Pirriya language

Last updated

Pirriya
Birria
Native toAustralia
Ethnicity Bidia
Extinct 1969
Pama–Nyungan
  • (unclassified,
    possibly Karnic)
    • Pirriya
Language codes
ISO 639-3 xpa
Glottolog pirr1240
AIATSIS [1] L36
ELP Pirriya

Pirriya (also Birria, Bidia, Kunggari, Kulumali, and Kungadutji) is an extinct and unclassified Australian Aboriginal language. [1] It was spoken by the Bidia people (also known as Biria) of the western and central western Queensland, including Barcoo Shire, Whitula Creek, Cooper Creek, and Jundah. [2] [3]

Contents

It is not to be confused with the Biri language and its dialects, also a Queensland language, spoken by the Biria people.

Classification

Geographically it lay between the Karnic and Maric languages, but had no obvious connection to either; the data is too poor to draw any conclusions on classification. [4] Dixon (2002) [5] : xxxiii  classes Pirriya with Kungkari as a subgroup of the Maric languages while Breen (1990) suggests it may be a Karnic language. [6] : 64 

Phonology

Consonants

Peripheral Laminal Apical
Labial Velar Dental Palatal Alveolar Retroflex
Plosive pkt̪ct/dʈ
Nasal mŋn̪ɲnɳ
Rhotic r
Lateral (l̪)ʎlɭ
Approximant wjɻ

The dental /l̪/ only rarely occurs.

Vowels

Front Central Back
High i iːu (uː)
Low a aː

The long /uː/ is considered rare. [7]

Vocabulary

Some words from the Birria language, as spelt and written by Birria authors include: [3]

References

  1. 1 2 L36 Pirriya at the Australian Indigenous Languages Database, Australian Institute of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Studies
  2. ↑ CC BY icon-80x15.png This Wikipedia article incorporates text from Pirriya published by the State Library of Queensland under CC BY licence , accessed on 30 May 2022.
  3. 1 2 CC BY icon-80x15.png This Wikipedia article incorporates text from Birria published by the State Library of Queensland under CC BY licence , accessed on 30 May 2022.
  4. ↑ Bowern, Claire (2001). "Karnic classification revisited". In J Simpson; et al. (eds.). Forty years on. Canberra Pacific Linguistics. pp. 245–260. Archived from the original on 3 November 2021.
  5. ↑ Dixon, R. M. W. (2002). Australian Languages: their nature and development. Cambridge University Press.
  6. ↑ Breen, Gavan (1990). Salvage studies of Western Queensland Aboriginal languages (PDF). Pacific Linguistics B-105. Canberra: Pacific Linguistics.
  7. ↑ Blake, Barry J.; Breen, Gavan (1990). Pirriya. In Gavan Breen (ed.), Salvage studies of Western Queensland Aboriginal languages: Canberra: Research School of Pacific and Asian Studies, Australian National University. pp. 6–21.
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