Ngunnawal language facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Burragorang |
|
|---|---|
| Ngunawal-Gundungurra Onerwal Northern Inland Yuin |
|
| Region | New South Wales & ACT, Australia |
| Ethnicity | Ngunnawal, Gandangara |
| Language family |
Pama–Nyungan
|
| Dialects |
Ngunawal/Ngunnawal
Gundungurra
|
| AIATSIS | D3 Ngunawal/Ngunnawal, S60 |
Ngunnawal/Ngunawal is an Australian Aboriginal language, the traditional language of the Ngunnawal. Ngunnawal is very closely related to the Gandangara language and the two were most likely highly mutually intelligible. As such they can be considered dialects of a single unnamed language, but this is the technical linguistic usage of these terms and Ngunnawal people prefer to describe their variety as a language in its own right, as also do the Gandangara.
Classification
Gundungurra/Ngunawal is generally classified to fall within the tentative (and perhaps geographic) Yuin–Kuric group of the Pama–Nyungan family.
Location
The traditional country of the Ngunnawal is generally thought to have extended from near Goulburn, west to Boorowa, south through Canberra, perhaps to Queanbeyan, and extending west to around the Goodradigbee River.
Sounds
| Bilabial | Apico-alveolar | Lamino-dental | Lamino-palatal | Dorso-velar | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Stop | b | d | dh | dj | g |
| Nasal | m | n | nh | nj | ng |
| Trill | rr | ||||
| Lateral | l | lj | |||
| Approximant | w | y |
Ngunawal vowels
| Front | Central | Back | |
|---|---|---|---|
| High | i, i: | u, u: | |
| Low | a, a: |
Current status
The Ngunnawal community has for some years been engaged in work to revive the language with the aim being to bring it back into daily use within the community. They have been working with AIATSIS linguists to assist them with this work, and with identifying historical records that can be used for this work.
Ngunawal words
| Ngunawal | English | Ref. |
|---|---|---|
| Balbo | Kangaroo rat | |
| Bamir | Long | |
| Bargang | Yellow box | |
| Berra | Boomerang | |
| Bimbi | Bird | |
| Bimbiang | Shield | |
| Bindugan | Mussel | |
| Birrigai | To laugh | |
| Budyan | Birds | |
| Bunburung | Small lizard | |
| Bunduluk | Rosella | |
| Bunima | Blow (as wind) | |
| Burrai | Quick | |
| Burrum-bah | Where the kangaroo, the wallaby, bounces over the rocks | |
| Bural | Day | |
| Burin | Stringybark | |
| Dhangarn | Food | |
| Daramoolen | Dreaming | |
| Darwa | A transition for ceremony | |
| Dulwa | Casuarina trees | |
| Dyindan | Ring-tail possum | |
| Galu | Crane | |
| Gamburra | Flowers | |
| Gang-gang | Gang-gang cockatoo | |
| Giliruk | pee wee | |
| Ginninderra | Sparkling light | |
| Ginin-ginin-derry | Sparkling, throwing out little rays of light (possibly a description of a waterfall) |
|
| Gubbity | Pipeclay | |
| Gubur Dhaura | Red ochre ground | |
| Gudali | To hunt | |
| Guginya | Kookaburra | |
| Gula | Koala | |
| Gulwan | Younger sister | |
| Gummiuk | Bulrushes | |
| Gunyan | Slow | |
| Jedbinbilla | A place where boys become men | |
| Gurubun | Koala | |
| Kubbadang | Moon | |
| Karrugang | Magpie | |
| Kudyera | Fighting club | |
| Kanbarra | Meeting Place | |
| Madi | Very | |
| Mulleun | Eagle | |
| Mulunggang | Platypus | |
| Mundang | Canoe | |
| Mundawari | Bandicoot | |
| Munjuwa | Tracks, Foot | |
| Mura | Pathway | |
| Mura gadi | Pathways for searching | |
| Murra Bidgee Mullangari | Keeping the pathway to our ancestors alive | |
| Murrung | Lizard | |
| Nangi | To see or look | |
| Narragunnawali | Alive/well-being/coming together | |
| Nengi Bamir | See far (view) | |
| Ngadyung | Water | |
| Ngunna yerrabi yanggu | You're welcome to leave your footprints on our land | |
| Nguru | Camp | |
| Pajong | Ngunnawal clan group | |
| Tuggeranong | Cold place | |
| Umbagong | Axe | |
| Walga | Hawk | |
| Wallabalooa | Ngunnawal clan group | |
| Warabin | Curlew | |
| Warrumbul | Youth | |
| Weereewa | Lake George (translates roughly to "bad water") |
|
| Wimbaliri | Drink | |
| Winnunga nimmityjah | Strong health | |
| Winyu | Sun | |
| Wirria | Tree goanna | |
| Woggabaliri | Play | |
| Yarrh | Running water | |
| Yeal-am-bid-gie | Molonglo River | |
| Yerra | Swim, to fly like a bird | |
| Yerrabi | To walk | |
| Yerradhang | Eucalyptus Tree | |
| Yukkumbruk | Black Crow | |
| Yumba | Eel | |
| wolway | waterfall | |
| Yuyu | Mopoke |
More words are compiled online in The Wiradyuri and Other Languages of New South Wales, an article by Robert H. Mathews first published in the Journal of the Royal Anthropological Institute in 1904.
https://aiatsis.gov.au/research/research-themes/ngunawal-language-revival-project
See also
In Spanish: Idioma ngunnawal para niños
