the Kaurna locative suffix -illa, or possibly yernkalyilla meaning "place of the fallen bits". Phonology Vowels Kaurna has three different vowels with contrastive long and short lengths (a, i, u, a:, i:, u:), and three diphthongs (ai, au, ui). The three main vowels are represented by ⟨a⟩, ⟨i⟩ and ⟨u⟩ respectively, with long vowels indicated by doubling the vowel. Historically, Kaurna has had ⟨e⟩ and ⟨o⟩ used varyingly in older versions of its orthography, but these are not reflected in the phonology of the language. Consonants The consonant inventory of Kaurna is similar to that of other Pama-Nyungan languages (compare with Adnyamathanha, in the same Thura-Yura grouping). In the orthography, dental consonants are followed by ⟨h⟩ and palatals by ⟨y⟩, and retroflex consonants are preceded by ⟨r⟩, with the exception of ⟨rd⟩ . Pre-stopped consonants are preceded by ⟨d⟩. Below are the consonants of Kaurna (Amery, R & Simpson, J 2013). Phonotactics All words must begin with a peripheral or laminal consonant (see Consonants above), excluding the pre-stopped nasals. All words must end with a vowel. In addition to the pre-stopped consonants, consonant clusters of a nasal followed by a stop are allowed. Prosody Kaurna places primary stress on the first syllable. Grammar Kaurna has relatively free word order. Nouns Noun cases and suffixes Kaurna uses a range of suffixed case markers to convey information including subjects, objects, spacio-temporal state and other such information. These sometimes have variations in pronunciation and spelling. Below is a table of some of these cases. Number Kaurna has 3 numbers: singular, dual (-rla, -dla) and plural (-rna). See also Kaurna people Language death Matthew Moorhouse Pirltawardli References Citations General references Amery, Rob (compiler) (2003) Warra Kaurna. A Resource for Kaurna Language Programs. Kaurna Warra Pintyandi, Adelaide. Amery, Rob (2002) 'Weeding out Spurious Etymologies: Toponyms on the Adelaide Plains.' In Luise Hercus, Flavia Hodges & Jane Simpson (eds) The Land is a Map: Placenames of Indigenous Origin in Australia, 165-180. Wyatt, William (1879) Some Account of the Manners and Superstitions of the Adelaide and Encounter Bay Aboriginal Tribes with a Vocabulary of their Languages. Further reading – Guide to online resources Chapter 1: The Kaurna, in Kudnarto, an e-book by Bill Woerlee External links David Unaipon College of Indigenous Education and Research at the University of South Australia Kaurna – English Dictionary, University of Adelaide Kaurna Warra Pintyanthi Thura-Yura languages Culture of Adelaide Critically endangered