Marringarr language explained

Marringarr language should not be confused with Magati language.

Marri Ngarr
Nativename:Matige
Speakers:8 Marri Ngarr
Speakers2:2 Magati Ke (2009)
Date:2006 census
Ref:aiatsis
Familycolor:Australian
Dia1:Marri Ngarr
Dia2:Marti Ke (Magati-ge)
Lc1:zmt
Ld1:Marri Ngarr
Lc2:zmg
Ld2:Marti Ke
Aiatsis:N102
Aiatsisname:Marri Ngarr
Aiatsis2:N163
Aiatsisname2:Magati Ke
Glotto:mari1418
Glottorefname:Maringarr–Matige
Elp2:2330
Elpname2:Mati Ke

The Maringarr language (Marri Ngarr, Marenggar, Maringa) is a moribund Australian Aboriginal language spoken along the northwest coast of the Northern Territory.

Marti Ke (Magati Ke, Matige, Magadige, Mati Ke, also Magati-ge, Magati Gair) lies in the same language category. It is or was spoken by the Mati Ke people. it is included in a language revival project which aims to preserve critically endangered languages.

Geographic distribution

The language has been spoken in the Northern Territory, Wadeye, along Timor Sea,[1] coast south from Moyle River estuary to Port Keats, southwest of Darwin.[2]

Current status

According to the Language Database, as of 2005 Mati Ke language had a population of three (Patrick Nudjulu, Johnny Chula, Agatha Perdjert).[3] Mati Ke speakers have primarily switched to use of English and the flourishing Aboriginal language Murrinh-Patha. The ethnic population is about 100, and there are 50 second language users.

As the language is almost non-existent to date, linguists have been working on collecting information and recording the voices of the remaining speakers.

Language revival project

, Mati Ke 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".[4]

Phonology

Consonants

LabialDentalAlveolarRetroflexPalatalVelar
Stopvoicelesspt(ʈ)ck
voicedbd(ɖ)
Fricativeβʐʝɣ
Nasalmnɳɲŋ
Laterall(ɭ)
Rhoticrɻ
Approximantwj

Vowels

FrontCentralBack
Highi u
Midɛ
Lowɐ ~ æ

Grammar

The vocabulary is limited, therefore the relations and positioning of the words matter to make sense of the construction according to the situation. It is a polysynthetic language.[7]

Marringarr also contains ergativity, which is marked by the postposition -ŋarrin.[8]

Nouns' classification constitutes a core of the language that forms an understanding of the world for its speakers. There are 10 noun classes including: trees, wooden items and long rigid objects; manufactured and natural objects; vegetables; weapons and lightning; places and times; animals; higher beings such as spirits and people, and speech and languages.

Noun class Classifier
trees, wooden items and long rigid objects thawurr
higher beings me
animals a
manufactured and natural objects nhannjdji
vegetables mi

Selected vocabulary

Maringarr English
mi bakulin billygoat plum
nhanjdiji marri cycad
a marri bush cockroach
a wayelh goanna lizard
a dhan gi saltwater prawn

External links

Notes and References

  1. Book: Abley, Mark. Spoken Here: Travels Among Threatened Languages. Random House Canada. 2003. 0679311017. Toronto, ON.
  2. Web site: Marti Ke. Ethnologue. 2015-12-14.
  3. Web site: The Language Database - Mati Ke. www.hermanboel.eu. 2015-12-14.
  4. Web site: First Languages Australia. Priority Languages Support Project. 13 January 2020.
  5. Book: Tryon, Darrell T. . Marengar . Canberra: Research School of Pacific and Asian Studies, Australian National University . 1974 . In Tryon, Darrell T, Daly Family Languages, Australia. (Pacific Linguistics: Series C, 32.) . 120–137.
  6. Book: Bicevskis, Katie . A grammatical description of Marri Ngarr . University of Melbourne . 2023.
  7. Book: The Oxford handbook of polysynthesis . 2017 . Oxford . 9780199683208 . 312 . Fortescue . Michael . Fortescue . Michael D. . Mithun . Marianne . Evans . Nicholas .
  8. Book: Sands . Kristina . The ergative in Proto-Australian . 1996 . Lincom Europa . München . 9783895860539 . 43.