Dharawal Language
/dəˈrɑːwəl ˈlæŋɡwɪdʒ/noun
An Australian Aboriginal language traditionally spoken in parts of the Sydney Basin and surrounding regions of New South Wales.
Did you know?Dharawal is more accurately understood as a language belonging to a particular cultural community and Country, not merely as an extinct historical label; revitalization efforts continue today.
Etymological Timeline
Precolonial period
Dharawal
Dharawal
“The community and language name used by Dharawal people; its precise internal etymology is not securely established in published scholarship.”
1788–19th Century
English
Dharawal
“A colonial transcription of the name associated with Aboriginal people and speech varieties of the Sydney region.”
19th Century
English
Tharawal
“An alternative spelling found in historical records and linguistic documentation.”
20th Century
English
Dharawal
“A standardized scholarly spelling increasingly used for the language and its cultural community.”
Modern English
English
Dharawal language
“The contemporary English designation for the language undergoing documentation, teaching, and revitalization.”