| Ngarrindjeri | |
|---|---|
| Native to | Australia |
| Region | South Australia |
| Ethnicity | Ngarrindjeri,Tanganekald,Ramindjeri,Yarilde,Meintangk,Portaulun,Warki |
Native speakers | 312 (2016 census)[1] |
Pama–Nyungan
| |
| Dialects |
|
| Jaralde Sign Language | |
| Language codes | |
| ISO 639-3 | nay |
| Glottolog | narr1259 |
| AIATSIS[2] | S69 |
| ELP | Ngarrindjeri |
Ngarrindjeri, also writtenNarrinyeri,Ngarinyeri and other variants, is the language of theNgarrindjeri and related peoples of southernSouth Australia. Five dialects have been distinguished by a 2002 study:Warki,Tanganekald,Ramindjeri,Portaulun andYaraldi (orYaralde Tingar).
Ngarrindjerri isPama–Nyungan. McDonald (2002) distinguishes five dialects: Warki, Tanganekald, Ramindjeri, Portaulun and Yaraldi.[2] Bowern (2011) lists the Yaraldi, Ngarrindjeri, and Ramindjeri varieties as separate languages.[3]
Tanganekald, also known as Thangal,[4] is now extinct.[5]
LinguistGhil'ad Zuckermann suggests that the original pronunciation ofNgarrindjeri had two distinctrhotic consonants: the first wasrr (as in Italian) and the second wasr (as in English).[6]: 198 However, in revitalized Ngarrindjeri, both rhotics "are pronounced unlike English".[6]: 198 Zuckermann analyses this phenomenon as over-applied,hypercorrect "emblematicity" due toOthering: the Ngarrindjeri revivalists are trying to define themselves vis-à-vis the "Other", distancing themselves from "the colonizers' mother tongue, Australian English" (even at the expense of losing one of their own original rhotics).[6]: 198
Other names includeJarildekald, Jaralde, Yarilde, Yarrildie, Jaraldi, Lakalinyeri, Warawalde, Yalawarre, Yarildewallin (although as mentioned above, Yaraldi is regarded as a dialect[2]).
Berndt,Berndt & Stanton (1993) wrote: "The appropriate traditional categorisation of the whole group was Kukabrak: this term, as we mention again below, was used by these people to differentiate themselves from neighbours whom they regarded as being socio-culturally and linguistically dissimilar. However, the term Narrinyeri has been used consistently in the literature and by Aborigines today who recognise a common descent from original inhabitants of this region-- even though their traditional identifying labels have been lost."[7]
In 1864, the publication of the NgarrindjerriBible was the first time portions of the Bible were translated into anAboriginal language. 8 Genesis 2:8 follows in Ngarrindjerri from the 1864 translation and a literal English translation.[8]"Jehovah winmin gardenowe Edenald, kile yuppun ityan korn gardenungai." "Jehovah God planted a garden in Eden, toward the east, and there he put the man whom he had formed."
The last fluent speaker of Ngarrindjerri died in the 1960s, but there have been attempts to revive the language in the 21st century, including the release of a Ngarrindjeri dictionary in 2009.[9] The work ofLutheran missionariesChristian Teichelmann andClamor Schürmann in the early days of thecolonisation of South Australia have contributed enormously to the revival of both Ngarrindjeri andKaurna.[10]
There were 312 speakers of Ngarrindjerri recorded in the2016 Australian census.[2]
A second edition of the dictionary was published in 2019, with 500 additional words, bringing the total to 4,200. Ngarrindjerielder Phyllis Williams has been collaborating with linguist Mary-Anne Gale for many years, teaching the language to adults and developing resources to aidlanguage revival.[11][12]
The third, expanded edition of the dictionary, again compiled by Gale and Williams, was published byAIATSIS in 2020.[13] Hundreds of new words have been added, including words for items which did not exist in the 19th century, such as "solar panel".[14]
In 2021 the first students of the first training course to be specially tailored to the teaching ofAboriginal language, run byTauondi Aboriginal College inPort Adelaide, graduated, and are now able to pass on their skills to the community.University of Adelaide linguistRobert Amery and his wife, Mary-Anne Gale, have helped to drive the project.[14]
The musical groupDeadly Nannas (Nragi Muthar) have been writing and singing songs in Ngarrindjerri and English, and using them to help teach the language in schools and other venues.[15][16]
The Yaralde had the southernmost attestedAustralian Aboriginal sign language.[17]
| Peripheral | Laminal | Apical | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Labial | Velar | Palatal | Dental | Alveolar | Retroflex | |
| Plosive | p | k | c | t̪ | t | ʈ |
| Nasal | m | ŋ | ɲ | n̪ | n | ɳ |
| Lateral | ʎ | l̪ | l | ɭ | ||
| Rhotic | r | ɽ | ||||
| Approximant | w | j | ||||
| Front | Central | Back | |
|---|---|---|---|
| High | i | u | |
| Mid | e | o | |
| Low | a |
| Vowel | Allophones |
|---|---|
| /i/ | [i],[ɪ],[ɨ] |
| /e/ | [e],[ɛ],[æ] |
| /a/ | [a],[ɐ],[ʌ],[ɑ] |
| /o/ | [o],[ɔ],[ɒ] |
| /u/ | [u],[ʊ],[ʉ] |
The following words are from the Ngarrindjeri language:[18]
These are words for animals extinct since European colonisation:[19]