Page:An Australian language as spoken by the Awabakal.djvu/372

 AN AUSTEALIAN LANGUAGE.

��Numerals.

' One,' gain; 'two,' gudjal; ' three,' warli-rag; 'four,' gud- jal-gudjal; 'five' is marh-jin bag a, 'half the hands'; 'ten' is belli-belli marhjin baga, 'the hand on either side.'

In reckoning time the natives say ' sleeps ' for days, and
 * summers and winters ' for years. There is no Article,

3. Proxouns.

The pronouns must be carefully used, for a very slight change in the termination of any one of them will alter altogether the force and meaning of a sentence.

The 2')erso7ial jjronouns avo: —

Singular. Plural.

G-adjo or ganya, 'I.' Gala-ta, 'we.'

N'yundo or ginni, 'thou.' N'yurag, 'ye.'

Bal, 'he, she, it.' Balgun, 'they.'

��They are thus declined:-

��Nam,

Gen. Daf. Accu. Ahl.

��1st.

I G-adjo

) Ganya Gannalak Ganna Ganyain

��Singular.

2nd. N'yundo Ginni Nyunnolak

jSI'yunno Ginnin

Plural.

��3rd.

I Bal

Balak Bah\k Balin Balal

��Nom, Galata N'yurag Balgun

Gen, Gannilak N'yuragak Balgundk

Lat. Gannilak N'yuragal Balgunak

Ace. Gannil (-in) N'yuragin Balgunin

Ahl. Gannilal N'yuragal Balgunal

There are thus two forms for the Sing. Kom. of the first and second pi'onouns; gad jo and n'yundo seem to be used with an active sense of the verb, but ganya and ginni with a passive sense; for there is no passive /or?)i of the verb, and there is no verb ' to be'; ganya and ginni are always used with a parti- cii)le or an adjective; gadjo and n'yundo are never so used. Examples of their use: — Gadjo djinnag, 'I see,' but ganya bardin, 'I am going '; gadjo dtan, 'I pierce,' but ganya gan- nauin, ' I am eating.'; gadjo burno dendagaga, ' I climbed a tree,' but ganya waugalal bukkanaga, 'I was bitten by a snake'; ganya windo, 'I am old'; ganya garrag, 'I am angry.' Similarly for the second pronouns; as, n'yundo kattidj, 'do you undei'stand "? but y an ginni wan-gauin, 'what are

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