NGAN'GI LANGUAGE

dinyinggin

Word Class:

Meaning:

Watch the back of someone.

Kurungurr Example:

Nginyirrini derrikerrety tye, din derritum.

I watched the back of him, till he was out of sight.

derri ket

Word Class:

demen

Word Class:

Meaning:

Bend over backwards.

dingin

Word Class:

Meaning:

Take someone's side in an argument

Kurungurr Example:

Ngengnge derriket.

I took her side in an argument.

dem

Word Class:

Meaning:

Leave a close friend behind, go somewhere without your partner.

Kurungurr Example:

Wakay ngayim den derriket kana, ngayim kinyi girim.

She's gone off without the other one, she's still here.

derri lit

Word Class:

bengin

Word Class:

Meaning:

Cover something over.

Kurungurr Example:

Dagum ninggi bengin derrilit.

Fog has covered everything over.

wupun

Word Class:

Meaning:

Lay a cover over something (eg. food to protect it from flies).

Kurungurr Example:

Wakay, yupun derrilit?

Did you cover it over?

derri pal

Word Class:

demen

Word Class:

Meaning:

Bend over from the waist.

Kurungurr Example:

Ngemen derripal ngimingin wa.

I bent over and picked it up.

webem

Word Class:

Meaning:

Knock something into a bent over position.

Kurungurr Example:

Wurr bengin derripal.

Lit. It's knocked the grass into a bent over position. This phrase is used as the name for the time of year when the rains knock the dried speargrass over.

derri pul

Word Class:

webem

Word Class:

Meaning:

Uncover something, clear away the surface of something, eg. to clear coals away from food cooking in a fire.

derri tit

Word Class:

webem

Word Class:

Meaning:

Covered, be covered by something.

Kurungurr Example:

Kuderri bengim derritit ngani bafun gimi.

The billabong was covered with a film of something like dust.

win

Word Class:

Meaning:

Sit with your back leaning against something.

derri tu

Word Class:

yenim

Word Class:

Meaning:

Incubate, sit on eggs.

Kurungurr Example:

Yenin derri tu amurri nide.

She's sitting on the eggs.

derri tum

Word Class:

dim

Word Class:

Meaning:

Hidden, be out of sight, be hidden from view.

Kurungurr Example:

Nginyirrini derrikerrety tye, din derritum.

I watched the back of him, till he was out of sight.

derri tyetyirr

Word Class:

yenim

Word Class:

Meaning:

Set foot in country, walk the land.

Kurungurr Example:

Aya nagurr ta! Yarrene derrityetyirr! Ngagurr nawa detyeri werri yannim dede nyinnin.

(I'm not going) but you mob go ahead, set foot in that country, you know it better than me, anyway.

derri tyutyuk

Word Class:

wupun

Word Class:

Meaning:

Mislead someone, distract someone from the information they are trying to get, give someone 'the run around'.

Kurungurr Example:

Ngariny tyerrpu, epe wupungngindi derrityutyuk.

I've asked you, but you've just given me the run around.

derri wirr

Word Class:

dangin

Word Class:

Meaning:

Put a second layer of clothing on, add more layers to something.

derrigidi

Word Class:

coverb

dem

Word Class:

Meaning:

Like something or someone. Want something to happen.

Kurungurr Example:

Minde derrigidi ngeme tye kuwul.

I didn't like school.

derriwapup

Word Class:

Meaning:

Kid's game of 'piggyback'.

derriweti

Wumirri Headword:

derriwedi

Word Class:

Meaning:

Island.

derrweri

Word Class:

Meaning:

Summit.

Kurungurr Example:

Wuni derrweri ngibeng nge tyeri baty yedi kayki tye.

I heard her calling out on top of the hill over there.

desyi

Word Class:

Meaning:

Nose.

Kurungurr Example:

Yinyirri desyi kerre kirri!

Look at that big nose!

Kurungurr Example:

Yinyirri desyi minbadi mirri!

desyi agurru

Word Class:

Meaning:

'Nose like a rock wallaby!'

deti

Wumirri Headword:

dendi

Word Class:

Meaning:

Lies. Telling lies.

Kurungurr Example:

Minde deti yimi ngini, tyendi pagu yudawul ngini!

Don't tell me lies now, make sure you come on Sunday!

detyengi

Wumirri Headword:

tyawurru

Word Class:

Meaning:

Today, now, soon, these days.

Kurungurr Example:

Ityi yirrmi ngini detyengi?

What are you mob doing today?

Kurungurr Example:

Tyawurru kinyi kuru nyine wannim kukuduk wanganggu, ambirri kuru minbe tye warrani kukuduk.

