Mangarrayi language facts for kids

Mangarrayi (Manggarrai, Mungerry, Ngarrabadji) is an Australian language spoken in the Northern Territory. Its classification is uncertain. Margaret Sharpe originally sought to record the language but turned to the study of Alawa after the station owner where her informants lived denied her access, having tired of the presence of researchers on the property.

Speakers

The 2016 Australian Bureau of Statistics official census indicates that there are no speakers of Mangarrayi remaining, however elders Sheila Conway and Jessie Roberts are both speakers of Mangarrayi. Conway continues to make an important contribution to language revitalization projects in the Jilkminggan community.

Numeric system

Mangarrayi has a number system that extends only to three.

Vocabulary

Capell (1940) lists the following basic vocabulary items for Mungarai (Mangarayi):

gloss	Mungarai
man	malaṉ
woman	gaɖugu
head	gaia
eye	djib
nose	miliŋ
mouth	djäɽäb
tongue	djawi
stomach	daɽa
bone	dama
blood	guranjin
kangaroo	garawi
opossum	widjwidj
crow	wagwag
fly	mɔːdj
sun	ganjwar
moon	giidj
fire	damaia
smoke	gunburau
water	ŋogo