-up

-up is a suffix commonly found in place names in south western Western Australia.

The suffix originated in a dialect of Noongar, an Australian Aboriginal language, in which "-up" means "place of". The suffix "-in" or "-ing" has a similar meaning in a related dialect of Noongar.

Places tended to be named after their distinctive features, whereby the place names could be used to create a "mental map" allowing Indigenous Australians to determine where water, food and other raw materials could be found. These sites were often located near sources of fresh water, leading to the common misconception that "up" and "in" mean "near water". The meanings and the pronunciations of many of these names has been lost over time.

A number of these places were at one stage named with a suffix "-upp". This was as a result of the Western Australian Lands and Surveys Department adopting a system of spelling Indigenous Australian names devised by the Royal Geographical Society.

The system set the pronunciation of consonants as in English and vowels as in Italian. Using this system meant that "up" would be pronounced , whereas the names were meant to be pronounced . The solution was deemed to be that doubling the following consonant would shorten the preceding vowel, thus "upp". This spelling convention was rescinded for towns in south west Western Australia in 1915 as the Australian pronunciation of "u" was almost always short. The usage of some terms are for the name of Noongar groups as well as places Pinjarup is one of a number of names for one group – and it has been utilised and changed to the place name of Pinjarra.

Earlier attempts had been published in the 1900s and 1920s exploring and explaining place names in the south west of Western Australia.

List of places The following is a selected list of locations in Western Australia which end in "-up". NameLocationPlace name meaning (where known)Amelup Badgebup "place of wild rushes"Bailup Aboriginal unknown origin.Balgarup "place of the black boy trees" (Xanthorrhoea preissii).Balingup Derived from the name of an Aboriginal warrior, Balingan.Banjup Named for Banjupp Lake.Barragup Not known.Beenup A corruption of the Aboriginal name of nearby Beenyup Brook. Now known as Byford.Binningup Apparently an Aboriginal name, but not necessarily traditional.Boranup Boyanup "a place of quartz"Boyup Brook "place of smoke"Burekup The Aboriginal name of a wildflower that grows profusely in the locality.Carbunup River " Variously "place of a kindly stream", "place of cormorants", and "place of the stinkwood thicket.Cardup "place of the racehorse goanna".Chinocup an Aboriginal word of unknown meaning.Condingup an Aboriginal word of unknown meaning.Coodanup Unknown.Cookernup "the place of the swamp hen".Coolbellup The Aboriginal name of a lake in the area.Cooloongup "place of children".Coolup "place of the wild turkey".Coomalbidgup "Possum scratches up a tree & there is water there".Cowaramup believed to be derived from cowara, the Aboriginal name for the purple-crowned lorikeet (Glossopsitta porphyrocephala).Culeenup (Cooleenup) Cundinup Dalyellup still, frothy waterDalyup Possibly the Noongar word for the king parrot or Hookbill.Dandalup Not known.Dardanup Believed to be a variation of the Aboriginal word "Dudingup" the meaning of which is not known.Dinninup An Aboriginal name of unknown meaning.Dwellingup "place of nearby water".Gelorup Gidgegannup "place where spears are made". "Gidgie" is the word for spear.Gnowangerup "place where the mallee hen nests" (Leipoa ocellata).Gwelup "the lake that shifted position", derived from "Gwelgannow" which means to "shift the position" and "step aside".Gwindinup May be a local spelling of the nearby Gynudup Brook.Jacup Jandabup "place of little eagle".">Jerdacuttup Named for the Jerdacuttup River.Jerramungup "place of upstanding yate trees" (Eucalyptus cornuta).Jingalup A contraction of nearby Kodjingalup Well.Joondalup "place of whiteness or glistening".Joweelingup Karnup A local Aboriginal name, the meaning of the name is not known.Karrakup From "Karrak", the Nyoongar word for the red-tailed black cockatoo which is prevalent in the area.Karrinyup Originally Careniup, of unknown meaning.Kebaringup A local Aboriginal name, the meaning of the name is not known.Kendenup Of Aboriginal origin, of unknown meaning.Kirup "the place of summer flies".Kojonup "place of the stone axe".Kudardup Named for Coodardup Mill.Kulikup Not known.Kundip Not known.Kuringup "place of wattle gum".Kwobrup "good place".Mandogalup An Aboriginal name, the meaning of which is unknown.Manjimup An Aboriginal name said to be derived from "Manjin", a broad leafed marsh flag with an edible root.Marbelup Not known.Marrinup Mariginiup "to pull out flag leaved flax".Mayanup No meaning or source for the name given.Metricup Monjebup Moodiarrup Not known.Morangup Mullalyup "the place where the young men had their noses pierced".Mumballup Mungalup Not known.Munglinup A local Aboriginal word.Muradup An Aboriginal name.Myalup An Aboriginal name derived from a nearby swamp.Nambeelup Nannup "stopping place" or "place of parrots".Narrikup "place of abundance"Needilup Not known.Neerabup Possibly "swampy place" or "small basin or lake".Noggerup Not known.Nornalup "place of black snake" (Norn, a name of a Pseudechis species).Nowergup "place of sweet water".Ongerup "place of the male kangaroo".Palgarup Peringillup Not known.Pingrup Believed to mean "grassy place".Pootenup "place of the native hybrid mallee tree".Porongurup Qualeup The Aboriginal name of a nearby lake.Quedjinup Quigup Not known.Quindalup "place of quendas" (Isoodon obesulus).Takalarup Tambellup possibly "place of thunder".Wadjemup Noongar name for Rottnest Island, meaning "place across the water".Wagerup "Place of emus".Wannanup Warawarrup Wattleup Named for Wattleup Road.Wilyabrup Wokalup Not known. Humorously said to mean "the confusion experienced by nocturnal animals during an eclipse".Wonnerup "place of the Aboriginal woman's digging or fighting stick".Woogenellup Yallingup Place of cavesYalup Brook Yangebup Derived from the Aboriginal word "yanget", the name of a native flax or bullrush.Yoongarillup Yornup Yunderup Derived from "Yoondooroop", the original spelling of one of the islands in the Murray River delta.

See also Noongar for a map of the Noongar linguistic regions

References

External links Nyungar Placenames in the South-West of Western Australia