Walmajarri language
| Walmajarri | |
|---|---|
| Region | Western Australia |
| Ethnicity | Walmadjari |
Native speakers | 291 (2021 census)[1] |
Pama–Nyungan
| |
| Dialects |
|
| Language codes | |
| ISO 639-3 | wmt |
| Glottolog | walm1241 |
| AIATSIS[2] | A66 |
| ELP | Walmajarri |
| Djuwarliny[3] | |
Walmajarri (many other names; see below) is a Pama–Nyungan language spoken in the Kimberley region of Western Australia by the Walmadjari and related peoples.
Walmajarri is declared a definitely endangered language by UNESCO[4] based on their scale of Language Vitality and Endangerment.[5]
Names
[edit]Names for this language break down along the three dialects:
- Walmajarri, Walmatjarri, Walmatjari, Walmadjari, Walmatjiri, Walmajiri, Walmatjeri, Walmadjeri, Walmadyeri, Walmaharri, Wolmeri, Wolmera, Wulmari
- Bililuna, Pililuna
- Jiwarliny, Juwaliny, Tjiwaling, Tjiwarlin
Speakers
[edit]Communities with a Walmajarri population are:
- Bayulu
- Djugerari (Cherrabun)
- Junjuwa (Fitzroy Crossing)
- Looma
- Kadjina (Millijidee)
- Mindibungu (Bililuna)
- Mindi Rardi (Fitzroy Crossing)
- Mulan
- Ngumpan
- Wangkajungka (Christmas Creek)
- Yakanarra
- Yungngora
The Walmajarri people used to live in the Great Sandy Desert. The effects of colonialism took them to the cattle stations, towns and missions in the North and scattered them over a wide area.[6] The geographical distance accounts for the fact that there are several dialects, which have been further polarised by the lack of contact and further influenced by neighbouring languages.
Phonology
[edit]Vowels
[edit]| Front | Back | |
|---|---|---|
| High | i iː | u uː |
| Low | a aː | |
Consonants
[edit]| Peripheral | Laminal | Apical | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bilabial | Velar | Palatal | Alveolar | Retroflex | |
| Plosive | p | k | c | t | ʈ |
| Nasal | m | ŋ | ɲ | n | ɳ |
| Lateral | ʎ | l | ɭ | ||
| Rhotic | r | ||||
| Approximant | w | j | ɻ | ||
Consonants are allowed as the final sound of a word in most cases.[7]
Morphology
[edit]Walmajarri is a suffixing language with many english words, especially copula having equivalent Walmajarri words.[8]
Pronouns
[edit]| [8] | Singular | Dual | Plural |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1st Exclusive | ngalijarra (we) | ngalimpa (we) | |
| 1st Inclusive | ngaju (I) | ngajarra (we) | ngamampa~nganimpa (we) |
| 2nd Person | nyuntu (you) | nyurrajarra (y'all) | nyrurawarnti (y'all) |
| 3rd Person | nyantu (he/she/it) | nyantujarra (them) | nyantuwarnti (they) |
Number
[edit]In Walmajarri has three types of grammatical number: singular, dual, and plural.[8]
| Walmajarri[8] | English |
|---|---|
| parri | boy |
| parrijara | two boys |
| parriawrnti | [3 or more] boys |
Prepositions
[edit]| Walmajarri[8] | English |
|---|---|
| -nga | at, on, in |
| -jangka, -ngurni | from |
| -karti | to |
| -wu | for |
| -nga | with |
Descriptive Nouns
[edit]| Walmajarri[8] | English |
|---|---|
| -mulu | without |
| -jarti | with, having, in possession of |
| -juwal | always, tends to |
| -jiliny | similar, like |
| -warlany | another |
Tenses
[edit]| Past[8] | -i |
|---|---|
| Present | -a |
| Habitual | -any |
| Future | -ku |
Syntax
[edit]Warlmajarri has four syntactic cases: nominative, ergative, dative and assessory case. The cases assign different meanings to the noun phrases of a sentence. Therefore, the word order can vary quite freely. Subject, Object or Verb can appear initial, final, medial in sentence.
However, the second position of a sentence is always reserved for the Verbal Auxiliary. Sometimes referred to as a Catalyst, the Verbal Auxiliary indicates the mood of a sentence (similar to the English auxiliaries), but also cross-references its noun phrases. The person and number of the noun phrases in their syntactic cases are shown in the Verbal Auxiliary.
