| Ngarnji | |
|---|---|
| Ngarnka | |
| Native to | Australia |
| Region | Barkly Tableland,Northern Territory |
| Ethnicity | Ngarnji/Ngarnka |
| Extinct | 1997–1998[1] |
| Language codes | |
| ISO 639-3 | included in[nji] Gudanji |
| Glottolog | ngar1283 |
| AIATSIS[2] | N121 |
| ELP | Ngarnka |
TheNgarnji (Ngarndji) orNgarnka (Ngarnga, Ngarnku) language was traditionally spoken by theNgarnka people of theBarkly Tablelands in theNorthern Territory ofAustralia. The last fluent speaker of the language died between 1997 and 1998.[1] Ngarnka belongs to theMirndi language family, in theNgurlun branch.[3] It is closely related to its eastern neighboursBinbinka,Gudanji andWambaya. It is more distantly related to its western neighbourJingulu, and three languages of theVictoria River District,Jaminjung,Ngaliwurru andNungali. There is very little documentation and description of Ngarnka, however there have been several graduate[4] and undergraduate[5][6] dissertations written on various aspects of Ngarnka morphology, and a sketch grammar and lexicon of Ngarnka is currently in preparation.[7]
| Bilabial | Apico- alveolar | Apico- postalveolar | Lamino- palatal | Dorso- velar | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Stop | b/p/ | d/t/ | rd/ʈ/ | j/c/ | k/k/ |
| Nasal | m/m/ | n/n/ | rn/ɳ/ | ny/ɲ/ | ng/ŋ/ |
| Lateral | l/l/ | rl/ɭ/ | ly/ʎ/ | ||
| Tap | rr/r/ | ||||
| Glide | w/w/ | r/ɻ/ | y/j/ |
| Unrounded | Rounded | |
|---|---|---|
| High | i/i/,iyi/iː/ | u/u/,uwu/uː/ |
| Low | a/ɐ/,aa/ɐː/ |
Ngarnka possesses two kinds of verb: inflecting verbs and uninflecting verbs. These two word classes are common in many languages of northern Australia.[8] Inflecting verbs are finite, bear bound pronouns, inflect for tense, aspect and mood, and usually occur in second position. Uninflecting verbs bear only minimal tense inflection (distinguishing non-present tense), and are less distributionally restricted than inflecting verbs, although often occurring clause-initially. Inflecting verbs can constitute an independent predicate in a simple verb construction, whereas uninflecting verbs must occur with an inflecting verb in a light verb construction (although they occur independently in non-finite subordinate clauses). There are only three inflecting verbs in Ngarnka: a general 'do' inflecting verb, a centrifugal locomotion inflecting verb 'go', and a centripetal locomotion inflecting verb 'come'. Examples of inflecting verbs and uninflecting verbs are provided below.
Yangurla
ngarl-i
speak-UV
Yangurla ngu-li-yangarl-i Binbinka=ka.
NEG IRR.1SG.S-POT-DO.HAB.NPSTspeak-UV Binbinka.N(ACC)=FAR
I can't speak Binbinka. Unknown glossing abbreviation(s) (help);
Yalkij-b-ani ngu-lu ngarri yangaji.
cook-UV-NPRS IRR.1SG.A-POT(DO.NPRS) 1SG.DAT meat.M(ACC)
I will cook my meat. Unknown glossing abbreviation(s) (help);
Yakal-i
go-UV
yarrkawala.
far
Yakal-i ju-l-a yarrkawala.
go-UV IRR.2SG.S-POT-go.NPST far
You will go far away. Unknown glossing abbreviation(s) (help);
When expressing motion events, sometimes Ngarnka will use a simple verb construction with one of the two locomotion inflecting verbs. However, in many cases, a light verb construction will be used with the generic locomotion uninflecting verbyakali 'go', as in the above example. Examples of the locomotion inflecting verbs in simple verb constructions are provided below.
Ni-ya ngki-yarra ilikirri-nmanji.
M-DIST(NOM) R.3SG.M.S-go.PST creek.N-ALL
He went to the river. Unknown glossing abbreviation(s) (help);
Ni-yangka-kunja irri-l-ajkani.
M-DIST-PL.M/N(NOM) IRR.3PL.S-POT-come
They will come (here).
The most common predicate type in Ngarnka is the light verb construction, a structure common in northern Australian languages.[9] The Ngarnka light verb construction involves a finite inflecting verb and a non-finite uninflecting verb. Examples of each of the inflecting verbs in light verb constructions are provided below.
kurdayi-bi.
bite-UV
Wulanyi-ni ni-ny-akba ngangikurdayi-bi.
snake.M-ERG HYP.3SG.M.A-2.P-DO.HYP 2SG(ACC)bite-UV
The snake might bite you. Unknown glossing abbreviation(s) (help);
Kujarra-wulu kuda-wulu ngu-l-a=kilangan-bi=ki.
two.N-DU(ACC) hill.N-DU(ACC) IRR.1SG.S-POT-go.NPST=NEARclimb-UV=NEAR
I will go and climb the two hills here. Unknown glossing abbreviation(s) (help);
Ngaj-bi
see-UV
Ngaj-bi mirnd-ajkani.
see-UV R.1DU.INCL.A-come
You and I came to see it. Unknown glossing abbreviation(s) (help);
NEAR:nearFAR:far