Alawa language
Alawa (Galawa) is a moribund Indigenous Australian language spoken by the Alawa people of the Northern Territory. In 1991, there were reportedly 18 remaining speakers and 4 semi-speakers.[3]
| Alawa | |
|---|---|
| Native to | Australia |
| Region | Northern Territory; Arnhem Land, Roper River. |
| Ethnicity | Alawa |
Native speakers | 5 (2021 census)[1] |
Macro-Pama-Nyungan?
| |
| Language codes | |
| ISO 639-3 | alh |
| Glottolog | alaw1244 |
| AIATSIS[2] | N92 |
| ELP | Alawa |
Phonology
Consonants
Alawa has a typical consonant inventory for an Indigenous Australian language, with five contrastive places of articulation, multiple lateral consonants, and no voicing contrast among the stops.[4]
| Alveolar | Palatal | Peripheral | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Alveolar | Retroflex | Alveo-palatal | Velar | Bilabial | |
| Prenasalised Stop | ⁿd | ⁿɖ | ⁿd̠ʲ | ᵑɡ | ᵐb |
| Devoiced Stop | t | ʈ | t̠ʲ | k | p |
| Nasals | n | ɳ | n̠ʲ | ŋ | m |
| Laterals | l | ɭ | l̠ʲ | ||
| Vibrants | r | ||||
| Glide | ɹ | j | w | ||
Note: there are no standardised IPA symbols for alveopalatal stops.
Vowels
The vowel system of Alawa is made up of four vowel phonemes: the high front vowel /i/, the high back vowel /u/, the mid front vowel /e/, and the low central vowel /a/.[4]
| Front | Central | Back | |
|---|---|---|---|
| High | i | u | |
| Mid | e | ||
| Low | a |
There are no rounding contrasts or length contrasts in this language.[4]
Vocabulary
Capell (1942) lists the following basic vocabulary items:[5]
gloss Alawa man lilmi woman girija head guɽuguɽu eye gulur nose gujumur mouth ŋaːndal tongue djeːjälŋ stomach gundjäl bone galawa blood ŋulidji kangaroo girimbọ opossum gudjaɳi emu djinaliri crow waŋgunaji fly wuɳɖil sun marawaɭbaɭ moon aɖaŋari fire wubu smoke guŋuŋu water ŋọgọ
See also
- Glenn M. Wightman (1991), Alawa ethnobotany: Aboriginal plant use from Minyerri, northern Australia, vol. 11, Conservation Commission of the Northern Territory, Wikidata Q109466390
References
- Australian Bureau of Statistics (2021). "Cultural diversity: Census". Retrieved 13 October 2022.
- N92 Alawa at the Australian Indigenous Languages Database, Australian Institute of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Studies
- "Ethnologue: Alawa". Ethnologue.
- Sharpe, Margaret C (1972). Alawa Phonology and Grammar. Canberra: Australian Institute for Aboriginal Studies.
- Capell, Arthur. 1941–1942, 1942–1943. Languages of Arnhem Land, North Australia. Oceania 12: 364–392, 13: 24–51.
External links
- Bibliography of Alawa language and people resources, at the Australian Institute of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Studies