NGAN'GI LANGUAGE

Meaning:

Call out to someone, howl (of a dog).

Kurungurr Example:

Wuwu wuni yenim kayki.

There's a dog howling over there.

dim

Word Class:

Meaning:

Collect a person, pick someone up on the way.

yenim

Word Class:

Meaning:

Ask someone a favour, request something from somebody.

Kurungurr Example:

Wangga kide? Kanbi ngini ngani ne kay ngini.

Where's Wangga? I need to ask him for a didjeridu.

kebmin

Word Class:

Meaning:

Government, politicians, people in charge.

Kurungurr Example:

Awa kebmin Tawun nimbi wani pagu detyengi.

There's some government people coming down from Darwin today.

kekulkul

Word Class:

Meaning:

Heart.

Kurungurr Example:

Wa kekulkul lenggirr, atypil nide dim.

He's got a bad heart, he's in hospital.

kele

Word Class:

Meaning:

Yuck!, That's revolting!, I want nothing to do with it!

Kurungurr Example:

Kele, yibe ngani miwap ngini. Kene menne wunu.

Yuck, it's like he thinks I'm going to sleep with him. Who gave him that idea?

kelerrk

Word Class:

Meaning:

Black ball of wax at the core of sugarbag (honey).

kelerrkmuy

Word Class:

Meaning:

Dirty (of person).

Kurungurr Example:

Dengini yemepul gimi, kelerrknyimuy!

Try washing, you're filthy!

kene

Word Class:

indefinite pronoun

Meaning:

Someone, somebody, anyone.

Kurungurr Example:

Minde kene dim.

There's no-one here.

Kurungurr Example:

Ep kene ngumbu pe.

Maybe we should tell someone.

kenenawa

Word Class:

indefinite pronoun

Meaning:

Anybody, someone or other.

kengarapa

Word Class:

Meaning:

Lungs.

Kurungurr Example:

Atyma dem baty dim kengarapa nide.

She's got asthma in her lungs.

kerre

Wumirri Headword:

werrfirr

Word Class:

Meaning:

Big.

kerrepalak

Word Class:

Meaning:

Brood mother, mother surrounded by little ones (used in reference to both humans and animals).

Kurungurr Example:

Kerrepalak kide, membirr kude minyirr.

Where's the 'bood mother', the baby's crying.

kerrerreng

Word Class:

adjectival noun

Meaning:

Tall and skinny person.

kerrety

Kurungurr Reduplication:

kekerrety

Word Class:

coverb

dinyinggin

Word Class:

Meaning:

Keep your eye on someone, keep watch over a child, stare at someone.

Kurungurr Example:

Tyagani mudetyi yinyingginngi kerrety!

What are you staring at me for, big eye!

dem

Word Class:

Meaning:

Hold onto something, grasp something.

Kurungurr Example:

Minde tye ngemi kerrety.

I couldn't hold on.

dinyerrem

Word Class:

reflexive verb

Meaning:

Look after yourself, keep an eye on yourself, care for yourself properly.

Kurungurr Example:

Minde nana dinyerre kerrety tye.

She wasn't able to look after herself properly.

wayim

Word Class:

Meaning:

Leave something on the fire longer to cook properly (ie, let the fire look after it).

Kurungurr Example:

Kukuk wityi wa kerrety misyin.

Leave it a bit longer, let the fire keep an eye on it.

dingin

Word Class:

Meaning:

Bite something and remain fastened to it, hold onto something with your teeth.

Kurungurr Example:

Wuwu dingingngi kerrety.

The dog bit me (and didn't let go).

kerrityin

Word Class:

Meaning:

Kerosene.

Kurungurr Example:

Yenggi tyungmem, kerrityin pagu ngani miwuty ngini.

The firewood is too wet, pass me that kerosene to pour over it.

kerrtyem

Word Class:

simple verb intr

Meaning:

Lie, to be in a lying posture, but especially to be dead.

ket

Word Class:

coverb

dangim

Word Class:

Meaning:

Poke at something, make poking actions without making contact with anything.

Kurungurr Example:

Kini yewirr ninggi dani ket yedi malarrgu ngini e dangim pawal e menggin wa.

She used to poke around for turtles with a stick, spear them and pick them up.

wupun

Word Class:

Meaning:

Cut something.

Kurungurr Example:

Nayf ninggi ngupun ket.

I cut it with a knife.

webem

Word Class:

Meaning:

Chop something up, cut wood with a saw.