These days young men drink beer, but in the past they never used to drink beer.

detyeri

Word Class:

Meaning:

Those branches of trees, like palm fronds, that all stick out from a single 'headlike' clump.

detyeri ... baty

Word Class:

noun + coverb

dem

Word Class:

Meaning:

Understand a concept, know about something.

Kurungurr Example:

Yedi yagata gaganin lali dengini ngagurr nide, epe minde detyeri ngerrinne baty.

There's one man walking around amongst you, but you don't know he's there.

Word Class:

Meaning:

Conflicting talk. Inconsistent speech, say one thing, but do another, (lit: 'many mouthed').

detyerrmadi

Wumirri Headword:

tyerrmadi

Word Class:

Meaning:

Jaw, lower jaw bone.

detyirri

Word Class:

Meaning:

Meaning:

Be, exist , to live in a place, to be in a place.

Kurungurr Example:

Fepi minati ngirim. Tyandi yeyi syirre ngiwi ngini.

I'm in Peppimenarti. I'll be here until next week.

Meaning:

Have a quality, to be X. Dim combines with nominals, like 'happy' and 'lonely' in the examples below, to attribute that quality to a person. Note that the choice of dim 'sit' implies that this quality is transitory. See yenim 'go' for the attribution of more permanent qualities.

Kurungurr Example:

Felfi dim.

He's on his own (just now).

dimuy

Word Class:

adjectival noun

Word Class:

Meaning:

Ankle. Ankle joint of foot.

dirr

Word Class:

bodypart as coverb

wibem

Word Class:

Meaning:

Sliver, be a thin shape, be shaped like a row of teeth, be just a sliver (eg. of the moon).

Kurungurr Example:

Diwin marrgu wiben dirr.

A new moon's just appearing.

beyin

Word Class:

Meaning:

Die, pass away.

Kurungurr Example:

Beyin dirr.

He died.

bengin

Word Class:

impersonal verb

Meaning:

Have a toothache.

Kurungurr Example:

Bengingngi dirr dedirr.

I've got a toothache.

dangin

Word Class:

Meaning:

Put a lip on something, apply an edge to something.

Kurungurr Example:

Warrgadi dangin dirr dim.

She's making a lip around the mouth of the dillybag.

daran

Word Class:

Meaning:

Pick your teeth with a toothpick.

dinyinggin

Word Class:

Meaning:

Look at someone's teeth, examine a mouth.

Kurungurr Example:

Winyirrinin dirr nime ngini.

(The dentist) is coming to look at our teeth.

wupun

Word Class:

Meaning:

Move parallel to a river bank, swim along beside a bank, walk along a bank.

Kurungurr Example:

Yu dirr!

Go parallel to the bank!

dirr baty

Word Class:

diwen

Word Class:

Meaning:

Stay out of trouble, avoid conflict.

Kurungurr Example:

Ngayi nawa ngiwen dirrbaty.

I prefer to stay out of trouble.

dirr fil

Word Class:

wayim

Word Class:

Meaning:

Glow red from being hot.

Kurungurr Example:

Mipiyagany ngini yenggi ya fityat, fepi ya fiderrityuktyuk, wirrim pefi, fepi wa dirrfil.

For cooking cheeky yams, you build a fire, fill it up with rocks, and leave it like that till the rocks glow red.

dirr fulirr

Word Class:

wudupun

Word Class:

Meaning:

Rub the edge of something (eg. sharpen the blade of a knife).

Kurungurr Example:

Ngudi dirr fulirr ngini nayf kinyi.

I'll sharpen this knife up.

wudupun

Word Class:

Meaning:

Grind something between two edges (eg. as you would grind seed using two grinding stones).

Kurungurr Example:

Fepimurri ninggi ngudupun fulirr.

I ground (the seed) with grinding stones.

dirr gat

Word Class:

dingin

Word Class:

Meaning:

Sing out from the other side of the river, call to someone from across a river.

dirreninggi

Word Class:

place noun

Meaning:

Otherside. Opposite side of a river.

Kurungurr Example:

Kene nawa gaganing kayki dirreninggi.

Someone's singing out there on the other side.

Kurungurr Example:

Kaminytyam dirrkinninggi yana minmiket pe. Minbe yani kafarr dirreninggi, dirrkinninggi yana mimiket pe, ganggi pe yana minmiket pe, yumu tyerr pe bawedi nyin.

Turn off on the nearside bank of Kaminytyam Creek. Don't cross to the other side, turn off on this nearside. Then turn upstream and follow that little creek up.

dirrferr

Word Class: