Wiradjuri (; many other spellings, see
Wiradjuri
The Wiradjuri people (; ) are a group of Aboriginal Australian people from central New South Wales
)
, nickname =
, image_map = New South Wales in Australia.svg
, map_caption = Location of New South Wales in AustraliaCoordinates:
, ...
) is a
Pama–Nyungan language of the
Wiradhuric subgroup. It is the traditional language of the
Wiradjuri
The Wiradjuri people (; ) are a group of Aboriginal Australian people from central New South Wales
)
, nickname =
, image_map = New South Wales in Australia.svg
, map_caption = Location of New South Wales in AustraliaCoordinates:
, ...
people of
Australia
Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a Sovereign state, sovereign country comprising the mainland of the Australia (continent), Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous List of islands of Australia, sma ...
. A progressive revival is underway, with the language being taught in schools. Wiraiari and Jeithi may have been dialects.
Reclamation
The Wiradjuri language is taught in primary schools, secondary schools and at
TAFE in the towns of
Parkes Parkes may refer to:
* Sir Henry Parkes (1815–1896), Australian politician, one of the earliest and most prominent advocates for Australian federation
Named for Henry Parkes
* Parkes, New South Wales, a regional town
* Parkes Observatory, a radi ...
and
Forbes
''Forbes'' () is an American business magazine owned by Integrated Whale Media Investments and the Forbes family. Published eight times a year, it features articles on finance, industry, investing, and marketing topics. ''Forbes'' also re ...
& Condobolin. Northern Wiradjuri schools such as Peak Hill, Dubbo (several schools), Narromine, Wellington, Gilgandra, Trangie, Geurie are taught Wiradjuri by AECG Language & Culture Educators. All lessons include both indigenous and non-indigenous Australians. As of 2017 the language is also being taught in
Young
Young may refer to:
* Offspring, the product of reproduction of a new organism produced by one or more parents
* Youth, the time of life when one is young, often meaning the time between childhood and adulthood
Music
* The Young, an American roc ...
, where it has been observed as having a positive impact on the number of pupils self-identifying as Aboriginal.
Charles Sturt University
Charles Sturt University is an Australian multi-campus public university located in New South Wales, Australian Capital Territory and Victoria. Established in 1989, it was named in honour of Captain Charles Napier Sturt, a British explore ...
also offers a two-year course in Wiradjuri language, heritage, and culture, focusing on language reclamation. This course, which commenced in 2014, was developed by Wiradjuri Elder, Dr
Stan Grant Senior, as part of their Wiradjuri Language and Cultural Heritage Recovery Project.
Dictionary
The process of reclaiming the language was greatly assisted by the publication in 2005 of ''A First Wiradjuri Dictionary'' by elder Dr Stan Grant Senior and academic Dr
John Rudder. Rudder described the dictionary: "The Wiradjuri Dictionary has three main sections in just over 400 B5 pages. The first two sections, English to Wiradjuri, and Wiradjuri to English, have about 5,000 entries each. The third sections lists Names of Things grouped in categories such as animals, birds, plants, climate, body parts, colours. In addition to those main sections the dictionary contains an introduction to accurate pronunciation, a basic grammar of the language and a sample range of sentence types." A revised edition, holding over 8,000 words, was published in 2010 and launched in Wagga Wagga, with the launch described by the member for
Wagga Wagga
Wagga Wagga (; informally called Wagga) is a major regional city in the Riverina region of New South Wales, Australia. Straddling the Murrumbidgee River, with an urban population of more than 56,000 as of June 2018, Wagga Wagga is the state's la ...
to the
New South Wales Parliament
The Parliament of New South Wales is a bicameral legislature in the Australian state of New South Wales (NSW), consisting of the New South Wales Legislative Assembly (lower house) and the New South Wales Legislative Council (upper house). Each ...
. A mobile app based on the book is also available fo
iOSAndroidand
web basedversion. A ''Grammar of Wiradjuri language'' was published in 2014.
Phonology
Consonants
Vowels
The phonemes /ə/ and /aː/ tend to be considered as belonging to the same pair (refer to the orthography table below).
Orthography
Consonants
Vowels
Sample vocabulary
"Wagga Wagga"
The Aboriginal inhabitants of the
Wagga Wagga
Wagga Wagga (; informally called Wagga) is a major regional city in the Riverina region of New South Wales, Australia. Straddling the Murrumbidgee River, with an urban population of more than 56,000 as of June 2018, Wagga Wagga is the state's la ...
region were the Wiradjuri people and the term and derivatives of that word in the Wiradjuri language are thought to mean 'crow'. To create the plural,
reduplication is done, thus ''Wagga Wagga'' translates to 'the place of many crows'. It is also argued by some that the name means 'dances and celebrations', and others suggest the name means 'reeling like a drunken man'.
''Ngamadidj''
The term ''
Ngamadidj'' ('ghost', or 'white people'), used in the
Kuurn Kopan Noot language
Dhauwurd Wurrung is a term used for a group of languages spoken by various groups of the Gunditjmara people of the Western District of Victoria, Australia. Keerray Woorroong (also spelt Girai Wurrung and variants) is regarded by some as a sepa ...
in
Victoria
Victoria most commonly refers to:
* Victoria (Australia), a state of the Commonwealth of Australia
* Victoria, British Columbia, provincial capital of British Columbia, Canada
* Victoria (mythology), Roman goddess of Victory
* Victoria, Seychelle ...
, is also recorded as being used in
Wellington, New South Wales
Wellington is a city in the Central Western Slopes region of New South Wales, Australia, located at the junction of the Wambuul Macquarie and Bell Rivers. It is within the local government area of Dubbo Regional Council. The city is northwest o ...
by local Wiradjuri people about a missionary there.
Animals
Family
Numbers
Anatomy
Verbs
Other
Phrases
Introductions
Greetings
Love
Influence on English
The following
English
English usually refers to:
* English language
* English people
English may also refer to:
Peoples, culture, and language
* ''English'', an adjective for something of, from, or related to England
** English national ide ...
words come from Wiradjuri:
* ''
kookaburra
Kookaburras are terrestrial tree kingfishers of the genus ''Dacelo'' native to Australia and New Guinea, which grow to between in length and weigh around . The name is a loanword from Wiradjuri ''guuguubarra'', onomatopoeic of its call. The ...
'', a species of kingfisher
* ''
quandong
Quandong, quandang or quondong, is a common name for the species '' Santalum acuminatum'' (desert, sweet, Western quandong), especially its edible fruit, but may also refer to
* '' Aceratium concinnum'' (highroot quandong)
* '' Peripentadenia mea ...
'', a species of tree
* ''
quarrion'' (or ''quarrien''), another name for the cockatiel
['']Oxford Dictionary of English
The ''Oxford Dictionary of English'' (''ODE'') is a single-volume English dictionary published by Oxford University Press, first published in 1998 as ''The New Oxford Dictionary of English'' (''NODE''). The word "new" was dropped from the titl ...
'', p 1,452
Notes and references
Sources
*
*
*
*
*
External links
*
A New Wiradjuri dictionary
Wiradjuri language, alphabet and pronunciationMaterials for learning WiradjuriPeter Andren MP with material on the Wiradjuri
*
Learn Wiradjuri at TAFE
{{Pama–Nyungan languages, East
Wiradhuric languages
Critically endangered languages
Endangered indigenous Australian languages in New South Wales