Go Back to Contents
Introduction
The languages of the South-West have been recorded (mainly in word lists), since the early 1830s when R.M.Lyon published words of the 'Aboriginal inhabitants of Western Australia'. F.F. Armstrong was an official government interpreter for the Aboriginal languages of the South-West. Since then a great deal of material has been collected, but as it is often unclear which language is being referred to, the list of work is included below as 'general work' relating to languages of the South-West.
All of the languages that were spoken in the South-West (listed above) are today known as 'Nyungar', the word for 'human being' in these languages, now used to refer to Aboriginal people of this region. Wilf Douglas (1976b) has produced a brief description of Nyungar, and says (p.7) that today '"''Nyungar is Nyungar' whether spoken at Geraldton, or Gnowangerup, Kalgoorlie or Kojonup, Merredin or Moora'"'. Douglas (1991) has also edited Henry Atkins's vocabulary of Nyungar.
Carl-Georg von Brandenstein's (1988) work lists 1,500 words of Nyungar, tracing their etymology and including some example sentences.
Frances Morphy (1985) has analysed many of the written sources from the nineteenth century and suggests that there were three main dialect groups in the South-West, a northern, eastern and southern dialect. Morphy also suggests that Witjarimaya is a language of the region, from Dandaragan and Wilganmaia, based on two of Daisy Bates's vocabularies. However there is no other source for this language so it is not treated separately below.
There have been teaching courses using aspects of Nyungar languages in Albany, Bunbury, Perth and Moora. The Bunbury course will be produced as a teaching kit in the near future.
Alan Dench at the University of Western Australia is currently working on an encyclopaedic dictionary of Nyungar which will incorporate all of the previous sources as well as his own fieldwork.
Douglas (1976b) mentions the following languages in the region for which no more is known:
Tjapanmay: spoken around New Norcia and to the north-east.
Nakutja: spoken at Northampton.
General Work
Abbott, I. (1983) Aboriginal names for plant species in South-Western Australia, WA Forests Department, Perth.
Anonymous (1908a) 'Aboriginal names and meanings', p.31 in Science of Man, Vol.10, no.2.
Anonymous (n.d.a) A few short sentences of native language of the south-west tribes, MS.
Anonymous (n.d.c) Native vocabulary Beverley Sub-district, MS.
Anonymous (n.d.d) Native vocabulary Newcastle Sub-district, MS.
Anonymous (n.d.f) Native vocabulary Perth District, MS.
Anonymous (n.d.g) Native vocabulary Southern Cross District, MS.
Anonymous (n.d.h) Native vocabulary York Sub-district, MS.
Armstrong, C.F. (1886) 'Vocabulary no.19, Perth', pp.334-335 in E.M. Curr, The Australian race, Vol.1.
Armstrong, F.F. (1837) Native vocabularies, MS.
Armstrong, F.F. (1871) Language, WA Colonial Secretary's Office, Perth.
Barlee, F. (1886c) 'Vocabulary no.24, Bunbury', pp.352-355 in E.M. Curr, The Australian race, Vol.1.
Barlee, F. (1886d) 'Vocabulary no.24, Geographe Bay and Vasse', pp.356-357 in E.M. Curr, The Australian race, Vol.1.
Bates, D.M. (1906a) The marriage laws and some customs of the West Australian Aborigines, pp.36-60 in the Victorian Geographical Journal, 1905-06, Vol.13/14.
Bates, D.M. (1907a) 'A southern corroboree', p.63 in the Western Mail, 25 December 1907.
Bates, D.M. (1907b) Native names of places, fishes, animals, birds, ts.
Bates, D.M. (1912) 'Aboriginal nomenclature', in the West Australian, 10 February 1912.
Bates, D.M. (1913b) Native vocabulary, MS.
Bates, D.M. (1914) 'A few notes on some South-Western Australian dialects', pp.65-82 in Journal of the Royal Anthropological Institute of Great Britain and Ireland, Vol.44.
