Palawa kani

Palawa kani is an ongoing reconstruction of a composite Tasmanian Aboriginal language in attempt to strengthen Tasmanian Aboriginal culture.

History

Map showing the approximate ethnic divisions in pre-European Tasmania.

The original Tasmanian languages became extinct in 1905 when the last native speaker died. As part of community efforts to retrieve as much of the original Tasmanian culture as possible, efforts are made to (re)construct a language for the indigenous community. Due to the scarcity of records, Palawa kani is being constructed as a composite of the original estimated 6 to 12 original languages.

Theresa Sainty and Jenny Longey were the first two "language workers" to work on the project in 1999.

Sources

The project employs various sources such as:

• the journal of George Augustus Robinson
• the records of the French d'Entrecasteaux expedition of 1793
• word lists compiled by Brian Plomley
• the recordings of Fanny Cochrane Smith, one of the last native speakers

Another source of material for the project is community knowledge where a surprising amount of words, phrases and snippets of lore have survived. The reconstruction project also uses linguistic data of related mainland native languages if necessary.

State of the language

Developed in conjunction with the Tasmanian Aboriginal Centre, community ownership of the language is maintained for the time being. The language project is entirely community based and the language is not taught in state schools but at various after school events, organised camps and trips. There is obvious enthusiasm for the language especially among younger people and an increasing number of people able to use the language to some extent, some to great fluency. Lutana Spotswood famously gave a eulogy in palawa kani at the funeral of the Tasmanian Premier Jim Bacon.

Palawa kani is also used on a number of signs in Tasmanian National Parks and Kunanyi has been accepted as an official name for Mt Wellington and the Asbestos Range National Park is now known formally as Narawntapu National Park.

Grammar

Palawa kani appears to be an isolating language with an SVO structure.

Pronouns

Possessive Pronouns

Possessives follow the noun, for example milaythina mana 'our land'.

Examples

No capital letters are used in native texts but when used in English, place names such as Kunanyi are often capitalised.

Vocabulary

• kanaplila : dance
• kani : language
• katina : beach
• kipli : eat
• kitana : little girl
• krakapaka : die
• kunanyi : Mt Wellington
• kunnikung : pigface
• lakri : tree fern
• larapuna : Eddystone
• laymi : never
• laykara : run
• liyini : sing
• lumaranatana : Cape Portland Country
• luna : woman
• lungtalanana : Clarke Island
• lutana : moon
• lutriwita : Tasmania
• luwana : girl
• luwutina : children
• luyni : stone, rock
• mapali : very, plenty
• milaythina : land
• muka : sea
• mukra : dog
• mulaka : hunt
• munawuka : chicken
• mungalina : rain
• nala : earth
• narawntapu : Asbestos Range
• nayri : good, happy
• nika : this
• nuyina : spirit
• palawa : native tasmanian
• payathanima : wallaby
• pliri : boy
• poatina : cavern
• preminghana : Mount Cameron West
• pukana : people
• purinina : Tasmanian Devil
• putalina : Oyster Cove
• putiya : not
• rayakana : song
• raytji : white, european
• redpa : mosquito
• ringina : burrow (n.)
• takara : walk
• tapilti : go
• tayaritja : Furneaux Islands
• temma : hut
• timita : possum
• tiya : shit
• tiyuratina : wind
• truwana : Cape Barren Island
• tunapri : 1 understand, know 2 remember
• warina : a type of mollusc
• waypa : man
• wukalina : Mt William
• wura : duck
• wurangkili : sky
• yangina : swim
• yula : Short-tailed Shearwater

Numerals

• pama : 1
• paya : 2
• luwa : 3
• wulya : 4
• mara : 5
• nana : 6
• tura : 7
• pula : 8
• tali : 9

• pamaki : 100
• payaki : 200
• luwaki : 300
• wulyaki : 400
• maraki : 500
• nanaki : 600
• turaki : 700
• pulaki : 800
• taliki : 900
• pamaku : 1000
• payaku : 2000
• luwaku : 3000
• wulyaku : 4000
• maraku : 5000
• nanaku : 6000
• turaku : 7000
• pulaku : 8000
• taliku : 9000

Phrases

• he yangina in muka : he swims in the sea
• milaythina nika milaythina mana : this land is our country
• mina putiya tunapri raytji kani : I don't understand English
• mina kani palawa kani : I speak palawa kani
• mina takara on milaythina mana : I stand on my land
• mukra mana laymi putiya nayri : my dog is never not good
• mukra mana nayri mapali : my dog is very good
• nina tunapri mina kani : do you understand what I'm saying?
• ningina paruwi mimara : get that bug
• tapilti ningina mumara prupari patrule : go and get wood to put on the fire
• taypani pinikita : come quickly
• waranta mulaka payathanima : we're hunting wallaby
• waranta putiya makara : we won't stop
• waranta tapilti nayri : we're going, ok?
• ya : hi, hello!
• ya pulingina : welcome!
• ya tawatja : good day!

Text samples

This sample is a eulogy by the Tasmanian Aboriginal Centre Language Program first used at the 2004 anniversary of the Risdon Cove massacre of 1804.

The second sample is from the interpretation boards in Kunanyi Park.

See also

• Indigenous Australian languages

Bibliography

• MacGilleEathain, R 2007 "Aiseirigh às an luaithre" in Cothrom, Vol 53 Autumn 2007, CLÌ Gàidhlig, Inverness
• "Pakana Luwana Liyini" 2005 (CD), Tasmanian Aboriginal Centre Inc
• Sainty, T "Tasmanian places and Tasmanian Aboriginal language" 2005, Placenames Australia Newsletter of the Australian National Placenames Survey