5.2 VERB STEMS
5.2.7 ASPECTUAL STEM-FORMING SUFFIXES
(a) -nga
Apart from its use in combination with -ri (§5.2.5(a)) this suffix is added to the continuative stem of a few verbs with what appears to be mainly an intensive meaning:
wanggarn to speak wanggingarn to tell off
dyurgurn to vomit dyurgingarn to push out
warnirn to drop something warningarn let go of
gurgardirn to hop gurgardingarn to hop about
The immediately neighbouring Thura-Yura languages do not appear to have this suffix.
(b) -di
The suffix -di, noted above (§5.2.5(b)) in combination with -gi, can also occur separately in Wirangu. It is added as an aspectual suffix to verb stems, possibly as an inchoative marker:
gadirn to carry gadidirn to start off bringing something
There is one example in Platt's tapes. In response to the sentence: 'the man brought some meat yesterday' a Gawler Ranges man says:
5.8 Nhangga-ngu baRu wildyara gadi-di-na.
man-ERG meat yesterday carry -INCH-PAST The man started bringing meat yesterday.
-di also figures in combination with -nga in a rare compound stem-forming suffix -di-nga
(§5.2.7(a)):
(c) -dha
This rare suffix is known mainly from the extensive manuscript data by Daisy Bates, but there are just a few instances of it in modem speech:
dhanbirn
dyubarn, dyuburn
to dig dhanbidharn
DB dhu butha ( 'th' hard)
to bury to bury (DB)
wandirirn
to cover over, bury
to hang down DB wandi-i-dhal to hang down
(this is an 'immediate future' form)
gurndarn to kill DB kunda than ( 'th' hard) to kill
This last verb appears with -dha repeatedly in the Bates MSS as ' kundutham' , and 'kundu than ' . The stem-forming suffix -dha conveys immediacy and urgency of action and can be rendered by 'immediately', 'right now ' . Obviously it can therefore never occur before a past tense marker. A possible example of its use is Daisy Bates' sentence 'ngaidju kundu than ' , 'kill you I will' , though this could also possibly be interpreted as an example o f the potential (§5.6.2) with the addition of a final emphatic -0 (§6.3. 1). Daisy Bates mentions the 'hard' th-sound of this suffix with persistence: this would indicate that there was never any variant pronunciation with dy (§2. 1 .4).
Very rarely the 'NOW' stem in -dha is changed to -dhi to indicate repetitive-continuative action as described in §5.2.2(a):
5.9 Nhangga-muga-ngu gabi ngalgu-Ia-dh-i-rn.
man-many-ERG grog drink-BEN-NOW-CONT-PRES
A lot of men are drinking continuously amongst themselves right now.
A sentence from Daisy Bates (n.d. l ) contains a further example of this suffix, this time in combination with the inceptive -di: 'Grass is growing' , 'kara wanti dhiddin' . This can be analysed as follows:
5 . 1 0 Gara warndi-dh-i-di-rn.
grass grow-NOW-CONT-INC-PRES The grass is just now beginning to grow.
The fact that after all these years one can still analyse the sentences quoted by Daisy B ates in such detail speaks for her perceptive transcription.
(d) -rn. Present tense as stem-forming suffix
Adnyamathanha (Schebeck 1 974:24) like Kuyani has a present tense marker (n)talntha.
The Wirangu present tense marker -rn corresponds to this suffix both as a cognate morpheme and through similarity in function (§5.5.2). In Kuyani the present tense marker can be used as a stem-forming suffix implying speedy action, or action undertaken before departing, as in the Kuyani sentence yuwantarinta, analysable as:
5. 1 1 Yuwa-nta-ri-nta.
stand-SPEED-REFL-PRES (He) stands up quickly by himself.
This Kuyani verbal word contains the present tense suffix twice, firstly as a stem-forming suffix indicating speedy action, and finally in its ordinary function as present tense marker.
There are isolated remnants of this usage in Wirangu: there are some instances the manuscript material of Daisy Bates where -dha is added not to the stem, but to a present tense marker which indicates speedy action. Thus 'to push' is rendered as 'yulgun dharn ' . This can be analysed as yulgu-rn-dha-rn1 (push-SPEED-NOW -PRES) 'to push now i n a hurry, (or before you go)' .
Similarly 'frighten the flies away from your eyes' , is rendered as 'yumbara marrandhagga mel nguning' . This can be analysed as follows:
5 . 12 Yumbara maRa-rn-dha-ga mil-ngurni!
fly chase.away-SPEED-NOW-IMP eye-ABL
Chase the flies away from your eyes quickly now !
This use of the present tense form as speed marker is a feature of Arabana-Wangkangurru (Hercus 1994: 196) as well as of Kuyani, and the limited presence of it in Wirangu is probably the remnant of an earlier diffusion of this feature. The present tense marker in Wirangu is also used as part of the associated motion complex. and in combination with the apprehensional and purposive markers (§5.6.4 and §5.6.5).
