Tjupan | |
Region: | Lake Carnegie (Western Australia) |
Ethnicity: | Tjupan |
Speakers: | 6 |
Date: | 2018 |
Ref: | e25 |
Familycolor: | Australian |
Fam1: | Pama–Nyungan |
Fam2: | Wati |
Iso3: | tjp |
Iso3comment: | (AIATSIS A25: Birniridjara) |
Glotto: | pini1245 |
Glottorefname: | Pini |
Glottoname: | Lake Carnegie Western Desert |
Aiatsis: | A31 |
Tjupan (Tjupany) is one of the Wati languages of the large Pama–Nyungan family of Australia. It is sometimes counted as a dialect of the Western Desert Language, but is classified as a distinct language by Bowern.[1]
The spelling "Tjupan" follows the Goldfields Language Centre and is used for a small dictionary published by the Ngalia Heritage Research Council. "Madoidja" (Madoitja) is a location name.
Extinct Birniridjara ("Pini") was close geographically and was reported to be mutually intelligible, but is undocumented and it is not known if it was closer to Tjupan than to other Western Desert languages.
Tjupan is classed as a highly endangered language, with only 6 fully fluent speakers remaining.[2]