| Kaytetye | |
|---|---|
| Kaititj, Gaididj, Kaiditj, Kaytej | |
| Native to | Australia |
| Region | centralNorthern Territory |
| Ethnicity | Kaytetye people |
Native speakers | 109 (2021 census)[1] |
Pama–Nyungan
| |
| Akitiri Sign Language | |
| Language codes | |
| ISO 639-3 | gbb |
| Glottolog | kayt1238 |
| AIATSIS[2] | C13 |
| ELP | Kaytetye |
 Map showing languages in Central Australia | |
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Kaytetye (also speltKaititj,Gaididj,Kaiditj,Kaytej) is anAustralian Aboriginal language primarily spoken in the Northern Territory north ofAlice Springs[3] by theKaytetye people, who live aroundBarrow Creek andTennant Creek. It belongs to theArandic subgroup of thePama-Nyungan languages and is related to Alyawarra, which is one of theUpper Arrernte dialects. It has an unusualphonology and there are no known dialects.[3]
The language is considered to be threatened; it is used for face-to-face communication within all generations, but it is losing users,[4] with only 109 speakers of the language in the 2021 census.[1]
The Kaytetye also have a well-developed sign language known asAkitiri or Eltye eltyarrenke.[5][6][7]
Kaytetye is phonologically unusual in a number of ways. Words start with vowels and end with schwa; full CV(C) syllables only occur within a word, as in the wordarrkwentyarte 'three' (schwa is spelled⟨e⟩, unless initial, in which case it is not written and often not pronounced). Stress falls on the first full syllable. There are only two productive vowels, but numerous consonants, including pre-stopped and pre-palatalized consonants.[8]
Consonants occur plain andlabialized.
[w] is phonemically/ɰʷ/. In the orthography,/ɰ/ is written⟨h⟩.
| Front | Central | Back | |
|---|---|---|---|
| High | i | ɨ ~ə | (u) |
| Mid | |||
| Low | a |
/u/ is marginal.[9]
Two-vowel systems are unusual, but occur in closely relatedArrernte as well as in someNorthwest Caucasian languages. It seems that the vowel system derives from an earlier one with the typical Australian/iau/, but that *u lost its roundedness to neighboring consonants, resulting in the labialized series of consonants, while *i lost its frontness (palatal-ness) to other consonants as well, resulting in some cases in the prepalatalized series.
Kin terms are obligatorily possessed, though with grammatically singular pronouns. There is adyadic suffix as well:[8]
| Elder brother | Mother | |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | alkere-ye my/our brother | arrwengke my/our mother |
| 2 | ngk-alkere your brother | ngk-arrwengke your mother |
| 3 | kw-alkere his/her/their brother | kw-arrwengke his/her/their mother |
| dyadic | alkere-nhenge elder and younger brother | arrwengke-nhenge mother and child |
Dual and plural pronouns distinguishclusivity as well asmoiety (or 'section') and generation. That is, for a male speaker, different pronouns are used forI and my sibling, grandparent, grandchild (even generation, same moiety),I and my father, I and my brother's child (odd generation, same moiety), andI and my mother, spouse, sister's child (opposite moiety). This results in twelve pronouns for 'we':[8]
| Number | Clusivity | Even generation (same moiety) | Odd generation (same moiety) | Opposite moiety |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dual | inclusive | ayleme | aylake | aylanthe |
| exclusive | aylene | aylenake | aylenanthe | |
| Plural | inclusive | aynangke | aynake | aynanthe |
| exclusive | aynenangke | aynenake | aynenanthe |
That is, rootay-, dual suffix-la or plural-na, exclusiveinfix⟨en⟩, an irregular nasal for even generation, and a suffix for same moiety-ke or opposite moiety-nthe.
Verbs include incorporated former verbs of motion that indicate direction and relative timing of someone, usually the subject of the verb. There are differences depending on whether the verb is transitive or intransitive:[8]
| Time | angke 'talk' | Gloss | kwathe 'drink' | Gloss |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Prior motion (go/come and X) | angke-ye-ne- | 'talk after going' | kwathe-ye-ne- | 'drink after going' |
| angke-ye-tnye- | 'talk after coming' | kwathe-ye-tnye- | 'drink after coming' | |
| angke-ya-lpe- | 'talk after returning' | kwathe-ya-lpe- | 'drink after returning' | |
| angke-ya-yte- | 'talk after someone arrives' | kwathe-ya-yte- | 'drink after someone arrives' | |
| Subsequent motion (X and go/come) | angke-rra-yte- | 'talk before leaving' | kwathe-la-yte- | 'drink before leaving' |
| angke-rra-lpe- | 'talk before returning' | kwathe-la-lpe- | 'drink before returning' | |
| Concurrent motion (X while going/coming) | angke-yerna-lpe- | 'talk while coming' | kwathe-yerna-lpe- | 'drink while coming' |
| angke-rra-pe- | 'talk while going along' | kwathe-rra-pe-yne- | 'drink while going along' | |
| angke-rra-ngke-rre-nye- | 'talk continuously while going along' | kwathe-la-the-la-rre- | 'drink continuously while going along' | |
| angke-lpa-ngke- | 'talk once when on the way' | kwathe-lpa-the- | 'drink once when on the way' | |
| Prior and subsequent | angke-nya-yne- | 'go and talk and come back' | kwathe-nya-yne- | 'go and drink and come back' |