Kurungurr Example:

Ngebeng ket ganbi.

I sawed the bamboo.

webem

Word Class:

Meaning:

Overtake someone, pass by somebody travelling in the same direction.

Kurungurr Example:

Awa nyinnin apuderri Wooliana nimbi werrbenggirrki ket nime.

Those young women from Wooliana overtook us three.

yenin

Word Class:

Meaning:

Cut across someone's path, walk in front of someone in a way that disrupts their gait, talk over the top of someone.

Kurungurr Example:

Yening ket nginde.

He cut across me.

ket ... fi

Word Class:

coverb + bodypart

mem

Word Class:

impersonal verb

Meaning:

Absent, be no sign of a person's presence.

Kurungurr Example:

Ket membirr fi, kidenawa wannim purity?

There's no sign of them, I wonder where they've gone to?

ketyirreful

Word Class:

Meaning:

Custard apple.

Kurungurr Example:

Ep miketyirreful wayim baty kana ne.

Maybe those custard apples are cooked by now.

kide

Word Class:

indefinite pronoun

Meaning:

Wherever, somewhere.

Kurungurr Example:

Ep kide dim.

He must be somewhere.

kide nimbi

Word Class:

interrogative

Meaning:

From where?

Kurungurr Example:

Kide nimbi yagadi pagu tye kinyi?

Where have you come here from?

kidin

Word Class:

Meaning:

A year, a full calendar cycle.

Kurungurr Example:

Kidin syirre yeyi ngude wul pagu ngini.

I'll be back in a year's time.

kilifiti

Word Class:

Meaning:

'Fight back!', word used to a child encouraging it to fight back or retaliate.

Kurungurr Example:

Kilifiti, yu ta!

Fight back, hit him!

kimifirr

Word Class:

Meaning:

Base part of an animal's tail, closest to the body.

kinbilinyin

Word Class:

Meaning:

Climbing plant, the stem is used for tying up food before roasting in a ground oven.

Kurungurr Example:

Wamanggal nimbi yebi da, yiwe tapup a meringgi nide. Weri yu kurr, i yenggi yafi tyatit i fepi ya fimityutyuk. Watyerr gerrgirr i wamanggal kana yine wu wakay. Yisye misyunbang i dagarri yemi garripal, ya gubaty daba nide kinbilinyin ninggi. Nyinnimbi dawanytyirr yu wanytyirrbang, ngete kana ngini.

After you've shot a wallaby you carry it and place it on a bed of leaves. You dig a hole, build a fire in it, and heap in rocks. Build the fire up again, and then burn the fur off the wallaby. Pull it off the fire, and break its legs, and tie its arms up with kinbilinyin. After that you should stab a hole in its armpit, and put heated up pieces of antbed inside.

kingek

Word Class:

Meaning:

Poo!

Kurungurr Example:

Kingek! Tyagani nyinnin gerrgetytyerr!

Poo! What's that stink!

kinimanggini

Word Class:

Meaning:

Digging stick.

kiniyewirr

Wumirri Headword:

kinitawurr

Word Class:

Meaning:

Digging stick.

kinninggi

Word Class:

place noun

Meaning:

This side of X.

Kurungurr Example:

Yewirr nide kinninggi ya fityat.

Put it down on this side of the tree.

Kurungurr Example:

Ngambara menytyigerrgirr nide pe, wamanggal nyin ngarrnguweri nyine wiri pe, nyinyi werrfeninggi, ngayi kinninggi ngana gulirr pe.

We'll circle around on it, so the wallaby will be between us, you go that side of him, and I'll circle around this side of him.

kinta

Wumirri Headword:

kine

Word Class:

place noun

Meaning:

This place.

kinyi

Word Class:

demonstrative

Meaning:

This.

Kurungurr Example:

Nem kinyi dangingngi fime gagu.

This guy here gave me money.

Kurungurr Example:

Yerrkinyi nawa derrgidi ngerim.

I'd prefer to have this one.

kinyiwarra

Word Class:

Meaning:

Here it is!, Here we are!

kinyyerre

Word Class:

place noun

Meaning:

Back here.

kirri

Word Class:

particle

Meaning:

Now, this one! Emphatic particle, draws attention or focus to the immediately preceding word.

Kurungurr Example:

kinyi wityi kirri ...mene pupurity muy mene.

This girl now...she thinks she's gorgeous!

Kurungurr Example:

Tyen'ga kirri yedi lali tye kinyi.

So what kind of animal made these tracks along here?

kirrman

Word Class: