NGAN'GI LANGUAGE

wibem

Word Class:

Meaning:

Hang in suspension (like smoke in the air).

Kurungurr Example:

Yenggitawan wiben tittitmadi.

There's smoke hanging in the air.

tittit pi

Word Class:

wirribem

Word Class:

Meaning:

Trail something from a 'head', be suspended at the 'head' of something.

Kurungurr Example:

W 3 Girribem tittit purr.

tittit purr

Word Class:

wirribem

Word Class:

Meaning:

Trail something from a 'bum', have a plume of something coming from the tail end of something.

Kurungurr Example:

W 3 Girribem tittit purr.

tittit syi

Word Class:

wirribem

Word Class:

Meaning:

Trail something from a 'nose'.

Kurungurr Example:

W 3 Girribem tittit purr.

trafulmendimendi

Word Class:

Meaning:

Troubled, strife-torn, characterised by fighting and arguments (of a place).

Kurungurr Example:

Dede kinyi trafulmendimendi, ngani fili kana ngini.

This place is full of trouble, I'm gonna leave.

tu

Wumirri Headword:

Kurungurr Reduplication:

tutu

Wumirri Reduplication:

tudu

Word Class:

wupun

Word Class:

Meaning:

Slice something, slash something with a knife, carve something.

Kurungurr Example:

Gagu kinyi yungindi tu pagu!

Can you slice this meat up for me!

yenim

Word Class:

Meaning:

Lie down, sleep, camp a night.

Kurungurr Example:

Wawuni wa yenin tutu.

That bloke's always sleeping.

beyim

Word Class:

Meaning:

Put on weight, fill out.

yenim

Word Class:

Meaning:

Duck your head down.

Kurungurr Example:

Yani tu depi!

Duck your head !

yenim

Word Class:

Meaning:

Dream of something, have a dream.

tu ... tyirri

Word Class:

mem

Word Class:

Meaning:

Punctured, be punctured, be flat (of anything inflatable, like a tyre, etc.).

Kurungurr Example:

Aya, tyre kinyi tu mem tyirri!

Hey, this tyre's flat!

tufup

Word Class:

Meaning:

Twenty cents, a twenty cent piece.

Kurungurr Example:

Tufup pagu, akinyi nawa ngebi derripek ngini.

Give me twenty cents, so I can add it to this money (to make up the right amount).

tukmen

Word Class:

Meaning:

Stockman, a person who works with cattle and horses.

tukta

Word Class:

Meaning:

Doctor.

Kurungurr Example:

Tukta detyengi wani tyerr ngini.

The doctor is coming today.

tulungtulung

Word Class:

Meaning:

Bumpy, corrugated, (of roads).

tum

Wumirri Headword:

dum

Kurungurr Reduplication:

tuntum

Wumirri Reduplication:

dundum

Word Class:

dim

Word Class:

impersonal verb

Meaning:

Feel relieved.

Kurungurr Example:

Dege dingngindi tum.

I feel relieved.

dim

Word Class:

Meaning:

Sink in water

Kurungurr Example:

Din tum.

He's sinking.

dem

Word Class:

Meaning:

Bury something, submerge something.

Kurungurr Example:

Ngembi mitum nime ngini.

We're going to bury it.

wupun

Word Class:

Meaning:

Wash something away, bury something under a slide of mud or floodwater.

Kurungurr Example:

Kuri dinyinggul wupun pi tum wembem ngayi.

The flood waters washed away my house.

demen

Word Class:

Meaning:

Bury yourself, submerge yourself under water.

wirribem

Word Class:

Meaning:

Sink down under water.

yenim

Word Class:

Meaning:

Go down, sink.

dagan

Word Class:

Meaning:

Catch someone by surprise, catch someone off guard.

Kurungurr Example:

Wanunbime dagan ne dum.

He caught the burglar by surprise.

tumanytyi

Word Class:

Meaning:

Goanna hole that is occupied (ie. the hole entrance has been blocked up by the goanna resting inside).

tupeye

Word Class:

Meaning:

'Two pairs', as a call in card games.

turang

Word Class:

mem

Word Class:

Meaning:

Drunk, be drunk.

Kurungurr Example:

Turang mem wurru.

He's drunk.

turangginmen

Word Class:

Meaning:

Drunks, alcoholics.

Kurungurr Example:

Tyurayfa kinyi waturangginmen wurru. Minde nana gawamdirr Tawun pefi.

This driver is drunk. He won't be able to take you to Darwin.

turayfa

Word Class:

Meaning:

Driver.

Kurungurr Example:

Turayfa kene?

Who's the driver?

tut

Word Class:

Meaning:

Torch.

