| Pitta Pitta | |
| Region: | Queensland |
| Ethnicity: | Pitapita, Ringaringa, Rakkaia, Karanya, Kungkalenja, Maiawali |
| Extinct: | 2 cited in 1979 |
| Familycolor: | Australian |
| Fam1: | Pama–Nyungan |
| Fam2: | Karnic |
| Fam3: | Palku |
| Dia1: | Pitta-Pitta |
| Dia2: | Ringu-Ringu |
| Dia3: | Rakaya |
| Dia4: | Ngulupulu/Karanja |
| Dia5: | Kunkalanja |
| Dia6: | Mayawarli (Maiawali)[1] |
| Sign: | Pitha Pitha Sign Language |
| Iso3: | pit |
| Lc1: | yxa |
| Ld1: | Mayawali (Maiawali) |
| Glotto: | pitt1247 |
| Glottoname: | Pitta Pitta |
| Aiatsis: | G6 |
| Aiatsisname: | Pitta Pitta (other dialects listed from here) |
| Elp: | 4969 |
| Elpname: | Pitta-Pitta |
Pitta Pitta (also known under several other spellings) is an extinct Australian Aboriginal language. It was spoken around Boulia, Queensland.[2]
The name pituri for the leaves chewed as a stimulant by traditional Aboriginal people has been claimed to be derived from the Pitta Pitta word pijiri.[3] [4] though Walter Roth pointed out in 1897 that the word 'pituri', thus pronounced, was the term used by the neighbouring Yurlayurlanya people, and added that the Pitta Pitta people called it "tarembola".
In 1979, Barry J. Blake reported that Pitta Pitta was "virtually extinct", with only three speakers remaining – Ivy Nardoo of Boulia, Ted Marshall and Linda Craigie of Mount Isa.[5] It is now considered unlikely that any speakers remain.[6]
| Front | Central | Back | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| High | pronounced as /ink/ pronounced as /ink/ | pronounced as /ink/ pronounced as /ink/ | ||
| Low | pronounced as /ink/ pronounced as /ink/ |
| Peripheral | Laminal | Apical | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Labial | Velar | Dental | Palatal | Alveolar | Retroflex | |||
| Plosive | pronounced as /ink/ | pronounced as /ink/ | pronounced as /ink/ | pronounced as /ink/ | pronounced as /ink/ | pronounced as /ink/ | ||
| Nasal | pronounced as /ink/ | pronounced as /ink/ | pronounced as /ink/ | pronounced as /ink/ | pronounced as /ink/ | pronounced as /ink/ | ||
| Lateral | pronounced as /ink/ | pronounced as /ink/ | pronounced as /ink/ | pronounced as /ink/ | ||||
| Tap/Trill | pronounced as /ink/ | pronounced as /ink/ | ||||||
| Approximant | pronounced as /ink/ | pronounced as /ink/ | pronounced as /ink/ | |||||
Below is a basic vocabulary list from Blake (1981).[7]
| English | Pitta-Pitta | |
|---|---|---|
| man | karna | |
| woman | parratya | |
| mother | ngamari | |
| father | yapiri | |
| head | karti | |
| eye | miyi | |
| nose | milya | |
| ear | ngarra | |
| mouth | parla | |
| tongue | ṯarli | |
| tooth | mirlka | |
| hand | mara | |
| breast | kaputyu | |
| stomach | ngampa | |
| urine | purra | |
| faeces | kuna | |
| thigh | marla | |
| foot | ṯina | |
| bone | pirna | |
| blood | kimpa | |
| dog | piyawarli | |
| snake | kaṯi | |
| kangaroo | kulipila | |
| possum | ṯinapali | |
| fish | kupi | |
| spider | kupu | |
| mosquito | kuṉṯi | |
| emu | warrukatyi | |
| eaglehawk | kurriṯala | |
| crow | wakiri | |
| sun | warlka | |
| moon | tyangi | |
| star | tyinpi | |
| stone | tipu | |
| water | ngapu | |
| camp | ngurra | |
| fire | maka | |
| smoke | kuṯu | |
| food | yaṉṯurru | |
| meat | kaṯi | |
| stand | ṯarrka | |
| sit | ṉangka | |
| see | ṉatyi | |
| go | karnta | |
| get | marri | |
| hit | piṯi | |
| I | ngantya | |
| you | inpa | |
| one | ngururu | |
| two | parrkula |
The Pitta Pitta had well-developed a signed form of their language.[8]