A grammar of the Wirangu language from the west coast of South Australia

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A Grammar of the Wirangu Language from the West Coast of South Australia Contentsvii PREFACExv ABBREVIATIONS AND SYMBOLSxvi PHOTOGRAPHSxviii MAP: WIRANGU AND NEIGHBOURING LANGUAGESxix CHAPTER 1: INTRODUCTION1 1.1 Notes on the historical background1 1.2 The position of the Wirangu language3 1.2.1 Names for the language3 (a) Wirangu3 (b) 'Wanggan'5 (c) YulbaRa5 (d) Wilyaru6 (e) Kartawongulta6 (f) Nhangga6 (g) Tidni7 (h) Hilleri7 (i) Warna-biri, 'Wambira'8 (j) Ngadhu wangga, Ngadha wangga8 1.2.2 Published classifications8 1.2.3 Wirangu and neighbouring languages10 (a) Parnkalla and Kukata12 (b) Parnkalla dialects12 (c) Mirniny13 (d) 'Nauo' (Nyawa)13 1.2.4 Dialects of Wirangu15 (a) Main dialects15 (b) Local Groups15 1.3 Previous work on Wirangu16 1.3.1 Eyre16 1.3.2 Taplin17 1.3.3 List of kinship terms19 1.3.4 Curr20 1.3.5 Wiebusch21 1.3.6 Black21 1.3.7 Tindale:Limb22 1.3.8 Sullivan22 1.3.9 Tindale22 1.3.10 Bates23 1.3.11 Bedford24 1.3.12 Platt25 1.3.13 O'Grady25 CHAPTER 2: PHONOLOGY26 2.1 The consonant system26 2.1.1 Voicing26 2.1.2 Notes on individual consonants: velars27 (a) Initial ng + i27 (b) Initial g + i27 (c) Lenition of -g-28 (d) The suffix -gardu, -garda28 (e) The word gabi 'water' in placenames29 2.1.3 Notes on individual consonants: labials29 2.1.4 Notes on individual consonants: laminals30 2.1.5 Notes on individual consonants: apicals31 (a) Initial apicals31 (b) Medial apicals31 (c) Pre-consonantal and final apicals32 2.1.6 Notes on individual consonants: glides32 (a) Initial y32 (b) The consonant w33 2.1.7 Rhotics33 2.1.8 Prestopping33 2.1.9 Glottal stop: the sequence -rd(i)n34 2.2 Vowels34 2.2.1 Vowel phonemes34 (a) Allophones34 (b) Sporadic change affecting vowels35 2.2.2 Accent and vowel length35 (a) Accent and pitch35 (b) Vowel length36 2.2.3 Vowel elision37 (a) The sequence dn37 (b) Elision of final vowels37 2.3 Phonotactics39 2.3.1 Permissible final consonants39 2.3.2 Permissible clusters39 (a) Medial clusters39 (b) Comments on rare medial clusters40 CHAPTER 3: MORPHOLOGY AND SYNTAX OF NOUNS42 3.1 Some characteristics of the nominal system42 3.1.1 Adjectives42 3.1.2 Number42 3.1.3 Reduplication43 (a) Reduplication in nouns43 (b) Reduplication in adjectives45 3.1.4 Comments on the case-system46 3.1.5 Case suffixes47 3.1.6 The use of allomorphs47 3.1.7 Position of case markers48 3.2 Comments on the cases48 3.2.1 The absolutive48 3.2.2 The ergative-instrumental49 (a) The ergative49 3.2.3 The dative-allative-possessive49 (a) The dative50 (b) The allative50 (c) The possessive51 (b) Special case forms51 3.2.4 The ablative case52 3.2.5 The locative case53 (a) Location in place54 (b) Location in time54 (c) Additional functions of the locative54 3.2.6 The vocative55 3.3 Stem-forming suffixes55 3.3.1 The elative marker -birna55 3.3.2 'Having' suffixes56 3.3.3 Privative suffixes57 (a) -yudu57 (b) -maga57 (c) -min.ga57 (d) -gardu58 3.3.4 The comparative suffix mimaRa58 3.3.5 Other nominal stem-forming suffixes59 (a) -(g)ardu, -(g)arda59 (b) -(i)lya59 (c) -dha59 3.4 Compound nouns implying classification60 3.5 Location nominals61 3.5.1 Introductory comments61 3.5.2 General location nominals61 3.5.3 Location nominals based on pronominal stems63 (a) (i)nha and its derivatives64 (b) banhi, banyi, banyiwa65 (c) yambi, ambi 'there'65 (d) indha, (in)dhala 'where?'65 3.5.4 Points of the compass66 3.6 Temporal nominals66 3.6.1 General temporal nominals67 (a) gari67 (b) maldhulu67 (c) wildya-67 3.6.2 Temporal forms based on pronouns69 (a) banhi, banyi, banyini69 (b) idha, idhara69 3.7 Numerals70 CHAPTER 4: MORPHOLOGY AND SYNTAX OF PRONOUNS71 4.1 The use of pronouns71 4.1.1 General comments71 4.1.2 Inalienable possession72 4.2 Personal pronouns72 4.2.1 Declensional table, first person singular pronoun72 4.2.2 History of the first person singular pronoun73 (a) The nuclear cases73 (b) The genitive and dative74 4.2.3 Survival of older declensional forms in pronouns76 4.2.4 Personal pronouns: second person singular76 (a) Nuclear cases76 (b) The genitive and dative78 4.2.5 The special pronoun dyana79 4.2.6 Personal pronouns: third person singular80 (a) The pronoun bala: case-system80 (b) The pronoun bala: use81 (c) balaardu, balaarda82 4.2.7 Alternative third person pronoun banha83 4.2.8 Personal pronouns: dual and plural pronouns, first person84 (a) Dual84 (b) Inclusive and exclusive85 (c) Older forms of the dual85 (d) The first person plural86 4.2.9 Personal pronouns: dual and plural pronouns, second person86 (a) Dual86 (b) Plural87 4.2.10 Personal pronouns: dual and plural pronouns, third person88 4.3 Deictics88 4.3.1 Deictics: immediate vicinity89 4.3.2 General vicinity90 4.3.4 Further distance90 4.4 Interrogative pronouns91 4.4.1 The basic interrogative pronoun91 4.4.2 The interrogative as indefinite pronoun91 4.4.3 Secondary interrogative pronouns92 CHAPTER 5: MORPHOLOGY AND SYNTAX OF VERBS94 5.1 The structure of the Wirangu verb94 5.1.1 General comments94 5.1.2 Verb roots and the verbal word94 (a) Verb roots94 (b) The verbal word96 5.2 Verb stems97 5.2.1 Inherited stem-final vowels97 5.2.2 Changes to the stem-final vowel, a > i97 (a) Repetitive-continuative forms97 (b) Origins98 5.2.3 Changes to the stem-final vowel, a > u98 (a) Causative forms98 (b) Origins99 (c) Note on ambi-transitive verbs99 5.2.3 Reduplicated verb stems100 5.2.4 Derivatives with -ma, transitive verbaliser100 5.2.5 Intransitive verbalisers101 (a) The suffix -ri101 (b) Other intransitive verbalisers102 5.2.6 A benefactive stem?103 5.2.7 Aspectual stem-forming suffixes104 (a) -nga104 (b) -di104 (c) -dha105 (d) -rn. Present tense as stem-forming suffix105 (e) The completive suffix -ga, -iga106 (f) The continuative suffix -yi106 (g) The suffix -nya107 5.3 Short verbs107 5.3.1 The nine short verbs107 5.3.2 Special uses of the short verb ngal108 5.4 Reciprocal and reflexive stems109 5.4.1 The reciprocal suffix -ri109 5.4.2. The reflexive110 5.5 The tense-mood system111 5.5.1. General comments111 5.5.2 The present tense112 (a) The present tense suffix112 (b) Uses of the present tense112 5.5.3 The immediate-future tense113 5.5.4 The past tense115 5.5.5 Rarely used past tense forms116 5.5.6 The imperative116 (a) The suffix -ga116 (b) The stem form117 (c) The imperative of -ma verbs118 (d) The present tense as imperative119 5.6 Semi-participial forms119 5.6.1 The preparatory future -dyu119 (a) The preparatory future with short verbs121 5.6.2 The potential and serialiser form -dha121 (a) -dha forms as main verb: the potential121 (b) -dha forms in peripheral serialisation122 (c) -dha forms in nuclear serialisation123 (d) The -dha suffix and short verbs125 5.6.3 The possible irrealis form -la125 5.6.4 The apprehensional125 5.6.5 The purposive127 (a) The purposive in the main clause127 (b) The purposive in subordinate clauses127 (c) The locative as purposive128 5.6.6 The switch-reference marking suffix -nda128 5.7 Associated motion129 5.7.1 The associated motion marker -gad(i)-129 5.8 Other features of the verbal system133 5.8.1 Compound verbs133 5.8.2 The copula135 (a) The verb ngarbirn 'to lie'136 (b) The verb nyirn, nyinarn 'to sit'136 (c) The verb yugarn 'to stand'136 5.8.3 Verbless sentences137 (a) Equational verbless sentences137 (b) Locational verbless sentences137 (c) Attributive verbless sentences: with simple predicates137 (d) Attributive verbless sentences: with possessive predicates139 (e) Attributive verbless sentences: with complex predicates139 CHAPTER 6: MORPHOLOGY AND SYNTAX: PARTICLES, ADVERBIAL PARTICLES AND CLITICS141 6.1 Particles141 6.1.1 Negative particles141 (a) The negative particle maga142 (b) The negative particle guda143 (c) the emphatic negative min.ga143 6.1.2 Hypothetical particles143 (a) dhalyga143 (b) maRandyi144 6.2 Adverbial particles145 6.2.1 Temporal particles145 6.2.2 Other adverbial particles146 6.3 Clitics147 6.3.1 The clitic -n148 6.3.2 Other clitics148 (a) -wil148 (b) -du149 (c) Rarely attested clitics149 (d) Clitics no longer used150 CHAPTER 7: CONCLUSION151 APPENDIX 1: WIRANGU VOCABULARY153 APPENDIX 2: ENGLISH-WIRANGU FINDER LIST191 REFERENCES214