Garawan languages

Last updated

Garawan
Yanyi, Garrwan
Geographic
distribution
Northern Territory and Queensland
Linguistic classification Macro-Pama–Nyungan?
  • Greater Pama–Nyungan?
    • Garawan
Subdivisions
Language codes
Glottolog garr1260
Macro-Pama-Nyungan languages.png
Garawan and Tangkic (green). Garawan is the group inland.

The Garawan languages (Garrwan), or Yanyi, are a small language family of Australian Aboriginal languages currently spoken in northern Australia.

The languages are:

Gunindiri is almost entirely unknown. [1]

Garawan may be related to the Pama–Nyungan languages, though this is not accepted in Bowern 2011. [2] The languages are close: Dixon (2002)[ citation needed ] says that it should be straightforward to reconstruct proto-Garawa–Wanji.

Vocabulary

Capell (1940) lists the following basic vocabulary items: [3]

gloss Garama Waneiga
mangadujäba
womanbalŋunludju
headbɛlbidgada
eyegamalmilba
nosedjimumulju
mouthdädbilira
tonguedjɛmandjälaṉ
stomachmaːdamiälu
bonemunugidji
bloodgumuluŋdjugän
kangarooŋalmuŋgumaɭu
opossumjaːɭdjaŋana
crowwaːgdjäŋilga
flymoːlŋurin
sunŋuŋawanda
moonmɛrggirindji
fireḏuŋguwaɽu
smokewanaggundjuru
watergoɽagabi

References

  1. C23 Gunindiri at the Australian Indigenous Languages Database, Australian Institute of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Studies
  2. Bowern, Claire. 2011. "How Many Languages Were Spoken in Australia?", Anggarrgoon: Australian languages on the web, 23 December 2011 (corrected 6 February 2012)
  3. 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