Wulguru language
Wulguru, or Manbara, also spelt Manbarra, is an Australian Aboriginal language, now extinct, that was spoken by the Wulgurukaba (or Manbarra) people around the area around present day Townsville, Queensland, on the east coast of Australia. The range of Wulguru dialects known to have been around the area include two varieties mentioned from Palm Island, two from the Cleveland Bay area, and various dialects from Townsville.
| Wulguru | |
|---|---|
| Manbara | |
| Region | Townsville, Queensland |
| Ethnicity | Manbarra (Wulgurukaba) |
| Extinct | 1900?[1] |
| Language codes | |
| ISO 639-3 | None (mis) |
qgu | |
| Glottolog | wulg1239 |
| AIATSIS[2] | Y135 |
Classification
Wulguru seems to be a Pama–Nyungan language that was typical for the sort found on the eastern Australian coast. Wulguru ceased to be spoken before it was properly documented, and as a result much of what linguists know of the language is fragmentary.
Possible dialect names include Mulgu, Buluguyban, Wulgurukaba, Coonambella, Nhawalgaba.[3]
Phonology
| Peripheral | Laminal | Apical | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Labial | Velar | Palatal | Dental | Alveolar | |
| Stop | p | k | c | t̪ | t |
| Nasal | m | ŋ | ɲ | n̪ | n |
| Lateral | l | ||||
| Trill | r | ||||
| Approximant | w | j | ɹ | ||
Wulguru has three vowels; /i/, /u/, and /a/. Length distinctions exist for all vowels.[4]
Notes
- Wulguru at MultiTree on the Linguist List
- Y135 Wulguru at the Australian Indigenous Languages Database, Australian Institute of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Studies
- Dixon, R. M. W. (2002). Australian Languages: Their Nature and Development. Cambridge University Press. p. xxxiii.
- Donohue, Mark. n.d. Wulguru: A salvage study of the north-eastern Australian language from Townsville. (Languages of the World/Materials.) Lincom Europa.
References
- Donahue, Mark (2007). "Introduction" (PDF). Wulguru: a salvage study of a north-eastern Australian language from Townsville. Munich: LINCOM. pp. 1–4. ISBN 978-3-89586-327-1.