Bungandidj language

Last updated

Bungandidj
Buwandik
RegionSouth-east South Australia
South-west Victoria
Ethnicity Bungandidj
Extinct (date missing)
Pama–Nyungan
  • Southeastern
    • Victorian
      • Kulin–Bungandidj
        • Bungandidj
Dialects
  • Bungandidj
  • Pinejunga
  • Mootatunga
  • Wichintunga
  • Polinjunga [1]
Language codes
ISO 639-3 xbg
Glottolog bung1264
AIATSIS [2] S13
ELP Buandig

Bungandidj is a language of Australia, spoken by the Bungandidj people, Indigenous Australians who lived in an area which is now in south-eastern South Australia and in south-western Victoria. According to Christina Smith and her book on the Buandig people, the Bungandidj called their language drualat-ngolonung (speech of man), or Booandik-ngolo (speech of the Booandik). [3] As of 2017, there is a revival and maintenance programme under way for the language. [4]

Contents

Historical variants of the name include: Bunganditj, Bungandaetch, Bunga(n)daetcha, Bungandity, Bungandit, Buganditch, Bungaditj, Pungantitj, Pungatitj, Booganitch, Buanditj, Buandik, Booandik, Boandiks, Bangandidj, Bungandidjk, Pungandik, Bak-on-date, Barconedeet, Booandik-ngolo, Borandikngolo, Bunganditjngolo, and Burhwundeirtch.

Phonology

Bungandidj phonology is typical of Australian languages generally, sharing characteristics such as a single series of stops (no voicing contrast) at six places of articulation, a full corresponding set of nasals, laminals at all four coronal places of articulation and two glides. [5] Extrapolating from historical written sources and knowledge of surrounding languages, Blake posits the following consonant inventory: [5]

Consonants

Peripheral Laminal Apical
Bilabial Velar Dental Palatal Alveolar Retroflex
Plosive p[ p ]k[ k ]th[ ]tj[ c ]t[ t ]rt[ ʈ ]
Nasal m[ m ]ng[ ŋ ]nh[ ]ny[ ɲ ]n[ n ]rn[ ɳ ]
Flap/Trill rr[ r ]
Lateral lh[ ]ly[ ʎ ]l[ l ]rl[ ɭ ]
Approximant w[ w ]y[ j ]r[ ɻ ]

Vowels

Front Central Back
Close i[ i ]u[ u ]
Open a[ a ]

Notes on orthography

A poem

Smith (1880), on pages 138–139, records a poem written in Bungandidj : [3]

yul-yul, thumbal (Fly beetle, bat, night)
kallaball, moonarerebul (Fly, march-fly, beetle)
nana nan molanin (parrot, little parrot.)
korotaa, king nal (wattle bird,)
yongo birrit. (minah bird.)

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References

  1. Dixon, R. M. W. (2002). Australian Languages: Their Nature and Development. Cambridge University Press. p. xxxv.
  2. S13 Bungandidj at the Australian Indigenous Languages Database, Australian Institute of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Studies
  3. 1 2 Christina Smith, The Booandik Tribe of South Australian Aborigines: A Sketch of Their Habits, Customs, Legends, and Language , Spiller, 1880
  4. Monaghan, Paul (2017). "1. Structures of Aboriginal life at the time of colonisation in South Australia" (PDF). In Brock, Peggy; Gara, Tom (eds.). Colonialism and its aftermath: A history of Aboriginal South Australia. Extract, pp.i-xxiii. Wakefield. p. 17. ISBN   9781743054994.
  5. 1 2 3 4 5 Blake, Barry J. (2003). The Bunganditj (Buwandik) language of the Mount Gambier region. Australian National University. Research School of Pacific and Asian Studies. Canberra: Pacific Linguistics, Research School of Pacific and Asian Studies, Australian National University. ISBN   9780858834958. OCLC   56054287.