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Garawan languages

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Garawan
Yanyi, Garrwan
Geographic
distribution
Northern Territory and Queensland
Linguistic classificationMacro-Pama–Nyungan?
  • Greater Pama–Nyungan?
    • Garawan
Subdivisions
Language codes
Glottologgarr1260
Garawan and Tangkic (green). Garawan is the group inland.

The Garawan languages (Garrwan), or Yanyi, are a small language family of Australian Aboriginal languages currently spoken in northern Australia.

The languages are:

Gunindiri is almost entirely unknown.[1]

Garawan may be related to the Pama–Nyungan languages, though this is not accepted in Bowern 2011.[2] The languages are close: Dixon (2002)[citation needed] says that it should be straightforward to reconstruct proto-Garawa–Wanji.

Vocabulary

[edit]

Capell (1940) lists the following basic vocabulary items:[3]

gloss Garama Waneiga
man gadu jäba
woman balŋun ludju
head bɛlbid gada
eye gamal milba
nose djimu mulju
mouth dädbi lira
tongue djɛman djälaṉ
stomach maːda miälu
bone munu gidji
blood gumuluŋ djugän
kangaroo ŋalmuŋgu maɭu
opossum jaːɭ djaŋana
crow waːg djäŋilga
fly moːl ŋurin
sun ŋuŋa wanda
moon mɛrg girindji
fire ḏuŋgu waɽu
smoke wanag gundjuru
water goɽa gabi

References

[edit]
  1. ^ C23 Gunindiri at the Australian Indigenous Languages Database, Australian Institute of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Studies
  2. ^ Bowern, Claire. 2011. "How Many Languages Were Spoken in Australia?", Anggarrgoon: Australian languages on the web, December 23, 2011 (corrected February 6, 2012)
  3. ^ 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