Yy

yakba       
nominal
 
freshwater crocodile Crocodylus johnstoni
Kitchen-leying let-da-let-da nanda-yi, nganku yowtj ge-ng yakba-ma! 'In the kitchen she saw it, she found a crocodile!' (LM, text)
 
note: These are cooked and eaten in the same way as wardan, the saltwater crocodile, although they are far less dangerous. The eggs are also collected from the nests in the sand, and cooked and eaten.
yakgarra       
interjection
 
wow!
Yakgarra buluman ba-na-ni-guju may-giwu warri-giwu! 'Wow, these two kids have grown up big!' (LM, text)
yangarrmarda       
nominal
 
mermaid
ya-nggi       
infl. verb (intr.)
variant ya-nginy (HL)
root -ya-; past -nggi ~ -nginy (HL); no distinct ppfv; phab -ngga-jan; pres ; irr/fut -ngga-ja; fut ~ -ngga
   1.
to go
Nga-ya-nggi town-leying. 'I went to town.' (PH)
Nga-nyar-ma-n-ma mi-ya-ngga-ja! 'I'm tired, go away!'
Ngonggo-gin warren lek-ga ya-nggi langarn-ga. 'Your kid went down to the billabong.'
   2.
to be (in complex predicates)
Dikdik-ga ga-ya gahan road. 'The road goes straight.' (HL)
   3.
to do (in complex predicates)
Gornkorn-na nga-ya-nggi Wagiman, wayi-gama. 'I spoke Wagiman when I was a kid.' (LM)
Ngagun bik-ga nga-ya-nggi lahan yimbama. 'Me, I went around cleaning the place up all day.'
yarrajan       
nominal
 
coolibah tree Eucalyptus microtheca & tectifica
 
note: The timber is good firewood for cooking food with. Sugarbag, which contain honey, wax and pollen, are often found in this tree.
yarralin       
nominal
   1.
hair standing up on end
Gahan Young Joe gorrh-ma-yan ni-nginy yarralin bu-ng. Menuny mamin mawu ga-yu-ma wah-leying yaha-ny. 'Young Joe was fishing when suddenly his hair stood up on end. Maybe there's a ghost in the water, he thought.'
   2.
goosebumps
Yarralin ngan-ma-n gujirritj. 'The cold is giving me goose bumps.'
yarrgin       
nominal
 
western brown snake Pseudonaja nuchalis
yarrh-ma       
coverb (intr.)
 
to slither
yarrindi       
nominal
 
song
Yarrindi ga-bu-n wahan. 'He's singing a song for rain.' (HL)
yarrk-ga       
coverb (tr.)
 
to scratch off, scrape off
Yarrk-ga ba-bu-ng nganku buffalo gumit. 'They scraped the hair off the buffalo skin.'
yarrulan       
nominal
 
young man
 
note: A yarrulan has been initiated and is physically mature.
yarrwi       
nominal
dialect PH
 
pubic hair
yawalworr       
nominal
 
plant sp.
Yawalworr nga-ma-yi. Denh-denh nga-ma-yi. Burrngburrng ma-na-min. 'I got yawalworr. I cut it up. I will boil it.'
yawey       
interjection
 
yes
 
see also yow.
yayh-ma       
coverb (intr.)
dialect HL
 
to be noisy
Yayh-ma ga-ba-yu warreh-buga. 'The kids are being noisy.' (HL)
ya-yi       
infl. verb (ambitr.)
highly irregular paradigm and the following are only approximate: root -ya- (singular subject), -yama- (plural subject); past -yi; ppfv -ny; pres
   1.
to say
"Mamak" ngi-yama-ny-ngana nung niji-mang-gu. 'We said "goodbye" to uncle.' (PH)
Matjjin maha ngonggo. 'I will tell you a story.' (PH)
"Aya ngatdinggi, jilimakgun mahan di-nya" ngan-ya-jan. '"Hey, sister-in-law, this woman has come," she used to say to me.' (LM, text)
"Ge-gobe-n gahan nyongh-nga gi-yu" yaha-ny nung mangima-yi. '"You're pretending to be sick," the policeman said to him.' (LM, text)
   2.
to do
Gahan mamin jumbany-wu di-nya gayh yaha-ny ngerreju. 'That white man came behind and sang out to us.' (LM, text)
Nguyan-yi galh ngan-ya-ny lagarra-ma. 'An ant climbed my leg.' (LM)
   3.
to become
Gay-gunda nyarh ngaha-ny mombo-ma nga-yu-nginy. 'From that I became tired and had a doze.'
yayk-ga       
coverb (intr.)
 
