Western Desert language

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The Western Desert language, or Wati, is a dialect cluster of Australian Aboriginal languages in the Pama–Nyungan family.

The name Wati tends to be used when considering the various varieties to be distinct languages, Western Desert when considering them dialects of a single language, or Wati as Warnman plus the Western Desert cluster.

Location and list of communities

The speakers of the various dialects of the Western Desert Language traditionally lived across much of the desert areas of Western Australia, South Australia and the Northern Territory. Most Western Desert people live in communities on or close to their traditional lands, although some now live in one of the towns fringing the desert area such as Kalgoorlie, Laverton, Alice Springs, Port Augusta, Meekatharra, Halls Creek and Fitzroy Crossing.

The following is a partial list of Western Desert communities:

Dialect continuum

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The Western Desert Language consists of a network of closely related dialects; the names of some of these have become quite well known (such as Pitjantjatjara) and they are often referred to as "languages".[1]

As the whole group of dialects that constitutes the language does not have its own name, it is usually referred to as the Western Desert Language. WDL speakers referring to the overall language use various terms including wangka ("language") or wangka yuti ("clear speech"). For native speakers, the language is mutually intelligible across its entire range.

Dialects

Following are some of the named varieties of the Western Desert Language.

Language/dialect People Notes AIATSIS Reference
Antakarinya dialect Antakarinya people C5: Antikirinya[2]
Kartujarra dialect Kartujarra people A51: Kartujarra[3]
Kokatha dialect Kokatha people C3: Kokatha[4]
Two dialects of the Western Desert language have been named 'Kukatja'; Kukatja (A68) and Kukatja (C7) Kukatja (A68) and Kukatja (C7) A68 is in the north of Western Australia near Lake Gregory, and C7 is west of Haasts Bluff in central Australia.[5][6]
A68 is one of the dialects that make up Martu Wangka at Jigalong.[7]Template:Rp
C7 call themselves 'Luritja' now.[5]		 A68: Kukatja & C7: Kukatja[5][6]
Kuwarra dialect Kuwarra people There is little information regarding the language but the people are well attested.[8][9] A16: Kuwarra[10]
Luritja dialect Luritja people The Kukatja (C7) call themselves 'Luritja' now.[5]
Pintupi and Luritja are two similar but overlapping dialects.[11][12]		 C7.1: Luritja[11]
Manyjilyjarra dialect Manyjilyjarra people One of the dialects that make up Martu Wangka at Jigalong.[7]Template:Rp A51.1: Manyjilyjarra[13]
Mantjintjarra dialect Mantjintjarra people A33: Mantjintjarra[14]
Martu Wangka dialect Martu people Martu Wangka refers to either a dialect found at and around Jigalong, Western Australia[7]Template:Rp[15] or many different dialect groups in the Gibson, Little Sandy and Great Sandy deserts.[15] A86: Martu Wangka[15]
Nakako dialect Nakako people Little is known of the people and their language[16] A32: Nakako[17]
Ngaanyatjarra dialect Ngaanyatjarra people A38:Ngaanyatjarra[18]
Ngaatjatjarra dialect Ngaatjatjarra people A43: Ngaatjatjarra[19]
Ngalia dialect Ngalia people C2: Ngalia[20]
Pindiini/Wangkatha/Wangkatja dialect Pindiini/Wangkatha/Wangkatja people These three dialects & people have been hardly distinguished.[21][22][23] A102: Pindiini, A12: Wangkatha & A103: Wangkatja[21][22][23]
Pintupi dialect Pintupi people Pintupi and Luritja are two similar but overlapping dialects.[11][12] C10: Pintupi[12]
Pitjantjatjara dialect Pitjantjatjara people C6: Pitjantjatjara[24]
Putijarra dialect Putijarra people One of the dialects which make up Martu Wangka at Jigalong[7]Template:Rp A54: Putijarra[25]
Tjupan dialect Tjupan people A31: Tjupan[26]
Wangkajunga dialect Wangkajunga people A87: Wangkajunga[27]
Yankunytjatjara dialect Yankunytjatjara people C4: Yankunytjatjara[28]
Yulparija dialect Yulparija people A67: Yulparija[29]

Language

Status

The Western Desert Language has thousands of speakers, making it one of the strongest indigenous Australian languages. The language is still being transmitted to children and has substantial amounts of literature, particularly in the Pitjantjatjara and Yankunytjatjara dialects in South Australia where there was formerly a long-running bilingual program.Script error: No such module "Unsubst".

