Page:An Australian language as spoken by the Awabakal.djvu/468

 148 AN AUSTRALIAN LANGUAGE.

Nun — forms the future; as, bun-nuu boii bang, 'I will baat him'; kum-ba-bo wita bang wa-nun, *I shall dej art to- morrow'; wita wal bang wa-nun, 'I am about to depart.' wita wal bang pa-la wa-nun, 'I must depart.'

La — forms the active imperative ; as, wea-la, ' speak '; ngurra- la, 'do hear': bu-mun-bil-la tea, 'let me smite'; ngur- ra-bun-bil-la tea bon, 'let him hear me.'

Wa — imperative of motion; as, bu-wa tea-be, ' smite thou me'; na-ow-wa, ' look.'

Ea — as in ra, imperatively used. Thus, kai be, 'be thou here'; kabobe, 'be thou where thou art,' 'stand still,' 'be still,' ' wait,' 'halt.' The bo reflects the verb on itself.

Ya — appears to be the imperative passive 'to be'; a.s, yanoa; weaye kora, 'let it be as it is'; 'do not speak,' This is often used with the negative imperative, yai, 'do not trouble me '; ' let me be as I am.'

AVil or o w-wil — this, whenever used, expresses a wish or desire ; as, bu-wil bang gero-ung, 'I wish to beat thee'; pe-re-ke- wil be, 'thou wishest to sleep'; pe-ta-o w-wil no a, 'he wishes to drink.'

Ko-a — has the same force ; thus, bu-wil koa bang, 'in order that I may beat'; pe-re-ke-wil koa be, 'in order that thou mightest sleep'; pe-ta-ow-wil koa noa, 'in order that he may drink '; we-a-o w-wil koa bang, ' that I may speak.'

Ke-le-ko or le-ko — this forms the infinitive-; thus, unne uma ammoung ta-ke-le-ko, 'this is made for me to eat'; tura- le-ko, ' to spear.' The idiom requires ko to form the infini- tive ; as, murrorong ta ta-ke-le-ko, 'it is good for-to eat.'

Eyn or Ke-leyn — this forms the present participle; as, ta-ke- leyn, 'to be eating'; tat-te-ba-leyn, 'to be dying.' Sydney : Charles Potter, Government Printer.— 1892.