Warlpiri language facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Warlpiri
Region	Northern Territory, Australia
Ethnicity	Warlpiri, Ngalia
Native speakers	2,624  (2021 census)
Language family	Pama–Nyungan Ngumpin–Yapa Ngarrkic Warlpiri
Dialects	Warlpiri Ngaliya Walmala Ngardilpa Eastern Warlpiri
AIATSIS	C15
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The Warlpiri language is spoken by nearly 3,000 Warlpiri people in Central Australia. They live in the Tanami Desert, which is northwest of Alice Springs. It is one of the biggest Aboriginal languages in Australia.

Warlpiri is part of a large group of languages called the Pama–Nyungan family. It belongs to a smaller group within that family called Ngarrkic languages. A well-known word from Warlpiri is Jukurrpa, which means The Dreaming. This is an important spiritual belief for Aboriginal people.

Some other languages, like Warnayaka, Wawulya (Ngardilpa), and Ngalia, might be different types of Warlpiri. Ngardilypa is definitely a dialect, which is like a different version of the same language.

Sounds of Warlpiri

Warlpiri has its own special sounds. The way words are said can be written down using symbols.

Vowels

Warlpiri has three main vowel sounds, like the 'a' in "car," the 'i' in "ski," and the 'u' in "flute." Each of these can be short or long. So, there are six vowel sounds in total.

Consonants

Warlpiri has many consonant sounds. Unlike English, it does not have sounds like 'f' or 'v'. The sounds are made using different parts of the mouth, like the lips, tongue, and the back of the throat.

For example, some sounds are made by stopping the air completely, like the 'p' in "pat." Other sounds are made by letting air out through the nose, like the 'm' in "mat."

How Words Are Built

Warlpiri words have rules about how their sounds are put together. Every part of a word (called a syllable) starts with a consonant. It never starts with a vowel. After the consonant, there is a vowel, and sometimes another consonant at the end.

When you say a Warlpiri word, the first part of the word usually gets the most emphasis, or "stress."

Vowel Harmony

Warlpiri has a cool rule called vowel harmony. This means that vowels in a word like to sound similar to each other. If you have two high vowel sounds next to each other, they will usually be the same, like both 'i' or both 'u'.

This rule also works when you add endings to words. For example, if you add an ending to a verb, the vowel in the ending might change to match the vowel in the verb. This makes the word sound more "harmonious." Many languages around the world, like Finnish and Turkish, also have vowel harmony.

How Warlpiri Words Start and End

Warlpiri words have special rules for their beginnings and endings. Most Warlpiri words do not start with certain sounds, like the 't' sound in "top." They usually start with sounds made with the lips, the back of the throat, or the middle of the tongue.

Also, all Warlpiri words end with a vowel sound. If a word's main part ends in a consonant, a small, meaningless ending like -pa is often added to make it end with a vowel.

Warlpiri Alphabet

Since the 1950s, Warlpiri has been written using the Latin letters we use in English. The alphabet was created to make it easy to write Warlpiri sounds.

Here are some ways the Warlpiri alphabet is different:

• Long vowel sounds are written by doubling the letter, like ii for a long 'i' sound.
• Special sounds made by curling the tongue back (called retroflex sounds) are written with an 'r' before the letter, like rt or rn.
• The 'j' letter is used for a sound similar to the 'j' in "jump."
• Other sounds made with the middle of the tongue (palatal sounds) are written with a 'y' after the letter, like ny or ly. The 'y' itself is used for the 'y' sound in "yes."
• The 'ng' is used for the 'ng' sound in "sing."
• The 'rr' is used for a rolled 'r' sound.
• The 'rd' is used for a quick 'r' sound.
• The 'r' is used for a softer 'r' sound.

Sometimes, letters like 'y' or 'r' are left out if they are not needed to understand the word. For example, the word for 'foot', rtari, is often written as tari because Warlpiri words never start with a plain 't' sound.

How Warlpiri Words Are Formed

Warlpiri words are built from many different parts.

Verbs

Warlpiri verbs (action words) come from a few hundred basic words. These verbs are put into five different groups. Most verbs belong to two of these groups.

Verbs can also have special parts added to the beginning, called preverbs. These preverbs change the meaning of the verb. For example, parnka- means 'run'. But wurulyparnka- means 'scurry into hiding'. The wuruly- part adds the meaning of hiding.

Verbs also have endings that show when something happened, like if it's happening now, happened in the past, or will happen in the future. There are five different endings for each verb group.

Nouns

Warlpiri nouns (naming words) are made from thousands of basic words. You can make new nouns by joining words together or adding endings. To make a noun plural (meaning more than one), you often repeat part of the word.

Helper Words and Endings

In Warlpiri, sentences often have a special "helper" word. This word, along with the verb ending, helps show when something is happening (like now or in the future). It also shows who is doing the action and who the action is being done to.

These helper words are almost always the second word in a sentence. They have many endings that tell you about the subject (who is doing it) and the object (who it's happening to).

For example, in the farewell, kapirnangku nyanyi which means 'I will see you,' the word kapi tells you it's about the future. The -rna ending means 'I' (the one doing the seeing), and -ngku means 'you' (the one being seen).

Sometimes, in the past tense, the helper word disappears. When this happens, the endings that tell you about the subject and object attach to the first or second word in the sentence instead.

Avoidance Language

In Warlpiri culture, there are special rules about who can talk to whom. For example, a woman might not talk directly to her son-in-law. If they need to talk, they use a special way of speaking called the avoidance register.

This special language uses the same grammar rules as regular Warlpiri, but it has very few words. Most common words are replaced with more general words or words only used in this special way of speaking.

Warlpiri Sign Language

Besides the spoken language, there is also a Warlpiri Sign Language. People use it to communicate with their hands.

Images for kids

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  A map showing where the Warlpiri language is spoken in Australia.

See also

In Spanish: Idioma warlpiri para niños