Language family of northern Australia
Jarrakan |
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Djeragan |
Geographic distribution | from Halls Creek to Wyndham and Kununurra along the Ord River in the eastern Kimberley region |
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Linguistic classification | One of the world's primary language families |
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Subdivisions | |
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Glottolog | jarr1235 |
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Jarrakan languages (purple), among other non-Pama-Nyungan languages (grey) |
The Jarrakan (formerly Djeragan) languages are a small family of Australian Aboriginal languages spoken in northern Australia. The name is derived from the word jarrak, which means "language" in Kija.
The three main Jarrakan languages are:
- Jarrakan
- Kija (about 160 speakers)
- Miriwoongic
- Miriwoong (about 150 speakers)
- Gajirrawoong (3 or 4 speakers)
These are divided into two groups: Kijic, consisting of only Kija, and Miriwoongic, consisting of Miriwoong and Gajirrawoong; Dixon (2002) considers the latter to be a single language.
Doolboong may also have been a Jarrakan language, but this is uncertain as it is extinct and essentially unattested.
Vocabulary
Capell (1940) lists the following basic vocabulary items:[1]
English | Gidja | Guluwarin | Miriwun | Gadjerong |
man | djiːlin | djiɣilin | djawalaŋ | djɔːmaŋ |
woman | ŋaːlil | ŋaːlil | gawilaŋ | gabilaŋ |
head | guŋgulïn | dumun | gaminduŋ | guɽunjuŋ |
eye | muːlu | mɔːla | mɔːl | moːl |
nose | manil | njiganïn | njumbur | njumbur |
mouth | ḏuwundïn | ḏuwundïn | ḏalala | ḏabandaṉ |
tongue | ḏalalan | ḏalalan | ḏalala | ḏalalaŋ |
stomach | djaːm | daɽwun | galdjän | raːriːŋ |
bone | gwïdji | daːlïn | jaːriŋ | jaːriŋ |
blood | gjauəlïn | gjauldji | garŋan | guŋulu |
kangaroo | djiːriṉ | djiriṉ | djiːriŋ | djiːriŋ |
opossum | laŋguṉ | naŋguṉ | guman | guman |
emu | wanjäbal | madjugul | madjuguŋ | |
crow | waŋgaɳa | wɔŋgaral | waŋgariŋ | waŋgadiŋ |
fly | buɳul | wurŋäl | ŋurin | ŋurin |
sun | baːndil | baːndil | gaŋiriṉ | baːndiṉ |
moon | gaɳgiṉ | gaɳgiṉ | gangiŋ | gaɳgiŋ |
fire | maɳiṉ | gidjauəlïn | gadjaːwilaŋ | maːnuŋ |
smoke | wangiṉ | dulubgari | ḏuŋgi | ḏuŋgiṉ |
water | guːɭiṉ | goːliṉ | gäluŋ | gaːbuŋ |
References
- ^ Capell, Arthur. 1940. The Classification of Languages in North and North-West Australia. Oceania 10(3): 241-272, 404-433. doi:10.1002/j.1834-4461.1940.tb00292.x
- McGregor, William (2004). The Languages of the Kimberley, Western Australia. London, New York: Taylor & Francis. p. 40.
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Africa | |
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Eurasia (Europe and Asia) | |
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New Guinea and the Pacific | |
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Australia | |
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North America | |
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Mesoamerica | |
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South America | | Isolates (extant in 2000) | |
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Sign languages | |
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See also | |
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- Families with question marks (?) are disputed or controversial.
- Families in italics have no living members.
- Families with more than 30 languages are in bold.
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