Kurungurr Example:

Tut kinyi pagu gimi ya fufu.

Shine the torch this way!

tuttutmuy

Wumirri Headword:

birrbirrmuy

Word Class:

adjectival noun

Meaning:

Blunt (of knives, etc.).

tutu

Word Class:

dem

Word Class:

Meaning:

Squeeze or pinch something with your fingers.

Kurungurr Example:

Finy yemingi tutu, ngunu?

Squeeze this pimple for me, will you?

demem

Word Class:

Meaning:

Squeeze or pinch yourself with your fingers.

Kurungurr Example:

Membirr ngini demeny tyitutu.

She's expressing milk by hand for the baby.

yentyin

Word Class:

Meaning:

Be crushed, be broken by compression.

Kurungurr Example:

Amurri yaga yentyin tutu.

These eggs are broken.

Meaning:

Make yourself fart

tutungini

Word Class:

adverb

Meaning:

Peacefully, calmly, sensibly.

Kurungurr Example:

Tutungini wurru ngirrimbi, minde gi.

We're here to talk to you peacefully, we don't want to argue.

Kurungurr Example:

Minde tye pagu tutungini wirrimngirr.

He wasn't looking peacefully at us.

tuwa

Word Class:

Meaning:

Shop, store.

Kurungurr Example:

Tuwa ngaganim.

I'm going to the shop.

tuway

Word Class:

Meaning:

Playing card numbered 'two'.

tuwul

Word Class:

wudupun

Word Class:

Meaning:

Float, drift (as of leaves in a breeze).

Kurungurr Example:

Miringgi wurrupun tuwul marrawuk wibem fuyfuy.

Leaves are floating around, blowing in the wind.

wudupun

Word Class:

Meaning:

Travel around, be always on the move.

Kurungurr Example:

Musari gimi wanayerri, wudupun tuwul kirri yirripin

He should slow down, he's always travelling around.

tyadyap

Word Class:

Meaning:

Heavy, fast drinking; drinking to get drunk as quickly as possible.

tyaful

Word Class:

Meaning:

'Spades', as one of the four suits in playing cards.

tyafuty

Word Class:

kinterm

Meaning:

Mother's father, daughter's son.

tyagalyelyi

Word Class:

Meaning:

Stones used for rain making.

tyagani

Word Class:

interrogative

Meaning:

What?

Kurungurr Example:

Tyagani piwari nyinyi?

What's your name?

Kurungurr Example:

Yerr kinyi tyagani?

What's this thing?

tyagani ngini

Wumirri Headword:

tyaganne

Word Class:

interrogative

Meaning:

For what purpose? For what reason?

Kurungurr Example:

Tyagani ngini yirribem fili kinyi?

What are you hanging around here for?

tyagannawa

Word Class:

indefinite pronoun

Meaning:

Whatever, something or other.

Kurungurr Example:

Tyagannawa memngiti

Something's happened to me.

tyagannimbi

Word Class:

indefinite pronoun

Meaning:

From something or other, because of something.

Kurungurr Example:

Tyagannimbi dege wulek ngaganim.

Something's made me feel crook in the guts.

tyaganninggi

Word Class:

interrogative

Meaning:

Using what?

Kurungurr Example:

Tyaganninggi yariny syibang?

What did you use to pierce his nose?

tyalak

Kurungurr Reduplication:

tyatyalak

Word Class:

dem

Word Class:

Meaning:

Touch something soft, feel something to be soft.

Kurungurr Example:

Ngerim tyatyalak, ep gagu dim!

It feels soft, there might be some animal inside!

wirribem

Word Class:

Meaning:

Be upright, stand upright.

Kurungurr Example:

Ngayi ngirribem tyalak kinyi.

I'm standing here.

wudupun

Word Class:

Meaning:

Knock something over onto something soft (eg. push someone over onto a mattress, or soft grass, etc).

dangin

Word Class:

Meaning:

Feel something to be soft, poke a stick into a hole and feel something soft (ie. the softness that might indicate an animal rather than a rock).

wuden

Word Class:

Meaning:

Feel good in your body, feel pleasure at being somewhere as a bodily sensation (feel soft all over).

Kurungurr Example:

Yubu napa dengini ngudeny tyalak! Tyatyalak ngini yubu napa!

Gee, I feel so soft in my body! This soft feeling is great!

dinyinggin

Word Class:

Meaning:

Stand up and look at something.

Kurungurr Example:

Tyagani wuni ginyinggin tyalak girribem?

What's she standing up looking at?

tyality

Word Class:

Meaning:

Jealous.

Kurungurr Example:

Dinyingginngi tisit tyality wurru.

She's jealous of me.

tyalitypaga

Word Class: