Bungandidj language facts for kids

Bungandidj is an Indigenous Australian language. It was spoken by the Bungandidj people. These people lived in what is now south-eastern South Australia and south-western Victoria.

The Bungandidj people called their language drualat-ngolonung, which means "speech of man". They also called it Booandik-ngolo, meaning "speech of the Booandik". Today, people are working to bring the language back and keep it alive. This is called a language revival program.

Different Names for Bungandidj

Over time, the Bungandidj language has been written down in many different ways. This is common for Indigenous languages. Different people heard and wrote the sounds differently. Some of the historical names for the language include Bunganditj, Buandik, and Booandik.

The Sounds of Bungandidj

Every language has its own special sounds. The way a language uses sounds is called its phonology. Bungandidj has many sounds that are typical for Australian Indigenous languages.

Consonant Sounds

Bungandidj has a wide range of consonant sounds. These include sounds made with the lips, like 'p' and 'm'. It also has sounds made with the tongue touching different parts of the mouth. For example, there are sounds like 't' (like in "top") and 'tj' (like the 'ch' in "church").

Vowel Sounds

Compared to its many consonants, Bungandidj has fewer vowel sounds. It mainly uses three main vowel sounds:

• i (like the 'ee' in "see")
• u (like the 'oo' in "moon")
• a (like the 'a' in "father")

A Poem in Bungandidj

In 1880, a woman named Christina Smith wrote down a poem in the Bungandidj language. This poem helps us understand how the language was used. It also shows some of the words for animals.

See also

• Idioma bungandidj para niños (Bungandidj language for kids in Spanish)