Iwaidjan languages

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The Iwaidjan or Yiwaidjan languages are a small family of non-Pama–Nyungan Australian Aboriginal languages spoken in the Cobourg Peninsula region of Western Arnhem Land.

In 1997 Nicholas Evans proposed an Arnhem Land family that includes the Iwaidjan languages, though their inclusion is not accepted in Bowern (2011).[1]

The Iwaidjan languages

Script error: No such module "Clade". Garig and Ilgar are two almost identical dialects.[2] Manangkari may be a dialect of Maung.[3]

Dixon (2002) considers Warrkbi demonstrated, but Iwaidjic (Warrkbi-Maung) and Iwaidjan to be speculative. He predicts that working out the histories of the languages will be a "profound challenge", regardless of whether they are a genealogical family or a language area.

Marrgu and Wurrugu, previously lumped in with Iwaidjan, have little in common with it and may turn out to be a separate family.

Status

As of 1998, Iwaidja was spoken by about 150 people in the community of Minjilang on Croker Island,[4][5] alongside English, Kunwinjku and Maung.Script error: No such module "Unsubst". Maung is primarily spoken in the community of Warruwi on Goulburn Island, and it too has about 150 speakers.[4] Both languages are still being learnt by children.[4] More recent assessments of the status of Iwaidja and Maung are that both have around 200 speakers and are spoken daily by a full age range of people.[6]

All the other Iwaidjan languages are close to extinction. In 1998Template:Dated maintenance category (articles)Script error: No such module "Check for unknown parameters"., Amurdak had three remaining speakers and Garig and Ilgar three speakers between them.[4] However, some of these languages have younger people who, while not fluent, can aid in translating old recordings in an attempt to archive or revive the language.[6]

Phonology

The Iwaidjan languages have similar phoneme inventories. Exceptions are noted below the tables.

Vowels

Front Back
High Script error: No such module "IPA". Script error: No such module "IPA".
Low Script error: No such module "IPA".

In addition to these, Maung also has Script error: No such module "IPA". and Script error: No such module "IPA"., mostly in loanwords from Kunwinjku and Kunbarlang.[7]

Consonants

Peripheral Laminal Apical
Bilabial Velar Palatal Alveolar Retroflex
Plosive Script error: No such module "IPA". Script error: No such module "IPA". Script error: No such module "IPA". Script error: No such module "IPA". Script error: No such module "IPA".
Nasal Script error: No such module "IPA". Script error: No such module "IPA". Script error: No such module "IPA". Script error: No such module "IPA". Script error: No such module "IPA".
Approximant Script error: No such module "IPA". Script error: No such module "IPA". Script error: No such module "IPA". Script error: No such module "IPA".
Trill Script error: No such module "IPA".
Tap Script error: No such module "IPA".
Lateral approximant Script error: No such module "IPA". Script error: No such module "IPA". Script error: No such module "IPA".
Lateral flap Script error: No such module "IPA". Script error: No such module "IPA".

Maung lacks the two flapped laterals,[7] which are quite unusual among Australian languages. Also unusual is the velar approximant Script error: No such module "IPA"., which is an areal feature shared with Tiwi and Kunbarlang.[8]

Relationships with other languages

The vocabularies of all the Iwaidjan languages contain loanwords from Macassarese and Malay,[9] both Malayo-Polynesian languages from Indonesia. Iwaidja and Maung have also borrowed heavily from Kunwijku,[9] another Australian language of the Gunwingguan family.

While the Iwaidjan languages share a number of features with other non-Pama–Nyungan language families, it is uncertain which they are closest related to.Script error: No such module "Unsubst". Ross has proposed that they form part of an Arnhem Land family.

Vocabulary

Capell (1940)[10] lists the following basic vocabulary items (with Amarag words from Capell 1942[11])

The following basic vocabulary terms are collated from Capell (1940),[10] Capell (1942),[11] and Evans (2000):[12]

gloss Maung Iwaidja Amarag
man Script error: No such module "Lang". Script error: No such module "Lang". Script error: No such module "Lang".
woman Script error: No such module "Lang". Script error: No such module "Lang". Script error: No such module "Lang".
head Script error: No such module "Lang". Script error: No such module "Lang". Script error: No such module "Lang".
eye Script error: No such module "Lang". Script error: No such module "Lang". Script error: No such module "Lang".
nose Script error: No such module "Lang". Script error: No such module "Lang". Script error: No such module "Lang".
mouth Script error: No such module "Lang". Script error: No such module "Lang". Script error: No such module "Lang".
tongue Script error: No such module "Lang". Script error: No such module "Lang". Script error: No such module "Lang".
stomach Script error: No such module "Lang". Script error: No such module "Lang". Script error: No such module "Lang".
bone Script error: No such module "Lang". Script error: No such module "Lang". Script error: No such module "Lang".
blood Script error: No such module "Lang". Script error: No such module "Lang". Script error: No such module "Lang".
kangaroo Script error: No such module "Lang". Script error: No such module "Lang". Script error: No such module "Lang".
opossum Script error: No such module "Lang". Script error: No such module "Lang". Script error: No such module "Lang".
emu Script error: No such module "Lang". Script error: No such module "Lang".
crow Script error: No such module "Lang". Script error: No such module "Lang". Script error: No such module "Lang".
fly Script error: No such module "Lang". Script error: No such module "Lang". Script error: No such module "Lang".
sun Script error: No such module "Lang". Script error: No such module "Lang". Script error: No such module "Lang".
moon Script error: No such module "Lang". Script error: No such module "Lang". Script error: No such module "Lang".
fire Script error: No such module "Lang". Script error: No such module "Lang". Script error: No such module "Lang".
smoke Script error: No such module "Lang". Script error: No such module "Lang". Script error: No such module "Lang".
water Script error: No such module "Lang". Script error: No such module "Lang". Script error: No such module "Lang".

Notes

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  1. ↑ Bowern, Claire. 2011. How Many Languages Were Spoken in Australia?
  2. ↑ Evans (1998): pp. 115, 144.
  3. ↑ Evans (1998): pp. 115–116.
  4. ↑ a b c d Evans (1998): p. 115
  5. ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  6. ↑ a b Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  7. ↑ a b Evans (1998): p. 118.
  8. ↑ Evans (1998): p. 117.
  9. ↑ a b Evans (1998): p. 116.
  10. ↑ a b Capell, Arthur. 1940. The Classification of Languages in North and North-West Australia. Oceania 10(3): 241-272, 404-433. Script error: No such module "CS1 identifiers".
  11. ↑ a b Capell, Arthur. 1941-1942, 1942-1943. Languages of Arnhem Land, North Australia. Oceania 12: 364-392, 13: 24-51.
  12. ↑ Script error: No such module "Citation/CS1".

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See also

*Template:Cite Q

References

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  • Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  • Script error: No such module "Citation/CS1".

External links

  • Examples of the Iwaidja language (many are text only out of respect for the dead)

Template:Australian Aboriginal languages Template:Language families

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