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Phrase Detail
Pirnang-kat merterruk.
His bones are sticking out
Pronunciation:
Say
:
poour
-nar
ng
-kart
mert
-e
rr
-uuk
Notes:
Vowels
:
Standard
- '
a
' as in ‘path’, ‘
u
’ as in ‘put’.
Variation
- when ‘
i
’ follows a ‘
p
’ and is followed by a ‘r’, ‘rn’ or ‘rt’ but not ‘rr’, the ‘i’ is rounded off like ‘tu’ in French. (top of the tongue touches the back of the palate). - '
e
' followed by 'l' or 'r' is 'e' as in 'fern'.
Consonant
combination - '
ng
' (velar-nasal) combine 'n' and 'g' while back of tongue touches soft palate plus nasal vibration,
-
'
rr
' roll or trill tongue
Literal Meaning:
Lit. appearing-really bone(its)
Shows:
Noun ending - his/her/its - (k)uk, Postposition - indeed! -kat(a), Verb ending - happening now - ang, Verb head-word
Explanation:
A compound that became a fixed language use created with 'pirna' (to appear, come, arrive, rise), 'ang' - present participle (happening now), '-kat' (emphasis) and 'merrterruk' (bone). Another English translation would be 'You can see his bones!'
Learning Focus:
Describing
Learning Exercise:
Build
: Write a short story or song in Wamba Wamba that starts with this sentence. Who is speaking? What can he/she/they see? What happens?
Phrase Sentence:
Sentence
Words Associated:
pirna - appear, come, arrive, to rise (of sun etc.)
merterruk - bone (his)
Topics:
Animals - Mammals, Communication - Describing
Age Guides:
Yr 4-6, Yr 7-9, Yr 10-12
Reference:
'Victorian Languages: A Late Survey': L.A. Hercuss; p.176. 'WembaWemba Dictionary': L.A. Hercus; p.49