Language and Culture in Aboriginal Australia by Michael Walsh

Author:Michael Walsh
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Aboriginal Studies Press
Published: 2011-10-24T04:00:00+00:00

Another example is provided by tumtum ‘egg’:

ku tumtum

NC egg

‘egg-as-egg’

thu tumtum

NC egg

‘egg-as-offensive weapon’

nanthi tumtum

NC egg

‘egg-as-object’

In the first usage tumtum is in the ku-class because it is the product of creatures such as ku thikin ‘chicken’, ku kananganthan ‘emu’ or ku ngupu ‘loggerhead (large saltwater) turtle’, which by their inherent characteristics naturally fit into the ku-class. But an egg used as a missile predictably becomes thu tumtum because functionally it has become an offensive weapon. Finally, an egg used as a paperweight or some such must be assigned to the nanthi-class.

When a noun occurs in its most basic or normal sense, more often than not the noun class marker is omitted.

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