An Australian Grammar facts for kids
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| Author | L. E. Threlkeld |
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| Country | Australia |
| Language | English |
| Subject | Awabakal language |
| Genre | Grammar |
| Publisher | Stephens and Stokes |
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Publication date
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1834 |
An Australian Grammar is a very important book about the Awabakal language. This language was spoken by Aboriginal Australians near Hunter's River and Lake Macquarie in New South Wales, Australia. The first version was written by L. E. Threlkeld in 1834. Later, in 1892, a much bigger and updated version was published by John Fraser.
Contents
What is An Australian Grammar?
The original book, published in 1834, was written by an English missionary named Lancelot Threlkeld. It describes the Awabakal language. This language was used by Aboriginal people in the Hunter Valley and Lake Macquarie areas of New South Wales, Australia. A grammar book explains the rules of a language, like how words are formed and how sentences are put together.
A Bigger and Better Version
In 1892, a ethnologist (someone who studies different cultures) and linguist (someone who studies languages) named John Fraser republished Threlkeld's work. His new version was much larger and more detailed. It was called 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.
Fraser added many new parts to the book. He included a map showing where different Aboriginal tribes lived in New South Wales. He also added descriptions and names for these tribes. Fraser spent ten years researching the locations of these native tribes.
While Fraser's book was very popular, some people later disagreed with parts of it. For example, Norman Tindale, another researcher, said that some of the "Great tribes" names Fraser used were not based on real Aboriginal groups. He called them "artificial terms" that Fraser made up.
What's Inside the Books?
The 1834 Book
Threlkeld's original book from 1834 had a few main sections:
- It started with introductory notes.
- It explained how to pronounce words and spell them correctly.
- It described the different parts of speech, like nouns and verbs.
- It also included a list of words (a vocabulary) and examples of how the language was used.
The 1892 Book
Fraser's 1892 edition was much more extensive. It included:
- A map of New South Wales showing where different tribes lived.
- The original 1834 grammar by Threlkeld.
- Another work by Threlkeld from 1850 that explained how words were changed in the Awabakal language.
- A translation of the Gospel by St. Luke into the Awabakal language.
- An Awabakal-English dictionary for the Gospel of St. Luke.
- Several appendices (extra sections) that included grammars and vocabularies of other Aboriginal languages from different parts of Australia. These were written by other researchers.
