<div dir="ltr">Many Australian Pama-Nyungan languages have a nominal which semantically expresses both sympathy and affection, and syntactically is used as an expression of sympathy to an interlocutor (roughly equivalent to English 'Poor you!' or 'Poor thing'!), and to refer to third parties, whether as an argument or in apposition to an argument.  Here are some examples from  Warlpiri<div>
        
        
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                                        <p><span style="font-size:12pt;font-family:LinLibertineOB-Identity-H">wiyarrpa </span><span style="font-size:10pt;font-family:LinLibertineO-Identity-H">(N): (La,Ny,Y) </span><span style="font-size:11pt;font-family:LinLibertineO-Identity-H">dear (term of affection),
unfortunate, poor thing. [expression of sympathy,
concern, affection and closeness with some being].<br>
◆ </span><span style="font-size:11pt;font-family:LMSans10-Regular-Identity-H"><b>Wiyarrpa</b> nyurnu-jarrija kurdu. </span><span style="font-size:11pt;font-family:LinLibertineOI-Identity-H">The poor baby got
sick. </span><span style="font-size:11pt;font-family:LinLibertineO-Identity-H">◆ </span><span style="font-size:11pt;font-family:LMSans10-Regular-Identity-H"><b>Wiyarrpa</b> nyinaka kulu-wangu. </span><span style="font-size:11pt;font-family:LinLibertineOI-Identity-H">Don’t get into
a fight, you poor thing! </span><span style="font-size:11pt;font-family:LinLibertineO-Identity-H">◆ </span><span style="font-size:11pt;font-family:LMSans10-Regular-Identity-H"><b>Wiyarrparlu</b>npaju yungu.
</span><span style="font-size:11pt;font-family:LinLibertineOI-Identity-H">That was kind of you to give it to me. </span><span style="font-size:11pt;font-family:LinLibertineO-Identity-H">◆ </span><span style="font-size:11pt;font-family:LMSans10-Regular-Identity-H">Ngajuku-
purdangka <b>wiyarrpa,</b> milpa wijini. </span><span style="font-size:11pt;font-family:LinLibertineOI-Identity-H">My poor brother,
his eyes are sore. </span><span style="font-size:11pt;font-family:LinLibertineO-Identity-H">◆ </span><span style="font-size:11pt"><font face="LMSans10-Regular-Identity-H">..</font></span><span style="font-size:11pt;font-family:LinLibertineOI-Identity-H"> </span><span style="font-size:11pt;font-family:LinLibertineO-Identity-H">◆ </span><span style="font-size:11pt;font-family:LMSans10-Regular-Identity-H">Kalalu-nyanu
payurnu: “Yungkaju waja, wiyarrpaku.” “Nganja
<b>wiyarrparlu</b>. Wiyarrparlu waja, nganja.” </span><span style="font-size:11pt;font-family:LinLibertineOI-Identity-H">They would
ask each other for things, “Give me (some) – to my
poor self!” “Eat it you poor thing. You poor thing, I say,
eat it.” </span><span style="font-size:11pt;font-family:LinLibertineO-Identity-H">Note: Also used to refer to deceased person
in a way that expresses the speaker’s sympathy.</span><span style="font-size:11pt;font-family:LinLibertineO-Identity-H">◆ </span><span style="font-size:11pt;font-family:LMSans10-Regular-Identity-H"><b>Wiyarrpa</b>-ngurlu-nyanu muku pajurnu. </span><span style="font-size:11pt;font-family:LinLibertineOI-Identity-H">He cut
himself all over grieving over the poor (deceased)
person.  </span></p><p><span style="font-size:11pt;font-family:LinLibertineOI-Identity-H">and other examples  .. </span><span style="font-size:11pt;font-family:LMSans10-Regular-Identity-H">Kamparru-
warnu-patulpalu nyinaja jalya-nyayirni – <b>wiyarrpa</b>.  </span><span style="font-size:11pt;font-family:LinLibertineOI-Identity-H">The people from before were
really naked, those dear people.</span></p><p>
        
        
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                                        <p><span style="font-size:11pt;font-family:LMSans10-Regular-Identity-H"><b>Wiyarrpa</b>
ngula nyangkalu jarntu larrpa-larrpa. </span><span style="font-family:LinLibertineOI-Identity-H;font-size:11pt">Look at
that poor skinny dog. </span></p>
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<p class="gmail-p1" style="margin:0px 0px 0px 36px;font-variant-numeric:normal;font-variant-east-asian:normal;font-stretch:normal;font-size:12px;line-height:normal;font-family:"Times New Roman"">Laughren, Mary, Hale, Kenneth, Egan, Jeannie Nungarrayi, Patrick, Marlurrku Paddy Jangala, Hoogenraad, Robert, Nash, David, and Simpson, Jane. 2022. <i>Warlpiri Encyclopaedic Dictionary: Warlpiri yimi-kirli manu jaru-kurlu</i>. Canberra: Aboriginal Studies Press.</p><div><br></div>-- <br><div dir="ltr" class="gmail_signature" data-smartmail="gmail_signature">Jane Simpson<br>Private e-mail</div></div></div></div>