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Guwaabal 4 Garrbaali / The Shingleback Lizard


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  In the right-hand column the story is broken down into individual sentences. The first line is in Yuwaalaraay, the third is an English 'free' translation. The second line is an 'interlinear' translation; it shows the various parts of each Yuwaalaraay word (verb, noun, suffix etc). By examining this line you can see how words and sentences are built in Yuwaalaraay.
Go back to Version 1 or go to the Notes page to find out the background to the story.

00
GarrbaalibulaarrDhinawan
shingleback lizardtwoemu
The Shingleback Lizard and the Emu
01
Yilaalu garrbaali, dhinawan, guwaa-la-y-la-nhi.
long.ago shingleback emu talk-each.other-continuous-Past
Long ago the emu and shingleback were talking.
02
Giirr nhama garrbaali bamba banaga-y-la-nhi.
really that,the shingleback hard run-continuous-Past
That shingleback lizard used to run fast then.
03
Waal-bala nhama dhinawan banaga-y-la-nhi,
no,not-contrast that,the emu run-continuous-Past
yiyal yanaa-y-la-nhi.
just,only walk-continuous-Past
But the emu couldn't run, he used just walk around.
04
Giirr dhinawan-du guwaa-y:
really emu-doerto say-Past
So the emu said:
05
"Yaama ngali wunga-y, gambaay?"
question we2 dive.swim-Future sweetheart
"Will we go for a paddle, sweetheart?"
06
"Ngaayaybaay."
okay
"Okay."
07
Garrbaali-dju-bala guwaa-y.
shingleback-doerto-contrast say-Past
The shingleback said.
08
"Giirr ngali-badhaay, ngali-nginda, yanaa-waa-y,
really we2-might we2-you(1) come-moving-Future
gungan-di wunga-y-gu."
water-circumstance dive.swim-Future-to
Yeah, we might go, me and you, to dive in the water.
09
[Dhinawan-du guwaa-y.]
emu-doerto say-Past
[Emu said.]
10
"Ngaayaybaay."
okay
"Okay."
11
Garrbaali-dju-bala guwaa-y.
shingleback-doerto-contrast say-Past
Shingleback said.
12
Giirr yanaa-nhi nhama bulaarr gungan-gu.
really come-Past that,the two water-to
So the two of them went to the water.
13
Nginda waanda wunga-waa-ya,"
you[1] first dive.swim-moving-command
Garrbaali-dju-bala guwaa-y.
shingleback-doerto-contrast say-Past
"You swim first," Shingleback said.
14
Giirr nhama dhinawan wunga-nhi, yilaa dhurra-y,
really that,the emu dive.swim-Past directly come-Past
ngiyama-nga wila-nhi, baga-ga.
there-then sit-Past river bank-in,at,on
So the emu dived around, then he came out and sat down on the river bank.
15
Yilaa-bala Garrbaali dhunbil dhuwima-nhi,
then-contrast shingleback sinew remove[own]-Past
baga-ga wiima-y.
river bank-in,at,on put.down-Past
Then the shingleback took off his sinews and put them on the riverbank.
16
Yilaa ngiyama-nga Garrbaali wunga-y-la-nhi.
then there-then shingleback dive.swim-continuous-Past
Shingleback was diving around there.
17
Dhinawan-du-bala guwaa-lda-nhi:
emu-doerto-contrast say-continuous-Past
And emu kept on saying:
18
"Ngadaa, ngadaa, ngadaa, ngadaa, gi-gi-la-ya"
down down under down get-continuous-command
"Down, go down, go under, down, stay down!."
19
Giirr nhama wunga-y-la-nhi ngiyarrma,
really that,the dive.swim-continuous-Past there
And he kept on diving down,
20
yilaa-bala barraay ngaama dhinawan ngarra-lda-nhi.
then-contrast quickly that.the emu look-continuous-Past
but quickly looking again at the emu.
21
"Wunga-ya, wunga-ya, yaluu-badhaay wunga-ya."
dive.swim-command dive.swim-command again-maybe dive.swim-command
"Dive down, dive, how about you dive down again."
22
Dhinawan-du-bala guwaa-lda-nhi.
emu-doerto-contrast say-continuous-Past
The emu was saying.
23
Yilaa-nga nguu wunga-nhi.
then-now he/she dive.swim-Past
So he dived again.
24
Yalagiirrmawu-bala dhinawan-du nhama dhunbil
then-contrast run-for.self-Past emu-doer.to that,the sinew
dhiyama-y, banaga-ali-nyi.
pick.up-Past run-for.self-Past
Right away the emu picked up those sinews and ran away with them.
25
Nham-bala nguu-nga gungan-di dhurra-y, garrbaali.
that,the-contrast he/she-then water-from come-Past shingleback
Then he came out of the water, that shingleback.
26
Ngiyarrma nguu, yu-gi-la-nhi, garrbaali,
there he/she cry, weep-continuous-Past shingleback
dhunbil-nginda.
sinew-wanting
He was crying there for his sinews, the shingleback.
27
Nham-bala dhinawan banaga-ali-nyi.
that,the-contrast emu run-for.self-Past
But the emu had run away with them. [So these days the emu runs fast, and the shingleback lizard crawls around slowly.]