

Pisyantaktakma

Word Class:

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