Jarrakan languages

Last updated
Jarrakan
Djeragan
Geographic
distribution
from Halls Creek to Wyndham and Kununurra along the Ord River in the eastern Kimberley region
Linguistic classification One of the world's primary language families
Subdivisions
Glottolog jarr1235
Jarrakan languages.png
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:

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 uncertain as it is extinct and essentially unattested.

Vocabulary

Capell (1940) lists the following basic vocabulary items: [1]

English Gidja Guluwarin Miriwun Gadjerong
mandjiːlindjiɣilindjawalaŋdjɔːmaŋ
womanŋaːlilŋaːlilgawilaŋgabilaŋ
headguŋgulïndumungaminduŋguɽunjuŋ
eyemuːlumɔːlamɔːlmoːl
nosemanilnjiganïnnjumburnjumbur
mouthḏuwundïnḏuwundïnḏalalaḏabandaṉ
tongueḏalalanḏalalanḏalalaḏalalaŋ
stomachdjaːmdaɽwungaldjänraːriːŋ
bonegwïdjidaːlïnjaːriŋjaːriŋ
bloodgjauəlïngjauldjigarŋanguŋulu
kangaroodjiːriṉdjiriṉdjiːriŋdjiːriŋ
opossumlaŋguṉnaŋguṉgumanguman
emuwanjäbalmadjugulmadjuguŋ
crowwaŋgaɳawɔŋgaralwaŋgariŋwaŋgadiŋ
flybuɳulwurŋälŋurinŋurin
sunbaːndilbaːndilgaŋiriṉbaːndiṉ
moongaɳgiṉgaɳgiṉgangiŋgaɳgiŋ
firemaɳiṉgidjauəlïngadjaːwilaŋmaːnuŋ
smokewangiṉdulubgariḏuŋgiḏuŋgiṉ
waterguːɭiṉgoːliṉgäluŋgaːbuŋ

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References

  1. 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