Like many Australian Aboriginal languages, Gooniyandi (non-Pama-Nyungan, Kimberley, Western Australia) permits discontinuous NPs. On the basis of an investigation of 50 texts, it is argued that NP discontinuity is highly constrained formally, and is semantically saturated. Two main formally distinct types are identified, according to whether or not the second discontinuous piece constitutes a distinct information unit; these have distinct meanings. When the second piece constitutes its own intonation unit, only HaleÕs (1981: 337) predication (unmerged) reading is permitted, the second piece being predicated of the first as a type of afterthought. When it does not, only the merged reading is available; this permits unmarked information focus to fall on the theme of the clause. It is suggested that the functional account developed for Gooniyandi may be extended to NP discontinuity in other Australian Aboriginal languages.