Page:An Australian language as spoken by the Awabakal.djvu/381

 THE ■WIEADIIARI DIALECT.

��Verbal Noun.

Bumalgidyal (bumagidyrtl), ' beating.'

This form, being a verbal noun, can never be nscd as a participle. In the Greek language and the German, the infinitive serves as a verbal noun ; so also the Latin supine and gerundive.

The forms which supply our participles are classed with the modifications of the verb. The subjunctive is formed with mal- 1 ag, the optative with bag ; for there are no real subjunctive or potential forms. Sentences of that description are expressed by a kind of auxiliary, such as garra or mallag; or by the future tense, with the conditional conjunction yandu attached : —

Yandundu dalgirri, ' if I should eat.'

G-addu garra dalgirri, 'I can or would eat.'

G-addu mallag de, 'I would or should eat' {or have eaten).

Yandundu mallag de, 'if you did eat' {or would eat).

Mallag here is not a verb but a mere subjunctive particle.

Nor is there a form for the passive. A kind of passive is some- times expressed by putting the subject in the accusative, along with the active form of the verb ; but the source whence comes the action is not named, for that can only be put in the agent- nominative case. Hence, it must be that this is not in reality a passive, but an active sentence ; only, for the sake of laying more emphasis on the action done, the agent is omitted.

Table op Conjugations, Principal Tenses, and Moods.

Present. Imperfect. Perfect.

1. Yannanna Yanne Yan-niin (-i.e., -naan) Gruna Grune Graguain

2. Yunna Yunne Yunnan

3. Gumbiga Gumbinna Gmnbinnan

4. Baddarra Baddae Baddalguan

5. Gaddambirra Gaddambie Gaddambilguan

��Future. Yannagirri Gragirri Yungirri Gumbigirri Badalgirri Gaddambil"

��Infinitive. Yannagi Gagi _ Yungi Gnmbigi Badalli Gaddambilli

��Impierative. Yannada* Gaga Yunga Gumbidya Badalla Gaddambia

��This table contains all the principal tenses — those in which different conjugations vary. The other tenses of each conjugation follow the model given for the verb bumarra. Of course, not every verb is used in all the tenses; thus, yunne, the imper- fect, is not used. The numbers indicate the conjugations.


 * The imperative is often shortened j as, nada, na; galla, ga; malla, ma.

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