njirrk(mu)

 ​[ɲɪrk, ɲɪrkmu]

brood over something: feel resentful, remorseful; be sad, be upset. Also, for some speakers, be confused, not know.

Dalabon – 5 speakers – Australia (Arnhem Land)

njirrk(mu) describes negative emotional states that involve worrying and even feeling depressed, but also negative feelings targetting others such as holding resentment. It is also associated with social isolation, lack of communication, hatred and conflict. More.

njirrk(mu) is an intransitive verb. 

(1) Mak bala-njirrkmi, mak bala-burruni.
     "[After their relative died,] they didn’t hold resentment (feel vengeful) [towards the person responsible for their relative's death], they didn’t fight."

(2) Kardu bunu burrah-marnu-buninj, be-burrng, o kanh eksiden-kun balah-eksidenhminj… Balah-dja-njirrmu yelek. 
     "Perhaps them two bashed their son, or about an accident, they had an accident. They are still brooding over it, yet."

Source: Ponsonnet, Maïa. 2011. Les figures du doute en langue dalabon (Australie du Nord). Journal de la Société des Océanistes, 132(1):151-164. http://jso.revues.org/6358?lang=fr and Ponsonnet, Maïa. 2014. The language of emotions: The case of Dalabon (Australia). Amsterdam: John Benjamins. Collection Cognitive Linguistic Studies in Cultural Contexts, p. 435

​Credit: Maggie Tukumba