Peerapper language facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Peerapper |
|
|---|---|
| Northwestern Tasmanian | |
| Region | North-western coast of Tasmania |
| Ethnicity | Northwestern tribe of Tasmanians |
| Extinct | 19th century |
| Language family |
Northern–Western Tasmanian?
|
| Dialects |
West Point?
|
| AIATSIS | T3 North-western (Tasmania), T6, T11 |
Peerapper (pronounced "Pirapa"), also known as Northwestern Tasmanian, was an Aboriginal language. It was once spoken by the native people of Tasmania. This language was used along the western coast of the island.
Contents
What Was the Peerapper Language?
Peerapper was one of the languages spoken by the Aboriginal people of Tasmania. It is now an extinct language. This means that no one speaks it anymore. It died out in the 1800s.
Where Was Peerapper Spoken?
The Peerapper language was spoken in the northwestern part of Tasmania. This area included places like Macquarie Harbour. It also reached north to Circular Head and Robbins Island. These were important areas for the local Aboriginal tribes.
How Do We Know About Peerapper?
We don't have many records of the Peerapper language. Most of what we know comes from "word lists." These lists were created by people who wrote down words they heard. They are like small dictionaries.
Who Collected the Word Lists?
Several people helped record parts of the Peerapper language.
- Charles Robinson and George Augustus Robinson collected some words. Their "west coast" lists have about 246 words together.
- George Augustus Robinson also made a list from Robbins Island. This list has 162 words.
- Allan Cunningham (botanist)|Allan Cunningham collected words near Macquarie Harbour. He wrote down 222 words in 1819.
Challenges in Studying Peerapper
One word list was collected at West Point. This list has only 28 words. It seems quite different from the other lists. Because it is so short, it's hard to be sure. Experts are still trying to figure out if it was a separate language. Or if it was just a different way of speaking Peerapper.
