high/deep hard/firm bald rat young night There seem to be two distinct concepts here, one or the other possibly underlying several of the additional ideas presented below. HIGH/DEEP Australian respelt English EngJSM source “mor-da” murda “high; steep; deep” high [4] Grey 1840 [:289:6] [NYUNGAR] “moorda” murda “blue mountains” high [3] Lyon 1833 [:221:4] [NYUNGAR] “marda” mada “hill” hill [10 (q)] Curr [:289:30] [Natingero] “Mordo” murdu “A mountain. …” hill Moore 1842 [:77:5]

dog / wild / bad / turtle / arouse/ alarm /startle / disturb / drive / chase  Australian respelt English EngJSM source “yockine” yagan “bad” bad: [10 (p)] Curr [:208:23] [Kaniyang] “yokine” yagan “dingo” dog: [17] Markey 1942 [:191:50] [NYUNGAR] “yuckine” yagan “wild dogs” dog: [11 (a)] Hassell, A.A. [:195:24] [NYUNGAR] “yakkine” yagan “dog, wild” dog: [10 (m)] Curr [:257:1] [Kaniyang] “yockine” yagan “wild” wild: [23] Buller-Murphy [:442:12] [Dordenup [Wardandi]] “yekyn” yig

bidya : ‘sleep’ and bidyag : ‘stinking’ — is there a connection? and if so, what? Australian respelt English EngJSM source “bidjar” bidya “a state of repose” sleep: [4] Grey 1840 [:13:35] [NYUNGAR] “beedjar” bidya “sleep” sleep: [3] Lyon 1833 [:381:25] [NYUNGAR] “bidjar” bidya “sleep” sleep: [6] Brady 1845 [:381:48] [NYUNGAR] “bid-jak” bidya[a]g “stinking; offensive” stinking: [4] Grey 1840 [:394:50] [NYUNGAR] “Bidjak” bidya[a]g “Stinking” stinking: Moore 1842 [:161:14] [NYUN

There are several words to express ‘bad’, but it is interesting to note one similarity between the Nyungar language of south-west Western Australia and the Sydney language, and elsewhere in New South Wales:  Australian respelt English EngJSM source “[Wiribü´ngadyémi]” wiribanga “[Thou didst wrong or badly.]” bad DO, to: Dawes (b) [b:24:18.11] [BB] “Wiribi´” wiribáyi “Worn out (as clothes etc.)” bad did: Dawes (b) [b:24:13] [BB] “we-ree no-rar” wiri ngura “a bad country” bad c

In 2010 I have been working on the Nyungar language area of south-west Western Australia. I used to live in Darlington not far from Perth, and in those days there used to be a train from Mundaring to Perth, passing through the siding of Boya. I would get off at East Guildford. Darlington is not that far from Kalamunda. I would go for holidays to Mooliabeenie. At the time indigenous names such as these meant nothing to me: they were just names. It was intriguing to discover th