Djaru language facts for kids

Djaru (also called Tjaru) is an Aboriginal Australian language. It is spoken in the south-eastern Kimberley area of Western Australia. It belongs to a large group of languages called Pama–Nyungan.

Like many Aboriginal languages, Djaru has special ways to talk about numbers. It uses different words for one person, two people, or many people. Djaru also uses sign language for some words, especially when hunting. This helps people communicate quietly.

In Djaru, nouns (names of things) do not have a gender, like "he" or "she." Words are often made by adding parts to a main word, or by repeating parts of a word. The order of words in a Djaru sentence can be quite flexible. This means you can often move words around without changing the meaning much.

Djaru has fewer verbs (action words) than many other languages. To make up for this, it uses special words called 'preverbs'. These preverbs combine with verbs to create new meanings.

The Djaru language also has an avoidance language. This is a special way of speaking used between certain family members, like a married man and his mother-in-law. It is a common feature in many Aboriginal Australian languages.

Sadly, the number of Djaru speakers has decreased a lot since the late 1800s. This happened when settlers arrived in the Djaru region. The Djaru people started living and working on farms and in towns. They began to use English more often. Also, past Australian governments often did not support the use or teaching of Aboriginal languages. These changes have put pressure on the Djaru language.

Sounds of Djaru

The Djaru language has its own unique sounds. Words in Djaru usually start with a consonant (like 'b' or 'd') or a semi-vowel (like 'y' or 'w'). They can end with any sound except a semi-vowel.

When you say a Djaru word, the first part of the word usually sounds stronger. This is called stress. However, the stress and how high or low your voice is (pitch) do not change the meaning of a Djaru word.

Djaru does not use sounds like 'f' or 'v'. These types of sounds are very rare in most Aboriginal Australian languages.

Consonant Sounds

Here are the main consonant sounds in Djaru:

Djaru consonant sounds can be grouped together, but usually no more than two sounds at a time.

Vowel Sounds

Djaru, like most Australian languages, has only three main vowel sounds. These sounds can change a bit depending on the sounds around them.

Types of Words

Djaru has different types of words, just like English. These include:

• Nouns (names of people, places, things)
• Free pronouns (like 'I', 'you', 'he')
• Adverbs (words that describe verbs)
• Preverbs (special words that combine with verbs)
• Verbs (action words)
• Particles (small words that add meaning)
• Interjections (words that show strong feeling, like 'ouch!')

Nouns

Nouns in Djaru change their form depending on their role in a sentence. For example, a noun might change if it is the one doing the action, or if something is being done to it.

Here are some examples:

Notice how "man" changes from mawun to mawun-du when he is doing the spearing. This is a special way Djaru shows who is doing what.

Nouns can have different endings added to them to show their role. For example, -ŋgu, -gu, -lu, -gulu, -du, -u can be added. The ending used depends on the sounds before it.

Verbs

Djaru has a small number of verbs, about forty. These verbs change their endings to show when an action happened. For example, they can show if something happened in the past, is happening now, or will happen. Verbs always have a main part plus an ending.

Pronouns

Pronouns are words like 'I', 'you', 'he', 'she', 'we', 'they'. In Djaru, pronouns also change their form depending on their role in a sentence.

Here are some examples of Djaru pronouns:

Preverbs

Djaru has a special type of word called a preverb. These are not found in most languages. Preverbs can be used in two ways:

• They can describe verbs, creating new meanings.
• They can act like nouns when you add noun endings to them.

Some examples of preverbs are: jud ('sitting'), dirib ('camping out'), wuɽug ('finishing').

When combined with verbs, they create new ideas:

Sentence Structure

Word Order

In simple Djaru sentences, the usual word order is Subject-Object-Verb. This means the person or thing doing the action comes first, then the thing the action is done to, and finally the action itself. However, this rule is not always strict. Sometimes the verb and object can be swapped. Also, some sentences do not even need a verb.

Here is an example of a sentence without a verb:

Sentence Length

Djaru sentences are often shorter than sentences in many other languages. Because of this, Djaru speakers often use many connecting words (conjunctions) to link ideas together.

Noun Phrases

A noun phrase is a group of words that acts like a noun, like "that big man." In Djaru, a noun phrase can sometimes be split up.

For example, "That big man speared a kangaroo" could be:

But it could also be said with the words spread out:

Even though the words are separated, the meaning stays the same.

Showing Possession

In Djaru, how you show that something belongs to someone depends on the type of object.

For things that are naturally part of someone, like body parts or personal qualities, Djaru just puts the words next to each other.

Here, "man" and "head" are next to each other to show the head belongs to the man. No special ending is needed.

However, for things that can be owned and moved, like tables, chairs, or clothes, Djaru adds an ending to the noun to show possession. This ending is usually only used if the owned object is close to the owner.

Here is an example of describing a quality:

Metaphors

In many languages, when people use a sensory verb (like 'see', 'taste', 'hear') to mean 'understand' or 'know', they almost always use the word for 'seeing'. For example, "I see what you mean."

But Djaru, and many other Aboriginal Australian languages, are different. They use words for hearing to express knowledge. For example, pina yungan literally means 'ear put', but it translates to 'to learn'. This shows a different way of thinking about how we gain knowledge.

Avoidance Language

Avoidance languages are very rare in the world, but they are quite common among Aboriginal Australian languages. The Djaru avoidance language has very few words. It only has one special verb, luwaɳ. This verb does not have a specific meaning on its own. It is simply added into any sentence spoken in the avoidance language.

Sign Language

The Djaru language includes a special set of signs. These are hand and finger gestures used to represent common actions, animals, and objects. They are especially useful for hunting, where quiet communication is important. People can also point with their lips to show direction.

History of Djaru

The Djaru language is still spoken today, but its speakers and their culture have faced many challenges. It is thought that about 160 Australian languages have been lost since Europeans arrived in Australia. This happened because many Aboriginal people died, and because past government policies often banned Aboriginal languages in public places and schools. By 2006, only about 60 Australian languages were still being used.

In the late 1800s, settlers came to the Djaru region to mine for gold and start cattle farms. This had a big impact on the Djaru people. Their population decreased significantly. The presence of these settlements and farms changed the Djaru way of life. Many traditional tools, homes, and foods (bush tucker) were replaced by modern Western ones. Also, the use of the avoidance language has greatly reduced, and traditional marriage customs are not always followed.

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