A grammar of the Diyari language of north-east South Australia
Date
1978
Authors
Austin, Peter Kenneth
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Abstract
Diyari is an Australian language spoken by approximately twenty fivepeople living at various places in the north east of SouthAustralia. It consists of two dialects, Dhirari with one remainingspeaker, and Diyari proper, The future of the language is not brightas children are no longer learning to speak it and the youngest fluentspeaker is aged about fifty. The language seems to be most closelyrelated to Ngamini and Yarluyandi once spoken to the north of thepre-contact location of the Diyari along Cooper’s Creek.This thesis is a description of the phonology, morphology andsyntax of Diyari, with an emphasis on exemplification of points beingexplained. Where possible, examples are drawn from texts, especiallythe two texts included as Appendices. Throughout the description ofthe morphology and syntax comparative data from other Australian languages,in particular those languages once spoken near Diyari, are included assingle spaced comments.Some areas of the grammar are dealt with in greater detail thanothers, including:a) the status of the phonemic voicing contrast in the apicalstops,b) the classification of main verbs,c) the auxiliary verbs,d) the functions of the cases, ande) subordination and the switch-reference systems.Some points of wider theoretical interest arc raised in thesesections.There are three Appendices consisting of two texts, a discussion ofDiyari songs and notes on loan words.
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Diyari,Australian,language,north east,South Australia,phonology,morphology,syntax
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