Tjupan dialect explained

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]

Notes and References

  1. Claire Bowern and Quentin Atkinson. 2012. Computational phylogenetics and the internal structure of Pama-Nyungan. Language 88. 817-845. Johns Hopkins University Press.
  2. Web site: Tjupan, Goldfields Aboriginal Language Centre. www.wangka.com.au. 2021-11-26.