NGAN'GI LANGUAGE

Meaning:

First light before sun up.

warra

Word Class:

interjection

Meaning:

Quick as you can!

Kurungurr Example:

Warra yani ya, peyi pagu garriny tyip.

Go as fast as you can, it's nearly dark now.

warrakma

Word Class:

numeral noun

Meaning:

Three.

Kurungurr Example:

Syiri damuy warrakma yangi fime?

Can you let me have three shotgun cartridges?

warrgadi

Wumirri Headword:

warrgudu

Word Class:

Meaning:

Dilly bag.

Kurungurr Example:

Ayuy, warrgadi bakuty kirri.

Wow, look at all these dillybags.

Kurungurr Example:

Ayuy, warrgudi mabuk mirri.

'Two Xs' (where X is a kinterm). A pair of people who are all in the same relationship to each other. This word combines with kinterms to form expressions like; warmadi were 'two brothers', warmadi kawu 'two people who are mother's mother and daughter's daughter to each other', etc.

Kurungurr Example:

Warrmadi kawu kakambirri wannunggu.

The 'kawu-pair' have gone on ahead.

warrmadi afutyu

Word Class:

Meaning:

Two people who call each other 'afutyu', ie. a woman and the child of her son.

warrmadi angga

Word Class:

Meaning:

Two people who call each other 'angga', ie. a man and his son's son.

warrmadi eke

Word Class:

Meaning:

Two people who call each other 'father-in-law' and 'son-in-law'.

warrmadi kawu

Word Class:

Meaning:

Two people who call each other 'kawu', ie. a woman and her daughter's daughter.

warrmadi tyabuty

Word Class:

Meaning:

Two people who call each other 'tyabuty', ie. a man and the child of his daughter.

warrmadi yipe

Word Class:

Meaning:

Two people who call each other 'mother-in-law' and 'daughter-in-law'.

wasyan

Word Class:

Meaning:

Body hair other than head hair and pubic hair. Fur of animals.

wasyanderri

Word Class:

Meaning:

Hessian bag, potato sack.

wasyangari

Word Class:

nominal as coverb

dem

Word Class:

Meaning:

Clean something.

Kurungurr Example:

Yemi wasyangari!

Clean it!

wasyangaripi

Wumirri Headword:

warrangaripi

Word Class:

Meaning:

Bald, having no hair.

wasyari

Word Class:

Meaning:

Paperbark tree, generic term for all species of Melaleuca.

wasyi

Word Class:

adjectival noun

Meaning:

'Wrongside' spouse, a spouse who isn't really in the right relationship to you.

wat

Word Class:

wupun

Word Class:

Meaning:

Hook something, use a hooked stick to pick something up.

Kurungurr Example:

Pilikan yu wat!

Hook the billycan off the fire!

menggin

Word Class:

Meaning:

Hooked up, be hooked up, be held up off the ground.

Kurungurr Example:

Pletytikbeg menggin wat yewirr nide.

A plastic bag is hooked up in the tree.

watkuwatku

Word Class:

Meaning:

Frog, generic term for all local species of frog.

waty

Word Class:

wusyum

Word Class:

Meaning:

Eat something.

Kurungurr Example:

Adidirr ninggi wurrsyumwaty yewirr, misyi wannim kana.

White ants ate all our trees, they're all dead now.

yenim

Word Class:

Meaning:

Waste away, pour away (of water), melt (of ice) .

Kurungurr Example:

Kuri lirrmem kinyi dangim pek kana, gani waty nginde.

The ice is dripping, it'll all melt away on me.

wusum + kuri

Word Class:

phrasal verb

Meaning:

Die, be dead.

Kurungurr Example:

Kuri wusum waty kana.

