Page:The Native Tribes of South Australia (1879).djvu/202

 128 LANGUAGE. which, most resemble each other are those for the hand, mouth, tongue, and eye: LANGUAGE HAND MOUTH TONGUE EYE Narrinyeri Mari Tore Tallanggi Pili Adelaide Marra Ta Tadlanya Mena Port Lincoln Marra Narparta Yalri Mena Swan River Marhra Dta Dtallang Mel New South Wales, near Sydney Mutturra - Tullun Ngaikun g Melbourne Munung Myrongatha Warongatha kundernir Tallan Myng Euchuca Peean Warru Saleng Maa Murundi, River Murray Mannuruko Taako munno Ngantudli Korllo Moreton Bay Yamma Tambur Tallaim Millo Wimmera, Victoria Mannanyuk Tyarbuk Tyalli Mirr Blanchewater, South Australia Murra Tiya Yarley Minna Wentworth, Darling Munna mambunya Yelka Tarlina Makie Kamilaroi, Barwon, Liverpool Plains Murra - Tulle Mil Dippil, Queensland, Wide Bay Dwruin Tunka Dunnum Mi As might he expected, the Australian dialects are almost destitute of abstract terms and generic words. I cannot discover in any of the languages which I have examined any traces of figurative expressions. Among the Narrinyeri the poetical kind of speech so much admired by the Maori is not to be found. I do not know -a single phrase worthy to be called a metaphor. The languages of the Aborigines of this continent divide themselves into two classes. These are distinguished from each other principally by their pronouns. One class has monosyllabic or dissyllabic pronouns, while those of the other are pollysyllabic. The following are specimens of the two classes: I THOU HE, SHE IT 1. Narrinyeri ngape nginte kitye 2. Adelaide ngai ninna pa 3. Port Lincoln ngai ninna panna 4. Western Australia (Swan River) ngadjo ninni bal 5. Moorundee (River Murray) ngape ngwiru ninni 6. Moreton Bay (Queensland) atta; ngai (Dippil) inta ningda 7. Kamilaroi (Liverpool Plains) ngaia nginda ngenna 8. Melbourne murrumbeek murrumbinner munniger 9. Wimmera tyurnik tyurmin kinga Here we observe that the root of the first personal pronoun in the first seven languages is nga; but in the eighth and ninth we