There is a sequence b–d–n… in the Tasmanian language records. There are many examples of it. Little Here are a few such records: Fig. 1...

N.J.B. Plomley had provided a 10 000 or so long word list of Tasmanian words in: Plomley, N.J.B. 1976. A word-list of the Tasmanian...

N.J.B. Plomley has provided a splendid resource for information on the languages of Tasmania, and there probably were several. His book...

First visit to SOAS Twenty years ago, on Monday 3 April 1995, your Sydney-based amateur researcher into Australian languages called on...

A friend wrote: “If possible would you email the aboriginal word for butterfly.” Here is the reply: ————————– Thank you for your enquiry...

In an article in the Sydney Morning Herald on 4 February 2015, written by Leesha McKenny, the matter is raised about giving the name of...

Although William Dawes is a splendid resource for understanding the classical Aboriginal language of Sydney Biyal Biyal, there are...

The Anon Notebook gives ‘Cow-wan’ as the name or place of Ross Farm, the farm of Major Robert Ross of the Marines, the Lieutenant...

One of the most noticeable things about guns, when they are used, is that they go ‘bang!’ It is obvious, but we do not think about it...

To ask ‘What was the Sydney language word for “rise”?’ would seem a simple question, but it is not. The earliest records suggest the word...

The following was included in a notice about a future public visit to Muogamarra, dated 15 April 2013: Muogamarra Nature Reserve is a Protected Place Muogamarra (pronounced Moo-o-ga-marra) lies between the outer Sydney suburb of Cowan (to the south) and the Hawkesbury River (to the north.)  But is this guide to pronunciation correct? muogamarra is a word from the Wiradhuri language, and there is only one reference for it: Australian respelt English EngJSM source “Muogamarra”

For a number of years the University of Sydney has been acknowledging that it is situated ‘on Cadigal land’. But is it?  There are few...

Mooney Mooney is a suburb in the north of Sydney on the Hawkesbury River. There is a club there where lunch may be had, with a balcony offering a view over the water; noisy mynas tormented a kookaburra sitting on telegraph wires. The question presented itself as to what this placename might mean. The receptionist at the club visited for the lunch, a resident for the past forty years, asserted it meant ‘many rivers‘ — something he had learnt from other locals. This explanation

When reviewing Wiradhuri records made by Archdeacon James Günther around 1837, your amateur researcher chanced upon: Australian respelt English EngJSM source “Yarbarra” yarba-ra = “to dig, scrape with the spade.” dig  : Günther (Fraser) [:108:31] [Wira] This called to mind a Threlkeld entry from Awabakal (or the Hunter River language), which was then found: “yarr-bulliko” yarba-li-gu = “to saw …” saw  : Tkld/Frsr AWA 1892 [:101:27] [Awa] “yarr-bulla” yarba-la = “saw (mandator

Rev. Jakob Wilhelm Günther, 1832 [source: Basel Mission QS30.001.009.01] Reverend James [Jakob Wilhelm] Günther was a German-born missionary, appointed by the Church Missionary Society to its mission in Wellington N.S.W. in August 1837, where he stayed until the mission was disbanded in 1843. During his time in Wellington, Günther compiled Wiradjuri wordlists and studied its grammar. He subsequently became a chaplain to convicts, and later archdeacon at Mudgee.

Suffixes attached to verbs In Australian indigenous languages, or some at least, there seem to be five kinds of suffixes that may be attached to verb stems. Not all five are present every time, and in fact it seems to be rare to have more than one, two or three of them. They might be classed as follows: transitiviser [trvsr]  stem-forming suffix [SFX] derivational suffix [DFX] status suffix tense marker In some languages (such as Wiradhuri and the Sydney language Biyal Biyal

A koala is one of Australia’s favourite treasures of the animal kingdom. It looks almost unbearably attractive and cuddly. On closer scrutiny koalas seem to spend most of their time asleep, and they are scarcely cuddly, with claws, and perhaps with a temperament that has never made them household pets in the manner of cats and dogs. ‘Koala’ is an indigenous word that might have been retranscribed as guwala , but probably more properly as gula as the following examples suggest

Yarrangobilly is a rural locality in the Snowy Mountains known for its limestone caves, thermal pool and historic Caves House. Located about 40 km west from the southern portion of the ACT, this places it in Ngarigo country. Consequently yarangu-bili  might be a Ngarigu word. It probably comprises two or three parts: — yarang (or one of yarang , yarung ; yurang , yurung ; yirang , yirung ) — gu — bili -bili bili is a widespread suffix in NSW languages and appears to convey

The local zoo was looking for guidance for a name for a walking tour of the zoo, and offered its preliminary ideas: 1 Burraga Nura … Zoo’s Aboriginal Discovery Tour Language words burraga : long nosed bandicoot;  nura : country;  2 Yana Nura … Zoo’s Aboriginal Discovery Tour Language words yana : walk; nura : country What follows is the reply sent to the zoo. ===================================== I would like to suggest a walking tour name such as : manyinyi guwalang I do

William Dawes of the First Fleet wrote, on page 35 of his notebook ‘b’: P. Mr Faddy yéla Mr Clark yenyában Norfolk Island Mr Faddy with Mr Clark went to Norfolk Island This sentence arose in relation to the following journey to Norfolk Island recorded at the time by others: March, 1790. [The Sirius ] was ordered, in concert with the Supply , to convey major Ross, with a large detachment of marines, and more than two hundred convicts, to Norfolk [39] Island: ……. She sailed on