THE WOMBAT. 83 



And no w a word as to the compounds Bangui, Bang-godeuh 



In the dual form Bangui (we) may it be possible that the 

 pronominal suffix is wanting ? ' : Terminal suffixes, gradually 

 obliterated and disfigured, have sometimes at last disappeared, 

 even in ancient languages ; sometimes they are still written, 

 but are subject to elision, and are no longer pronounced ; 

 sometimes the prolongation, slight or marked, of the syllable 

 which preceded them alone reveals their former place, then 

 this syllable which they protected, now exposed, wears away 

 and disappears in its turn. The word grows shorter, becomes 

 contracted, but that which remains retains the accessory 

 meaning which the vanished syllables added to the complete 

 form." Shortened by apocope, the compound Bangui probably 

 appears without the demonstrative or pronominal suffix, which 

 was no doubt its original termination. So, one would also 

 here recognise the syllable id as a witness of the wearing away 

 of the numeral bullaid until only the two letters subsist. 



Bang-go-de-ul, ours, is a parallel example. 



Little- can be said by me of the remaining five examples. 



Of Bang-(a)-bul-o»f/, they, Bang-tan-owgr, they, Bang-go- 

 de-tan-ew<7, theirs, we may note that the same combination of 

 letters, ong, that terminate each of these compounds, occurs 

 in five other examples, infixed most probably as a component 

 denoting possession. I do not imply however that ong is 

 identical in both instances. Ong, or gunong also appears in 

 Woddowro as a nounal suffix. 



In the last two compounds, Bang-ud, you, Bangongiid r 

 yours, the termination ud may perhaps be a contraction of 

 gnud, appearing in gnud-en. 



The elements, bang, body, but, two, hoi, three, etui- and 

 the variants, and en, pronominal suffixes, being accepted, we 

 may trace the components denoting possession. These are 

 clearly ong, gode, and the vowel a, placed immediately after 

 the principal word (bang). 



Brief reference has already been made to ong and gode 

 (Dr. Fraser's " Opinion " par. 7) 



Two examples of a serving in the Woddowro dialect 

 apparently as a case ending may be given. Kin-kin-b'd, people; 

 the blacks. Kin-ldn-bil-a, of the blacks. Murna-a, in the 

 hand. (Tnckfield's Sentences and Phrases Nos. 15, 90). 



Objection. But if we regard ik and etuk in the pronouns 

 as components simply serving as demonstrative or pronominal 

 suffixes, an objector may ask, Why do we find in two instances, 

 both ik and etuk in the one pronoun ? e.g., Ba-iig-etuk-kol-lik^ 

 we ; Bang-ong-gfu/f-kol/;/.' ours. 



