Systems of language
Identify and explain Noongar letters, sounds, syllables and spelling rules
Experiment with the pronunciation of short and long single vowels and syllables, including:
- long and short vowels; for example, nop, noonook; kaat, babitj
- aware of rules for beginning, middle and final consonants; for example,
- b- and -p,as in boorn, keba, maap
- d, rd, -rt and -t, as in darp, maada, kaarda, moort, kaat
- dj and tj, as in djena, windji, moorditj
Notice onomatopoeia – words formed from a sound associated with what is named; for example, kaditj-kaditj (noise of car), djidi-djidi, kaa-kaa, waardong (noise of birds), djinkitj (noise of mosquito) bedik-bedik (quiet/softly)
Practise sounding syllables using actions, rhymes; for example:
- ba babitj (x2)
- babitj bardanginy (x2)
Expand vocabulary in Noongar, with extensive support, through word-formation processes, and recognise and use simple language structures, including:
- noticing and using nouns in contexts such as the day/night activities of different birds and animals, different environments for animals and plants, animals and plants of current season, night sky and stars
- understanding the reduplication of nouns, double nouns, plurals; for example, djidi-djidi, kaa-kaa, kaditj-kaditj, maam-yok, koolang, koolangka (child, children), yok, yoka (woman, women)
- understanding and using some common singular, plural and demonstrative pronouns
- understanding and building on the use of interrogative pronouns, (question words), such as What?, Where? Who?; for example, Naatj noonook warniny? Windji/Windja baalap waabiny? Ngiyan kep-ak djiba-djobaliny?
- using simple, commonly used adjectives, colours, numbers
- understanding and using commonly used quantifiers, such as lots, good, slowly, fast; for example, boola, moorditj, dabakarn, kert-kert
- noticing enhancing qualifiers used with a verb, for example, nookert-ngoorndiny, kakarook-koorliny
- developing and understanding adverbs of time, such as always, now, before, sometimes (kalyakoorl, yeyi, kwadjat, benang-benang)
- becoming aware of the use of demonstrative pronouns as an adverb to indicate place, such as this or here, that,there; for example, nidja, alidja, bokadja
- building on common verbs in the present tense, such as barniny, djakoorliny
- becoming aware of present tense verbs without ‘iny’, such as warangka (singing), or when used as a qualifier to enhance a verb, such as nookert-, kakarook-
- becoming aware of the imperative (commands); for example, yira yaak yalakitj, bardang
- noticing informal use of future tense; for example, Boorda noonook djinang!
- building on common location and place affixes/suffixes and meanings, such as in, on, near, at; for example, miya-k, malo-k, kedalak-ngat, maambakoort-ak, dek-ngat
- noticing use of the affix/suffix -kadak (to have) in conversations – for example, Ngany koodjal dwert-kadak – and in descriptive language – baal koodjal-koodjal maada‑kadak.
- noticing use of affix/suffix for habitat/environment; for example, boodja‑koop, marlak‑koop
- noticing that the English verb ‘to be’ is not in the Noongar language
Recognise that the same rules of punctuation apply as in English; for example, using capital letters and full stops for sentences
Begin to develop a metalanguage in Noongar for talking about language, using terms similar to those used in English, such as noun, pronoun, suffix, tense, adjective
Recognise that the purpose and features of Noongar stories, paintings, songs and dances is often to describe journeys across Country and give explanations of why features of Country exist and their importance
Recognise and discuss links between people, stories and Noongar Country/Place