Bates, D.M. (1923) 'Tribus du Sud-Ouest de l'Australie; traduit de l'anglais par Maurice Delafosse', pp.225-240 in Revue d'Ethnographie, Vol.4.
Bates, D.M. (1926) 'Poems of palaeolithic man', pp.49-50 in the Australasian, 2 January 1926.
Bates, D.M. (n.d.1) Australian Language, typescript copy of MS, Section 12, 5, ANL-MS365-61/97-159.
Bates, D.M. (n.d.2) Food, typescript copy of MS, Section 8, ANL-MS365-27/2-144.
Bates, D.M. (n.d.7) Geographical distribution (early notes), typescript copy of MS, Section 2: 2c, ANL-MS365-3/150-164.
Bates, D.M. (n.d.9) Geographical distribution of the northern and southern groups of Western Australia, typescript copy of MS, Section 2: 2a, ANL-MS365-3/67-129.
Bates, D.M. (n.d.11) Geographical notes - South-West subdivisions, typescript copy of MS, Section 2: 3d, i, ii, ANL-MS365-4/151-199.
Bates, D.M. (n.d.12) Initiation - Miscellaneous, typescript copy of MS, Section 4: 4d., ANL-MS365-16/181-190.
Bates, D.M. (n.d.20) Myths and legends - South-Western WA (additional), typescript of MS, Section 7, ANL-MS365-25/2-252.
Bates, D.M. (n.d.71) Native vocabularies - Miscellaneous, typescript copy of MS, Section 12, 2A, ANL-MS365-39/216-229.
Bates, D.M. (n.d.110) Native vocabularies - South-West - Miscellaneous, typescript copy of MS, ANL-MS365-46/15-34.
Bates, D.M. (n.d.111) Native vocabularies - South west miscellaneous, typescript copy of MS, Section 12, 2B, ANL-MS365-44/16-64.
Bates, D.M. (n.d.112) Native vocabularies - South-West, typescript copy of MS, Section 12, 2B, ANL-MS365-43/13-54.
Bates, D.M. (n.d.129) Outline of grammar [2] - Pronouns, typescript copy of MS, Section 12, 1, ANL-MS365-37/43-97.
Bates, D.M. (n.d.130) Outline of grammar [3] - Verbs, typescript copy of MS, Section 12, 1, ANL-MS365-37/98-141.
Bates, D.M. (n.d.131) Outline of grammar [4] - Miscellaneous, typescript copy of MS, Section 12, 1, ANL-MS365-37/142-188.
Bates, D.M. (n.d.132) Social organisation - Class divisions - Western Australia, typescript copy of MS, Section 3, ANL-MS365-12/115-127.
Bates, D.M. (n.d.136) Social organisation - Relationship terms, typescript copy of MS, Section 3, ANL-MS365-14/2-111.
Bates, D.M. (n.d.137) Social organisation - Sex history of Australian Aborigines, typescript copy of MS, Section 3, ANL-MS365-14/231-254.
Bates, D.M. (n.d.140) Social organisation - Tribes of WA, typescript copy of MS, Section 3:1, ANL-MS365-5/2-287.
Bates, D.M. (n.d.141) Songs, dances, etc. - Additional collection of songs, typescript copy of MS, Section 3a(ii), ANL-MS365-36/35-66.
Bates, D.M. (n.d.143) Songs, dances, etc. - Corroborees, games, etc., very early manuscript, typescript copy of MS, Section 11, ANL-MS365-35/160-206.
Bates, D.M. (n.d.144) Songs, dances, etc. - Joobytch's information, typescript copy of MS, Section 11, ANL-MS365-36/89-116.
Bates, D.M. (n.d.147) Songs, dances, etc. - Smoke signalling, sign language, typescript copy of MS, Section 11, ANL-MS365-36/119-140.
Bates, D.M. (n.d.148) Songs, dances, etc. - Western Australia, typescript copy of MS, Section 11, ANL-MS365-34/2-135.
