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Giimbiyu language

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Giimbiyu
Mangerr
Native toAustralia
RegionNorthern Territory
Extinct1980s–1990s[1]
Arnhem Land?
  • Giimbiyu
Dialects
  • Mangerr
  • Erri
  • Urningangga
Latin(Australian Aboriginal)
Language codes
ISO 639-3Variously:
zme– Mangerr
urc– Urningangg
err– Erre
Glottologgiim1238
AIATSIS[2]N220
ELPUrningangga
Giimbiyu (purple), among other non-Pama-Nyungan languages (grey)

Giimbiyuis an extinctAboriginal Australianlanguage isolateonce spoken by theGiimbiyu peopleof northern Australia.

The nameGiimbiyuis a Gaagudju word for 'of the stoney country'. It was introduced in Harvey (1992) as a cover term for the named dialects,[2]

  • Mangerr (Mengerrdji)
  • Urningangga (Wuningak) and Erri (Arri)

In 1997Nicholas Evansproposed anArnhem Land familythat includes the Giimbiyu languages. However, they are not included in Bowern (2011).[3]

Phonology

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Consonants

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Peripheral Laminal Apical
Labial Velar Palatal Alveolar Retroflex
Plosive p k ɟ t ʈ
Nasal m ŋ ɲ n ɳ
Fricative ɣ
Tap ɾ
Lateral ʎ l ɭ ɭʲ
Approximant w j ɻ
  • Coarticulation among consonants is also present.
  • Among consonant-coarticulation, /ɣ/ when preceding sounds /l, ɾ/ may result in being heard as a voiceless palatal [ç].

Vowels

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Front Back
High ɪ u
Mid ɛ ø
Low a
  • /u/ may also be heard as [o].
  • Coarticulation among a preceding /ɪ/, may result in the vowel sound becoming more central [ɪ̈] or as a diphthong [ɪə].[4]

Vocabulary

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Capell(1942) lists the following basic vocabulary items:[5]

gloss Mangeri Uningangk
man wurilg wurig
woman ŋeːn ŋeːn
head wiliŋerm ulŋerb
eye iːm iːm
nose jingolm ingolb
mouth jagir indjaːd
tongue nindjadj indjaːd
stomach abeɽweɽe abeɽwe
bone ijerm mulgud
blood maneŋulm waija
kangaroo oidjbaɣar wurulamb
opossum muŋaːd malijarŋ
emu wiwijüw iwidjiw
crow gagud gagud
fly muɳimuɳi maŋanaŋaɳ
sun muɣaːliŋ indjuwawi
moon järagäl järagäl
fire wiɽumgarm widjälim
smoke wuŋɛŋg wuŋɛŋg
water ogog ogog

References

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  1. ^MangerratEthnologue(25th ed., 2022)Closed access icon
    UrninganggatEthnologue(25th ed., 2022)Closed access icon
    ErreatEthnologue(25th ed., 2022)Closed access icon
  2. ^abN220Giimbiyu at the Australian Indigenous Languages Database,Australian Institute of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Studies
  3. ^Bowern, Claire. 2011. "How Many Languages Were Spoken in Australia?",Anggarrgoon: Australian languages on the web,December 23, 2011 (correctedFebruary 6, 2012)
  4. ^Birch, Bruce (2006).A first dictionary of Erre, Mengerrdji and Urningangk: three languages from the Alligator Rivers Region of North Western Arnhem Land, Northern Territory.Gundjeihmi Aboriginal Corporation: Jabiru: Gundjeihmi Aboriginal Corp.
  5. ^Capell, Arthur. 1941-1942, 1942-1943.Languages of Arnhem Land, North Australia.Oceania12: 364-392, 13: 24-51.
  • McConvell, Patrick and Nicholas Evans. (eds.) 1997.Archaeology and Linguistics: Global Perspectives on Ancient Australia.Melbourne: Oxford University Press