| Wardaman | |
|---|---|
| Yangmanic | |
| Native to | Australia |
| Region | Northern Territory |
| Ethnicity | Wardaman,Dagoman,Yangman |
Native speakers | 50 (2016 census)[1] |
| Dialects |
|
| Language codes | |
| ISO 639-3 | Variously:wrr – Wardamandgn – Dagomanjng – Yangman |
| Glottolog | yang1287 |
| AIATSIS[4] | N35 Wardaman,N38 Dagoman,N68 Yangman |
| ELP | |
 Yangmanic languages (purple), among other non-Pama-Nyungan languages (grey) | |
| This article containsIPA phonetic symbols. Without properrendering support, you may seequestion marks, boxes, or other symbols instead ofUnicode characters. For an introductory guide on IPA symbols, seeHelp:IPA. | |
Wardaman is an Australian Aboriginallanguage isolate. It is one of the northern non-Pama–Nyungan languages. Dagoman and Yangman were either dialects or closely related languages; as a family, these are calledYangmanic.
Though previously classified asGunwinyguan, the Yangmanic languages have not been demonstrated to be related to other languages.[2]
The isolateWagiman shares a very similar morphosyntactic profile with the Yangmanic languages, although they share very low cognacy rates (about 10% according to Stephen Wilson[5]). Francesca Merlan supports its grouping together with Yangmanic,[6] citing that both together differ from neighbouring languages (such as the Gunwinyguan languageJawoyn andMangarrayi) while sharing very similar syntax with each other, such as their similar use of 'verbal particles'.
The phonological inventory of Wardaman proper:
| Peripheral | Alveolo- palatal | Apical | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bilabial | Velar | Alveolar | Retroflex | ||
| Stop | b | ɡ | d̠ʲ | d | ɖ |
| Nasal | m | ŋ | n̠ʲ | n | ɳ |
| Lateral | l̠ʲ | l | ɭ | ||
| Flap | ɾ | ||||
| Approximant | β̞ | j | ɹ̠ | ||
The alveolo-palatals are pronounced with the blade of the tongue; at the end of a syllable they may sound likeyn andyl to an English ear. Even they is said to have lateral spread and to be pronounced with the blade and body of the tongue. There is very little acoustic difference between the two apical series compared to other languages in the area. The alveolars may add a slight retroflex onglide to a following vowel, and the retroflexes may assimilate alveolars in the same word. Nonetheless, they remain phonemically distinct. Francesca describes thew as bilabial, and notes that there is little or no lip rounding or protrusion (except in assimilation to a following /u/ or /o/). Ther is post-alveolar.
| Front | Back | |
|---|---|---|
| High | i | u |
| Mid | e | o |
| Low | a | |
Capell (1940) lists the following basic vocabulary items for Wadaman (Wardaman):[7]
| gloss | Wadaman |
|---|---|
| man | jibiwan |
| woman | baŋbun |
| head | ibam |
| eye | imum |
| nose | idunj |
| mouth | idjäga |
| tongue | djɛlin |
| stomach | nädjin |
| bone | wuːnɛ |
| blood | guräd |
| kangaroo | gaŋman |
| opossum | balan |
| emu | gumɛrindji |
| crow | wagwag |
| fly | galun |
| sun | ŋurun |
| moon | gandawag |
| fire | wudja |
| smoke | lujuŋgin |
| water | wian |
