Page:A Descriptive Vocabulary of the Language in Common Use Amongst the Aborigines of Western Australia.djvu/13

 south. The characteristic peculiarity of the King George's Sound dialect is to shorten the words by cutting off the final syllable, especially where it ends in a vowel, as Kat, for Katta--Kal, for Kalla, which gives the language a short, abrupt sound. "An-ya twonga gwabba," in the Perth dialect (I hear well), is "An twonk gwap" at King George's Sound. Whilst, on the other hand, the tribes that have been met with two hundred miles north of Fremantle appear to lengthen out the words by adding a syllable to the end of them, which gives their language a more soft and musical sound; as, "Mallo nginnow," in the Perth dialect (sit in the shade), is with them, "Malloka nginnowka." To the eastward the sound of E is often used where O is used at Perth; as, Kot-ye, a bone, becomes Kwetje to the East, and Kwetj at King George's Sound. So Kole becomes Kwele and Kwel. And very generally 0 is used for U; as, Gott for Gurt, the heart; Goya for Guya, a frog. E is often substituted for OW in many districts; as, Yuke for Yugow (to be); Wanke for Wangow (to speak). About King George's Sound, also, the word Gur, according to Captain Grey, is used as an affix to many of the verbs. This appears analogous to the word Kolo (if, indeed, it be not an indistinct pronunciation of the same word, with the final syllable cut off), which is used in all the Swan River districts as an occasional or optional affix expressive of motion; as, Dtabbat (to fall down) is