Sample Texts
[edit]| Walmatijarri | English |
|---|---|
| Jarluwarlaŋy pa Kuttu ngartakpani pujurni nguwajaa ngapa yalkirijaa yimpiyimpi. Kujartikarra maŋya ngartakpani Ngarpungu. Jarluwarlaŋy pa yarr ngunaŋani muŋa ngapa mapirri. Ngajirta nguwa ngunarla. Walypa Ngarpukurajaŋka pa kirilyanani ngapaŋarni maɳpa kaŋkarni̱marraŋu. Nyanartijaŋka Ngarpu marni, "Parralanku pa tili". Mapunparnila parralani tili nyanarti. Kurriŋpala pila ngunaŋani tilijarra muŋa. Tili parralani, wali wirri̱yajarri̱nyaɭa Ngarpu. Tiliwu parla wulyumarni. Yini̱jartila pinya yutukani jini̱nyarajarti̱a pukaɳyajarti. Wali kajalkajal Ngarpungu ngartakpani tililny. | In the beginning God created heaven and earth. The earth was formless and empty, and darkness covered the deep water. The spirit of God was hovering over the water. Then God said, "Let there be light!" So there was light. God saw the light was good. So God separated the light from the darkness. God named the light "day", and the darkness he named "night". There was evening, then morning, the first day. |
Below is a basic vocabulary list from Blake (1981).[10]
English Walmatjari man piyirn woman marnin mother ngamatyi father ngarpu head tyurlu eye mil nose punul ear pina mouth lirra tongue tyalany tooth katiti hand kurrapa breast ngamarna stomach munta urine kumpu faeces kura thigh kantyi foot tyina bone kampukampu blood nungu dog kunyarr snake tyilpirtityarti kangaroo marlu possum tyampiyirnti fish kapi spider purlkartu mosquito kiwiny emu karnangantya eaglehawk wamulu crow waangkarna sun purangu moon yakarn star wirl stone pamarr water ngapa camp ngurra fire warlu smoke nguntyurr food miyi meat kuyi stand karri sit kirrantya see nyaka go yanta get warnta hit, kill pungka I ngatyu you nyuntu one layi two kurriny
Resources
[edit]Some resources of the language spoken can be found in various archives or databases, such as the Pacific and Regional Archive for Digital Sources in Endangered Cultures (PARADISEC) catalogue.[11]
See also
[edit]- Ngurrara, a grouping of peoples of language groups including Walmajarri
References
[edit]- ^ "SBS Australian Census Explorer". Retrieved 8 September 2023.
- ^ A66 Walmajarri at the Australian Indigenous Languages Database, Australian Institute of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Studies
- ^ Endangered Languages Project data for Djuwarliny.
- ^ "UNESCO Atlas of the World's Languages in danger". UNESCO. Retrieved 2020-12-04.
- ^ UNESCO Ad Hoc Expert Group on Endangered Languages. 2003. "Language Vitality and Endangerment". Document Adopted by the International Expert Meeting on UNESCO Programme Safeguarding of Endangered Languages. Paris: UNESCO.
- ^ McGregor, William B. (2004). The Languages of the Kimberley, Western Australia. Routledge. pp. 11–12. ISBN 9780203434710.
- ^ McGregor, William B. (2004). The Languages of the Kimberley, Western Australia. Routledge. p. 92. ISBN 9780203434710.
- ^ a b c d e f g Joyce Hudson, Eirlys Richards (1984). The Walmatjari an Introduction to the Language and Culture. pp. 83–88.
- ^ "Walmajarri Language Sample | Language Museum". www.language-museum.com. Retrieved 26 April 2025.
- ^ Blake, Barry J. (1981). Australian Aboriginal languages: a general introduction. London: Angus & Robertson Publishers. ISBN 0-207-14044-8.
- ^ nickT. "Home". PARADISEC. Retrieved 2020-12-04.
Bibliography
[edit]- Hudson, Joyce. (1978). The Walmatjari: An Introduction to the Language and Culture. Darwin: Summer Institute of Linguistics
- Hudson, Joyce. (1978). The core of Walmatjari grammar. Australian Institute of Aboriginal Studies. New Jersey, U.S.A.: Humanities Press Inc.
- Hudson, Joyce & Richards, Eirlys. (1969). The phonology of Walmatjari.
- Hudson, Joyce & Richards, Eirlys. (1990). Walmajarri–English Dictionary. Darwin: Summer Institute of Linguistics