Aborigines of Van Diemen's Land, 1830-1840 - Page 97
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[Page 97]
Since giving the reader the above vocabularies, I have observed in one of the public records several words which could by no possibility belong to any of the three languages named. This exceedingly perplexed me and I wrote to a friend at Flinder's Island to supply furnish me with some explanation, which could only be obtained from the Aborigines. I have recently received a letter on the subject, and now find that there are actually four Aboriginal languages. That of Circular Head is different from the others. However some common and strange words are produced, which I mark in Italics. It is also remarkable that although the black natives of Van Diemen's Land have been at the depot several years they have made little or no progress. Their words are limited to things actually seen, but we find none applicable to the affections of the mind and the heart, - - . All the words, without exception, [indecipherable] with an "a", and I strongly suspect that the other language ought to have a similar termination, although the ear may not have caught the right sound.
I also infer from the termination of "a" in the various languages, that they must have had one common origin.
| Circular Head | |
| Moon | Webba |
| Sun | Loyna |
| Star | Murdunna |
| Fresh Water | Moka |