Phonology

In the following tables of the WDL sound system, symbols in Template:Grapheme give a typical practical orthography used by many WDL communities. Further details of orthographies in use in different areas are given below. Phonetic values in IPA are shown in [square brackets].Script error: No such module "Unsubst".

Vowels

Front Back
Close Template:IPA link Template:Grapheme Template:IPA link Template:Grapheme Template:IPA link Template:Grapheme Template:IPA link Template:Grapheme
Open Template:IPA link Template:Grapheme Template:IPA link Template:Grapheme

The Western Desert Language has the common (for Australia) three-vowel system with a length distinction creating a total of six possible vowels.Script error: No such module "Unsubst".

Consonants

Peripheral Laminal Apical
Bilabial Velar Palatal Alveolar Retroflex
Plosive Template:IPA link Template:Grapheme Template:IPA link Template:Grapheme Template:IPA link Template:Grapheme Template:IPA link Template:Grapheme Template:IPA link Template:Grapheme
Nasal Template:IPA link Template:Grapheme Template:IPA link Template:Grapheme Template:IPA link Template:Grapheme Template:IPA link Template:Grapheme Template:IPA link Template:Grapheme
Trill Template:IPA link Template:Grapheme
Lateral Template:IPA link Template:Grapheme Template:IPA link Template:Grapheme Template:IPA link Template:Grapheme
Approximant Template:IPA link Template:Grapheme Template:IPA link Template:Grapheme Template:IPA link Template:Grapheme

As shown in the chart, the WDL distinguishes five positions of articulation, and has oral and nasal occlusives at each position. The stops have no phonemic voice distinction but display voiced and unvoiced allophones; stops are usually unvoiced at the beginning of a word, and voiced elsewhere. In both positions, they are usually unaspirated. There are no fricative consonants.Script error: No such module "Unsubst".

Orthography

While the dialects of the WDL have very similar phonologies there are several different orthographies in use, resulting from the preferences of the different early researchers as well as the fact that the WDL region extends into three states (Western Australia, South Australia and the Northern Territory), with each having its own history of language research and educational policy.Script error: No such module "Unsubst".

Sign language

Script error: No such module "Labelled list hatnote". Most of the peoples of central Australia have (or at one point had) signed forms of their languages. Among the Western Desert peoples, sign language has been reported specifically for Kardutjara and Yurira Watjalku,[30] Ngaatjatjarra (Ngada),[31] and Manjiljarra. Signed Kardutjara and Yurira Watjalku are known to have been well-developed, though it is not clear from records that signed Ngada and Manjiljarra were.[32]

References

Template:Reflist

  • Goddard, C. 1985. A Grammar of Yankunytjatjara. Alice Springs: IAD.
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External links

Template:Aboriginal South Australians Template:Languages of Australia Template:Pama–Nyungan languages

  1. ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  2. ↑ Template:AIATSIS
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  6. ↑ a b Template:AIATSIS
  7. ↑ a b c d Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
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  10. ↑ Template:AIATSIS
  11. ↑ a b c Template:AIATSIS
  12. ↑ a b c Template:AIATSIS
  13. ↑ Template:AIATSIS
  14. ↑ Template:AIATSIS
  15. ↑ a b c Template:AIATSIS
  16. ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  17. ↑ Template:AIATSIS
  18. ↑ Template:AIATSIS
  19. ↑ Template:AIATSIS
  20. ↑ Template:AIATSIS
  21. ↑ a b Template:AIATSIS
  22. ↑ a b Template:AIATSIS
  23. ↑ a b Template:AIATSIS
  24. ↑ Template:AIATSIS
  25. ↑ Template:AIATSIS
  26. ↑ Template:AIATSIS
  27. ↑ Template:AIATSIS
  28. ↑ Template:AIATSIS
  29. ↑ Template:AIATSIS
  30. ↑ Miller, Wick R. (1978). A report on the sign language of the Western Desert (Australia). Reprinted in Aboriginal sign languages of the Americas and Australia. New York: Plenum Press, 1978, vol. 2, pp. 435–440.
  31. ↑ C.P. Mountford (1938) "Gesture language of the Ngada tribe of the Warburton Ranges, Western Australia", Oceania 9: 152–155. Reprinted in Aboriginal sign languages of the Americas and Australia. New York: Plenum Press, 1978, vol. 2, pp. 393–396.
  32. ↑ Kendon, A. (1988) Sign Languages of Aboriginal Australia: Cultural, Semiotic and Communicative Perspectives. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
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