Mantharta language explained

Mantharta
Speakers:2 Dhargari
Date:2005
Speakers2:(1 cited 2007)
Ref:aiatsis
Familycolor:Australian
Fam2:Kanyara–Mantharta
Dia1:Dhargari
Dia2:Warriyangga
Dia3:Dhiin
Dia4:Jiwarli
Lc1:dhr
Ld1:Dhargari
Lc2:wri
Ld2:Warriyangga
Lc3:iin
Ld3:Thiin
Lc4:dze
Ld4:Djiwarli
Aiatsis:W21
Aiatsisname:Tharrkari
Aiatsis2:W22
Aiatsisname2:Warriyangka
Aiatsis3:W25
Aiatsisname3:Thiin
Aiatsis4:W28
Aiatsisname4:Jiwarli
Glotto:mant1266
Glottorefname:Mantharta
Map:Mantharta languages.png
Mapcaption:Mantharta languages (green) among other Pama–Nyungan (tan).

Mantharta is a partly extinct dialect cluster spoken in the southern Pilbara region of Western Australia. There were four varieties, which were distinct but largely mutually intelligible. The four were:[1] [2]

The name mantharta comes from the word for "man" in all four varieties.

Phonology

The following is of the Thargari dialect:[4] [5]

Consonants

PeripheralLaminalApical
LabialVelarDentalPalatalAlveolarRetroflex
Plosivep/bk/ɡt̪/d̪c/ɟt/dʈ/ɖ
Nasalmŋɲnɳ
Rhoticɾ
Lateralʎlɭ
Approximantwjɻ

Vowels

FrontBack
Closei, iːu, uː
Opena, aː

Language revival

, the Warriyangga dialect is one of 20 languages prioritised as part of the Priority Languages Support Project, being undertaken by First Languages Australia and funded by the Department of Communications and the Arts. The project aims to "identify and document critically-endangered languages — those languages for which little or no documentation exists, where no recordings have previously been made, but where there are living speakers".[6]

Notes and References

  1. Book: Dixon, R. M. W. . R. M. W. Dixon . Australian Languages: Their Nature and Development . Cambridge University Press . 2002 . xxxviii.
  2. Bowern & Koch (2004) Australian Languages: Classification and the Comparative Method
  3. News: 2021-01-15 . Peter Salmon is the only known speaker of his language — he wants to change that before it's too late . en-AU . ABC News . 2023-01-20.
  4. Book: Klokeid, Terry J. . Thargari Phonology and Morphology . Canberra: Australian National University . 1969.
  5. Book: Austin, Peter K. . A Reference Grammar of the Mantharta Languages, Western Australia . 2015.
  6. Web site: First Languages Australia. Priority Languages Support Project. 13 January 2020.