| Mpakwithi | |
|---|---|
| Anguthimri | |
| Native to | Australia |
| Region | Cape York Peninsula,Queensland |
| Extinct | 1985[1] |
| Language codes | |
| ISO 639-3 | awg |
| Glottolog | angu1242 |
| AIATSIS[2] | Y186 |
| 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. | |
Mpakwithi is an extinctAustralian Aboriginaldialect ofQueensland.
Mpakwithi is generally regarded as a dialect of a broaderAnguthimri language, which is part of theNorthern Paman family.
| Front | Back | |
|---|---|---|
| Close | iiːĩy | uuː |
| Close-mid | eeːẽ (ø) | o |
| Open-mid | ææːæ̃ | |
| Low | aaːã | |
/ø/ is found in only one word.
Mpakwithi has the most vowels of any Australian language, with 16–17. It also is the only Australian language to havenasal vowels.
While other Anguthimri dialects andNorthern Paman languages have three fricatives,/βðɣ/, Mpakwithi has a fourth,/ʒ/. Its origin is uncertain. This is an extremely rare sound in Australian languages.
The flap /ɾ/ may occasionally also be heard as a trill [r].
Sounds [s, ʃ] may also occur, but only rarely and in a small amount of words. The phonemic status is uncertain.
 | ThisAustralian Aboriginal languages-related article is astub. You can help Wikipedia byexpanding it. |