Awabakal language

language
name=Awabakal
familycolor=Australian
states=Australia
region=Lake Macquarie, New South Wales
extinct= Few elders know the language but are teaching the aboriginal youth of the area
fam2=Pama-Nyungan
fam3=Central NSW
fam4=Worimi
iso2=aus|iso3=awk

Awabakal (also Awabagal) is an Australian Aboriginal language that was spoken around Lake Macquarie in New South Wales. The name is derived from "Awaba", which was the native name of the lake.

Classification

Awabakal is a Pama-Nyungan language, most closely related to the Worimi language. The two languages together form a branch of the Pama-Nyungan family, called Worimi (Ethnologue, 2005) or the Awabagal/Gadjang subgroup (Dixon, 2002).

History

Awabakal was studied by Reverend Lancelot Edward Threlkeld from 1825 until his death in 1859, assisted by Biraban, the tribal leader. His "Specimens of a Dialect of the Aborigines of New South Wales" in 1827 was the earliest attempt at exhibiting the structure of an Australian language.

Examples

:unicode|Wonto ba kauwȧllo mankulla unnoa tara túġunbilliko ġurránto ġéen kinba,: unicode|2. Yanti bo ġearun kin bara ġukulla, unnoa tara nakillikan kurri-kurri kabiruġ ġatun mankillikan wiyellikanne koba.: unicode|3. Murrȧrȧġ tia kȧtan yantibo, koito baġ ba tuiġ ko ġirouġ Teopolo murrȧrȧġ ta,: unicode|4. Gurra-uwil koa bi tuloa, unnoa tara wiyatoara banuġ ba.::—Introduction of the Gospel of Luke

Bibliography

*Threlkeld, Lancelot Edward (1827). "Specimens of a Dialect of the Aborigines of New South Wales; Being the first attempt to form their speech into a written language."
*Threlkeld, Lancelot Edwrad (1834). "An Australian grammar: comprehending the principles and natural rules of the language, as spoken by the Aborigines in the vicinity of Hunter's River, Lake Macquarie, &c. New South Wales."
*Threlkeld, Lancelot Edward (1836). "An Australian spelling book in the language as spoken by the Aborigines in the vicinity of Hunter's River, Lake Macquarie, New South Wales."
*Threlkeld, Lancelot Edward (1850). "A key to the structure of the Aboriginal language; being an analysis of the particles used as affixes, to form the various modifications of the verbs; shewing the essential powers, abstract roots, and other peculiarities of the language spoken by the Aborigines in the vicinity of Hunter River, Lake Macquarie, etc., New South Wales: together with comparisons of Polynesian and other dialects."
*Threlkeld, Lancelot Edward (1858). Language of the Australian Aborigines. "Waugh's Australian Almanac for the Year 1858." 60-80
*Threlkeld, Lancelot Edward (1892). Fraser, John (ed.), "An Australian language as spoken by the Awabakal, the people of Awaba or Lake Macquarie (near Newcastle, New South Wales) being an account of their language, traditions and customs."

ee also

*Arwarbukarl Cultural Resource Association

References

*cite book|first=R. M. W. |last=Dixon | authorlink=R. M. W. Dixon |title=Australian Languages: Their Nature and Development|publisher=Cambridge University Press|year=2002|id=ISBN-10: 0521473780, ISBN-13: 9780521473781|url=http://www.cambridge.org/catalogue/catalogue.asp?isbn=0521473780

External links

* [http://www.ethnologue.com/show_language.asp?code=awk Ethnologue report for language code:awk]
* [http://www.newcastle.edu.au/centre/awaba/awaba/group/amrhd/awaba/language/dictionary/index.html English-Awabakal dictionary]
* [http://www.newcastle.edu.au/services/library/collections/archives/int/abori.html Virtual Sourcebook of Aboriginal Studies in the Hunter Region] — Threlkeld's works available online