Bates, D.M. (n.d.152) Totemism - South-Western Australia, typescript copy of MS, Section 5, ANL-MS365-17/2-104.
Bates, D.M. (n.d.153) Tribal organisation and geographical distribution; Tribes of South-West Australia, typescript copy of MS, Section 2, ANL-MS365-3/2-65.
Bates, D.M. (n.d.156) Weapons, arts, crafts - Stone implements, etc., typescript copy of MS, Section 9, ANL-MS365-31/126-190.
Bennell, E. and A.Thomas (1981) Aboriginal legends from the Bibulmun tribe, Rigby, Adelaide.
Bennett, E., P. Bindon and P. McKay (n.d.) Plants used by south-western Aboriginals, WA Museum leaflet.
Bérengier, T. (1880) 'Vocabulaire Australien', pp.363-379 in La Nouvelle-Nursie. Histoire d'une colonie Bénédictine.
Berndt, R.M. (1980a) 'Aborigines of the South-West', pp.39-53 in R.M. Berndt and C.H. Berndt, (1980) Aborigines of the West: their past and present, UWA Press, Perth.
Bindon, P. (n.d.) Notes on plant foods of the South-West, extracted from D.M.Bates's manuscript, ts.
Bleek, W.H.I. (n.d.) Catalogue of Sir George Grey's library (in the South African Library, Cape Town), ts.
Brady, J. (1845) A descriptive vocabulary of the native language of Western Australia, De Propaganda Fide, Rome.
Brady, J. (1899) A descriptive vocabulary of the West Australian Aboriginal language, ts.
Brandenstein, C.G. von (1965a) 'Ein Abessiv im Gemein-Australischen', pp.646-662 in Anthropos, Vol.60.
Brandenstein, C.G. von (1970b) 'Linguistic salvage work on the Eastern Goldfields and the South Coast of Western Australia', pp.45-49 in Bulletin of the International Committee on Urgent Anthropological and Ethnological Research No.12.
Brandenstein, C.G. von (1977) 'Aboriginal ecological order in the south-west of Australia - meaning and examples', in Oceania, Vol.47, no.3.
Brandenstein, C.G. von (1988) Nyungar Anew: phonology, text samples and etymological and historical 1500-word vocabulary of an artificially re-created Aboriginal language in the South-West of Australia, Pacific Linguistics, C-99, Canberra.
Brandenstein, C.G. von (forthcoming) 'Aboriginal bird names from the south-west of Australia: a contribution to Nyungar semasiology' to appear in Papers in Australian Linguistics No.18, Pacific Linguistics, Series A, Canberra.
Brockman, F.S. (1949) List of native names of the South-West tribe, MS.
Buller-Murphy, D. (1958) An attempt to eat the moon, Georgian House, Melbourne.
Buller-Murphy, D. (n.d.a) Dordenup-English Dictionary, ts.
Buller-Murphy, D. (n.d.b) Songs and music, MS.
Buller-Murphy, D. (n.d.c) Untitled typescript.
Bussell, A.J. (n.d.) South-West Aboriginal language or dialect, ts.
Capell, A. (1979) 'Languages and creoles in Australia', pp.141-161 in Sociologia Interationalis, Vol.17.
Chester, G. (1886) 'Vocabulary no.32, Kent District: Warrangoo tribe', pp.390-391 in E.M. Curr, The Australian race, Vol.1.
Colebatch, Sir H. (1929) A story of a hundred years: Western Australia 1829-1929, Government Printer, Perth.
Colonial Secretary of Western Australia (1903a) 'Aboriginal placenames and meanings', p.133 in Science of Man, Vol.6, no.9.
Colonial Secretary of Western Australia (1903b) 'Western Australian Aboriginal placenames' p.147 in Science of Man, Vol.6, no.10.
