Ngarna languages facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Ngarna |
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|---|---|
| Warluwaric, Warluwarric | |
| Geographic distribution: |
Northern Territory, Queensland |
| Linguistic classification: | Pama–Nyungan
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| Subdivisions: |
South Ngarna
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The Ngarna or Warluwar(r)ic languages are a group of languages from Australia. They belong to the larger Pama–Nyungan language family. This group is "discontinuous," meaning its languages are not all spoken in one connected area.
Sadly, most of these languages are no longer spoken. The Yanyuwa language is the only one still used today. It is considered "moribund," which means it is very close to disappearing completely.
Here are the languages that belong to the Ngarna family:
- Yanyuwa
- Southern Ngarna/Warluwar(r)ic
- Ngarru
- Wagaya † (This symbol means the language is extinct)
- Yindjilandji †
- Thawa
- Ngarru
Contents
Discovering the Ngarna Languages
Linguists are like language detectives. They study how languages are related. In 1966, some linguists first suggested the "Warluwar(r)ic" group. At first, it only included the Warluwarra language.
Later, they found that the Wakaya and Yanyulan language groups were also related. This meant languages like Wakaya and Yanyuwa joined the family. More languages, like Bularnu and Yindjilandji, were found and added too.
How Linguists Grouped Them
In 1988, a linguist named Barry Blake looked at how these languages used pronouns (like "I" or "you"). He also studied how they marked cases on nouns (like adding endings to show if a word is the subject or object). Based on these shared features, he grouped Yanyuwa, Wakaya, Yindjilandji, Bularnu, and Warluwarra together. He called this the "Warluwaric" subgroup.
The Name: Ngarna or Warluwar(r)ic?
In 2004, another linguist, Gavan Breen, suggested a new name: "Ngarna." This name comes from a common word for "I" found in all these languages. However, the name "Warluwar(r)ic" is still often used. Some linguists, like Mary Laughren, prefer "Warluwarric." They say that the word (nga)rna is also found in many other Pama-Nyungan languages. So, it might not be unique to this specific group.
Southern Ngarna Groups
Within the Ngarna family, linguists have found two main groups in the southern area. These are the "Ngarru" group and the "Thawa" group. Each group is named after the common word for 'man' or 'Aboriginal person' in their languages.
The Ngarru group includes Wagaya and Yindjilandji. The Thawa group includes Bularnu and Warluwara. These two groups together form the southern part of the Ngarna family. The Yanyuwa language is related to them at the highest level of the family tree.
Deeper Connections
Linguists are always trying to understand how languages are connected. They have used different methods to study the Ngarna languages. For example, some have looked at how many words languages share. Others have used computers to build language family trees.
Some studies suggest that Ngarna languages might be related to the Ngumpin-Yapa languages. This idea is still being explored. However, we know that speakers of these languages had a lot of contact. This contact led to similar changes in how they pronounced words and some shared vocabulary.
In 2012, researchers used special computer methods to group Ngarna languages into a "Western Pama-Nyungan" group. Their work also hinted at a possible link between Ngarna and the Yolngu languages. This suggests an even bigger language family tree!