to cry (of men)
Ga-ba-ru-n bunit-gu, ga-ba-ru-n yayk-ga juluny. 'They cry all day for the dead.' (LM)
yemotj       
nominal
variant yemoy (PH)
 
young initiated man
Yemotj mi-ya-ngga-yarra nubuny. 'You'll be a man one day, little boy.'
 
note: A young white man can also be referred to as yemotj even though he is not initiated.
yerdengh-nga       
coverb (intr.)
   1.
to hide
"Ah ngego-ngana-di, gi-ya-ngana-yarra yerdengh-nga bush-leying" ya-jan ngerreju, Tommy Taylor. '"Us lot, we should go and hide in the bush," Tommy Taylor said to us.' (LM, text)
Jimirndirr warrik mey gahan warren, yerdengh mi-ra-min! 'Take the knife off that kid, and hide it!'
   2.
to go in secret, to sneak off
Neyenggun-a yerdengh-wuy ba-ya-ngga-jan, magu bornh-born. 'The others used to sneak off over there for a bogey.'
Gu-gobe-n-ma-wu. Guk-ga-gu mi-ya-min, yerdengh-wuy gu-ya-ma gorrh-ma-gu! 'You lot are lying. You say you're going for a sleep, but really you're sneaking off to secretly go fishing!'
   3.
to clear off, to leave without telling anyone where you are going
Barri-ba ya-nggi gahan marluga yerdengh-nga? 'Where has that old man cleared off to?'
   4.
to get lost
Gahan warri-buga yerdengh-nga ba-ya-nggi. 'The kids got lost.'
 
note: Sometimes reduplicated yerderdengh-nga.
 
see also yurrh-ma.
yerin       
nominal
variant yehrrin (HL)
stem yeri- ~ yeh- (HL)
 
shade
Mi-ya-ngga werrh-ma dup-bay-ga yerin magu! 'Go outside and sit down over there in the shade!' (LM)
yerreh-ma       
coverb (intr.)
   1.
to frighten
Yerreh-ma ga-ya golondin-gunda, lamang gangama-gu. 'He's making noise to frighten the kangaroo out of the jungle.'
   2.
to make noise
Yerreh-yerre-ma ga-di-n motorcar. 'The car is coming making noise.'
yerrek-ga       
coverb (tr.)
 
to taste
Barnanyin ma-di-ja yerrek-ga. 'I'll taste the sugarbag.'
yerrel       
nominal
   1.
cane vine Flagellaria indica
   2.
armlets
Jilimakgun-yi ga-ga-n lem-ma yerrel. 'The woman is wearing armlets.' (HL)
 
see also binbin1.
yerrep-ba       
coverb (intr.)
dialect HL
 
to be wary
Yerrep-ba nga-yu martdal. 'I am wary of my feet.' (HL) note: The speaker is wary of her feet because they are very sore and she is worried that someone might step on them.
yerrongan       
nominal
 
cousin
 
see also bugali.
yerryerr       
nominal
   1.
ringworm
   2.
itchy grub
Gahan yerryerr-yi ngan-bu-ng-ma lagarra, narrinyh-narrinyh nga-ma-ji-n. 'The itchy grub stung me on the leg, so I'm scratching myself.' (LM)
   3.
itchy
yewh-ma       
coverb (tr.)
dialect HL
   1.
to make a soak, scraping out a hole in the sand to collect fresh water
Nungarin-yi ga-ma-n yewh-ma wah-gu. 'One fellow is digging a soak to get water.' (HL)
   2.
to pull off paperbark
Mi-ma wakgala gahan wirin yewh mi-ma! 'Pull some paperbark off that tree!' (HL)
yibitjjibit       
nominal
 
eyelash
yigalin       
nominal
 
piss, urine
yigong       
nominal
variant yigung (HL, PH, LL)
 
black currant Antidesma ghesaembilla & parviflora
Berrberr, gay-ba ngi-yobi-jan. Nganku ngi-ma-jan, nganku danganyin, yigong, gay-ba, jimbubuliny. 'We used to be at Berrberr. What's that tucker we used to get, black current there and red current.'
 
