Conditions of use : The AustKin project and database reflect the work of early sources and does not provide authoritative knowledge of Aboriginal culture. Locations on maps are indicative only. Read more...
The sounds of each word are ordered into syllables.
So if you beat time while saying the word you have one beat for each syllable.
One syllable in a word is typically stronger (louder) than the others.
Here are some examples of English words with different numbers of syllables.
In every case the first syllable is the strongest—shown by bolding.
In most Australian languages the first syllable is the strongest, as in these English examples. But in many English words another syllable is the strongest, as in banana. In most Australian languages this would rather be pronounced as banana. So if you find a relationship term like kamini, it is mostly likely to be pronounced as kamini and not kamini; likewise kaparli rather than kaparli.
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