Chapter 4: Wandha yinda yaniya?
Yaru! Hello! Gudjal birraya ngali. Let's talk Gudjal together. In this lesson, we'll talk about where we're going and what we're doing.
Dialogue
Gudjal
(Or click on any line of dialogue to hear just that line.)
| Max: | Keesha, wandha yinda yaniya? |
| Keesha: | Yambalawu yaniya ngaya. |
| Max: | Nganiwu? |
| Keesha: | Gayala yanggaliya ngaya. Muralmundu yandjaya nhula. |
| Max: | Ah, yuway! Muralmundu yubala. |
| Keesha: | Mandan gandjiya nhula! |
| Max: | Dharibara! |
English
| Max: | Keesha, where are you going? |
| Keesha: | I'm going home. |
| Max: | Why? |
| Keesha: | I'm looking for my dad. He's coming back from Charters Towers. |
| Max: | Ah, yes! You two are from Charters Towers. |
| Keesha: | He's bringing food back! |
| Max: | Great! |
Word List
Click on a vocabulary item to hear how it's pronounced.
| Yambala | Camp / home |
| Yani- | To go |
| Yuri | Food (meat) / lunch |
| Mandan | Food (everything else) / lunch |
| Nganiwu | Why? |
| -wu / -gu | Grammar: "For" or "to" |
| -ya | Grammar: Present Tense |
| -li | Grammar: The continuous “ing” |
| Yangga- | To look for |
| Yubala | You two |
| Birula | River |
| Bubudhala | Big mountains |
| Gandji | To carry / to take / to bring |
Grammar
The -wu and -gu word ending
Here we have another word ending: -wu / -gu. Although -wu and -gu look different, they actually say the same thing. They mean "to" as in "I'm going to Charters Towers". They also mean "for" as in "this food is for my mother".
We generally use the -wu word ending when the word it attaches to ends in a vowel (a, i, and u). We use the -gu word ending when the word ends in a consonant (every other letter).
The word ending -wu also attaches to ngani (who / what), to become nganiwu (why). It literally means "for what (reason)".
Here are some examples of -wu and -gu in use.
| Yambalawu | To camp / to my house |
| Bimuwu | For auntie / to auntie |
| Muginawu | For my brother / to my brother |
| Muralgu | To Charters Towers |
The -ya word ending
The -ya word ending attaches to verbs. Verbs are doing words. Yani- (to go), yandja- (to come) and yangga- (to look for) are all verbs.
The -ya word ending shows that something is happening right now. We call it the present, as in the present moment, or presently (meaning: right now!). It is one of the word endings that Freddie Toomba used the most.
The -li word ending
The -li word ending also attaches to verbs. It is roughly equivalent to “ing” in English, as in “I am looking”, and “he is coming back”. It shows that an action is currently happening right now. It can combine with the -ya ending, but generally with put the -li ending before the -ya ending. Gayala yangga-li-ya ngaya. I am looking for Dad.
No words for "the" and "a"
You may have noticed this already, but Gudjal doesn't have any words for "the" or "a". If you want to say "the river" or "a river", you just say "river".
Practice Activities
Classroom Activity
Grab a partner. Imagine you're in a car going on holiday. Tell your partner in Gudjal where you're going. Now imagine you're coming back from another holiday. Talk to your partner about where you're coming back from. Gudjal birraya!