Australian language family
The Mirndi or Mindi languages are an Australian language family spoken in the Northern Territory of Australia . The family consists of two sub-groups and an isolate branch: the Yirram languages , and the Ngurlun languages and Jingulu language some 200 km farther to the southeast, separated by the Ngumpin languages .[ 1] [ 2] Yirram languages are all prefixing like other non-Pama–Nyungan languages , the Ngurlun languages are all suffixing like most Pama–Nyungan languages .[ 3]
The name of the family is derived from the dual inclusive pronoun ('we', in the sense of 'you and I') which is shared by all the languages in the family in the form of either mind- or mirnd- [ 1]
Classification
The family has been generally accepted after being first established by Neil Chadwick in the early 1980s. The genetic relationship is primarily based upon morphology and not lexical comparison ,[ 3] [ 4] [ 5]
An additional language may be added, Ngaliwurru . However, it is unsure whether it is a language on its own, or merely a dialect of the Jaminjung language .[ 2] [ 6] [ 7] [ 8] [ 9] Gudanji and Binbinka , although these are generally considered dialects of the Wambaya language . These three dialects are collectively referred to as the McArthur River languages.[ 3] [ 8] [ 10]
Vocabulary
Due to the close contact been the Yirram languages and the Ngurlun languages , and the Ngumpin languages and other languages as well, many of the cognates that the Yirram and Ngurlun languages share may in fact be loanwords, especially of Ngumpin origin.[ 1] Barkly language Jingulu only shares 9% of its vocabulary with its Yirram relative, the Ngaliwurru dialect of the Jaminjung language , it shares 28% with the nearby Ngumpin language Mudburra .[ 3]
The Jingulu language shares 29% and 28% of its vocabulary with the Wambaya language and the Ngarnka language respectively. The Ngarnka language shares 60% of its vocabulary with the Wambaya language , while the Wambaya language shares 69% and 78% with its dialects , Binbinka and Gudanji , respectively. Finally, these two dialects share 88% of their vocabulary.[ 10]
Capell (1940) lists the following basic vocabulary items:[ 11]
gloss
Nungali Jilngali Djämindjung Ngaliwuru
man
diːimbul djumbul djumbul djumbul
woman
njäŋaːruŋ ŋaruŋ malɛji ŋaruŋ
head
niimburu guɽunjuŋ gulaga djumburu
eye
mijaŋargin djuwud djuwad djuwud
nose
nijuija djuwija djuwija djuwija
mouth
nijara djära djära djära
tongue
niaŋandjilin djalaṉ djalaṉ djalan
stomach
meuŋug buru magala magala
bone
guːdjin bunu gujuwan gujuwan gujuwan
blood
guŋulu garŋan wurinjun guŋulu
kangaroo
dijaŋara jaŋara jaŋara jaŋara
opossum
djaŋana ŋurgudi djägulädji djägulädji
emu
gumurindji
crow
duagirag waŋguɽin waŋgina waŋgina
fly
diridjburu gunäma nämbul gunäma
sun
njailän wulŋan wulŋan waŋgu
moon
dabaraŋaɽa baraŋan djägilin baɽaŋan
fire
nujug gujug gujug gujug
smoke
niulaṉ djuwulaṉ djuwulaṉ djuːlaṉ
water
gogo gogo gogo gogo
Proto-language
Proto-Mirndi Reconstruction of Mirndi languages
Proto-Mirndi reconstructions by Harvey (2008):[ 5]
no.
gloss
Proto-Mirndi
1
to hang, to tip
*jalalang
2
high, up
*thangki
3
women's song style
*jarra(r)ta
4
that (not previously mentioned)
*jiyi
5
mother's father
*jaju
6
woman's son
*juka
7
bird (generic)
*ju(r)lak
8
blind
*kamamurri
9
daughter's child
*kaminyjarr
10
cold
*karrij
11
chickenhawk *karrkany
12
bull ant *(kija-)kija
13
to tickle
*kiji-kiji(k)
14
red ochre *kitpu
15
shitwood *kulinyjirri
16
dove sp.
*kuluku(ku)
17
sky
*kulumarra
18
throat, didgeridoo
*kulumpung
19
urine
*kumpu
20
firestick *kungkala
21
pollen
*kuntarri
22
flesh
*kunyju
23
fat
*kurij
24
bush turkey *kurrkapati
25
boomerang *kurrupartu
26
club
*ku(r)turu
27
shield
*kuwarri
28
fire
*kuyVka
29
father-in-law
*lamparra
30
car
*langa
31
bony
*larrkaja
32
plant sp.
