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Contents of the Yolŋu Languages Study App
[Under revision, current draft 18th Nov 2023]
The Gupapuyŋu section of the app is based on the following resources (other languages have varying resources):- The set of sounds used to pronounce the words of Yolngu languages (the phoneme paradigm) with audio recordings and animations of all sounds, with many word examples.
- Grammar study using 488 sentences for practising sentence structure and comprehension. Each sentence is pronounced and has grammatical information.
- All the sentences are divided into their words and parts of words (morphemes), and coloured according to type.
- All words are also organised according to type (paradigms - suffixes, pronouns, verbs, demonstratives, and other words) so that you can choose sentences that include words of that type.
- Every sentence can be studied closely to reveal how the various parts go together to make meaning.
- Graded Grammar exercises are presented for learners of different levels and in different learning modes, and self-assessment.
- Vocabulary list of over 400 words, with pronunciation, meaning, and links to both sentences and stories containing them.
- 260 stories in Gupapuyngu by Manydjarri and Buyuminy which can be used for entertainment and study. All stories have both audio and text. You can search for stories containing any of their words.
- Kinship is presented in an interactive chart showing kinship terms from the point of view of moiety (Dhuwa, Yirritja) and gender (male and female), with graphical and text descriptions of each term.
Using the app
General navigation
- Use the drop-down menus at the top of the screen to select the major sections.
- Within the major sections, some screens require you to make choices before proceeding. For example, in Gupapuyŋu Sounds & spelling exercises, you need to first choose a Mode (Multiple choice or Type-in) and a Level (Easy, Medium, Hard, Vowels, Rules) and then the app will generate exercises for you.
- If you use your browser's Back button you will lose your current activity.
Sounds and spelling
- The Learn screen presents all the language sounds (phoneme paradigm) for each language, grouped as consonants and vowels.
- Click on any letter to hear what it sounds like, to see and hear words that contain it, and see an animation showing how the sound is made.
- Use the Exercises screen to test your ability to hear and spell. Some words are easy to spell, and some are harder because the spelling rules need to be applied. You can test yourself on easy medium and hard words, or on vowels and spelling rules. Choose the sort of test (Mode) you would like, and the level you would like to be tested on.
- Multiple choice mode: test your ability to identify words which correctly follow the spelling rules.
There are two ways to enter characters:
- use the on-screen (“soft”) keyboard
- use a normal keyboard (on laptops, computers etc)
To enter special characters (such as ‘ŋ’), you can use any of three methods:
- use the on-screen (“soft”) keyboard
- use either of two existing methods:
- a key sequence: type semicolon (‘;’) followed by a letter - see the table below
- a Keyman translation: a plain key or a key combination (hold down SHIFT and type a letter) - see the table below
| To write this | Sequence | Keyman translations |
| ä | ;a | ^6 |
| Ä | ;A | %5 |
| ḏ | ;d | [ |
| Ḏ | ;D | {[ |
| ḻ | ;l | ` |
| Ḻ | ;L | ~` |
| ṉ | ;n | ] |
| Ṉ | ;N | }] |
| ŋ | ;j | \ |
| Ŋ | ;J | |\ |
| ṯ | ;t | = |
| Ṯ | ;T | += |
Grammar
When you enter the grammar section you are asked to make two choices. That will lead you into the grammar machine. Once you are inside the machine you can:- move between sentence and morpheme by clicking sentences, and by clicking words or suffixes in the paradigms.
- Click on any sentence in the box to see it in colour with an English translation at the top.
- Click the speaker if you want to hear the sentence.
- Click on any part of a sentence to see how it fits into its paradigm.
- Use the left and right arrow on your keyboard to move along the morphemes of each sentence.
- Use the up and down arrows to move through the sentences in the box.
- Click on any paradigm cell to see other examples of the use of the word or suffix.
- look at the sentences in the level you are studying. Choose the level you want to view, and press Go, and the sentences will be shown.
- look at a particular sentence you are studying in the Reference Book. Choose the sentence number, press GO, and the sentence will be shown.
- look at a particular word you are studying in the Reference Book. Choose the word, press Go, and the sentence will be shown. Click on any part of that sentence to see how it fits into its paradigm. Click on any paradigm cell to see other examples of the use of the word or suffix.
- look at a particular sort of suffix or word - pronoun, verb, demonstrative - you are studying in the Reference Book by using the SHOW GRAMMAR screen. Choose the sort of word, press GO, and the paradigm will be shown. Click on any paradigm cell or a column or a row to see examples of the use of the words or suffixes.
Colour codes for Grammar section
| Pronouns | Suffixes | Verbs | Demonstratives | Roots |
| Green | Yellow | Blue | Red | Brown |
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Test grammar
In TEST GRAMMAR , you can
When you have made both selections, press GO and
you will be given a series of examples to test your knowledge. You can use the
mouse or the keyboard to test yourself. On the keyboard, use 1, 2, 3, or 4 for
the choices, and use the return key to go on.
Stories
You can use the Stories section to find short stories in Gupapuyngu The stories
were written by Manydjarri and Buyuminy in the 1970s for the Bilingual Education
program at Milingimbi School. There are 65 books, and each book has several
stories. Find the book you want, and click on the story number. Use the box at
the top of the screen to find the screen that has the story you are looking for.
Words
You can look at all the words and suffixes on the CD in the Words section. You
can also look at the vocabulary lists, and test your vocab.
Kinship
You can use the Kinship section to study the many kin terms in the Yolngu gurrutu
system. Look at the screen which maps the hypothetical kin structure over an
area of land. Select your gender and moiety and press GO. You can now study the
diagram, looking at the kin terms and their position in relation to yourself.
Click on a kin term, on the screen or on the list, and a description of the term
will be given in the box at the bottom of the screen.
Using the keyboard