Colonial Secretary of Western Australia (1904a) 'Aboriginal placenames and meanings' p.181 in Science of Man, Vol.6, no.11.
Correspondent no. 1438/92 (n.d.) Native vocabulary, Names from Correspondent no.1438/92, ts.
Coyne, P. (1980) A Nyungar vocabulary list from the Albany area, ts.
Davis, J. (1970) The first born and other poems, Angus and Robertson, Sydney.
Davis, J. (n.d.) A glossary of the Bibbulmum language, ts.
Douglas, W.H. (1968b) The Aboriginal languages of South-West Australia: speech forms in current use and a technical description of Njungar, Australian Aboriginal Studies no.14, Linguistic Series no.4, AIAS, Canberra.
Douglas, W.H. (1973) 'The language of southwestern Australia', pp.48-50 in Journal of the Royal Society of Western Australia, Vol.56, Parts 1 and 2.
Douglas, W.H. (1976b) The Aboriginal languages of the South-West of Australia, Australian Aboriginal Studies Research and Regional Studies no.9, AIAS, Canberra.
Douglas, W.H. (1982) Writing the South-West language, Mount Lawley College of Advanced Education, Perth.
Douglas, W.H. (1991) W.H.Atkins memorial Nyungar-English & English-Nyungar dictionary, [the author], Kalgoorlie.
Dumont D'Urville, M.J. (1834) Voyage de decouvertes de l'Astrolabe. Exécuté par ordre du Roi, Le Ministère de la Marine, Paris.
Eyre, E.J. (1845) Journals of expeditions of discovery into Central Australia and overland from Adelaide to King George's Sound, T. and W. Boone, London (facsimile 1964).
Forrest, J. (1900) 'Aboriginal names of places in Western Australia', pp.26-27 in Science of Man, Vol.3, no.2.
Fraser, M.A.C.(1903) Notes on the natural history, etc., of Western Australia, Government Printer, Perth.
Gifford, E.F. (1886b) 'Vocabulary no.26, Lower Blackwood: Peopleman tribe', pp.362-363 in E.M. Curr, The Australian race, Vol.1.
Gilke, E. (n.d.) 24 words spoken by Herbert Dyson of Busselton, ts.
Glauert, L. (1950) 'Provisional list of Aboriginal placenames and their meanings', pp.83-86 in WA Historical Society Journal , Vol.4, no.2.
Goldsworthy, R.T. (1886c) 'Vocabulary no.30, Mount Stirling: Kokar tribe', pp.384-385 in E.M. Curr, The Australian race, Vol.1.
Graham, W.H. (1886) 'Vocabulary no.23, Kojonup and Eticup', pp.348-351 in E.M. Curr, The Australian race, Vol.1.
Green, N. (ed.) (1979) Nyungar - the people, Creative Research, Mt Lawley College, Perth.
Grey, G. (1840a) A vocabulary of the dialects of South-Western Australia, T. and W. Boone, London .
Grey, G. (1840b) 'Philology', in The Library of His Excellency Sir George Grey, held in the South African Library, Cape Town.
Grey, G. (1841) Journals of two expeditions of discovery in North-West and Western Australia during the years 1837, 38, and 39, T. and W. Boone, London (facsimile 1964).
Hackett, D.E. (1886) 'Vocabulary no.21, York District: the Ballardong tribe', pp.344-345 in E.M. Curr, The Australian race, Vol. 1.
Hammond, J.E. (1933) Winjan's people, Imperial Printing Co., Perth.
Hammond, J.E. (n.d.a) Aboriginals' corroboree dance and list of fish and animal names, MS.
Hammond, J.E. (n.d.b) The native language of the South-West, ts.
Hammond, J.E. (n.d.c) Wordlist, ts.
Hassell, E.A. (1934-35) 'Myths and folktales of the Wheelman tribe of Southwestern Australia', pp.232-248 in Folklore Vol.45, no.4 (1934,) pp.317-341 in Folklore Vol.45, no.4 (1934), pp.122-147 in Folklore Vol.46, no.2 (1935), pp.268-281 in Folklore Vol.46, no.3 (1935), selected and revised by D.S. Davidson.
