Someone who possesses something can be a Goal Commands — Imperative and Hortative sentences Asking questions

p.32 Comments welcome e.rounduq.edu.au. Please do not cite without permission. Subject: 2 3 ObjectGoal: 1 Semi‐transitive 1inc Semi‐transitive Semi‐transitive 1exc Semi‐transitive Semi‐transitive 2 Semi‐transitive Table 44. Semi‐transitivity triggered by Person combinations Examples of Semi‐transitive sentences, which are Semi‐transitive because of the Person of the Subject and Goal, are shown in 30–32. For example, in 30 the Subject is dathinkiyarrngga ‘those two’, which is Third Person, and the action is done to ngijinji ‘me’ which is First Person. Because of that, the sentence must be Semi‐transitive. 30 Dathin‐kiyarrng‐ga=thu‐rr‐a jinka ngijin‐ji. That‐DUAL‐ABS=1sgG‐3du‐NTR.PRES followIND 1sg‐LOC ‘Those two are following me.’ 31 Dathin‐a jardi=ba‐l‐ayi gurri ngumban‐ji. That‐ABS mobABS=2sgG‐3plS‐NTR.FUT seeIND 2sg‐LOC ‘That lot will see you.’ 32 Jinkaj‐a=guluwa‐ni‐nggi ngaguluwan‐ji burldamurr‐i. Follow‐IND=1inc.plG‐3sgS‐NTR.FUT 1inc.pl‐LOC three‐LOC ‘He will follow us three.’

3.6 Someone who possesses something can be a Goal

Sometimes, if someone in the sentence possesses something, they appear in the Clitic as a Goal. For example, in 33, ngumbaninja jibarnantha ‘your mother‐in‐law’ is possessed by ‘you’ Second Person Singular, and so ‐ba appears in the Clitic, expressing a Second Person Singular Goal. 33 Dan‐ma bijarrba=ba ngumban‐inja jibarna‐ntha. this‐STATABS dugong=2sgG your‐DAT mother in law‐DAT ‘That dugong is for your mother‐in‐law.’ In 34 and 35 the bulumbulungga ‘plum’ and miyarlda ‘spear’ are possessed by ‘me’ First Person Singular, and so ‐thu appears in the Clitic, expressing First Person Singular. p.33 Comments welcome e.rounduq.edu.au. Please do not cite without permission. 34 Mutha‐ra=thu bulumbulung‐ga plenty‐ABS=1sgG plum‐ABS ‘I got plenty of plums.’ 35 Jina=thu‐ganda yiijarrma miyarl‐da? where=1sgG‐TR.PAST3sgS putIND spear‐ABS ‘Where did he put my spear?

3.7 Commands — Imperative and Hortative sentences

Imperative and Hortative sentences are used for giving commands. Hortative commands are less forceful. In Imperative and Hortative sentences, the Clitic goes on the end of the verb, like in 36, 37 and the second part of 38. 36 Gil‐da burldamurr‐i marri‐ga=nku‐la 2pl‐DIR three‐ERG listen‐IMP=1sgO‐2plS ‘You three listen to me.’ 37 Girr‐a gaba‐ga=rru dathin‐a jardi 2du‐DIR find‐IMP=2duS.3plO that‐ABS mobABS ‘You two find them lot.’ 38 Kamburi‐ka dathin‐a jardi kunawuna, tell‐IMP that‐ABS mobABS childABS thulaaj‐i=yal‐a ngij‐inaba come down‐HORT=3plS‐PRES wood‐ABL ‘Tell those kids to get off the wood.’

3.8 Asking questions

One way to ask a question in Ganggalida is to begin the sentence with one of the question words garla and guya, like in 39 and 40. p.34 Comments welcome e.rounduq.edu.au. Please do not cite without permission. 39 Garla=thula lardij‐a gil‐da burldamurr‐a? Q=1sgG‐2plS wait‐IND 3pl‐DIR three‐ABS ‘Would you three wait for me?’ 40 Guya=ba‐ganda dalmath‐a ngi‐da ngumban‐ji gardu‐ya? Q=2sgG‐TR.PAST3sgS.3sgO cut‐IND wood‐ABS your‐ERG son‐ERG ‘Did your son cut firewood for you?’ Ganggalida also has a set of question words shown in Table 45, that can be used to make questions. Many of them are based on ngaaga‐ ‘what, who’, and some others on jina‐ ‘where’. Note that ngaaga is often written ngaga. Question word Meaning ngaaga ‘what, who?’ ngaagantha ‘for what, for who?’ ngaagawurlu ‘with what, with who?’ ngaaganaba ‘why, because of what?’ ngaagarlu ‘why, for what purpose?’ ngaagagarra ‘whose?’ ngaagawatha ‘doing what?’ jina ‘where?’ jinanaba ‘where from?’ jinarlu ‘where to?’ jinamulu ‘how many’ jinamulinda ‘when?’ jijina ‘where from, why’ Table 45. Question words Question words appear at the start of the sentence, like in these examples: 41 Ngaaga=thu‐ganda gurrga ngijin‐da bayigi? who=1sgG‐TR.PAST3sgS.3sgO takeIND my‐ABS dillybag‐ABS ‘Who took my dillybag?’ 42 Ngaaganaba=wurru‐garri bala dathin‐a jardi? why=2duS.3nonsgO‐TR.PRES hitIND that‐ABS mobABS ‘Why are you hitting that lot?’ p.35 Comments welcome e.rounduq.edu.au. Please do not cite without permission. 43 Ngaagawath‐a=yi‐gandi dathin‐ma mutha yagurli? do what‐IND=2sgS.3sgO‐TR.FUT that‐STATABS plentyABS fishABS ‘What are you going to do with that lot of fish?’ 44 Jinamulu wangal‐ga=yi‐garri garrngi? how many boomerang‐ABS=2sgS.3sgO‐TR.PRES haveIND ‘How many boomerangs have you got?’ It is also possible in Ganggalida to ask a question by using a rising melody. When you do that, it’s not necessary to use a question word.

3.9 Negation