| Yorta Yorta | |
|---|---|
| Yotayota Murray–Goulburn | |
| Region | Victoria,Australia |
| Ethnicity | Yorta Yorta (Pangerang,Kwatkwat) |
| Extinct | by 1960[1] |
| Revival | 151 self-identified speakers (2021 census)[2] |
Pama–Nyungan
| |
| Dialects |
|
| Language codes | |
| ISO 639-3 | xyy |
| Glottolog | yort1237 |
| AIATSIS[3] | D2 |
| ELP | Yorta Yorta |
Yorta Yorta (Yotayota) is adialect cluster, or perhaps a group of closely related languages, spoken by theYorta Yorta people,Indigenous Australians from the junction of theGoulburn andMurray Rivers in present-day northeastVictoria.Dixon considers it anisolate.
Yorta Yorta clans include theBangerang, Kailtheban, Wollithiga, Moira, Penrith, Ulupna,Kwat Kwat and Nguaria-iiliam-wurrung.[4] The name is also spelledJotijota, Jodajoda, Joti-jota, Yodayod, Yoda-Yoda, Yoorta, Yota, Yoti Yoti, Yotta-Yotta, Youta; other names are Arramouro, Boonegatha, Echuca, Gunbowerooranditchgoole, Gunbowers, Kwart Kwart, Unungun, Wol-lithiga ~ Woollathura.
The Yaliba Yaliba language of the Pikkolaatpan tribe is about 70% similar to the dialect of the Bangerang, suggesting they may be closely related languages rather than dialects.
Although the language is considered dormant due to contact with Europeans and forcible dislocation to missions, the Yorta Yorta have maintained many words. There have been strong moves of late to revive the language.
Two Yorta Yorta women, Lois Peeler and Sharon Atkinson, together with Dr Heather Bowe fromMonash University, worked for several years to compile a comprehensive record of research material, entitledYorta Yorta Language Heritage. This work provided a summary of existing written records, with reference to the spoken resources, and included introductory lessons in Yorta Yorta, together with English to Yorta Yorta and Yorta Yorta to English dictionaries.
| Labial | Dental | Alveolar | Palatal | Retroflex | Velar | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Stop | b | d̪ | d | ɟ | (ɖ) | ɡ |
| Nasal | m | n̪ | n | ɲ | (ɳ) | ŋ |
| Lateral | l | (ʎ) | (ɭ) | |||
| Rhotic | ɾ~r | (ɽ) | ||||
| Approximant | w | j |
A palatal lateral or the following retroflex consonants could have potentially been recorded. An alveolar rhotic sound could have been a trill or a flap.[1]
| Front | Central | Back | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Close | i | u | |
| Mid | e | o | |
| Open | a |
[e] is the rarest vowel. There are vowel-initial words Yorta-Yorta, due to the deletion of[j] or sometimes[ŋ] before[a], but not in Yabula-Yabula.
The track "Ngarra Burra Ferra" sung by indigenous artistJessica Mauboy from the 2012 hit filmThe Sapphires is a song based on the traditionalAboriginal hymn "Bura Fera."[5] The song is in the Yorta Yorta language and speaks of the LordGod's help in decimating aPharaoh's armies. The chorus,Ngara burra ferra yumini yala yala, translates into English as "The Lord God drowned all Pharaoh's armies, hallelujah!" These lyrics are based on an ancient song inJewish tradition known as the "Song of the Sea" or "Miriam's Song", as it was composed and sung byMiriam, older sister of the prophetMoses. It can be found inExodus 15, especially verse 4, "Pharaoh's chariots and his host hath he cast into the sea: his chosen captains also are drowned in the Red sea." Aboriginal communities of Victoria and southernNew South Wales may be the only people in the world who still sing the piece (in Yorta Yorta).[5]
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