Systems of language
Investigate and apply the sound patterns in spoken Noongar, including:
- using syllables, word-final sounds, clusters and stress
- developing metalanguage to describe and talk about sounds and phonology; for example, place of major articulation (lips, tongue, voice box), which is similar across Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander languages, and manner of articulation (pronunciation, stress, intonation, rhythm)
- recognising and understanding uncertain or missing sounds or glides, such as in Birdiya, wowaka, kebeyen
- using key Noongar features to predict meaning, communicate information and extend oral and written texts
Generate language for a range of purposes in simple spoken and written texts by continuing to expand context-related vocabulary and applying elements of the Noongar grammatical system, including:
- noticing and using singular and plural nouns in such contexts as
- roles of extended family members
- hunting or cooking procedures for different meat, and ways of cooking different foods
- boorn warn-midi-k – plants for tool making
- the sea as a source of food and sea food chains
- times of the day (24 hours) dawn-dusk-dawn, and their features, and timelines and charts
- identifying the relationship within a specific environment between plants, animals, birds and insects
- identifying nouns which can be derived from verbs and vice versa, such as waap/waabiny, yekan/yekaniny
- developing an understanding of singular and plural subject and object pronouns, such as baal/baalany, ngalak/ngalany
- building on the use of adjectives, including those of character and appearance; for example, woomboodin, karang, koorantj
- building on the use of adverbs, including extension of direction; for example, arn, karda werda, bardook, yendoon (over, across, near, underneath)
- developing an understanding of compound verbs and the use of the suffix/affix -abiny to show becoming or getting; for example, Baal kaalangabiny. (It’s hot becoming.)
- extending the use of modal verbs, including may, might; for example, Mining ngany badjedborl koorl?
- developing an understanding of the use of midi on the imperative or base verbs, such as nookert-midi (sleep-thing/bed) or dookern-midi (cook-thing/pot/pan/utensil, depending on context), to illustrate an unfamiliar Noongar word
- identifying and extending the use of nominal suffixes/affixes, including the use of -mokiny, as in dwert-mokiny, djowa-mokiny (dog-like, wool-like) and the use of the suffix/affix -koop, as in boodja-koop, moyootj-koop (land habitat, swamp habitat)
- building on the use of negative suffixes/affixes
- building on the use of the suffix/affix -kadak
Build and extend a metalanguage in Noongar to talk about language using terms similar to those used in English, such as noun, pronoun, suffix/affix, verb, tense, adjective
Apply the structures and conventions associated with a range of text types and identify key features and functions of the different genres
Understand and discuss the purpose and roles of various spoken, written and visual texts in Noongar, such as declaring identity, acknowledging ancestors and traditional belief systems, and passing on knowledge and information
Explore and understand to what extent the Noongar language plays a role in the management of land and its stories