Murrinh-patha language facts for kids

Murrinh-patha (also called Murrinhpatha) is an Aboriginal language spoken in Australia. Its name means 'language-good'. Over 2,000 people speak Murrinh-patha. Most of them live in a place called Wadeye in the Northern Territory. It is the main language used there.

The Murrinh-Patha people speak this language. Other groups also speak it, especially if their own languages are no longer used. Murrinh-patha is special because it's one of the most spoken Aboriginal languages that is not part of the large Pama-Nyungan language family.

Different Names for Murrinh-patha

The language Murrinh-patha can be spelled in a few ways. You might see it as Murrinh Patha or Murrinh-Patha. Sometimes it's also written as Murinbada or Murinbata.

The Jaminjung people call this language Garama. This name also refers to the people who speak it. Remember, Murrinh-patha literally means 'language-good'.

Murrinh-patha Dialects

Murrinh-patha has three dialects. Dialects are like different versions of the same language. These three are quite similar to each other. They are called Murrinhdiminin, Murrinhkura, and Murrinhpatha.

Why Murrinh-patha is Important

For people who speak Murrinh-patha, their language is much more than just words. It is deeply connected to their land and their identity. It helps them understand their place in the world.

Murrinh-patha is a very strong language. It is used by many different groups in its region. Because of this, the number of people speaking Murrinh-patha has actually grown. This is different from many other Aboriginal languages. Many of those are becoming less common.

Children in Wadeye learn Murrinh-patha as their first language. There are also dictionaries and grammar books for it. Parts of the Bible were even translated into Murrinh-patha. All these things mean Murrinh-patha is not an endangered language. It is taught in schools, and people are encouraged to learn it.

Murrinh-patha is the main language used every day in Wadeye. Many young people there speak only Murrinh-patha. People who move to Wadeye often learn the language over a few years. However, most European Australians living in Wadeye do not learn Murrinh-patha. They might learn only a few words.

The language is also important in Palumpa. This town is about 50 km from Wadeye. Murrinh-patha is also spoken by some people in Daly River. You can also hear it in Aboriginal areas around Darwin.

How Murrinh-patha is Classified

For a long time, people thought Murrinh-patha was a language isolate. This means it seemed unrelated to any other language. Only a small part of its words were similar to other languages.

However, researchers found something interesting. The way verbs change in Murrinh-patha is very similar to another language. This language is called Ngan’gityemerri (Ngan’gi). This similarity is so strong that it suggests they came from the same parent language. These two languages now form the Southern Daly language family.

Even though their verbs are similar, Murrinh-patha and Ngan'gi don't share many words. They do have similar words for 'you' (nhinhi in Murrinh-patha) and 'this' (kanhi). Their grammar is also very much alike. It's a bit of a mystery why their words are so different.

Murrinh-patha also shares a similar sentence structure with the Marringarr language.

Murrinh-patha Grammar

Murrinh-patha has a very interesting grammar. It is known as a polysynthetic language. This means that words, especially verbs, can be very long. They can have many parts added to them. These parts tell you who is doing the action, who it's being done to, when it happened, and more.

Nouns in Murrinh-patha

Nouns are words for people, places, or things. In Murrinh-patha, nouns are sorted into ten different groups. These groups are like genders or classes. For example, some groups might be for living things, and others for objects. Each noun class has special words that must match it.

Pronouns in Murrinh-patha

Pronouns are words like 'I', 'you', 'he', 'she', 'they'. Murrinh-patha has many pronouns, 31 in total! They are divided into four groups:

• Singular: For one person.
• Dual: For two people.
• Paucal: For 3 to 15 people.
• Plural: For more than 15 people.

Some pronouns stand alone in a sentence. But many are actually part of a verb.

Verbs in Murrinh-patha

Verbs are action words. Murrinh-patha verbs can change in about 38 different ways! The main part of the verb has pieces added to its beginning and end. These pieces show who is doing the action, who the action is for, when it happened, and how it happened.

Numbers in Murrinh-patha

Murrinh-patha has a simple number system. It only has words for numbers up to five.

Examples of Murrinh-patha Words

Here are some words and phrases in Murrinh-patha:

• kardu means 'person'
• nanthi thay means 'tree'
• ngarra da ngurran means 'I'm going home'
• thangkunuma mi kanhi-yu? means 'how much for the food?'
• ku were dirranngingarlbarl means 'the dog is barking at me'
• nhinhi, nanku-nitha, nankungitha, nanku, nankuneme, nankungime, nanki all mean 'you' (depending on the situation)
• ku yagurr means 'lizard'

Writing System

Murrinh-patha is written using the Latin alphabet. This is the same alphabet used for English.