Southern Daly languages

Last updated
Southern Daly
(generally accepted)
Geographic
distribution
Daly River region, northern Australia
Linguistic classification Proposed language family
Subdivisions
Glottolog sout2772
Daly languages.png
The Daly languages (color), among the other non-Pama-Nyungan languages (grey)
Daly languages (closeup).png
  Southern Daly languages. Murrinh-patha is on the coast, Ngan’gityemerri in the interior.

The Southern Daly languages are a proposed family of two distantly related Australian aboriginal languages. They are:

Contents

Classification

Southern Daly is a distant and problematic relationship. Murrinh-Patha was once thought to be an isolate, due to lexical data: It has, at most, an 11-percent shared vocabulary with any other language against which it has been compared. [1] However, Murrinh-patha and Ngan’gityemerri correspond closely in their verbal inflections. Green (2003) makes a case that the formal correspondences in core morphological sequences of their finite verbs are too similar (in their complexities and their irregularities) to have come about through anything other than a shared genetic legacy from a common parent language. [2] Nonetheless, lexically they have almost nothing in common, other than cognates in their words for 'thou' (nhinhi and nyinyi) and 'this' (kanhi and kinyi), [3] and it is not clear what could explain this discrepancy.

Vocabulary

The following basic vocabulary items are from Tryon (1968). [4]

no.glossTyemeri Ngengomeri
1headdæpedæpe
2hairwičæwuǰa
3eyesdæmoydamoy
4nosedæšidæče
5eardæčæredæčære
6toothdædirdædir
7tonguedæčænŋalŋijiak
8shouldertamæmbɛrdada
9elbowmïnmïrpïrdličiwuwul
10handdæmædæmæ
11breastsčečiye
12backdædæredædære
13bellydægædamarde
14naveldæčɛredæčɛre
15heartkækulkulkækulgul
16urinewagawaga
17excreteŋækïnnïkïnmœr
18thighdæbedæbe
19legdagaredagare
20kneedænïnǰedærɛnǰe
21footdæᵽïrdæbir
22skinagarᵽureagaraburo
23fataleyeadæwe
24bloodᵽæčænpučæn
25boneameame
26manyædemipuR
27womanᵽalmepalme
28fatherŋačaŋača
29motherkalaala
30grandmothermæŋgæmæŋgæ
31policemanwamumurwamɔmɔ
32spearyawulyawul
33 woomera yagamayagama
34 boomerang kuɲuŋuɲkuɲuŋuɲ
35 nullanulla magulbemagulbɔ
36hair-beltwoyčærwuǰa
37canoeyænïŋgïǰekænægïǰe
38axebibi
39 dilly bag waRgaRdewaRguduʔ
40fireyæŋgeyæŋge
41smoketawandawan
42waterkurekurɔ
43cloud
44rainbowaŋemuŋgeaŋamuŋgi
45 barramundi ætælmærawalaŋir
46seakuruŋgurkuričæwæ
47riverdiRpædærkuripædæR
48stoneᵽæpepæpe
49groundŋičirŋičïr
50trackmumbamumba
51dustbaᵽunpabun
52sunmiremïre
53moondiwindiwiɳ
54starŋanimæŋanimær
55nightkulče nïmbeŋaniŋeye
56tomorrowŋuɲananïŋgewadænige
57todaydæčaŋečawɔrɔ
58bigkæRæyɛrmïnbade
59 possum awuyeawuye
60dogwowowowo
61tailakïmedapuR
62meatkagɔkagɔ
63snakeæƀæŋgoabæŋgo
64 red kangaroo amačeamače
65porcupineaŋaneƀiɲeaŋaneƀiɲi
66 emu ŋuRpkɔmɔɛnǰil
67crowawaŋgeawak
68 goanna æmængïɲmængiɲ
69 blue tongue lizard æƀæreæbære
70mosquitoaƀuŋeaƀuŋe
71sugar-bagpïŋgïlǰapuŋgudluʔ
72campdædædædær
73blackčipmačipma
74whitebwimaŋgareboymæm
75redᵽïlᵽïlŋïnepïlbïlŋïne
76onewokumæwuŋguwæ
77twofagarewagare
78when?æčææčæ
79what?čaganečagane
80who?kænækænæ
81Iŋaieŋaie
82youɲiɲiɲiɲi
83henæmnæm
84grasswurɔwuR
85vegetable foodmeyemiye
86treeyæwɛRyawuR
87leafmerïŋgemirïŋge
88 pandanus yærïgeyærge
89 ironwood mawuɲmawuɲ
90ripemibinmibin
91goodyubɔyubɔ
92badwulækwulæk
93blindpalakɲimtarawɔrɔ
94deafŋamamawaŋamama
95salivačarawɔčæræwul

See also

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References

  1. Reid, N.J. Ngan’gityemerri. Unpublished PhD thesis, Australian National University, Canberra, 1990.
  2. Green, I. "The Genetic Status of Murrinh-patha" in Evans, N., ed. "The Non-Pama-Nyungan Languages of Northern Australia: comparative studies of the continent’s most linguistically complex region". Studies in Language Change, 552. Canberra: Pacific Linguistics, 2003.
  3. Note that Ngan’gityemerri has no nh, and so one would expect it to have ny where its relatives have nh.
  4. Tryon, Darrell T. "The Daly River Languages: A Survey". In Aguas, E.F. and Tryon, D. editors, Papers in Australian Linguistics No. 3. A-14:21-49. Pacific Linguistics, The Australian National University, 1968. doi : 10.15144/PL-A14.21