Iltyem-iltyemel anwern angkem nheng amerneh arlka.
We ask for food and things like that using hand signs.
And thamptheng apaywenherremel amernarl.
Or if we see a person calling out in the distance then we use hand signs to speak with that person.
Tyerrty nhak apek ntwarr angerr arlkemarl, ntwarreng apekarl arem, kel iltyem-iltyemarl angkem tyerrty nhakeh anwern.
We use hand signs to talk to people who are deaf – to talk about food, or to ask them to come over to eat or drink tea or sit down with us.
Tyerrty ahert mapeh anwern iltyem-iltyem angkem – merneh arlka apek petyetyeh arlka apek nheng mern arlkwetyeh, tea arlka apek arlkwetyeh anetyeh apek war.
War anwern iltyem-iltyem angkem.
We just use hand signs.
Kwer mapeh arlka anwern iltyem-iltyem angkem. Nheng kereng arlka apek anwern ntertelh-ilem, nheng-lkwer anwern ntertelh-ilem: ‘Ntert-irrang kwenh aherreng kwenh!’
We also use hand signs with kids, to quieten them down when we are hunting. We sign, ‘Be quiet, there’s a kangaroo there!’
Iltyem-iltyem anwern angkem. Anwern apek ywerlt-irrem, tyerrty arrpenh map ywerlt-irrem wal iltyem iltyemarl angkem.
We use hand signs for that. And we use hand signs when someone is bereaved.
Thamptheng tey arlka apek mern apek angetyetyeh, wal iltyem-iltyemarl angkem.
If someone loses a child, then they use hand signs to ask for things such as tea or food. They use hand signs.
Nheng tyerrty aywerlt apek or warlekwert apek nheng husband apek lose-em-ilem.
Somebody who has lost a child, or a woman who has lost her husband.
Not angkem athew warlekwertan or ywerlt apek, itya.
Widows and those whose child has passed away are not allowed to speak
April Campbell, speaking with Jenny Green at Ti Tree, May 2008 (Central Anmatyerr).
J. Green (2010) Between the earth and the air: Multimodality in Arandic Sand Stories, UNpublished Ph.D thesis, School of Languages and Linguistics, University of Melbourne