Example 25-263

Thei reken i gota ngalanymuwa, bifo thei bin oldei getim.
Thei
3pl
reken
think/say
i
3sg
gota
have
ngalanymuwa,
echidna
bifo
previously
thei
3pl
bin
pst
oldei
always/hab
get-im.
get-tr
[At that place] they think there are echidnas, in the old days they used to catch them.
Comment:
Variety: Spoken Victoria River, Older Generation. This example illustrates a clausal complement of the verb reken 'think, consider, reckon' and also an existential construction. Ngalanymuwa is the Jaminjung word for echidna or anteater (Tachyglossus aculeatus), an animal resembling a porcupine which used to be hunted for its meat.
Type:
translation in elicitation of other language
Source:
Fieldwork Schultze-Berndt