Gadhang (Kattang) Language Revitalisation

People

Gadhang is the language of the people known as the Birrbay, Warrimay and Guringay. Years ago, Gadhang speakers would have been multilingual, also speaking the languages of their neighbours. There are significant social relationships amongst Birrbay, Anaiwan (Nganyawana), Dhanggati and Gumbaynggirr peoples, including a shared set of marriage sections. The Guringay marriage sections are shared with the Wanarruwa, who spoke the language from the Hunter River and Lake Macquarie (HRLM), Darkinyung and Gamilaraay peoples.

Traditional country

Whilst it is impossible to put precise boundaries on language groups, we can speak generally. Gadhang was spoken between the Wilson River (north of Port Macquarie, including the hinterland, as far as the Falls Country) and Port Stephens in the south, and as far west as Maitland, Paterson and Gloucester. Their neighbours are Dhanggati in the north, the language from the Hunter River and Lake Macquarie (HRLM) south of Port Stephens, which is also known by the names Awabakal, Kuringgay, Wonnaruwa, and possibly Kayawaykal.

Language Details

Gadhang language is classified as a Pama-Nyungan language. Recent studies indicate a close grammatical relationship with HRLM. There are many cognates (words which occur in both languages) as well as many structural similarities between the two languages. There are also a significant number of cognates in Gadhang with Gumbaynggirr. There are many definitions in the Gadhang vocabulary which have two words, where one word has a cognate from the south (HRLM) and the other has a cognate in the north, either Gumbaynggirr or Dhanggati.

Today, many Birrbay, Warrimay and Guringay people are involved in revitalising Gadhang language, by learning language and using it in such areas as speeches, artwork, and radio broadcasting, and in naming people, organisations and buildings.

Alternative spellings include: Bahree, Cottong, Gadang, Gadhang, Guttahn, Karrapath, Carapath, Katanga, Kathang, Kattang, Katthung, Kittang, Kutthack, Kutthung, Watthung, Molo, Port Stephens tribe, Warimi, Warramie, Warrimee, Watthungk, Wattung, Worimi, Warrangine, Wannungine, Buraigal, Gamipingal, Maiangal, Garuagal, Gooreeggai, Goreenggai, Gourenggai, Gingai, Gooreenggai, Gringai, Birripai, Bripi, Biripai etc.

Language Outline

Gadhang is characterised by having:

• Three vowels: i, a and u, each of which can also be pronounced as a longer vowel ii, aa and uu. It is not known if vowel length is contrastive. There are  13 consonants. The writing system developed for Gadhang uses the voiced series for stops, and includes both pronunciations of the laminal stop (dh ~dj) and nasal (nh ~ny): b, d, dh ~dj, g, m, n, nh ~ny (~yn), ng, r, rr, l, w, y.
• Variant forms for words ending in a nasal have alternate pronunciations which end in a stop eg. Marrung ~marrug good, bagan ~bagad stone or rock, maalibidh ~maalibiyn corkwood tree.
• A system of noun suffixing (tag endings) to mark the grammatical roles of subject, object and agent, and other suffixes indicate instrument, location, movement towards, movement from, cause etc.
• Verbs have three tenses, past, present-habitual and future. Other suffixes convey different meanings, including ‘in order to’ do something, ‘want’ and ‘must’ do something, and ‘be’ something.
• Free word order, although there is a tendency towards agent – object – verb in a transitive sentence, unless there is focus on a non-agent participant.

Language Resources and Recordings

The historical record for Gadhang language is, unfortunately, not particularly large in quantity or high in quality. Conversely, there are many place names in Gadhang country in use in modern times, more than is usually found in NSW.

Several people recorded the language in the 1900s, with varying degrees of accuracy. In 1887 Curr published the earliest word list, compiled by John Branch. Enright wrote a description of the language and wordlist published in 1900. In 1929, the American linguist Gerhardt Laves worked with Charlie Briggs, Bill Dungie, Charlie Bugg, Jim Moy, Albert Lobban, Hannah Bugg, Susna Russell, Ted Lobban, Mrs Russell, Laves’ work is in the form of unpublished field notes. In 1961 an unknown compiler worked with Jim Davies. The linguist Nils Holmer made audio recordings in the 1960s with Eddie Lobban and Fred Bugg. From this he compiled a grammar, a wordlist and also published traditional and non traditional stories.

Following consultation with Birrbay and Warrimay community groups and individuals, MRALC has been analysing the data from these and other sources and plans to publish a Gadhang dictionary and grammar with Gadhang stories in 2009. This will provide a collection of all that is known about Gadhang language, a standardised writing system and will serve as a reference for the production of teaching and learning materials.

The main published texts are:

Branch, J 1887 “No 186: Port Macquarie” in EM Curr (ed.), The Australian Race. Melbourne: John Ferres, Government printer, 3:338-350.

Elkin, AP 1932 “Notes on the Social Organisation of the Worimi, A Kattang-Speaking People”. In Oceania, 2(3), 359-63.

Enright, WJ 1900 “The language, weapons and manufactures of the Aborigines of Port Stephens, NSW”. In Journal of the Royal Society of NSW, 34:103-18.

Enright, W J.1933. “Social Divisions of the Birripai”. In Mankind 1(5):102.

Holmer, N 1966, An attempt towards a comparative grammar of two Australian languages, Australian Institute of Aboriginal Studies, Canberra.

Holmer, N. 1967. An attempt towards a comparative grammar of two Australian languages, Part 2 Indices and vocabularies of Kattang and Thangatti, Australian Institute of Aboriginal Studies, Canberra.

Holmer, NM & Holmer, V, 1969, Stories from two native tribes of eastern Australia, Carl Bloms Boktryckeri, Lund.

Written examples of the language

Yirrgi ngadhuwa gadala.
I was sick.

Marrug ngadhuwa ganyiy.
I shall be good.

Ngadhuwa gamay marrumaliyn.
I am making a spear.

Ngadha biyaguba yagirr bunmala.
I stole father's woomera.

Wandha biyay maraliyn djiyagan?
Where are you going sister?

Warruy ngadha gaday ngurragu.
Soon I will be off for the camp.

Minya biyay wiyaliyn?
What are you saying?

Gabayn maayngi, djagi.
We must get honey, to eat.

Ngaandu barraba gugirr bawala?
Who opened my house?

Ngadha gaday, gandjibal maayngi.
I will go and fetch the police.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------