My research looks at the Aboriginal languages once spoken on the NSW South Coast, from Sydney down to the Victorian border, Dharawal, Dhurga, Dyirringany and Dhawa. The language analysis is based predominately on archival material collected by Robert Hamilton Mathews around 1900.
One of the challenges in this research lies in the interpretation of Mathews’ (and other early language collectors’) handwritten field notes and notebooks. I will thus also produce a philological analysis of Mathews’ language work; his approach and methodology of collecting and recording language material, which will provide future researcher of Mathews’ (and other early language describers’) with insight and a useful tool how to interpret his work.
Additionally, to producing grammars of all the languages (as far as possible with the given material), I will provide dictionaries for each of the languages researched which may be used by the appropriate communities to assist in current and future language reclamation projects.