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Guwaabal 7 Milaan / Yams


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  In the right-hand column the story is broken down into individual sentences. The first line is in Yuwaalaraay, the third is an English 'free' translation. The second line is an 'interlinear' translation; it shows the various parts of each Yuwaalaraay word (verb, noun, suffix etc). By examining this line you can see how words and sentences are built in Yuwaalaraay.
Go back to Version 1 or go to the Notes page to find out the background to the story.

01
Milaan
yam
Yams
02
Gunidja-yu ngay nganha gaa-nhi, milaan-gu.
mother-doerto my me carry-Past yam-purpose
Mum took me looking for yams, for milaan.
03
Gungan-da ngaya yilawa-nhi,
water-in,at,on I sit-Past
I sat down in the water,
04
nhama gadha-y ngaya gunidjarr:
there call.to-Past I mother
and I called out to my mother:
05
"Ngambaa, milaan nhalay, dhaay yanaa-ya,
mother yam here to.here come-command
"Mum, there's milaan here, come here.
06
nhalay milaan, nhalay."
here yam here
Here, there are milaan here."
07
Dhiinbaay ngay gunidja-yu gaa-waa-nhi, mawu-gi-gu.
yamstick my mother-doerto carry-moving-Past dig-purpose
My mother was carrying a yamstick, to dig with.
08
Yilawa-y-la-nhi ngaya gungan-da.
sit-continuous-Past I water-in,at,on
I was sitting in the water.
09
Giirr bidjaay-biyaay nhama gungan.
really mud-with that,the water
That water was muddy.
10
Gunidja-yu ngay dhiinbaay-u dhu-nhi, dhaymaarr.
mother-doerto my yamstick-with stab-Past ground
My mother stuck the yamstick into the ground.
11
Buyu-yiyal-bala ngay gunidja-yu dhu-nhi.
leg-just-contrast my mother-doerto stab-Past
But instead she stuck in into my leg.
12
Baa-nhi ngaya gungan-di, yu-waa-nhi ngaya.
jump-Past I water-from cry-moving-Past I
I jumped out of the water and I was crying.
13
Yurrun-nga ngaya ngarra-lda-nha.
scar-now I see-continuous-Present
I can still see the scars.