Marrithiyel language facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Marrithiyel |
|
|---|---|
| Berringen | |
| Native to | Australia |
| Region | Daly River |
| Ethnicity | Marrithiyal people, Marimanindji, Maridan, Mariamo, Maridjabin, Marijedi |
| Native speakers | 15 (2016 census) |
| Language family |
Western Daly
|
| Dialects |
Marri Ammu
Marritjevin
Marridan
Marramanindjdji
Marrithiyel
|
| AIATSIS | N7 |
Marrithiyel (also called Marithiel, or Berringen) is an important Indigenous Australian language. It is spoken by the Marrithiyal people in the Daly River region of Australia. In 2016, only about 15 people spoke Marrithiyel. This makes it a critically endangered language.
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Different Ways of Speaking Marrithiyel
Just like English has different accents or ways of speaking, Marrithiyel has different versions called dialects. These dialects are slightly different ways of speaking the same language.
Main Dialects of Marrithiyel
The main dialects of Marrithiyel include:
- Nganygit
- Marri Amu (also known as Marriammu)
- Maridjabin
- Marridan
- Marramanindjdji
- Mariyedi
Saving the Language
One of the dialects, Marri Amu, is part of a special project to save languages that are in danger of disappearing. As of 2020, Marri Amu was one of 20 languages chosen for this important project.
This project is called the Priority Languages Support Project. It is run by First Languages Australia and gets money from the Department of Communications and the Arts. The main goal is to find and record languages that are critically endangered. These are languages that have very few speakers left and might not have been recorded before.
Sounds of Marrithiyel
Every language has its own unique set of sounds. Marrithiyel has some sounds that might be different from what you hear in English.
Consonant Sounds
Marrithiyel uses different types of consonant sounds. These include sounds made with your lips, the back of your throat, and your tongue touching different parts of your mouth. Some sounds are like the 'p' or 'k' in English. Others might be softer or made in a slightly different way.
Vowel Sounds
Like English, Marrithiyel also has vowel sounds. These are the open sounds you make with your mouth, like 'a', 'e', 'i', 'o', 'u'. Marrithiyel has a few main vowel sounds, but they can sometimes sound a bit different depending on how they are spoken.
