p.36
Comments welcome e.rounduq.edu.au. Please do not cite without permission.
48  Warlirra=ga‐di  biyaj‐arri.
NEG=1sg‐PRES go‐NEG.IND
‘I can’t swim’
49  Dathin‐a  jardi=l‐adi mirralath‐arri  miyarl‐inja.
that‐ABS  mob=3plS‐NTR.PRES3sgG  make‐NEG.IND  spear‐DAT ‘That lot aren’t making a spear.’
50  Ngarr‐ma=ngarra gurli‐nada
gurluthu‐ntha.
1exc.du‐STATDIR=1exc.duS  wash‐NEG.DES  clothes‐DAT ‘We two won’t wash the clothes.’
Negative commands have a Negative ending which appears on the verb that expresses the main action, and often also a Negative Hortative verb wirdigi or a Negative Imperative verb
wirdiga, which the Clitic can attach to, like in 51 and 52. Negative Hortative sentences can be Transitive like 51, but Negative Imperatives will be Semi‐transitive like 52.
51  Bala‐na
wirdi‐gi=yarr‐a dathinkiyarrngka  kunawuna.
hit‐NEG.IMP  stay‐HORT=3duO‐PRES  that‐DAT child‐DAT
‘Don’t hit those two children.’
52  Bala‐na wirdi‐ga=rna
dathin‐inja  gunawuna‐ntha.
hit‐NEG.IMP  stay‐IMP=3sgGPRES  that‐DAT child‐DAT
‘Don’t you two hit that child.’
3.10 Joining two simple sentences
More complex sentences can be made by joining two or more simple sentences together. In Ganngalida, two sentences can be joined together with or without special joining words.
The examples in 53, 54 and 55 have no joining word. Instead, the two simple sentences follow one after the other.
53  Birlgalija=ga‐di
warlirra=thu‐gandi gulma.
feel sorry=1sgS‐NTR.PRES  NEG=1sgG‐TR.IRR.PAST3sgS.3sgO  bringIND ‘Im sorry he didnt bring it over to me.’
p.37
Comments welcome e.rounduq.edu.au. Please do not cite without permission.
54  Ginaj‐a=thu jijina=rr‐ingga
warra?
Tell‐IMP=1sgG2sgS  where to=3duS‐NTR.PAST  goIND ‘Tell me where they’re going.’
55  Gurrij‐a=thu barljija=ga‐di
yarraman‐kinaba.
See‐IND=1sgG3sgS  fall=1sgS‐NTR.PRES  horse‐ABL ‘He saw me fall off the horse’
If the second sentence has a verb with a Desiderative ending, it can express the purpose of the action in the first sentence, like in 56 and 57.
56  Wurru
gamarr‐a  girla‐ga,
sharpABS  stone‐ABS  get‐IMP2sgS
mirlaya‐da=yi‐garri dan‐da
birrg‐a
cut‐DES=2sgS‐TR.PRES3sgO  this‐ABS  string‐ABS ‘Get a sharp stone, to cut this string.’
57  Wirrin‐kurlu‐ya wu‐ga=n‐ki,
money‐PROP‐ERG  give‐IMP=1sgO‐2sgS
yarlbuth‐inja=ga‐di girla‐da.
meat‐DAT=1sgS‐TR.PRES3sgO get‐DES
‘Please give me money, so I can buy some meat.’
The joining word gamu can mean ‘and’ like in 58 or ‘but’ like in 59. 58  Gabirna‐ya=ganda
thawulath‐a  gunya gijiji
watersnake‐ERG=TR.PAST3sgS.3sgO  swallow‐IND  smallABS  youngABS
puthigan‐da  birljin‐da,  gamu=rna bardaga‐ya
bugawa.
cat‐ABS alive‐ABS
and=3sgG3sgS  stomach‐LOC  dieIND ‘The watersnake swallowed the kitten alive, and it died in his tummy.’
59  Mutha=nga‐ndi gurri,
plenty=1sgS‐TR.PAST3sgO  seeIND
gamu  warlirra=ngandi girla.
but NEG=1sgS‐TR.PAST3sgO  getIND
‘I saw a lot, but I didnt get any.’
p.38
Comments welcome e.rounduq.edu.au. Please do not cite without permission.
