Page:An Australian language as spoken by the Awabakal.djvu/81



the year 1826, the writer printed a few copies entitled "Specimens of a dialect of the Aborigines of New South Wales," in which the English sounds of the vowels were adopted. Subsequently it was found that many inconveniences arose in the orthography, which could only be overcome by adopting another system. Many plans were proposed and attempted, but none appeared so well adapted to meet the numerous difficulties which arose, as the one in use for many years in the Islands of the South Seas, wherein the elementary sounds of the vowels do not accord with the English pronunciation. This, however, does not meet all the difficulties, because there is a material difference in the idioms of the languages. For instance, in the Tahitian dialect, the vowels always retain their elementary sound, because a consonant never ends a syllable or word, in the Australian language, a consonant often ends a syllable or a word, and therefore its coalition with the sound of the vowels affects that sound and consequently shortens it; while, in many instances, the elementary sound of the vowel is retained when closed by a consonant, as well as when the syllable or word is ended by the vowel. To meet this, an accent will be placed over the vowel when the elementary sound is retained, but without such accent the sound is to be shortened. For example, the Australian words bun, bún, tin, tín, will be sounded as the English bun, boon, tin, teen.

A set of characters cast expressly for the various sounds of the vowels would be the most complete in forming speech into a written language, but in the present instance that could not be accomplished. The present orthography is therefore adopted, not because it is considered perfect, but from the following reasons, viz.:—

1. It appears, upon consideration, impossible so to express the sounds of any language to the eye, as to enable a stranger to pronounce it without oral instruction. The principal object, therefore, is to aim at simplicity, so far as may be consistent with clearness.

2. There appears to be a certain propriety in adopting universally, if possible, the same character to express the same sounds used in countries which are adjacent, as Polynesia and Australia, even though the languages be not akin; especially when those characters have been adopted upon mature consideration, and confirmed by actual experience in the Islands of the South Seas.