THE THUKRAWAL LANGUAGE. 131 



man — or when an intransitive verb is used, as yuin ngulli, the 

 man sits — the noun is unchanged. But when the noun is connected 

 with a transitive verb, it takes a suffix, as yuin-dyu buhnaia, the 

 man struck; moreover, the form of this suffix varies according to 

 the termination of the noun, or the vowel sounds contained in it. 

 This has been designated the nominative agent, and will be under- 

 stood from the following examples : — In the simple nominative 

 we have juggarnafi, a boy; mirrigang, a dog ; ngurrungal, a 

 woman; bunbari, a youth; wuragal, a young man who has been 

 initiated. When the subject is performing some act, certain 

 suffixes are employed, as, juggarnandya dhufi manda, the boy a 

 :fish caught. Mirrigangga guraura bubbugaia, a dog an opossum 

 bit. Ngurrungalla mundha gulanya, a woman a snake killed. 

 Bunbari-i gunungwir yurinya, the youth a porcupine hit. Wura- 

 galgangga bundaia, the man chopped. 



It will be observed that the agent suffix in the above examples 

 has euphonic changes according to the sound of the word it is 

 attached to; thus, it is dyu after the u in yuin; dya after jug- 

 garnan; ga following the gang in mirrigang, la after the gal in 

 ngurrungal; and i following the final i in bunbari. 



2. The possessive case takes a suffix to the name of the thing 

 possessed, as well as to that of the possessor : — Yuiiiguli nguran- 

 hung, a man's ngura or camp. Bunbariwuli warranganhung, a 

 boy's boomerang. Mirriganguli wurranyung, a dog's puppy. 

 Mirriganguli wurranhumbuloala, a dog's puppies (several). 

 Megawuli gujaganhung, a woman's child. Megawuli gujagan- 

 :gulanhung, a woman's children (several). Megawulal gujagan- 

 gulandhunnung, the children of several women. Gujagawuli- 

 ngubbamurranhung, a child's mother. Yuinbulaliwuli warrangan- 

 bulanhung, a boomerang belonging to two men. 



The name of every object in the universe over which any kind 

 of ownership exists, can be conjugated by means of possessive 

 -suffixes for person and number : — 



C 1st Person My head, Wollardyen 



Singular < 2nd ,, Thy head, Wollarngun 



( 3rd „ His head, Wollarnhung 