He's passed away now.

watyembity

Wumirri Headword:

ngurmeringgi

Word Class:

Meaning:

Male circumcised 'white man's way' (no age implied).

watyenytyenymuy

Word Class:

Meaning:

Bully, a boy who bullies other kids.

watyerrewirr

Word Class:

Meaning:

Paperbark tree species.

watyerrmusye

Wumirri Headword:

mipurr tyerrnginbirr

Word Class:

Meaning:

Old man, old men.

watyet

Word Class:

mem

Word Class:

Meaning:

Call out a list of things, list the names of things, spell out the letters of a word, or the numbers in something like a phone number.

watypala

Word Class:

Meaning:

Whitefella, 'Europeans' (as label for white Australians).

wawalalma yubu

Word Class:

Meaning:

Hunter, a man who is reknowned for his hunting skills.

wawalalmayubu

Word Class:

Meaning:

Good hunter.

wawan'gin

Word Class:

Meaning:

Skinny person.

wawetimuy

Wumirri Headword:

wawedimuy

Word Class:

Meaning:

Little boy.

Kurungurr Example:

Wawetimuy ngayi ngini ngupunne fifili ngaganim.

I've been searching around for my little boy.

wawu

Kurungurr Reduplication:

See wa

Kurungurr Example:

way

Word Class:

dem

Word Class:

Meaning:

Twist something in your fingers.

Kurungurr Example:

Fi ngerim way debi nide warrgadi ngini.

I'm twisting the string on my thigh for a dillybag.

demen

Word Class:

reflexive verb

Meaning:

Be lonely, be alone.

way me

Word Class:

coverb + bodypart

yenim

Word Class:

Meaning:

Empy handed, be empty handed.

Kurungurr Example:

Walalma yedi tye epe yedi wayme tye.

He went hunting but came back empty handed.

wayarr miringgi

Word Class:

Meaning:

Full moon.

wayarrfiriny

Word Class:

Meaning:

Paperbark tree species.

wayedi

Word Class:

Meaning:

Male human, of any age.

Kurungurr Example:

Wayedi deti bengim baty.

She's given birth to another baby boy.

wayenin dada yubu

Wumirri Headword:

wayeniny dada yubu

Word Class:

Meaning:

Good singer.

wayening ngalsyi

Word Class:

Meaning:

Snob, someone who is aloof and thinks they're better than you (lit: someone with an erect nose).

wayerrfiriny

Word Class:

Meaning:

Paperbark tree species.

wayerrmentyi

Word Class:

Meaning:

Singing man, a good singer.

wayerrmenytyi yubu

Word Class:

Meaning:

Good singer.

wayi muy

Word Class:

coverb + bodypart

dim

Word Class:

Meaning:

Alone, be alone.

Kurungurr Example:

Dinine wayimuy tye, ep minde fela.

She was alone (waiting) for him, but he didn't show up.

wayifi

Word Class:

Meaning:

Snake species (unidentified: poisonous).

wayikayi

Word Class:

Meaning:

My son.

wayiki

Word Class:

Meaning:

Son, great grandfather. A woman calls her own son wayiki. A man calls his sister's son wayiki.

Kurungurr Example:

Mamak wayiki!

Bye, son!

wayirr wurity

Word Class:

bodypart + coverb

wim

Word Class:

Meaning:

Shape up your hair at the front (like Elvis), wear you hair in a 'pompadour' style.

Kurungurr Example:

Wim wayirrwurity mene wapuritymuy kene kinyi, damuy anguty!

He's shaped his hair up, like he thinks he's gorgeous, ghost eyes!

we

Kurungurr Reduplication:

wewe

Word Class:

yenim

Word Class:

Meaning:

Spit, vomit.

Kurungurr Example:

Ngagadi wewe tye.

I was vomiting.

dim

Word Class:

Meaning:

Vomit, spit.

Kurungurr Example:

Dege wulek ngaganim, ngini wewe tye.

My guts are crook, I threw up.

wele

Word Class:

wudupun

Word Class:

Meaning:

Hang something up, position something so that it is raised off the ground.

Kurungurr Example:

Yedderri nide ngudu wele ngini.

I'm going to hang them on this log (to dry).

wele tyerr

Word Class:

coverb + bodypart

yenim

Word Class: