68 MATHEWS — NATIVE TRIBES OF VICTORIA. [March 4 



with a spear. Sometimes the first affix is omitted in such a sentence 

 as this. 



Genitive : A peculiarity of the genitive case, which I was the 

 first author to report in Australian languages,^ is that the property 

 and the possessor each take an affix, but the former affix differs 

 from the latter — marngat lettalettimyung, a man's boomerang; 

 dhunnumburngat kannanyung, a woman's yamstick ; wurranngat 

 kurkinyung, a boy's tomahawk. 



Every object or article over which ownership can be exerted is 

 subject to inflection^ for person and number, as, kurkinngun, my 

 tomahawk ; kurkinngu, thy tomahawk ; kurkinung, his tomahawk ; 

 and so on through the dual and plural, which also contain '' inclus- 

 ive" and " exclusive" forms in the first person. 



Accusative : This case is the same as the nominative. 



The other cases will be passed over. 



ADJECTIVES. 



Adjectives follow the nouns which they qualify, and are subject 

 to similar declensions for number and case : 



Nominative : Mar muryarrung, a man large. Gal lenggin, a dog 

 large. Dhunnumbur dhugai-muruk, a little woman. 



It is not thought necessary to illustrate the other cases. 



Comparison : Din ngutyung — dinnung ngummindyar, this is 

 good — that is bad. Din kurpung kurpung, this is the best. 



In the declensions of all the cases of nouns, and of their qualify- 

 ing adjectives, there are modifications in the affixes, depending 

 upon the termination of the word declined. Sometimes the affix 

 of the noun is omitted, sometimes that of the adjective ; this rather 

 being regulated by the euphony of the sentence. 



PRONOUNS. 



Pronouns are inflected for number, person and case, and contain 

 two forms of the first person of the dual and plural, marked 

 ** inclusive'' and ''exclusive," respectively. 



1 «*The Gundungurra Language," Prog. Amer. Philos. Soc, Philadelphia, 

 Vol. xl, p. 143. 



2 "The Thoorga Language," Queensland Geographical Journal, ^ol.xwn, 

 p. 53. 



