| Banyjima | |
|---|---|
| Native to | Australia |
| Region | Pilbara region ofWestern Australia |
| Ethnicity | Panyjima people |
Native speakers | 140 (2021 census)[1] |
Pama–Nyungan
| |
| Dialects |
|
| Language codes | |
| ISO 639-3 | pnw |
| Glottolog | pany1241 |
| AIATSIS[2] | A53 Banyjima (cover term) |
| ELP | Panyjima |
| 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. | |
Panyjima is anAustralian Aboriginal language spoken in theHamersley Range, in thePilbara region ofWestern Australia. It is the traditional language of thePanyjima people. The name has also been spelledBandjima,Banjima,Banyjima,Paanjima,Pandjima,Panjima,Panjtjima, andPanytyima.
Like most indigenous Australian languages, Panyjima isendangered. Younger generations haveEnglish as a first language and make little distinction between Panyjima and its closely related neighbouring languages. There is a formallanguage register known aspadupadu.
Panyjima is classified as a member of theNgayarta branch of thePama–Nyungan languages. UnderCarl Georg von Brandenstein's 1967 classification, Martuthunira was classed as an Inland Ngayarda language, but the separation of the Ngayarda languages into Coastal and Inland groups is no longer considered valid.
Orthography in brackets when it differs from IPA.
| Peripheral | Laminal | Apical | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bilabial | Velar | Palatal | Dental | Alveolar | Retroflex | |
| Stop | p | k | c⟨ť⟩ | t̪⟨th⟩ | t | ʈ⟨rt⟩ |
| Nasal | m | ŋ⟨g⟩ | ɲ⟨ň⟩ | n̪⟨nh⟩ | n | ɳ⟨rn⟩ |
| Lateral | ʎ⟨ľ⟩ | l̪⟨lh⟩ | l | ɭ⟨rl⟩ | ||
| Rhotic | r⟨ŕ⟩ | ɻ⟨r⟩ | ||||
| Semivowel | w | j | ||||
| Front | Back | |
|---|---|---|
| High | iiː | uuː |
| Low | aaː | |
The long vowels are rare.
Unlike most Australian languages, which exhibitergativity, Panyjima and the otherNgayarta languages have anaccusative alignment. That is, thesubjects oftransitive verbs are treated the same as the subjects ofintransitive verbs, while theobjects are treated differently.