Hassell, E.A. (1975) My dusky friends, C.W.Hassell, Fremantle.
Hassell, E. (1936) 'Notes on the ethnology of the Wheelman tribe of Southwestern Australia', pp.679-711 in Anthropos, Vol.31.
Hayden, T. (1978) An example of a vocabulary brought in by a Nyungar, MS.
Helms, R. (1896) 'Anthropology', pp.237-332 in Transactions of the Royal Society of South Australia, Vol. 16.
Hester, E.G. (1886) 'Vocabulary no.25, Blackwood District: Kardagur tribe', pp.360-361 in E.M. Curr, The Australian race, Vol. 1.
Hope, J. (1916) Information hereunder supplied to Mr J. Hope by native Tommy Bimbar 15/5/1916, MS.
Jones, B. (1985) English in a Nyungar kindy, BA (Hons), UWA, Perth.
King, P.P. (1827) Narrative of a survey of the intertropical and western coasts of Australia, J.Murray, London (facsimile 1969).
Knight, W.E. (1886) 'Vocabulary no.19, Perth', pp.328-333 in E.M. Curr, The Australian race, Vol.1.
Lyon, R.M. (1833) 'A glance at the manners and language of the Aboriginal inhabitants of Western Australia, with a short vocabulary', pp. 51-52 in the Perth Gazette, Vol.I, no.13, 30 March 1833; p.56, Vol.I, no.14, 6 April 1833; pp.59-60, Vol.I, no.15, 13 April 1833; pp.63-64, Vol.I, no.16, 20 April 1833.
Macdonald, A.C. (1898) 'Brief account of the natives of Western Australia - their characters, manners, and customs', p.15 in Science of Man, Vol.1, no.1.
Madden, R.R. (n.d.) Vocabulary of the Aborigines, Perth tribe dialect (microfilm).
Martinez, F.B. (n.d.) Prayers in the native language, ts.
Mathew, J. (1899) Eaglehawk and crow, Melville, Mullen and Slade, Melbourne.
Mathews, R.H. (1908) 'Some native languages of Western Australia', pp.28-31 in American Antiquarian, Vol.30.
Mathews, R.H. (1909) 'Folklore notes from Western Australia', pp.340-342 in Folklore, Vol.20.
Meagher, S.J. (1974) 'The food resources of the Aborigines of the South-West of Western Australia', pp.14-65 in Records of the Western Australian Museum, Vol.3, no.1.
Monger, H.J. (1886) 'Vocabulary no.17, Victoria Plains: Minnal Yungar tribe', pp.322-323 in E.M. Curr, The Australian race, Vol.1.
Moore, G.F (1842) A descriptive vocabulary of the language in common use amongst the natives of Western Australia, W.S. Orr & Co., London.
Moore, G.F. (1884) Diary of ten years eventful life of an early settler in Western Australia incorporating 'A descriptive vocabulary of the language in common use amongst the Aborigines of Western Australia', UWA facsimile, 1978.
Moore, G.F. (1879a) 'Vocabulary no.17, King George's Sound, WA', pp.142-152 in G. Taplin Folklore, manners and customs.
Moore, G.F. (1879b) 'Vocabulary no.18, Swan River, WA', p.152 in G. Taplin Folklore, manners and customs.
Moore, G.F. and J. Drummond (1836) 'Native names' from the Perth Gazette, 21 May, 1836.
Morphy, F. (1985) Working notes on Western Australian languages. Part of an ARGS project directed by R.M.W. Dixon.
Nind, S. (1831) 'Description of the natives of King George Sound (Swan River Colony) and adjoining country', pp.21-51 in Journal of the Royal Geographical Society of London, Vol.1.
O'Grady, G.N. (1957-58) Materials on the suffixing languages of Western Australia, MS.