*lawa
33
eagle
*lirraku
34
blue-tongue lizard *lungkura
35
to return
*lurrpu
36
to wave
*mamaj
37
ear
*manka
38
plant sp.
*manyanyi
39
gutta percha tree*manyingila
40
butterfly
*marli-marli
41
old man
*marluka
42
all right, later
*marntaj
43
human status term
*marntak
44
circumcision ritual
*marntiwa
45
upper leg, thigh, root
*mira
46
owl
*mukmuk
47
to be dark
*mu(wu)m
48
scorpion
*muntarla
49
string
*munungku
50
upper arm
*murlku
51
three
*murrkun
52
to name
*nij
53
hand
*nungkuru
54
female antilopine wallaroo
*ngalijirri
55
to lick
*ngalyak
56
to sing
*nganya
57
bauhinia *ngapilipili
58
father's mother
*ngapuju
59
breast
*ngapulu
60
to be hot
*ngartap
61
bird sp.
*nyurijman
62
to dream
*pank(iy)aja
63
older brother
*papa
64
nightjar *parnangka
65
young woman
*parnmarra
66
women's dance
*pa(r)ntimi
67
moon
*partangarra
68
baby
*partarta
69
hot weather
*parung(ku)
70
cicatrice *pa(r)turu
71
scraper
*pin(y)mala
72
father
*pipi
73
snake (generic)
*pulany
74
to bathe
*pulukaj(a)
75
ashes
*puna
76
full
*punturr/tu
77
to finish
*purrp
78
dreaming
*puwarraja
79
deep (hole)
*tarlukurra
80
flame, light
*tili/u
81
to be tied up
*tirrk
82
feather
*tiya-tiya
83
to poke
*turrp
84
to open
*walk
85
woomera *wa(r)lmayi
86
black-headed python *warlujapi
87
strange(r)
*warnayaki
88
grass (generic)
*warnta
89
to scratch
*warr
90
number seven boomerang
*warratirla
91
freshwater crocodile *warrija
92
to be together
*warrp
93
parrot sp.
*wilikpan
94
new
*yalang
95
initiated youth
*yapa
96
magic song
*yarrinti
97
young man
*yarrulan
References
Notes
^ a b c Schultze-Berndt 2000 , p. 8^ a b McConvell, Patrick (2009), "Koch, Harold ; Hercus, Luise (eds.), Aboriginal Placenames: Naming and re-naming the Australian landscape , ANU E-Press , pp. 359–402, ISBN 978-1-921666-08-7 ^ a b c d Green, Ian (1995). "The death of 'prefixing': contact induced typological change in northern Australia" . Annual Meeting of the Berkeley Linguistics Society . 21 : 414–425. doi :10.3765/bls.v21i1.1419 ^ Bowern, Claire ; Koch, Harold (2004), Australian languages: Classification and the comparative method , John Benjamins Publishing Company , pp. 14–15, ISBN 978-1-58811-512-6 ^ a b Harvey, Mark (2008). Proto Mirndi: A discontinuous language family in Northern Australia . PL 593. Canberra: Pacific Linguistics. ISBN 978-0-85883-588-7 ^ Pensalfini, Robert J. (2001), "On the Typological and Genetic Affiliation of Jingulu", in Simpson, Jane ; Nash, David ; Laughren, Mary ; Austin, Peter ; Alpher, Barry (eds.), Forty years on Ken Hale and Australian languages , Pacific Linguistics , pp. 385–399^ Schultze-Berndt 2000 , p. 7^ a b Harvey, Mark; Nordlinger, Rachel ; Green, Ian (2006). "From Prefixes to Suffixes: Typological Change in Northern Australia". Diachronica . 23 (2): 289–311. doi :10.1075/dia.23.2.04har . ^ Schultz-Berndt, Eva F. (2002), "Constructions in Language Description", Functions of Language , 9 (2): 267–308 ^ a b Pensalfini, Robert J. (1997), Jingulu Grammar, Dictionary, and Texts , Massachusetts , United States : Massachusetts Institute of Technology , p. 19^ Capell, Arthur (1940). "The Classification of Languages in North and North-West Australia" . Oceania . X (4): 241–272, 404–433. doi :10.1002/j.1834-4461.1940.tb00292.x .
12. Chadwick, Neil (1997) "The Barkly and Jaminjungan Languages: A Non-Contiguous Genetic Grouping In North Australia" in Tryon, Darrell, Walsh, Michael, eds. Boundary Rider: Essays in honour of Geoffrey O'Grady. Pacific Linguistics, C-136
General
Schultze-Berndt, Eva F. (2000), Simple and Complex Verbs in Jaminjung – A Study of event categorisation in an Australian language
