Kriol Spelling Guide
Kriol
Kriol is now the first language of many Aboriginal people in the East Kimberley, including Miriwoong and Gajirrabeng people.
Kriol is spoken across much of the Kimberley and the Northern Territory, and so it is one of the most widely spoken Aboriginal languages in Australia.
Kriol is a creole language, which means it developed from extended contact between English and various different Aboriginal languages, which occurred as the pastoral frontier expanded into Northern Australia in the 19th century.
As a creole language, the majority of words in Kriol come from English, but the grammar and sound system (phonology) come from Aboriginal Languages, like Miriwoong and Gajirrabeng. Although Kriol and English share many words, most of these words are used differently or have different meanings in Kriol as compared to English. This means that although Kriol can often sound like English at first, it has a completely different grammar, and English speakers cannot understand or speak Kriol without first learning it (just like with any other language).
It is important to remember that Kriol is a full and complex language, and is not a form of ‘broken English’ or a pidgin, instead it is a language that has superficial similarities to English because of shared words.
Many non-Indigenous people who come to Kununurra do not realise that Kriol is the first language of most Aboriginal people in the area, and that many people may not be confident English speakers.
Kriol Spelling Guide
At the request of the community, linguists based at MDWg consulted and worked alongside Miriwoong, Gajirrabeng and Gija people to develop a writing system that best suited their varieties of Kriol, and the connections that these ways of speaking Kriol have to traditional languages in the area. This spelling system is in use by MDWg and Purnunululu Independent Aboriginal Community School in Frog Hollow.
You can access the writing guide for this spelling system by filing in the request form below.
Please contact us if you would like support in using this writing system in your school, workplace or community.
Spelling Guide Download Form
