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 -Ø; irr/fut -ngga-ja; fut -Ø ~ -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 -Ø

   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 -Ø; 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)