The Gundungurra Language | Page 2

Singular A man Murri[n~] Dual A pair of men Murri[n~]boolallee
Plural Several men Murri[n~]dyargang
(2) Singular A kangaroo Booroo Dual A pair of kangaroos
Booroolallee Plural Several kangaroos Boorooyargang
It will be observed that the dual and plural suffixes vary slightly in
form, according to the termination of the noun.
Gender.--Mur'ri[n~], a man; bul'lan, a woman; boobal, a boy; mullunga,
a girl; goodha, a child of either sex; warrambal, a young man. Another
name for a man is boual; a married man is kunbeelang; a married
woman is boualillang. Generally the males of animals are distinguished
by the addition of goomban, and the females by dhoorook. The males
of certain animals have a name which distinguishes them without
stating the sex; thus, the male of wallee, the opossum, is known as
jerrawul, while the female is wallee dhoorook. Goola, the native bear,
has burrandang for the male and goola dhoorook for the female. A few
animals have a distinctive word for the female as well as for the male;
thus, the female of the wallaroo is b[a^]wa, and the male goondarw[a^].
Others again have the suffix koual for the male, and [n~]oual for the

female. The words for "male" and "female" are inflected for number
like other adjectives.
Case.--There are two forms of the nominative, the first naming the
subject at rest; as Boual ngabooroma[n~], the man sleeps. The second
shows that the subject is doing some act; thus, mirreegangga wallee
burr[a^]ra[n~], the dog an opossum bit. Mirreegang is a dog in the first
nominative.
The possessive case takes a suffix both to the possessor and that which
is possessed:
Murringoo warrangangoong, a man's boomerang.
Mirreegangoo goodh[a^]woong, a dog's puppy.
Bullangoo goodh[a^]yarroong, a woman's children.
Booroongoo dhoombirgoong, a kangaroo's tail.
Any object over which one can exercise ownership can be conjugated
by possessive suffixes for number and person:
Singular. First person My boomerang Warrangandya Second Person
Thy boomerang Warranganyee Third Person His boomerang
Warrangangoong
Dual. First Person Our boomerang, incl. Warrangangulla Our
boomerang, excl. Warrangangullang Second Person Your boomerang
Warranganboola Third Person Their boomerang Warranganboolangoo
Plural. First Person Our boomerang, incl. Warranganyinnang Our
boomerang, excl. Warranganyillung Second Person Your boomerang
Warranganyoorung Third Person Their boomerang
Warrangandyunnung
The accusative does not differ from the nominative. There are a few
forms of nouns for the dative and oblative, but these cases are
frequently shown by modifications of the verb; as, I carried to him, he

carried from me. They are also indicated by the pronouns; as, with me,
to me.
Pronouns.
Pronouns are inflected for number, person and case. There are two
forms of the dual and plural in the first person. The following table
shows the nominative and possessive cases:
Singular. I Goolangga Mine Goolanggooya Thou Goolanjee Thine
Goolanyingoo He Dhannooladhoo His Dhannoogoolangoo
Dual. We, incl. Goolanga Ours, incl. Goolangal[i|]a We, excl.
Goolangaloong Ours, excl. Goolangaloong Ye Goolamboo Yours
Goolambooloong They Dhannooboola Theirs Dhannooboolangoo
Plural. We, incl. Goolanyan Ours, incl. Goolanyannung We, excl.
Goolanyilla Ours, excl. Goolanyillungoon Ye Goolambanoo Yours
Goolanthooroong They Dhannoojimmalang Theirs Goolangandyoolang
These possessives admit of variations to include two or several articles
and in other ways. There are also forms of the pronouns signifying,
with me, with thee, and so on as follows:
Singular. First Person With me Goolangngooreea Second Person With
thee Goolangooroonyee Third Person With him Goolangooroong
Dual. First Person With us, incl. Goolangooroongulla With us, excl.
Goolangooroongullung Second Person With ye Goolangoorooloong
Third Person With them Goolangooroolangoo
Plural. First Person With us, incl. Goolangooroo[n~]unnung With us,
excl. Goolangooroo[n~]ullungoo Second Person With ye
Goolangooroo[n~]ooroong Third Person With them
Goolangooroodyunnung
There are other modifications of the pronouns to meet different forms
of expression. The demonstratives and interrogatives are inflected for

number and person like the rest.
Adjectives.
Adjectives take the same dual and plural numbers as the nouns with
which they are used:
(1) Barr[i|] buggarabang A wallaby, large Barr[i|]woolallee
buggarabangoolallee A couple of wallabies, both large Barr[i|]dyargang
buggarabangargang Several wallabies, all large
(2) Bullan yeddung A woman pretty Bullanboollee yeddungboolallee A
couple of pretty women Bullandhar yeddungdyargang Several pretty
women
Comparison is effected by saying, This is heavy--that is heavy; this is
smooth--that is not; this is sharp--that is very sharp.
When used predicatively, as yooroang or yoorwang, he is strong, an
adjective can be conjugated through all the tenses and moods of an
intransitive verb:
Present Tense.
Singular. First Person I am strong Yooroangga or Yoorwangga Second
Person Thou art strong Yooroandyee Third Person He is strong
Yooroang
Dual. First Person We are strong, incl. Yooroanga We are strong, excl.
Yooroangaloong Second Person Ye are strong Yooroangboo Third
Person They are strong Yooroangboola
Plural. First Person We are strong, incl. Yooroanyun We are strong,
excl. Yooroanyulla Second Person Ye are strong Yooroanthoo Third
Person They are strong Yooroanjimmalang
The past and future tenses are not given, owing