Page:An Australian language as spoken by the Awabakal.djvu/206

 118 AN AUSTEALIAX LAXGLAGE.

Section 3. Yakoai-kan bag moron kaiiuii? ' in-what-mannner-of-beiiig

I life will-be-in-a-state-of ? i.e., ' how can I be alive.' Giirrulla bon Piriwalnug, lethunug Krithtnug, 'hear

him, the Lord Jesus Christ.' Moron gaiya bi kanun, ' life then thou wilt-be-iu-a-state-of.' Gratun kirrikin ta tempel kako, 'and thc-veil it-is the

temple-at.' Tiir-kulleun bulwa koa, 'rcnt-o£-its-own-power in-the-midst,

in-order-to-be.' AVokka-kabirug unta-ko baran-tako, ' from the top thence

to the bottom'; Jit., 'up-from there-to down-to.'

^g^The peculiarity of tbe verbal form of yiir, 'a rent,' — so called from the noise of a piece of cloth when tearing, — is shewn in the following specimen: —

Yiir-kulleini, ' rent,' 'has rent' of itself, of its own power. Yiir-bng-ga, 'rent,' some person has. Yiir-burrea, 'rent,' some instrument has. Yiir-lag, 'rent,' is declaratively. Yiir-wirrea, 'rent,' some motion has rent ; as when a flag, or

a sail of a ship flapping in the wind, is rent.

Thus, without a clear idea of the nature of the roots of the affixes, no one could understand the difference of the five kinds of 'rending.'

��Compound TFords.

��Like the North American Indians, although to a less extent, our aborigines have long composite words in their language. Tor instance, to express the abstract idea contained in the English word 'lust,' they would say kotilliyarakaigeariinba, 'our evil thinking '; and for the contrary idea, kotillimurrarag- gearunba, 'our good thinking.' Now, either of these words, when pronounced, appears to be but one word, whereas each con- tains three words combined, namely: —

(1.) Kotilli (from simple root kot), ' the act of thinking ' ; (2.) geari'mb a, ' belonging to us '; (3.) yarakai, ' evil '; mur- rarag, 'good.' From the root kot come the forms, kotilliko, injin., 'to think,' kotsiU, pres. i}idic.,]\.otinun,fuf. indie, kotta, jnist indie, kotillin, pres. part., kotilliela, past pfirticiple.

Again, such a word as tiirburreabunbilliko, ' to pei'mit to

be torn,' is made up of tiir, a root which expresses the idea of

tearing, -burrea, the verbal particle of instrumental agency,

-bun, 'permit,' -illi, the formative of a verbal noun, and -ko,

for the purpose of.' And so also with other examples.

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