Kaurna language facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Kaurna |
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|---|---|
| Kaurna language Kaurna Warra |
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| Region | South Australia |
| Ethnicity | Kaurna |
| Extinct | No. Held to be technically extinct as a first language since 25 December 1929, with the death of Ivaritji. However the extensive vocabulary and grammar by Teichelmann and Schürmann (1840) is used by speakers, augmenting remembered words and memes. The language is now described as "Living" or "Awakened". |
| Language family |
Pama-Nyungan
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| Linguist List | zku |
| AIATSIS | L3 |
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Kaurna is an Aboriginal language. It was traditionally spoken by the Kaurna people. They lived on the Adelaide Plains in South Australia. The Kaurna people had different groups, each with their own land and way of speaking.
This language was spoken from Crystal Brook in the north to Cape Jervis in the south. It also reached just beyond the Mount Lofty Ranges. Kaurna stopped being spoken every day in the 1800s. The last known person who spoke it as their first language, Ivaritji, died in 1929. But now, people are working hard to bring the language back. It is often used for special events, like dual naming places and Welcome to Country ceremonies.
Contents
Understanding the Kaurna Language
Where Kaurna Fits In
Experts like Luise Hercus and J. Simpson say Kaurna belongs to the Thura-Yura languages group. This is a family of languages from South Australia.
How the Name "Kaurna" Came About
The name "Kaurna" became popular in the 1920s. This was thanks to Norman Tindale, a museum expert. The word "Kaurna" was first written down in 1879. It was used to describe a group of people.
The word "Kaurna" probably comes from kornar. This means "people" in the nearby Ngarrindjeri language. Even though other names were used, "Kaurna" is now the most common name for these people.
Early Records of Kaurna Language
In 1826, a French explorer named Joseph Paul Gaimard wrote down the first Kaurna words. He collected 168 words before the British colony of South Australia even started.
Later, two missionaries, Christian Teichelmann and Clamor Schürmann, learned a lot about the language. They ran a school at Piltawodli. Their main teachers were respected elders like Mullawirraburka ("King John"), Kadlitpinna ("Captain Jack"), and Ityamaiitpinna ("King Rodney").
These missionaries wrote down about 3,000 words. They also noted how the language worked and collected hundreds of phrases. They even translated German hymns and the Ten Commandments into Kaurna. Other Europeans also showed interest and wrote down some Kaurna words.
Bringing the Kaurna Language Back to Life
Kaurna was not spoken as a native language for many years. This happened after the British arrived in the 1800s. The Kaurna people were forced from their lands.
But in the 1980s, Kaurna people began to learn their language again. Robert Amery, a language expert, has worked on this for over 25 years. He says that some Kaurna people can now have conversations in Kaurna. There are even some young people learning it as their first language. Kaurna is now often used for Welcome to Country ceremonies.
Efforts to revive the language started in 1989. This included writing new Kaurna songs. A songbook called Kaurna Paltinna was published in 1999. In 1992, a Kaurna language program began at Kaurna Plains School. Other schools and colleges also started teaching the language. The University of Adelaide has taught Kaurna language courses since 1997.
The old records from Teichelmann and Schürmann have been very helpful. They allow people to rebuild the language. In 2013, the Kaurna Learners' Guide was published. Kaurna radio shows have been on air since 2012. A new Kaurna dictionary was published in 2021. It was a big project led by Robert Amery and Mary-Anne Gale.
In 2021, the Tauondi Aboriginal College started training people to teach Aboriginal languages. This helps more people learn and share Kaurna.
Kaurna Warra Pintyanthi: Creating the Language
Kaurna Warra Pintyanthi (KWP) means "creating Kaurna language." This group works to bring the Kaurna language back. It was started in 2002 by two Kaurna elders, Lewis Yerloburka O'Brien and Alitya Wallara Rigney, and linguist Robert Amery.
KWP has created a standard way of speaking Kaurna. They also make new words for modern things. For example, mukarntu means "computer." This helps the language grow and be used in today's world. The Kaurna Warra Karrpanthi Aboriginal Corporation (KWK) was set up in 2013 to support this work.
The Kaurna Dictionary
In 2022, a new dictionary was published. It was written by Rob Amery, Susie Greenwood, and Jasmin Morley. This dictionary includes words from the old lists. But it also has 4,000 new words. These new words were created with the help of Kaurna elders and speakers. The dictionary is called Kaurna Warrapiipa, Kaurna Dictionary. It translates words both ways, from Kaurna to English and back.
Kaurna Names for Places
Giving Places Kaurna Names
Since 1980, efforts have been made to use Kaurna names for public places. The Adelaide City Council started a project in 1997 to give places two names. One name is English, and the other is Kaurna.
For example, Victoria Square in Adelaide is now also called Tarntanyangga. All 29 parks around the city have a Kaurna name. The River Torrens is now also known as Karrawirra Parri. By 2012, 39 places had received Kaurna names.
Many other things have also been given Kaurna names. These include people, pets, buildings, and even a tram and a solar bus!
Some Kaurna place names are known from history. For example, Patpangga means "in the south" (for Rapid Bay). Yertabulti is the Kaurna name for Port Adelaide. Public artworks and universities also use Kaurna words. The Tandanya National Aboriginal Cultural Institute uses the original name for Adelaide. The annual Tarnanthi Festival gets its name from a Kaurna word meaning "to rise" or "spring up."
Other Places with Kaurna Names
Many well-known places in South Australia have names that come from the Kaurna language. Here are some examples:
- Kauandilla (Cowandilla) means "north place."
- Kanggarilla (Kangarilla) means "shepherding place."
- Ngangkiparringga (Onkaparinga) means "woman river place."
- Waitpingga (Waitpinga) means "wind place."
- Willangga (Willunga)
- Wilyaru (Willyaroo) means a fully initiated adult man.
- Yatala comes from yartala, meaning "water running by the side of a river."
- Yurridla (Uraidla) means "two ears." This name comes from a Dreaming story where the Mount Lofty Ranges are part of a giant's body.
Some place names are a mix of English and Kaurna:
- Glenunga combines the Scottish word glen (valley) with a Kaurna ending.
- Paracombe mixes para (river/stream) with the English word combe (narrow valley).
Some names might be Kaurna, but it's not certain:
- Piccadilly might come from the Kaurna word pikodla, meaning "two eyebrows." This is part of the same Dreaming story as "Uraidla."
- Yankalilla is likely an Indigenous word. It might come from a word meaning "hill" or "place of the fallen bits."
Images for kids
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Kaurna is classified as Critically Endangered by the UNESCO Atlas of the World's Languages in Danger
