56 



THE SPEECH OP THE TASMANIAN ABORIGINES. 



We shall have therefore the following twelve com- 

 binations — liquid+labial, liqiiid+dental, liquid+guttural, 

 labial+dental, labial+guttnral, labial+liqiiid. dental+ 

 guttural, dental+liquid, dental+labial, guttural+liquid, 

 guttural+labial, guttural+dental. These may be illus- 

 trated as follows : — 



(i) Liquid+labial — motion+purpose : lapa, wing; 

 lapri, see, leipa, lopa, fire ; lepena, eye ; lepina, lepera, 

 neck ; lewana, wind ; lube, sheoak tree (the best fire- 

 wood) ; lupari, free. 



Mapa, black, the darkness moving over the sky and 

 earth, (avc have also lewara, night) ; mebia, moving awa}'. 



Newina, eat ; newitie, kangaroo ; niparana, face ; 

 nubra, nupre, eye ; nubena, crayfish (motion and purpose 

 are shown in the claws). 



Rabalga, hand (the member which takes) ; roba, to 

 rush ; ruwa, sand-lark ; roba and ruwa are perhaps simply 

 ro+pa, i.e., moving cjuickly or energetically. 



(2) Liquid+dental — motion+rest : lotta, tree (that 

 grows and then remains at rest) ; lutana, moon (wdience 

 comes the light that rests on the 'Carth), hence light, as 

 in ludo-wine, Avhite man. 



Mata, round like a ball (whirling and then fixed) ; 

 mata, dead, to die (moving and then still) ; meta, rope or 

 sinew (used for fastening movable things) ; mutta, bird 

 (from its plumpness ; the mutton-bird is probably the 

 mutta-bird). 



IsTata, earth, soil (remaining still after being moved) : 

 nutiak, to retch (the suffix ak denoting the unpleasant 

 feeling and the peculiar sound). 



Retena, heart (with its intermittent motion) : riatta, 

 tree (like lotta) ; rudana, lazy (when in motion, longing 

 for rest) ; rutta, hard, drv (dried fluid, e.g.. mud or 

 blood). 



(3) Liquid+guttural — motion+rejection : lagana, foot 

 (put on the ground and lifted up again) ; laguana, to 

 burn oneself (withdrawing from une, the fire) ; legana, 

 lugana, water (moving away in stream and ebb) ; legara, 

 to run awav ; legunia, dress or covering (removable and 

 warm — une) ; logune, to cut (making one shrink owing 