note: The fruit are eaten when they are ripe, at which time they are black. The fruit are very sweet and tasty. They may also be added to fibre to produce a blue colour. However, the fruit are so tasty that they are generally eaten first. Antidesma ghesaembilla grows near creek lines on low country, whereas Antidesma parviflora has smaller fruit and grows on rocky slopes.
yiliyili       
nominal
 
small bamboo spear
 
note: These spears are made from galgarun.
yilkgawu       
particle
   1.
okay, all right
Garatjjin gahan lerep-ba na-ni. Yilkgawu ga-yu, dil-may-gu. 'That grass has dried out. It's all right for burning.'
Martdal, wuji derdawk-ga ba-yebe-jan wilh-ma ba-ya-ngga-jan-ma. Shoe-garang yilkgawu. 'Their (the horses') feet didn't used to ache when they would walk. With horseshoes it was okay.' (PH, text)
Yilkgawu now? Mamak now! 'All right now? Goodbye!' (HL, text)
   2.
enough
Dorong-nga nga-da-yi danganyin, yilkgawu. 'I have eaten enough tucker, I'm full.'
   3.
properly, completely, for good
Yow yilkgawu doworn-na nga-bu-ni. 'Yes, I have indeed made a fire.'
Yilkgawu na-ni-ma. 'It's properly cooked.'
Gahan yilkgawu bort gubaa. 'They will die for good.' (LM, text)
 
see also gawurdu.
yimbama       
particle
variant yimbayhma (HL)
 
always, all the time
Gay-ga gi-ya-guju yimbama bicycle-garang. 'We go there all the time on our bicycles.' (LM, text)
Yimbama ga-ru-n gahan labingan wayi-tjjalbu menuny ga-nabi-ma-n. 'That little baby is always crying. Maybe she's hungry.' (LM)
 
see also menwu.
yimimi       
nominal
 
possessive, selfish, a 'dog in the manger'
Yimimi ga-bu-n danganyin. 'He is selfishly keeping the tucker to himself.' (HL)
Wihya, nganing-gin gahan yimimi nga-bu-n. 'No, it's mine and I want to keep it for myself.' (HL)
 
see also nu-yiyimimi.
yimirr       
nominal
 
forehead
yinboyh-ma       
coverb (tr.)
 
to hunt away, to chase off
Yinboyh-ma mi-bu! 'Hunt him away!' (HL)
 
see also nimbutj-ja.
yingiwana       
nominal
variant yingawana (HL)
 
initiation ceremony
 
note: This is a second stage initiation ceremony for young men.
 
see also mululuk.
yinibuga       
nominal
 
avoidance name
 
note: This word is probably not really Wagiman.
yinyh-nya       
coverb (tr.)
dialect HL, PH
 
to undo, to pull apart
Barri-miya yinyh-nya ma-ny nganing-gin swag? 'Who has undone my swag?' (HL)
yipbarri       
nominal
 
joey
Gahan gangaman yipbarri-garang. Warren nung-gin yipbarri gahan lem-ma ga-ga-n bindal-leying. 'That kangaroo has a joey. She carries her baby joey in her pouch.' (PH)
yirrih-ma       
coverb (intr.)
 
to shift
Yirrih-ma mi-ya! Ngagun dup ma-ya mahan-leying. 'Shift over! I want to sit here.'
Yirrih-ma ma-yi. 'He shifted it.' (HL)
yirr-ma       
coverb (tr.)
   1.
to be together
Ga-ba-yu yirr-ma gahan matjjin-gu gornkorn-nay-gu. 'They are sitting together for a meeting.' (LM)
   2.
to come together
Gay-gunda ngal-martdiwa-ngal-martdiwa-buga ga-ba-di-n yirr-ma gawu dup. 'After that all the old ladies come together there and sit down.' (LM, text)
Nungarin nungarin ba-ya-nginy, yirr-ma ba-ma-ji-na. 'One by one they went, they came together for a meeting.' (HL)
Longon yirr-ma ga-ma-n wah-gu gu-rinyi-ja-min. 'The clouds are building up. It's going to rain.' (LM)
   3.
to gather, to muster, to herd
Ya-nggi gay-gu, nendo yirr-may-ga. 'He went to herd the horses.' (LM, text)
Ngi-ma-jan gubiji, jilminy, yirrh-ma, one mob ngi-ge-jan. 'We gathered up all the bones and corpses and put them in one pile.' (LM, text)
yirrng       
nominal
 
