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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.’
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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
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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.
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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
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3.11 Subordinate clauses