We were at first inclined to stigmatised this language as harsh and barbarous in its sounds.Their combinations of words in the manner they utter them,frequently convey such an effect.But if not only their proper names of men and places,but many of their phrases and a majority of their words,be simply and unconnectedly considered,they will be found to abound with vowels and to produce sounds sometimes mellifluous and sometimes sonorous.What ear can object to the names of Colbee,(pronounced exactly as Colby is with us)Bereewan,Bondel,Imeerawanyee,Deedora,Wolarawaree,or Baneelon,among the men;or to Wereeweea,Gooreedeeana,Milba,or Matilba,among the women.Parramatta,Gweea,Cameera,Cadi,and Memel,are names of places.The tribes derive their appellations from the places they inhabit.Thus Cemeeragal,means the men who reside in the bay of Cameera;Cedigal,those who reside in the bay of Cadi;and so of the others.The women of the tribe are denoted by adding 'eean'to any of the foregoing words.A Cadigaleean imports a woman living at Cadi,or of the tribe of Cadigal.These words,as the reader will observe,are accented either on the first syllable or the penultima.
In general,however,they are partial to the emphasis being laid as near the beginning of the word as possible.
[Mrs.Johnson,wife of the chaplain of the settlement,was so pleased with this name that she christened her little girl,born in Port Jackson,Milba Maria Johnson.]
Of compound words they seem fond.Two very striking ones appear in the journal to the Hawkesbury.Their translations of our words into their language are always apposite,comprehensive,and drawn from images familiar to them.A gun,for instance,they call 'gooroobeera',that is,a stick of fire.Sometimes also,by a licence of language,they call those who carry guns by the same name.But the appellation by which they generally distinguished us was that of 'bereewolgal',meaning men come from afar.When they salute any one they call him 'dameeli',or namesake,a term which not only implies courtesy and good-will,but a certain degree of affection in the speaker.An interchange of names with any one is also a symbol of friendship.Each person has several names;one of which,there is reason to believe,is always derived from the first fish or animal which the child,in accompanying its father to the chase or a fishing,may chance to kill.
Not only their combinations,but some of their simple sounds,were difficult of pronunciation to mouths purely English.Diphthongs often occur.One of the most common is that of 'ae',or perhaps,'ai',pronounced not unlike those letters in the French verb 'hair',to hate.
The letter 'y'frequently follows 'd'in the same syllable.Thus the word which signifies a woman is 'dyin';although the structure of our language requires us to spell it 'deein'.
But if they sometimes put us to difficulty,many of our words were to them unutterable.The letters 's'and 'v'they never could pronounce.The latter became invariably 'w',and the former mocked all their efforts,which in the instance of Baneelon has been noticed;and a more unfortunate defect in learning our language could not easily be pointed out.
They use the ellipsis in speaking very freely;always omitting as many words as they possibly can,consistent with being understood.They inflect both their nouns and verbs regularly;and denote the cases of the former and the tenses of the latter,not like the English by auxiliary words,but like the Latins by change of termination.Their nouns,whether substantive or adjective,seem to admit of no plural.I have heard Mr.Dawes hint his belief of their using a dual number,similar to the Greeks,but I confess that I never could remark aught to confirm it.
The method by which they answer a question that they cannot resolve is similar to what we sometimes use.Let for example the following question be put:'Waw Colbee yagoono?'--Where is Colbee to-day?'Waw,baw!'--Where,indeed!would be the reply.They use a direct and positive negative,but express the affirmative by a nod of the head or an inclination of the body.
Opinions have greatly differed,whether or not their language be copious.
In one particular it is notoriously defective.They cannot count with precision more than four.However as far as ten,by holding up the fingers,they can both comprehend others and explain themselves.Beyond four every number is called great;and should it happen to be very large,great great,which is an Italian idiom also.This occasions their computations of time and space to be very confused and incorrect.Of the former they have no measure but the visible diurnal motion of the sun or the monthly revolution of the moon.
To conclude the history of a people for whom I cannot but feel some share of affection.Let those who have been born in more favoured lands and who have profited by more enlightened systems,compassionate,but not despise their destitute and obscure situation.Children of the same omniscient paternal care,let them recollect that by the fortuitous advantage of birth alone they possess superiority:that untaught,unaccommodated man is the same in Pall Mall as in the wilderness of New South Wales.
And ultimately let them hope and trust that the progress of reason and the splendor of revelation will in their proper and allotted season be permitted to illumine and transfuse into these desert regions,knowledge,virtue and happiness.
