Gunai language
The Gunai language is an Australian aboriginal dialect cluster of the Gunai people in Gippsland in south-east Victoria. Bidhawal was either a divergent dialect or a closely related language.
Varieties
Gunai means 'man'. The language had no traditional name, but each of its dialects was referred to separately.In a 1996 report to the Victorian Aboriginal Corporation for Languages, Clark refers to five Gunai dialects: Brabralung, Braiakalung, Brataualung, Krauatungalung and Tatungalung.
- Brabralung located in central Gippsland.
- Braiakalung located around Sale through to the mountains.
- Brataualung located in South Gippsland.
- Krauatungalung located eastwards to the Snowy River.
- Tatungalung located in the coast area between Lake King and Lake Wellington.
Phonology
Like other Victorian languages, Gunai allowed initial in its words. However, it also allowed initial, and well as the clusters and . This is quite unusual for an Australian language, and the same pattern was found in the Tasmanian languages across Bass Strait.Consonants
Vowels
Revival
Since the early 1990s, the Victorian Aboriginal Corporation for Languages organisation, established the Yirruk-Tinnor Gunnai/Kŭrnai language program which focused on reviving and reclaiming the Gunnai language of Gippsland. Doris Paton, Coordinator of the Program and Lynnette Solomon-Dent, Language worker and consultant are involved in the program. They have been responsible for developing a number of resource materials to support and educate further knowledge of the Gunnai language and Culture. Lynnette Solomon-Dent co-wrote with Christina Eira the VACL Linguist, the Victorian Curriculum and Assessment Authority Aboriginal Languages, cultures and reclamation in Victorian schools: standards P-10 and protocols and were involved in the VCE Revival and Reclamation Study. These teaching documents and resources are collectively used to educate school aged children P-10, VCE, higher learning institutions and the Aboriginal community members, to further their knowledge and allow community members to continue to educate future generations.Placenames possibly derived from the Gunai language
A number of placenames in Gunai country feature the ending -munjie, meaning "place".| Placename | Origin |
| Boolarra | Thought to mean "plenty". |
| Briagolong | From the name of the Braiakulung clan. |
| Buchan | From Bukkan-munjie, meaning "place of the bag". |
| Croajingolong National Park | From the name of the Krauatungulung clan. |
| Moe | From the term Mouay meaning "swamp", in reference to the large swamp present before being drained by early European settlers. |
| Moondarra | "Thunder" |
| Morwell | Allegedly the anglicised form of the Gunai words more willie meaning "woolly possum". However, other sources debate this, as the Gunai word for possum was wadthan, as opposed to wille or wollert in Kulin languages further west. |
| Traralgon | Origin uncertain. It is popularly believed to be derived from words tarra meaning "river" and algon meaning "little fish". However, these words are not reflected in modern linguists' knowledge of the Gunai language, where, for example, the word for river is wun wun or wurn wurn. |
| Wy Yung | Some sources give spoonbill, others a type of duck. |
| Yallourn | Possibly from a term for "brown fire". |
| Yarram | Possibly from a term Yarraam Yarraam meaning "plenty of water". |
| Yinnar | Thought to be from the word for "woman". |