78 



THE SPEECH OP THE TASMANIAN ABORIGINES 



Millig-an's sentences (pp. xli.-xliii.) give us little 

 further light ; their general characteristics are the same 

 as we have already discussed, with the possible excep- 

 tion of ta being used as a postposition, as in mito (to 

 me), neeto (to thee), nangato (to the father) ; its literal 

 meaning is " stop there." It is even possible that this 

 .«hows that postpositions were earher than prepositions ; 

 but the basis of such a contention is as yet very frail. 



Indeed, in Milligan's sentences we meet with indubit- 

 able datives without ta, e.g., Teeanymiape tugg-ane, 

 Meeongyneeome — Give me some b^ead to eat, I am 

 hungry. We dissect the phrase thus : — tiana, heap, 

 give ; mia, me ; pe, do ; tugana, eat ; mie, not ; nagana, 

 eat; me, me. 



In a previous sentence, Milligan had Loina tyenna- 

 beah mito — Give me a stone. We dissect — lena, stone ; 

 tiana, give ; pe, do ; mi, me ; to, stop. 



Fenton. in his History of Tasmania, has a very in- 

 teresting extract from a sermon delivered by G. A. 

 Robinson to the Aborigines, with an interlineated trans- 

 lation. This document must have escaped H. Ling 

 Roth's notice. Robinson's intimate acquaintance with 

 ;the Aborigines makes this record very valuable. 



Matty nyrae Parlerdee. Matty nyrae Parlerdee. 

 One good 'God. One good God. 



Parleeva nyrae, parleeva loggernu, taggerar 

 native good, native dead, go 



lowway waeranggelly. Parlerdee lowway 

 up sky. God up. 



Nyrat raegee merrdy, nueberrae Parlerdee 

 •'Good white-man sick, looks God 



waeranggelly, Kannernu Parlerdee. Nyrae 

 sky speaks (prays) God. Good. 



Parlerdee neuberrac nyrae raegee timene 

 God sees good white-man no 



merrydy. No-ailly parleeva loggernu, tageera 

 sick. Bad native dead. goes 



toogunner, raegor roper, uenee maggerer 



down evil-spirit fire stops. 



Parleeva tyrer, tyrer, tyrer. Nyra parleeva 

 -Native, cry, cry, cry. Good native 