The joining Clitics aga and ga mean ‘because’. Theses Clitics attach to the first word in the second sentence. They attach to end of the stem for a noun, adjective or demonstrative, or
to the end of a whole word together with its endings for a verb. The aga form is used after a consonant, like in 60, and ga after a vowel, like in 61.
60  Dagaldij‐a,  magu=ga=l‐adi
warraj‐a.
hide‐IMP woman=BECAUSE=3plS‐NTR.PRES  go‐IND
‘Hide, because the women are coming.’
61  Bayiwurluwatha=ngga dathin‐a  dangga
get angry=3sgSNTR.PRES  that‐ABS  manABS
miyarl=aga=rna‐nga‐nda gurrga
spear=BECAUSE=3sgG‐1sgS‐TR.PAST3sgO  takeIND ‘That man is angry because I took his spear.’
The Clitic mangala means ‘if’ or ‘when’. The Clitic ngala also means ‘if’ or ‘when’. Sometimes the linking word gamu can be used too, to mean ‘then’:
62  Balath‐a=mangala=gandi
dathin‐a  marnduwarra,
hit‐IND=IF=TR.FUT3sgS.3sgO  that‐ABS  boyABS
gamu  ginaja=thu.
then tell‐IMP=1sgG2sgO
‘If he hits that boy, let me know’
63  Ngurin=mangala=ni‐nggi banda  burrij‐a,
cold=IFABS=3sgS‐NTR.FUT  later emerge‐IND
bardangu  ngi‐da=gurr‐garri garnaj‐a.
bigABS fire‐ABS=1inc.duS.3sgO‐TR.PRES  light‐IND.
‘If it’s cold tonight, well make a big fire.’
64  Laaja=nga‐ndi, ngijin‐jurlu=ngala
spear=1sgS‐TR.IRR.PAST3sgO  my‐PROP=IF
karduwurlu=thu‐ni‐ngki jawij‐a.
daughter‐PROP=1sgO‐3sgS‐NTR.IRR.PAST  run‐IND I wouldve speared him if he ran away with my daughter.
p.39
Comments welcome e.rounduq.edu.au. Please do not cite without permission.
65  Guya=thu‐yi‐gandi miyarl‐da  dalijarrma,  gabath‐a=ngala=yi‐garri?
Q=1sgG‐2sgS‐NTR.FUT  spear‐ABS  bringIND find‐IND‐IF‐2sg‐TR.PRES3sgO
‘Will you bring me that spear, if you can find it?’
There is another use of ngala, where ngala can either be a Clitic like in 66 and 68, or a full word, like in 67 and 69. Here it is used in a second sentence which tells you more
about a person or thing in the first sentence, like in 66 and 67, or more about the time of the first sentence, like in 68 and 69.
66  Guya=yi‐garri,
gurri dathin‐a  magu,
Q=2sgS‐TR.PRES3sgO  seeIND  that‐ABS  womanABS
ngumban=ngala‐ya  gardu‐ya=garri jambila?
your=REL‐ERG son‐ERG=TR.PRES3sgS.3sgO  light‐IND.
‘Do you see that woman, who your son is kicking?’
67  Dathin‐ki  dangga‐ya=gadi dirr‐a
bala,
that‐ERG man‐ERG=TR.PRES3sgS.3sgO  snake‐ABS  killIND
ngala=ngga natha‐rlu  ngimi‐ya
barrij‐a.
REL=3sgNTR.PRES  camp‐ALL  night‐LOC  crawl‐IND ‘That man killed a snake that crawled into camp in the night.’
68  Ngugu garlu‐ga=thu,
waterABS  get‐IMP=3sgG2sgS.3sgO
yagurli=ngala=yi‐gandi diya
nguurrba.
fish=REL=2sg‐TR.FUT3sgO  eatIND  allABS ‘Bring me water, when you’ve eaten all the fish.’
69  Dan‐ma=ga‐di wirdij‐a  wuguwaywuguwath‐a,
here‐STATABS=1sgS‐NTR.PRES  sit‐IND work and work‐IND
ngala  nyiwa=nyi mara
wirdij‐a.
REL 2sgDIR=2sgSNTR.PRES  emptyABS  sit‐IND
‘Im sitting here working, while you do nothing.’
p.40
Comments welcome e.rounduq.edu.au. Please do not cite without permission.
3.11 Subordinate clauses