LANGUAGES OF SOME NATIVE TRIBES. 155 



Number. — Nouns have three numbers — the singular, dual 

 and plural. Thurlta, a kangaroo ; thurlta pakula, a couple 

 of kangaroos ; thurlta gutthalagu, several kangoroos. 



Gender. — Wimbadya, a man. Burraka, a woman. Kut- 

 tyungga, a young boy. Karnkali, a young girl. Mun- 

 dhanggura, a baby of either sex. The gender of animals 

 is shown by affixing words indicative of male and female, 

 as thurlta dhuladya, a male kangaroo ; thurlta wambukka, 

 a female kangaroo. 



Case. — The following are some of the principal cases : — 



The nominative indicates anything at rest, and is with- 

 out flexion, as, kulli, a dog ; wimbadya, a man. 



The causative represents the subject in action, and takes 

 a suffixed particle, as Wimbadyawa waku burtatyi, a man 

 a crow killed ; kulli wa yerrandyi dhuttadyi, a dog an 

 opossum bit. 



Genitive. — Wimbadyana gattheri, a man's boomerang. 

 Kullina gurni, a dog's tail. Burraka na kurnka, a woman's 

 yamstick. The remaining cases are omitted. 



Adjectives. 

 These follow the nouns they qualify, and take the same 

 inflexions for number and case. Wimbadya wurta, a man 

 large. Wimbadyana wurtana gattheri, a large man's 

 boomerang. Wimbadyawa wurtawa gattheri ngartatyi, a 

 large man a boomerang threw. 



Comparison of adjectives is effected by such expressions 

 as "this is good — that is bad," and so on, in a similar 

 manner to those of the Thoorga. 1 



Pronouns. 

 Pronouns have number, person and case. There are 

 " inclusive " and " exclusive " forms for the first person of 



1 "The Thoorga and Yukumbil Languages," Queensland Geographical 

 Journal, Vol. xvn., pp. 49 - 73. 



