Burarra language facts for kids

The Burarra language is a special language from Australia. It is spoken by the Burarra people who live in a place called Arnhem Land. This language has different ways of being spoken, which we call dialects.

You might hear Burarra called by other names too. Some of these are Barera, Bawera, Burada, Bureda, and Burera. Other names include An-barra, Gidjingaliya, and Gu-jarlabiya. Sometimes, the Djangu people have a group called a clan that uses the name Burarra. This can sometimes be a bit confusing!

What Kind of Language is Burarra?

Burarra is a unique language that uses prefixes. This means small parts are added to the beginning of words to change their meaning. It belongs to a larger group called the Maningrida language family.

Within this family, Burarra is part of the Burarran branch. Other languages in this branch include Gurr-goni. The Maningrida family also includes languages like Ndjébbana and Na-kara.

Where Do People Speak Burarra?

The Burarra people originally come from areas around the Blyth and Cadell Rivers. These rivers are in the central and north-central parts of Arnhem Land. Today, many Burarra speakers live further west. They can be found in the town of Maningrida. This town is located at the mouth of the Liverpool River.

Understanding Burarra Dialects

Just like different accents in English, Burarra has different dialects. These are slightly different versions of the language.

Main Burarra Dialects

A researcher named Glasgow (in 1994) identified three main dialects:

• Gun-nartpa: This dialect is spoken by the Mu-golarra or Mukarli group. They live in the Cadell River region.
• Gun-narta: This is the An-barra dialect. You can hear it on the western side of the Blythe River's mouth.
• Gun-narda: This is the Martay dialect. It is spoken on the eastern side of the Blythe River.

These dialect names come from how each group says the word "that." The Gun-narta and Gun-narda dialects are often grouped together. People from the east might call them "Burarra." The speakers themselves might call their language "Gu-jingarliya," which means 'language' or 'with tongue'.

Another researcher, Green (in 1987), saw two main dialects: Gun-nartpa and Burarra (Gu-jingarliya). However, he also noticed that even within the Burarra speakers, there were small differences in how they spoke.

How Burarra Sounds

Every language has its own unique sounds. Burarra has specific consonant and vowel sounds that make it special.

Burarra Consonant Sounds

Burarra has many consonant sounds. Some of these sounds are made by stopping the air completely, like the 'p' or 't' sound. Others are made by letting air flow, like 'm' or 'n'.

In Burarra, some sounds are "strong" (fortis) and some are "soft" (lenis). Strong sounds are made with more pressure and last a bit longer. Soft sounds can sometimes sound like a gentle whisper or a flowing sound. Burarra also allows for sounds to be grouped together, like "str" in English.

Burarra Vowel Sounds

Burarra has five main vowel sounds. These are like the 'a', 'e', 'i', 'o', 'u' sounds in English, but they can be pronounced in slightly different ways depending on the word.

The vowel sounds can change a little bit:

• The /i/ sound can be like 'e' in "bed" or 'i' in "sit".
• The /a/ sound is usually like 'a' in "father" or a soft 'uh' sound.
• The /ɛ/ sound is like 'e' in "bet" or "egg".
• The /o/ sound is like 'o' in "go" or "bought".
• The /u/ sound can be like 'u' in "put" or a softer 'uh' sound.

How Burarra Grammar Works

Burarra grammar is quite interesting! It uses prefixes, which are small parts added to the beginning of words. It also has a system where words belong to different groups or "classes."

Verbs in Burarra

Verbs are action words, like "run" or "eat." In Burarra, verbs use prefixes to show who is doing the action and who the action is being done to. These prefixes also show when the action happened (like past, present, or future) and how it happened. Sometimes, two verbs can be used together. This helps to show if an action is ongoing, a combined action, or if one thing caused another.

Nouns in Burarra

Nouns are words for people, places, or things. In Burarra, nouns change their form to show their role in a sentence. This is called "inflection for case." Also, nouns belong to one of four special groups or "classes." These classes are called an-, jin-, mun-, and gun-.