The Gundungurra Language

A careful record of the language spoken by the Dhar’rook and Gundungurra peoples unfolds across the fertile valleys from the Hawkesbury mouth to the highlands of Mount Victoria. Written in 1901, the study highlights how verbs, pronouns and many nouns are inflected for number and person—a rarity among Australian tongues. The author notes striking parallels with Polynesian and North‑American dialects, especially the dual and plural forms of the first‑person pronoun, inviting listeners to consider unexpected linguistic connections.

The work then turns to the alphabet, showing how nineteen English letters map onto fourteen consonants and five vowels, each rendered phonetically. Detailed pronunciation guides explain the trilled “r,” the guttural final “h,” and the special “ng” sounds that shape the language’s rhythm. Readers hear practical examples, from singular “Murri[n]” for a man to “Boorooyargang” for many kangaroos, illustrating how suffixes signal number and gender.

Beyond a mere catalogue, the book offers a window into the cultural fabric of these communities, revealing how language encodes relationships, kinship and everyday life. Listeners will come away with a richer appreciation of an indigenous linguistic tradition that has long been overlooked.