Maaya waab (play with sound): Song language and spoken language in the south-west of Western Australia

Records of song performances in the endangered Nyungar language from the south-west of Western Australia offer examples of language usage by fluent speakers and are powerful symbols of cultural identity. These songs hold inherent potential for enhancing Nyungar language transmission and could also contribute to the objectives of Aboriginal empowerment often sought by language revivalists. However, as Aboriginal languages can sometimes be used with greater phonetic and morphological flexibility in song, an understanding of the differences between spoken and sung varieties of Nyungar language is vital to informing attempts to utilise traditional song texts in language maintenance activities. Nyungar words may be modified, extended or abbreviated in song. Analysis of such phenomena is complicated by the inconsistent nature of archival recordings and written records of the Nyungar language. Although a process of comparison and deduction may assist in interpreting song texts, Nyungar songs must also be understood and respected as powerful embodiments of culture and Country. As a Nyungar music researcher and language activist, I undertake the analysis and consolidation of a Nyungar song repertoire as a step toward the recirculation of Nyungar song traditions.