Page:Aboriginesofvictoria02.djvu/44

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THE ABORIGINES OF VICTORIA:

And ""Which is your camp?" is—

Woonmanda baang ma gningaloong?
Which or where camp of yours?

And "What are you carrying in your hand?" is—

Nanma kertbato man braa guinga?
What carry in hand yours?

7. To express the pronoun " my," they say, "for my spear," Waal ma gnetal (spear of mine); "thy spear" is Waal ma gningal (spear of thine); and "his spear" is Waal ma gnungal (spear of his).

8. The distributive pronouns I have found very difficult, as it is hard to make the blacks understand what is meant. I give you one sentence to show the way the pronoun "each" is used. "I will give each of you a spear" is—

Bremba gegwanatha waal ma gnurtagnangno.
To each give I spear and to all of you.

I suppose equivalent to our expression "I will give to each and all of you a spear."

9. The indefinite pronouns are not declined.

10. The adverbs, also, I have found difficult to obtain. The word "homeward" I have given as Mellagan; but this merely expresses "to return," and is mostly used to express returning to one's settled home, or to home for the time being. The words I have not given I have failed to procure. I do not think their equivalents exist in the language.

11. Of the prepositions I have given you all I could get, and I add a few sentences to show how they are used. To express "between"—as, for instance, "I was between two kangaroos," they say—

Moona booth jirrowa.
I was between kangaroos.

"Put that rug over the camp" is—

Kinowa marook munana moola booloboolotha baanga.
Put rug that way over camp.

"I will go with you" is—

Kickanat thoolo uanga nindo.
Go I there with you.

And "I was under the tree" is—

Thangana kallacka thin ma gnat.
Under tree was I.