pig-nosed turtle Carettochelys insculpta
 
note: The pig-nosed turtle is larger than the other freshwater turtles, and is only found along larger rivers. It can be hunted as it rests on logs and trees near the water. They are killed by poking a sharp stick or spear prong into the nose and pushing it right in.
yirrwarr-ma       
coverb (intr.)
 
to feel about
Yirrwarr-ma ga-yu bag nung-gin garra-gu. 'She's feeling about in her bag for money.' (LM)
yit-da       
coverb (tr.)
   1.
to hold on to, hang on to
Yit mi-ma! 'Hang onto it!' (HL)
   2.
to cause to stop, hold back
Mangima-yi yit-da bu-ni gahan gurruwitj. 'A policeman stopped the car.'
yobe-jan       
infl. verb (intr.)
variant nebe-jan, -yebe- (HL, PH, LL)
root -yobe- ~ -yebe- (PC); no past, ppfv or pres; 3sg phab nebe-jan for PC speakers
   1.
to stay
Nga-ya lamang-gu, may-ba mi-yobe! 'I'll go for tucker, you stay here!'
Nyenh-na ngi-yobe-jan. 'We used to stay quiet.' (PH, text)
   2.
to do something while stationary (in complex predicates)
Berde-yen ngi-yobe-jan-guju biyakgin-giwu. 'My sister and I used to cook.'
yondorrin       
nominal
stem yondo-
 
road
"Barri mahan yondorrin?" ngaha-ny borroju. '"Where is this road?" I asked them.' (LM)
yonggornh-na       
coverb (intr.)
   1.
already, to have already happened
Wihya, nganggu-nawu-ndi yonggornh-yonggorn danganyin. 'No, I've already given you lot tucker.' (LM)
   2.
before, to have happened before
Yonggornh-na lega-jan nganung lamang marluga gahan. 'Before that old man used to bring me beef.' (LM)
   3.
first, to be first, to have happened first
Mahan yonggornh-na linyi-ra. 'This one was born first.' (HL)
yorndon       
nominal
stem yorndo-
 
big firewood
Yorndon, gahan guda buluman. 'Yorndon, that is big firewood.'
 
see also guda.
yorrony-nya       
coverb (tr.)
dialect PH, LL
 
to drive
Yorrony-nya nga-bu-n motorcar. 'I'm driving a car.' (PH)
yorrp-ba       
coverb (intr.)
   1.
to fall out
Yorrp-ba ga-rinyi-n lardili. 'His hair is falling out.' (HL)
   2.
to fall apart
Lihwa-tjjondony gahan goron. Yorrp-ba linyi-ra. 'The house was no good. It fell apart.'
yortdin       
nominal
stem yort-
 
ashes
Ngi-ma-yi bolomin? Maman yortdin-gu. 'Did you get white gum? It is good for ashes.' (HL)
But-da nga-ma-yi danganyin, yortdin. Yort-ba, jardup-ba nga-ma-yi na-ni nganung danganyin. 'I roasted the tucker in the ashes. I buried it there until it was cooked.'
yow       
interjection
   1.
yes
   2.
hello
 
see also yawey.
yowh-ma       
coverb (tr.)
dialect HL, LL
 
to stuff
Mara-leying yowh-yowh nga-ge-ng, gurnagun lamelem, guda-leying belkgeyh ngaha-ny. 'I stuffed all the fat and the liver into the large intestine, then roasted it on the fire.' (LL)
yowk-ga       
coverb (intr.)
variant yok-ga (HL)
 
to stretch
Gahan yowk-yowk nga-rinyi-ng nardal larima, lari. 'I stretched out my arms.'
yow-ma       
coverb (intr.)
 