(e) The completive suffix -ga, -iga
This is a fairly commonly used stem-forming suffix, implying that the action of the verb has been carried out completely. It is used with both transitive and intransitive verbs. Examples are:
yadarn to wait
windyirn to leave
dyanarn to break
dhagarn to cut, to tear
gurndarn to hit yadagarn windyigarn dyanigarn dhagagarn gurndagarn to await an arrival to let go to break off
to cut or tear to shreds to chop up
There do not appear to be any immediate parallels to this suffix in the most closely related Thura-Yura languages.
(f) The continuative suffix -yi
The use of this continuative stem-forming suffix is quite common, especially with intransitive verbs such as nyinarn to sit:
5 . 1 3 Nhangga marna nyina-yi-rn.gadn.
man many sit-CONT -ASSOC
A lot of people are sitting about on their way (to town). 5 . 14 Gidyara in.ga-yi-rn.
child play-CONT-PRES
Children are playing about.
As this has not been recorded it is not clear whether -m was assimilated to the following -dh to
5 . 1 5 Ngadhu gabi-gu ngama-yi-rn.
I water-DAT go-CONT-PRES
I ' m going (around looking) for some water.
This suffix has no immediate cognates in the Thura Yura languages, but there is a suffix '-ntu' in Parnkalla (Schiirmann 1 844: 15) which fulfils the same function, as in 'padnata' , 'to go' and 'padnantutu' , 'to keep walking about' .
(g) The suffix -nya
The function of this extremely rare suffix is not clear, it appears to be an intensive:
gambirn gambinyarn ngalgurn ngalgunyarn dyagurn dyagunyarn to cook, to heat to burn to eat to eat up to lick
to lick, to lick up something
There are no known parallels to this stem-forming suffix in the neighbouring languages.
5 .3 SHORT VERBS
5 . 3 . 1 THE NINE SHORT VERBS
John Platt (tape 235b, recorded in September 1966) asked the Wirangu speaker George Glennie: "What is the difference between ngal and ngalgurn?" and George Glennie replied: "Same, but cut that word short". This is the exact explanation: instead of the normal verb stem which consists of at least two syllables (§5. 1 .2(a» a group of nine commonly used verbs have a short stem which consists of only one syllable. For seven of the nine verbs the minimal form of the verb includes the present tense marker, while two, ngal and bal
represent the present tense without any markers. The relevant verbs are as follows: Short form
eat, drink ngal
die bal
strike a fire barn
get marn see nharn to fall warn to hear mirn sit nyirn go wirn form ngalgurn balarn bagarn, bawarn maRarn nhagurn warnirn miRarn nyinarn winarn
The presence of a few verbs with a short stem is characteristic of some Karnic languages, notably Arabana-Wangkangurru and, probably by diffusion (Austin, pers. comm.), also
Ngamini. The system according to which these short verbs operate is the same in all these languages, including Wirangu, but the actual verbs are different. They share one feature, they are commonly used. The following are examples of these stems in their function as present tense forms:
5 . 1 6 Nhangga gari bal.
man now die
The man is about to die. 5 . 1 7 Buba-ngu baRu ngal.
dog-ERG meat eat The dog is eating the meat. 5 . 1 8 Ngadhu galda marna marn.
I lizard many get
I am getting a lot of sleepy lizards. 5 . 1 9 Maga nharn.
not see
(1)
can't see (it).5.20 Dyarda yadu nyirn.
stomach good sit
(1)
am all right.The short verb stems can be used in the formation of other tenses and modal forms, but special rules apply to them. These will be discussed in the relevant sections. Of particular interest is their use with the purposive (§5.6.5).
5.3.2 SPECIAL USES OF THE SHORT VERB ngal
The verb ngal, short form of ngalgurn, normally means 'to eat', or 'to drink' and 'to swallow' in general, but it can be used in quite different connotations. For example, the word
guna in Wirangu, as over much of Australia means 'excrement' , 'bowels ' , but like its
Pamkalla equivalent 'kudna' it can also mean 'intercourse' ; the verb 'to have sex' is derived from this with the verb stem ngal, so guna ngal means 'to have sex ' , literally 'to have a real taste of it' .
The other special uses of ngal are in conjunction with the serial form of a verb (§5.6.2(d)).
Dyilgarn means 'to stare at' ; this has a serial form dyilgadha 'while staring ' . The verbal
expression dyilgadha ngal, literally 'to swallow while staring at' , means 'to stare fixedly at
someone or something ' , 'to swallow with one's eyes' .
Wargarn means 'to blame', 'to growl at' ; this has a serial form wargadha. The verbal
expression wargadha ngal, literally 'to swallow while growling at' means 'to tell someone off thoroughly ' , 'to chew them up' , or as Gladys Miller put it: 'to give them a serve' .
A different type of phrase, not involving the serial form, can be used with the verb
warlarn with almost the same meaning 'to speak angrily to someone' , so one can say guda
Another fixed locution involves the present tense form of another verb. This is badharn
ngal 'to chew on something' , literally 'to chew eat' , and it is an example of the present tense
being used as a stem form (5.2.7(d)).
Only the short verb ngal can be used in these special locutions, never the full verb
ngalgurn. It seems that this short verb form was particularly adaptable as it represented both
the stem form and present tense form of the verb.