O'Grady, G.N. (1959) Significance of the circumcision boundary in Western Australia, BA thesis, University of Sydney .
O'Grady, G.N., C.F. Voegelin and F.M. Voegelin (1966) 'Languages of the World: Indo-Pacific fascicle 6', pp.1-197 in Anthropological Linguistics, Vol.8, no.2.
Ogle, N. (1839) The colony of Western Australia: a manual for emigrants, Fraser, London (facsimile 1977).
Parish, L. (1979) Wadjuk language, MS.
Parker, E.R. (1886) 'Vocabulary no.20, the Whajook tribe', pp.336-341 in E.M.Curr, The Australian race, Vol.1.
Pollard, S.M. (1971) Several vocabularies of the native language (microfilm).
Rae, W. (1913) Native vocabulary, ts.
Roth, W.E. (1904) 'Notes of savage life in the early days of West Australian settlement', pp.45-69 in Royal Society of Queensland Proceedings, Vol.17.
Salvado, R. (1851) Two native dialects of the New Norcia district, De Propaganda Fides, Rome.
Salvado, R. (1886) 'Vocabulary no.16, New Norcia and Leschenault Bay', pp.318-321 in E.M. Curr, The Australian race, Vol. 1.
Scott, R. (1886) 'Vocabulary no.22, Pinjarra', pp.346-347 in E.M. Curr, The Australian race, Vol.1.
Serventy, D.L. (1926) 'Birds of Pallinup Estuary, West Australia', pp.64-69, 136 in Emu, Vol.26.
Small, M.B (1886) 'Vocabulary no.24, Uduc, Harvey tribe', pp.358-359 in E.M. Curr, The Australian race, Vol.1.
Smyth, R.Brough (1878) The Aborigines of Victoria, Vol.1, Government Printer, Melbourne.
Spencer, W.A., J.A. Hossell and W.A. Knight (1886) 'Vocabulary no.31, King George's Sound: Minung Tribe', pp.386-389 in E.M. Curr, The Australian race, Vol.1.
Stokes, J. Lort (1846) Discoveries in Australia, T. and W. Boone, London (facsimile 1969).
Sutlor, J.B. (1909) 'Aboriginal names and meanings' p.160 in Science of Man, Vol.11, no.8.
Suttor, J.B. (1911) 'Vocabulary of words having the same meaning in different parts of Australia', p.170 in Science of Man, Vol.13, no.8.
Symmons, C. (1842) 'Grammatical introduction to the study of the Aboriginal language of Western Australia', appendix to C. Macfaull (ed.) The Western Australian Almanack..
Threlkeld, L.E. (1892) An Australian language as spoken by the Awabakal, Charles Potter, Sydney.
Tilbrook, L. (1983) The first South Westerners: Aborigines of South Western Australia, WACAE, Perth.
Tindale, N.B. (1939a) Vocabulary no.81, Koreng Tr., Gairdner River, Australian vocabularies, MS.
Tindale, N.B. (1939b) Vocabulary no.82, Nonga, at Thomas River, Australian vocabularies, MS.
Tindale, N.B. (1939d) Vocabulary no.89, Kala:mai, Australian vocabularies, MS.
Tindale, N.B. (1939e) Vocabulary no.99, Kala:ko, Australian vocabularies, MS.
Turner, J. (1969) The Swan River natives and the Walyunga site, MS.
Various (n.d.) Native vocabulary from various sources (Battye Library file) (Lands Department file).
Vászolyi, E. (n.d.a) A linguistic test of some Aboriginal languages in Western Australia, ts.
WA Aboriginal Association (1968) A study of the Bibbulmum dialect, ts.
Ward, T. and P. Fountain (1907) Rambles of an Australian naturalist, J.Murray, London.
Whitfield, G. (1886) 'Vocabulary no.18, Newcastle', pp. 324-327 in E.M. Curr, The Australian race, Vol.1.