to flow
Yow-ma ga-ya Guwardagun. 'The Daly River is flowing.' (LM)
yowtj-ja       
coverb (tr.)
variant yotj-ja (HL)
   1.
to find
Gunyjan no-berlberlin me-ge yotj-ja! 'Find some level ground (to sleep on)!' (HL)
   2.
to beget
Warren nganing-gin gahan. Biyakgin-yi yowtj-ja ge-na. 'He is my son. My sister "found" (gave birth to) him.' (LM)
yoyin       
nominal
variant yohyin (HL)
 
yam sp. Vigna lanceolata & vexilata
 
note: This yam can be dug up, cleaned and eaten. The stem climbs up trees and grass and it needs to be followed to find the tuber.
yulun       
nominal
 
trade
yunbu-yan       
n.f. verb (impfv., tr.)
variant yinbuh-yan (HL)
also yunbu-yh n.f. pfv
   1.
singing
   2.
naming
 
see also buga-ndi.
yu-nginy       
infl. verb (intr.)
root -yu-; past -nginy; pres ; no distinct ppfv, phab or irr/fut
   1.
to be
Gahan garradin gangama-yiga ga-yu, gahan buluman gijalkgin 'That rock is like a kangaroo, that big limestone.'
Yondorrin maman ga-yu. 'The road is good.'
Nyenh-na mi-yu! 'Be quiet!' (PH)
   2.
to do something while stationary (in complex predicates)
Gartgart-da ga-yu yimbama gahan gajirri. 'That girl is always laughing.' (LM)
yunumburrgu       
nominal
 
male kangaroo Macropus antilopinus
 
see also gangaman, garndalu.
yurn-na       
coverb (intr.)
 
to talk about
Ngagun nga-di-nya yurn-rna-yan ngu-yu-nginy nganung. 'When I came up you lot were talking about me.'
 
see also gornkorn-na, ngili-ma.
yurrh-ma       
coverb (intr.)
   1.
to hide
Jimindirr nganing-gin, barri-ba yurrh-ma ngu-ge-na? 'My knife, where have you lot hidden it?' (PH)
Gahan whitefella ni-nginy yurrh-ma magu wel-ba. 'That white man was hiding over there in a cave.' (HL, text)
   2.
to be inside
Yurrh-ma ga-yu guk-ga-ma. 'He is sleeping inside.' (LM)
   3.
to stick in
Yurrh-yurrh ngan-ma-n nibulin. 'It (my hair) is sticking into my eyes.' (LM)
Yurrh-ma ga-ge-n nganku gomow. 'She is threading a needle.' (LM)
   4.
to hook up a woomera
Manggalin yurrh ge-ng. 'He hooked up a woomera.' (LM)
 
see also yerdengh-nga, lem-ma.
yurrmi1       
nominal
 
swapping
Ga-ba-nawu-ji-n-guju danganyin yurrmi. 'They are swapping tucker.'
yurrmi2       
nominal
 
passing by
Gahan lagiban-yi yurrmi ya-nginy. 'That bloke passed by.'
yurrmitj       
nominal
 
dodging
Yurrmitj-giwu ngi-nanda-ji-ng-guju. 'We dodged each other.' (LM)
yurrup-ba       
coverb (intr.)
   1.
to stand
Marun ga-yu yurrup-ba buluman. 'A big banyan tree stands there.'
Mangiman gawu ga-ba-yu yurrup-ba. 'There are policemen standing there.'
   2.
to pull up, to stop
Hayes Creek wuji yurrup gi-ya-ngga-ja-guju gahan now. 'Hayes Creek, we didn't pull up there.'
yurrutj-ja       
coverb (tr.)
   1.
to remove
Yurrutj-ja ngi-ma-yi gahan borndedi, guda-laying ga-yu tea-gu-ma? 'Did you take that billycan off the fire to make tea?' (LM)
   2.
to knock down
Goron mabitjbaran yu-nginy yurrup-ba-ma yorrotj-ja ba-bu-ni. 'They knocked down the house which had been there for ages.' (LM)

Copyright © 1999-2001 AIATSIS, Stephen Wilson. Comments and enquiries to Stephen Wilson <stephenw@ucla.edu>.